Dilemmas and textual material, such as those items listed above, only take meaning – real, non-literal meaning – when described in aesthetically deliberate (in this instance, specifically cinematic) details. Thankfully, Revisioning 007 divulges the devices driving Royale, revealing the working parts producing its multifaceted meanings. This has long been a neglected aspect of any significant inquiry into the Bond films, and perhaps understandably, considering the substantial stylistic changes in the cycle as a whole. Lindner’s case study of Royale, however, has the space to open up an individual scene for scrutiny and its attendant stylistic properties. Generally speaking, these essays do an excellent service in stressing how cinematography, editing, mise-en-scène, and sound signify for the cinemagoer, deemphasizing the trap of an exclusively narrative sample selection.
Revisioning 007 is an exceedingly excellent and lucid collection for film analysis and certainly an outstanding case study in contemporary film and pop culture, not withstanding its immense appeal to those Bond aficionados seeking to delve Casino Royale for all its depth. I also recommend Lindner’s previous collection, The James Bond Phenomenon (2003), as a first-rate companion piece for those looking for the limits of 007.
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