When approaching the 24th James Bond movie, Spectre, the filmmakers were keen to ensure that it followed on closely from its predecessor, the $1.1billion global smash Skyfall. Daniel Craig, of course, is back for his fourth outing as 007, while the characters of Q (Ben Whishaw) and Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) both return after their reintroduction to the series in Skyfall. And then there is the new M (Ralph Fiennes).
The chance to explore all these characters’ stories was of vital importance to Sam Mendes, who is back for a second stint in the Bond director’s chair. “It all starts from character with me,” begins the Academy Award-winner, “and I wanted to explore all sorts of different aspects of the characters that I’d left behind in Skyfall. We had populated MI6 with a whole new generation of people — a new M, a new Moneypenny and a new Q. I wanted to let those relationships develop and grow.”
ACTOR: BETTER THAN SKYFALL,DIRECTOR: BOND’S CHANCE OF REDEMPTION PRODUCER: THE EMPOWERMENT OF BOND
For Craig, the remit for Spectre was even simpler. “We wanted to be better than Skyfall,” he says. “It is as simple as that. We didn’t have a choice; we had to be bigger and better. With Skyfall, we set something in motion and we wanted to go a bit further with it and experiment a bit more.”
Bond was rejuvenated at the end of Skyfall. “He had a sense of new beginnings,” says Mendes, and this had a profound effect on Spectre. Here, the world’s most famous secret agent is an entirely proactive character, in control of his own destiny. He has a focused mission from the outset and nothing, and no one, is going to stand in his way.
“Skyfall was an entirely reactive movie as far as Bond was concerned,” explains Mendes. “In the first sequence he was pursuing somebody with all his old focus and drive, but he gets shot before the credits even roll and for the rest of the movie he is one step behind Javier Bardem’s character, Silva. You could even argue that at the end of Skyfall, he has failed. He has not kept M alive, and though Silva’s death is a victory for Bond, there are other elements that are failures. Hence, with Spectre, I wanted to give him a chance of redemption.”
EON Productions’ Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, long-serving producers of the franchise, agree. “I think this film is very much about the empowerment of Bond,” says Broccoli, “and with Daniel portraying the character, he does this with such enormous integrity that we really feel what he is going through, emotionally as well as physically.”
Bond’s proactive nature has given the filmmakers plenty of scope in terms of location and narrative ideas. The film sees a cryptic message from the past, which sends 007 on a rogue mission to Mexico City and eventually Rome, where he meets Lucia Sciarra (Monica Bellucci), the widow of an infamous criminal. When overseas, Bond infiltrates a secret meeting and uncovers the existence of a sinister organisation known as Spectre.
This organisation has featured in six previous Bond films — Dr No, From Russia With Love, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and Diamonds Are Forever — introducing a whole host of villains. The latest film, however, sees the organisation reimagined for the 21st century.
“What we’ve got here is a kind of creation myth at play,” says Mendes. “We are not adhering to any previous version of the Spectre story. We are creating our own version. Our film is a way of rediscovering Spectre and the super villain, setting him up again for the next generation.”
Craig concurs. “Having Spectre in the film opens up lots of avenues for us to explore,” the actor says. “Having this organisation allows us to be both traditional while also bringing in something very new.”
The filmmakers are also excited by the narrative developments at MI6. Even as Bond learns more about Spectre, he also has to contend with problems closer to home. In London, Max Denbigh (Andrew Scott), codename C, has been appointed the head of the Centre for National Security, and challenges the relevance of MI6.
With MI6 at risk, 007 enlists the help of both Q and Moneypenny, and embarks on a mission that carries him to a host of locations, some of which he has never visited before. Mendes explains, “Given the fact that Bond is much more engaged in his own journey, we were able to play around with much more widespread locations. There is much more variety and a far greater physical and geographical journey in this movie than in Skyfall.”
ACTOR: VERY INDIVIDUAL,DIRECTOR: OLD-SCHOOL GLAMOUR,PRODUCER: OPENING SEQUENCE... IS SPECIAL
In Spectre, the filmmakers were able to move a little closer to the Bond films of old. “We could work with a slightly different style from the other Bond films I’ve done,” says Craig. “This film is very individual but also harks back a little to what has gone before in the Bond films of the ’60s and ’70s.”
Mendes says that Spectre recalls the classic Bond films in terms of the cars, the tone, the lighting and even the cut of 007’s suit. “Also, I wanted to get back to some of that old-school glamour that you get from those fantastic, otherworldly locations. I wanted to push it to extremes.”
The filmmakers wanted to immerse Bond in a magnificent festival in a Latin American city. “And it doesn’t get any bigger than Mexico City and the Day of the Dead,” says Mendes.
Indeed, the producers regard the pre-title Day of the Dead sequence as one of their career highlights. “Though we have worked on the James Bond films for more than 35 years, we both felt that the opening sequence to Spectre was something magnificent to behold, and that it sets the tone for an exceptional picture,” says Michael G. Wilson.
Broccoli adds, “The Day of the Dead sequence stands as a reminder of what a James Bond film can achieve. Here we were in the middle of a foreign capital city with thousands of beautifully dressed extras and a world-class stunt team executing jaw-dropping scenes. That is one reason why we feel that Spectre is such a special moment in the James Bond series.”
The filmmakers also wanted to send Bond to one of Europe’s great cities at night. They chose Rome, says Mendes, because of “the history and an atmosphere of darkness and foreboding — particularly if you’re dealing with 1920s and 1930s Fascist architecture. There is something dark and intimidating.”
When developing the romantic aspect of the film, the filmmakers opted to have Bond’s most intimate relationship blossom in North Africa, in Tangier and the Sahara desert. “If you want this incredible immense landscape, this emptiness, then where better than the Sahara?” asks Mendes. “So with all these locations you have these tones that are quite different, and quite extreme.”
And no Bond movie would be complete without scenes set in London. “The challenge was to try and find a way of shooting London that felt fresh and new and yet which was also a continuation of Skyfall,” says Mendes.
TEAM BOND: M, Q AND MONEYPENNY
As Skyfall drew to a close, the filmmakers introduced the man who would take over the role of the iconic character M: actor Ralph Fiennes inheriting the part from Dame Judi Dench. “I’m very aware of the legacy,” says Fiennes. “I grew up with Bernard Lee’s M and then Judi Dench made such a fantastic impression. She brought a real toughness that I’m keen to carry on.”
Fiennes grew up an avid reader of Ian Fleming, John le Carre and Graham Greene and feels that the character of M is moulded by the image of the Cold War spy.
“And though I know that’s not our era,” he says, “I feel this M is a child of that spy-slash-film world. Sam Mendes follows the demands of the Bond franchise, but also allows us the opportunity to give more shade to our characters. With M, there is a doubt and uncertainty that you get in the literature of that period.”
“I felt relieved that the previous film was such a success, and that people have accepted me in the role,” says Ben Whishaw who returns as Q. “That was a relief, and so I felt some degree of confidence but also the character is in a different place in this film. All the characters are, in fact, because of what’s happening with their jobs, and their environment.
“This merger is happening and there are big changes going on. Everyone’s futures are being called into question, so everyone feels scrutinised and under pressure.”
In spite of the threat to his position, Q proves himself a real friend to 007 and puts his neck on the line. He disregards orders in a bid to help Bond achieve his own mission objectives.
“I think that there’s a respect for Bond,” Whishaw says of his character’s relationship with 007. “He is still slightly wary because Q sees that Bond has this strange magnetism and power over people and indeed over Q himself. So Q has to try and control that. Yet there is a great loyalty towards him as well.”
Also returning from Skyfall is Moneypenny, brought to the screen for a second time by Naomie Harris. “Moneypenny in this film is behind the desk again; she’s not out with Bond in the field,” Harris explains. “She is still assisting him, but this time doing something much more secretive.”
One of the key themes in Spectre is the issue of trust, and that is brought to the fore in the Bond-Moneypenny relationship. Early on in the narrative, when 007’s trust in his organisation is diminished, he still believes in Moneypenny.
“Bond is someone who doesn’t really have friends as such. That he would class Moneypenny as his friend is a real honour for her and she feels really proud of that. He’s not someone that you get close to very easily. Of course, there is still a lot of flirtation on both sides.”
BOND GIRL MONICA: THE CHEMISTRY IS SO STRONG BOND GIRL LEA: A VERY STRONG RELATIONSHIP
Bond, of course, is drawn to women and in Spectre proves that he can still woo them. He encounters the beautiful widow Lucia Sciarra, played by Monica Bellucci, the Italian actress that producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli had tried to recruit in the past, denied only for scheduling conflicts. “We’re delighted to finally get her,” says Wilson. “She is terrific in the role.”
Bellucci, meanwhile, says that she was delighted to finally join the series. “I said ‘Yes’ right away because I was very happy to work with Sam Mendes and to be part of this project,” she explains. “I have so much respect for the James Bond films in general because I think they are such a big part of cinema history. And I respect so much all the James Bond girls; I think they are beautiful actresses and talented and it was very interesting for me to be part of this history.”
The character she plays is a seductive Italian woman who holds a number of secrets. “Her Mafioso husband is killed and she risks the same thing happening to her,” Bellucci explains. “When she first meets Bond she doesn’t trust him because she comes from a world where only corrupt men have the power.
“But the chemistry and the attraction between them is so strong and she realises her feminine power over him.Then she trusts him. He saves her and she gives him the information he needs,” she laughs. “And they find an interesting way to sign a contract with each other!”
Another woman playing a pivotal role in Spectre is Madeleine Swann, who is brought to the screen by French actress Lea Seydoux. “She’s a doctor and she’s a strong woman,” Seydoux says of her character. “She is intelligent, independent and she doesn’t want anything to do with Bond when she meets him for the first time. She’s not impressed.”
As the story progresses, however, events force a change in their dynamic, and their relationship softens. “She understands Bond very well because she has an insight into the world that he lives in,” the actress continues. “For his mission he needs to understand things from his past and he needs Madeleine for the information she can provide. Eventually, it is a very strong relationship between them.”
BOND VILLAIN CHRISTOPH: DANIEL’S BOND IS A TROUBLED SOUL
While the new women in Bond’s life prove a good influence, his relationship with the men in the film is much more troubled. During his penetration of a Spectre meeting he comes face to face with an enigmatic and chilling character, the organisation’s leading man, Oberhauser, played by two-time Academy Award-winner Christoph Waltz.
“In this film it’s the classic, and the classical, protagonist/antagonist dynamic,” Waltz says. “The dynamic is that the hero’s major existential quest needs to be thwarted, and every obstacle needs to be set up to the degree that endangers not just the achievement of this quest but endangers the existence of the hero himself.
Waltz is especially happy to star in one of Daniel Craig’s Bond films given their grittier and, on occasion, darker tone. “With Daniel, some of the jocular tone from the earlier films evaporated and that was very much on purpose,” says the Austrian star. “During the course of Daniel’s films, Bond has emerged a more troubled soul and less of the ironic prankster-type. Whether that continues in this film, or shifts again, audiences will have to wait and see.”
As is often the case in Bond films, a very distinctive henchman supports the main villain. One only need consider Auric Goldfinger and Oddjob, or Francisco Scaramanga and Nick Nack, to name but two. In Spectre, the filmmakers not only introduce Oberhauser, but also Hinx, his muscle-bound field agent, played by Dave Bautista. “I think this film has something of an old-school feeling, especially when you consider the history of Spectre,” Bautista says.“They’re this large, mastermind organisation.... They’re very mysterious and it’s important that they remain that way.
Hinx, he notes, is a great match for Bond. “The character is really, really strong which you notice in one fight scene in particular. When you think of Bond you don’t often see him losing in a fight. But....”
Another important man in the Spectre story is White, played by Jesper Christensen. The character was responsible for Vesper Lynd’s (Eva Green) betrayal of Bond in Casino Royale and he also appeared briefly in Quantum Of Solace. “He appears to be a crime boss of some kind but it turns out he’s not completely at the top because there’s someone over him,” says Christensen.
The man at the top is Oberhauser. “White has fallen out with his associates and he’s been in hiding,” Christensen continues. “Now, though, he has been found, and he’s being slowly poisoned.”
Through the revelations made in Spectre, it transpires that there is one man behind all the tragedy that Bond has faced during the last three films.
Who is it? Wait for November 20 when Spectre hits our screens.
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