Casino Royal; the Casino phenomenon in Movies
A casino setting tells a lot about the story you are trying to create in a book or movie. It talks of luxury, money, deception, beauty, and skill. We are going to focus more on the movies and how the casino setting added depth and meaning to each theme and story.
The first person or character in this case that comes into your mind whenever you think of a casino setting is the one and only James Bond. From Diamonds are Forever to latest Bond movie Casino Royal, James Bond movies have made the casino setting a status symbol. In the James Bond movies, the casino setting aided in promoting the two-faced side of a setting. In a casino you can both win and lose, or have mysterious deals with the casino owners. There is thought to be a lot of hidden criminal activity within casinos, which also aids the appeal in movies, in particular secret agent movies such as James Bond.
Another catchy movie that uses the casino setting to help creating a story of conspiracy, seduction, and betrayal is Casino the movie. Here the setting is the popular city of Las Vegas where two friends open a casino and underneath it all aid the Mafia in Las Vegas. Unlike in James Bond movies, where the casinos also reflect attraction and beauty, Mafia uses the darkest image of the casino, which is associated with sex, guns, and finally murder.
The next movie that uses the casino setting successfully is Ocean's Eleven. The story is about a group of eleven people who try to rob the biggest hotel and casino in Las Vegas, the MGM Grand. They successfully manage to do so and get out with millions of dollars, thanks to a carefully crafted plan and a well organized deception. Here, the casino setting is used quite differently from the other two movies. The casino poses rather as a victim, than helping in darkening or lightening a certain storyline. There are many movies out there where the casino setting is solely used as what it really is; a place where you can win or steal money from.
The most common denominator in movies that include casino settings is not the gambling itself, but the place where casinos are located; Las Vegas. In addition to just using an ordinary casino somewhere in the world, Las Vegas provides the extra flair of wealth, exorbitant luxury and dreams come true. Las Vegas also exudes the ultimate American dream, which is to get rich quickly.
There are many movies which use the casino setting differently, now it is up to you how you want to use the casino in the setting and what exactly you want to portray in your movie or story.
