In February, Artistic Licence Renewed visited Estoril in search of the real-life origin for Ian Fleming’s debut Casino Royale. We joined author Larry Loftis at the Palacio Hotel and Casino Estoril on his media tour for the Portuguese release of his international bestseller INTO THE LION’S MOUTH: The True Story of Dusko Popov—World War II Spy, Patriot,…
Article by Larry Loftis Nothing is what it seems. Whether the subject is screenwriting, novel plotting, or espionage, the goal is the same—deception. As Hollywood scribe Robert McKee explains in his legendary book, STORY, “If the scene is about what the scene is about, you’re in deep sh*t.” On February 14-17, I will be giving…
Article by Larry Loftis Rear Admiral John Godfrey, Britain’s Director of Naval Intelligence during World War II, had always said that his personal assistant was such a great administrator and intelligence planner that the roles should have been reversed. The assistant, of course, was Lieutenant Commander Ian Fleming. In the early days of 1941, when…
On a cool August evening in 1941, a Serbian playboy created a stir at Casino Estoril in Portugal by throwing down an outrageously large baccarat bet to humiliate his opponent. The Serbian was a British double agent, and the money which he had just stolen from the Germans belonged to the British. From the sideline,…
Artistic Licence Renewed 