How does Casino Royale use conventions of film noir, and what meanings/connotations are created?

How does Casino Royale use conventions of film noir, and what meanings/connotations are created?

 

Casino Royale starts with a completely different introduction. It's separate from the rest of the film, in the way that it is shot in black and white, hinting at a Film Noir influence. 

This shot is an extreme long shot, and fully displays the building in which the intro is going to take place. As is typical in a film noir shot, it's shot from a low angle, displaying a wide view of the building/landscape, adding a sense of anticipation.

We can see a source of light in the shot, as is typical. The light is presented through the lone lamp post in the middle ground. Its almost as if the entire shot is illuminated from that point. Lamp posts were frequently used in Film Noir. The lamp post acts as both a location, under which a character would stand and a single source of light for the clip. 

Here, we're introduced to our bad guy. We can tell he's the villain due to the nature of his introduction. He gets out of a classy car in the darkness of night and the camera shoots him from a low angle, so that we look up at him. In this midshot, we can see his face has a sinister, but worried expression on it. This would evidently mean that he anticipates some kind of confrontation, or that something is going to occur in the next scenes. 

Props. In film noir, props are often fairly limited, normally revolving around cigarettes, guns, torches etc. In the drawer of his desk, we notice a pistol. The pistol is an icon of film noir, frequent shoot outs and murders meant that they were often on show. So naturally it was only a matter of time until a weapon was released into the scene. Therefore, we get a sense of tradition and that Casino Royale - a James Bond (crime/hero/action film) is looking back at the Film Noir era with a sense of respect.

A traditional Film Noir setting - The office. We have a wide shot of both characters here. It appears that the villain in the scene is in the well lit section of the room, on the right, and our protagonist, James Bond is sitting in the shadows of the left side, his face only partially lit. This adds a sense of gloom to the scene; the villain has the power in this shot, whilst Bond, only somewhat visible is made to seem like he's in danger. 

This scene is the darker side of Noir; the violence. Seeing as James Bond is more of an action film, the action is of course exaggerated. Film Noir violence tended to be intense eye contact, followed by a single bullet to the upper torso whilst the camera followed the character to the floor.

This scene is very bright when it comes to lighting. The white tiled walls of the bathroom they're fighting in give a sense of openness, and almost finality. We can tell that it's going to be a fight till the death. The contrast is developed through Bond's black suit jacket; this makes him look like the superior force here, as he stands out in the scene. 

Here is the scene in it's entirety.