20 replies to this topic

[HildebrandRarity]

Further to the "Fly Spec In The Carribean" post, I was thinking about Haiti's portrayal in QOS.

Nothwithstanding General Medrano's rather condescending - and, indeed, ironic - remark, I found Marc Forster's version of Port-au-Prince, Haiti to be 'nicer'/more 'fun' than i'd imagined the place to be prior to November, 2008.

I always knew that Haiti was the poorest jurisdiction in my hemisphere (Americas) and, basically, the s#!^h@le of these time zones but the Bond team made it look like quite a neat spot:

- The hotel has a funky and warm 'vibe' with a beautiful, charming black girl at the 'concierge';

- Camille Wears Prada and drives a very 'now' Ford SomethingOrOther with its artsy tone-on-tone Soleil designs;

- James Bond looks very Steve McQueen as he rides around town on his motorbike;

- Elvis tells mummy just how nice, sunny and beautiful the place is...Wish She Was Here-type of stuff!;

- The port and harbour area feels vibrant and has lots of speed boats and yatchs and boats full of juicy fruits, vegetables and other goodies;

- The water is so clear that you can see the drowned, spread-out geologist staring right back up at Camille and Greene with a look of perverse surprise;

- The hotel where Bond hands off a 'sea-sick' Camille to the attendant is defintely 'high end' and a place you may want to hang out and go water-skiing;

- An old man is enjoying the sunshine while he irons his shirt outdoors;

- Children are smiling as they watch Bond drive by; and

- A dog is having a grand old time in the shanty town with neary a care in the world...

All in all, Haiti - or, rather, Port-au-Prince specifically - seems not too bad a place hang out and party inspite of being a "Fly Spec".

Forster does a wonderful job with all the nice little vignettes.

It takes talent to make the hemisphere's s#!^h@l& seem like a wonderful little paradise, doesn't it?

[Zorin Industries]

You are aware that those Hiatian scenes were not shot in Haiti...?

[HildebrandRarity]

Colon, I believe...Or was it Panama City proper?

[Tybre]

Colon, I believe...Or was it Panama City proper?

According to the nets, Panama City mostly. Colon was used for a sequence with very large numbers of extras. And the boat chase was filmed at Fort Sherman. Apparently they were planning to go to Cusco at some point, but canceled the locale. Would've been interesting to see what they did with it, if they just doubled it for Bolivia and Haiti like they did with the Panamian locations, or if it was actually worked into the plot somehow. Probably the former, which is a bit of a shame because I've always thought Cusco looked like a wonderful place.

[HildebrandRarity]

Yes, you're right.

Colon was used for La Paz, I think...the Greene Planet Eco Fund Raiser Party in Bolivia.

[clublos]

And isn't it amazing how much La Paz and Port au Prince look alike?

[HildebrandRarity]

And isn't it amazing how Madagascar looks like Mbale, Uganda...both of which look like The Bahamas!

Isn't it amazing how they made that Aston flip 7 times in Bedfordshire and not in Montenegro!



Shame that they actually took the time, money and trouble to film Quantum Of Solace all over North, Central and South America [not to mention Italy and Austria] instead of conveniently sticking around Surrey, Buckinghamshire, Pinewood and Bedfordshire like they did for Casino Royale, eh?

[zencat]

I count on Bond movies to glorify locations. That's one of the reasons I go to Bond movies.

[The Shark]

I don't think Port-au-Prince was glorified at all, I think it was relatively realistically portrayed, which is what Bond films should strive for.

However, I think the Haitian slums and docks were the wrong setting for a Bond film.

Though that's just my opinion.

[HildebrandRarity]

...I think the Haitian slums and docks were the wrong setting for a Bond film.

Though that's just my opinion.

What did you make of the slums of Harlem in Live And Let Die or the slums of Macau and Bangkok in Golden Gun?



I'm sure I can come up with more examples in both the Eon and Fleming canons.

[Vauxhall]

Colon was used for La Paz, I think...the Greene Planet Eco Fund Raiser Party in Bolivia.

Other way round. Roughly speaking, Colon was Port-au-Prince, Panama City was La Paz.

On the topic in hand: yes, certainly glorified. The look of Port-au-Prince in QUANTUM OF SOLACE was much more polished than the real-life place. From what I've seen, it bears little resemblance, if at all.

[HildebrandRarity]

From what I've seen, it bears little resemblance, if at all.

Are you referring to what you're seeing on tv now...or a visit prior to the past week?

[bondrules]

Colon was used for La Paz, I think...the Greene Planet Eco Fund Raiser Party in Bolivia.

Other way round. Roughly speaking, Colon was Port-au-Prince, Panama City was La Paz.

On the topic in hand: yes, certainly glorified. The look of Port-au-Prince in QUANTUM OF SOLACE was much more polished than the real-life place. From what I've seen, it bears little resemblance, if at all.

Correct.

[DR76]

The look of Port-au-Prince in QUANTUM OF SOLACE was much more polished than the real-life place.

Port-au-Prince in QoS certainly did not look polished or glorified to me.

[Vauxhall]

From what I've seen, it bears little resemblance, if at all.

Are you referring to what you're seeing on tv now...or a visit prior to the past week?

Neither. I work in news and followed the 2004 coup that ousted Jean-Bertrand Aristide closely, plus I've done research on the upheavals of the 1990s. Haiti bears little resemblance to the portrayal in QUANTUM OF SOLACE, in my opinion, and that of colleagues who went there in the 1990s and early 2000s.

The look of Port-au-Prince in QUANTUM OF SOLACE was much more polished than the real-life place.

Port-au-Prince in QoS certainly did not look polished or glorified to me.

Nope. Just more polished than the real-life place.

[Harmsway]

And isn't it amazing how Madagascar looks like Mbale, Uganda...

Well, CASINO ROYALE's Madagascar doesn't really look like its Mbale, as far as I'm concerned.

both of which look like The Bahamas!

I thought only the Madagascar material was shot in the Bahamas, and then Mbale was created on the Pinewood backlot.

[Vauxhall]

both of which look like The Bahamas!

I thought only the Madagascar material was shot in the Bahamas, and then Mbale was created on the Pinewood backlot.

Pretty much. The Mbale scenes were shot in Black Park near to Pinewood, an area of land that has doubled for scenes set in North Korea, Switzerland, Germany and a few other places. It's certainly flexible.

[Zorin Industries]

both of which look like The Bahamas!

I thought only the Madagascar material was shot in the Bahamas, and then Mbale was created on the Pinewood backlot.

Pretty much. The Mbale scenes were shot in Black Park near to Pinewood, an area of land that has doubled for scenes set in North Korea, Switzerland, Germany and a few other places. It's certainly flexible.

I'd recommend a walk round there. It's open land with a car park and its as near as some can get to Pinewood Studios. It's a fascinating stretch of (on paper) not very interesting woodland... but suddenly all these films come flooding back to you...SUPERGIRL, BUGSY MALONE, CARRY ON DICK, GOLDFINGER....(that's my Desert Island films taken care of!).

[HildebrandRarity]

My main point in comparing the locations was actually this:

...Shame that they actually took the time, money and trouble to film Quantum Of Solace all over North, Central and South America [not to mention Italy and Austria] instead of conveniently sticking around Surrey, Buckinghamshire, Pinewood and Bedfordshire like they did for Casino Royale...

[Safari Suit]

My ability to remember useless moments and facts has done me well here:

And - no, of course I am not advocating an intellectual elitism. Far from it. My favourite film (non Bond) of all time precludes me from that.

SUPERGIRL... that's my Desert Island films taken care of!

The jig is up Zorin

[bondrules]

Colon was used for La Paz, I think...the Greene Planet Eco Fund Raiser Party in Bolivia.

Other way round. Roughly speaking, Colon was Port-au-Prince, Panama City was La Paz.

On the topic in hand: yes, certainly glorified. The look of Port-au-Prince in QUANTUM OF SOLACE was much more polished than the real-life place. From what I've seen, it bears little resemblance, if at all.

Correct.

There might be one exception. Remember the scene where Leiter and Bond meet in a bar? I am not sure that took place in Panama City. I believe that was Colon, although I'm not 100% on that.