Celluloid City: Casino Royale Features MIA and the Body Worlds Exhibit (Or Does It?)

Over the years Miami has served as the backdrop for hundreds of

Hollywood movies. In Celluloid City, we spotlight some of the classics

shot right in our own backyard.

​This Celluloid City is somewhat of a trick instead of a treat (we’re starting with the bad Halloween puns early). Casino Royale, the James Bond flick that sparked a bit of controversy due to its casting, features scenes supposedly shot in Miami that were actually filmed elsewhere.

The choice of Daniel Craig as the leading man got people’s tongues wagging. Many thought that he wasn’t smooth or debonair enough to play Agent 007. We have to agree, but then again we feel that no one could fill the uber expensive, Italian leather shoes of Roger Moore or Sean Connery. Some people were won over after the movie came out (read–mainly straight women and gay men), but we weren’t convinced. Heck, we’d even take Pierce Bronson back. 
As far as plot goes, this is typical Bond fare–there are bad guys out to destroy the world and sexy, yet untrustworthy women out to destroy Bond. Craig makes his way through the film looking rugged and pained–so not James Bond-like. Judi Dench plays M, the boss lady in charge of Bond. We like her. She’s a dame. 
Here’s a look at Craig as “Bond”:
The scenes in the film purportedly shot at Miami International Airport were actually filmed at the Prague International Airport, Nassau International Airport in the Bahamas, and Dunsfold Park Aerodome in England. There is also a scene featuring the Body Worlds Exhibit which takes place in a Miami museum, but was really filmed at the Military Museum and Ministry of Transport in Prague. We don’t understand why anyone would want to film in Prague instead of Miami, but then again, it’s obvious that the people who made the decisions for this film were high on jimsonweed.
Like most Bond films, this one did pretty well at the box office, even dragging out those who hadn’t seen a James Bond film since the pathetic miscast of Timothy Dalton (that would be us). People wanted to see how this new guy would play Bond (us again). The film did win a few awards, most notably the Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror films (wtf?) and Best Actor for Daniel Craig from the Empire Awards in the UK (apparently because all their good actors are over here). Speaking of Clive Owen…