343 replies to this topic

[AngryPolarBear]

Then let them have the press chomp on something else than amazing ACTION. I'm beginning to think this movie will be called ACTION 007 in non english speaking countries

Then what are they going to talk about in the press? The amazing talking scene between Bond and Camille where he finds regains his trust in people? The great dialog driven showdown between Mathis and Bond where he finds the truth about his former ally?

The problem is that most people doesn't find this especially interesting and they need to sell this film. People in here are fearing that since Casino Royale was such a success, they can now safely go back to the action formula. You may be right, but what if it's more like "Casino Royale was such a success, so they'll continue down that road"?

It's ok to be skeptical, but I think people just have to lower their expectations. I don't think it will be better than CR, but that doesn't mean it will be a dissapointment.

[sharpshooter]

I think that it has the potential to better Casino Royale, but I will reserve my opinion until I see a trailer.

[AngryPolarBear]

Of course it has potential but at this point I don't think it will top it. Not because I've heard a lot of bad stuff, but I haven't seen enough great stuff to think so. But hey, it's still early, we havent even seen a teaser.

If you expect a masterpiece every time you watch a film, off course you're going to be disappointed. But a question to those who fear to much action in QoS, what did you think about the amount in CR?

[MkB]

Really, I don't get some of the reactions here... Too much action in QoS? Well, if memory serves me well, some weeks ago, people here on CBn were dreading and predicting a too introspective / psychological film, after a Marc Forster interview!
IMO, action scenes leak more easily than character / dialogue driven scenes, that's why some might be under the impression of a only action film.

[kneelbeforezod]

I don't understand how this:

So far, we didn't heard anything else but ACTION. This is not about the report being bogus or not, it's about all info on this movie being ACTION.

which is fair enough, leads you to conclude this:

My money's is that unlike the action in CR, which defined character, this one will have the talky scenes totally disconnected to the action, which probably will be as stupid as the DIE HARD 4 action

WHY?

It's not enough to say "cos Eon did it before with the Brosnan films" or whatever. You've got an actor, a writer and a director who would all hate to make the film you're describing, and yet you believe that Eon will just force them too?

[Sir James Moloney]

I don't understand how this:

So far, we didn't heard anything else but ACTION. This is not about the report being bogus or not, it's about all info on this movie being ACTION.

which is fair enough, leads you to conclude this:

My money's is that unlike the action in CR, which defined character, this one will have the talky scenes totally disconnected to the action, which probably will be as stupid as the DIE HARD 4 action

WHY?

It's not enough to say "cos Eon did it before with the Brosnan films" or whatever. You've got an actor, a writer and a director who would all hate to make the film you're describing, and yet you believe that Eon will just force them too?

I agree. And, just action?...just a few days ago we saw glimpses of a party with a confrontation between two great actors and wait...just a few weeks ago we saw what appeared to be a nice cold war feeling dialogue in the snow between Bond and M...and wait, what about the bolivia suite dialogue scene? and...so on. How can people say they

[BoogieBond]

I agree with AngryPolarBear above.

It doesn't make logical sense. CR was successful, made a lot of money, got new admirers, got critical acclaim etc... Why with QOS would they decide (after MGW admitting they had "run out of ideas" after DAD) go back to a DAD like adventure.

And with Haggis and Forster I am reassured. We may have more action, but will still have the story and character that we saw in CR. Probably not as much, as JB can't fall in love again so soon after CR.

[MkB]

Nothing new in the Italian newspapers about the Siena filming, but Hopefully, we'll hear about the official filming of some autobus scenes at the end of the week!
In the meanwhile, I found this very nice art history website with pictures of almost all the medieval / Renaissance houses in Siena. Here is the notice about the aforementioned St George Church, with 3 photographs and a map:
http://db.biblhertz....iena.xq?rec=430

[Shrublands]

Nothing new in the Italian newspapers about the Siena filming, but Hopefully, we'll hear about the official filming of some autobus scenes at the end of the week!
In the meanwhile, I found this very nice art history website with pictures of almost all the medieval / Renaissance houses in Siena. Here is the notice about the aforementioned St George Church, with 3 photographs and a map:
http://db.biblhertz....iena.xq?rec=430

Thanks MkB, love the work you are doing keeping us up to date with stuff from Italy.

[MkB]

Thanks MkB, love the work you are doing keeping us up to date with stuff from Italy.

Thanks Shrublands! My pleasure
I must acknowledge that my work is substantially easier now that I've found the daily press review of the Mediateca Regionale Toscana! All about cinema in Tuscany in a single PDF file: they deserve the kudos

In today's La Nazione - Siena, a short article informs us that 1500 people from Siena have already been auditioned for "extra" parts, and 300 have been chosen in the beginning of March, and the production still receives many cals asking how to participate! No wonder, since they don't seem to have spread the word very widely about this extras casting!
The streets where the filming will take place are closed, and some works are being done there to prepare the set.

Here is the original article in Italian, p. 11 of the PDF.

[MkB]

As expected, there was some coverage of the filming in Siena in the local newspapers!

In La Nazione - Siena dated March 15th:

- some photos of people working intensively to build the set (with cranes etc.), and reactions of the neighbours (some protest agains the trouble and noise, but mainly they are happy to host a 007 event) (p. 9-12, and also 17 of the PDF)
- Mike Stalion, described as Bond 22 Art Director, declared: "This area is wonderful, it's ideal for the most fantastic scene of the next 007. About 10 minutes of incredible acrobatics on the rooftops and balconies, it'll be a memorable scene." (p. 10, col. B of the PDF). I won't elaborate on this...
- For the tech-wise people, an article about the use, alledgedly for the first time in the world, of a "cable cam" to film this scene. This special camera has been used so far to film sport events in the US (during 2 Superbowls and the NBA championship). Some dates too in this article: the rooftop chase will be filmed in April (before April 13th), and then in the first 3 weeks of May there will be a second filming, focusing on the Piazza del Campo (the place where the Palio race is set) and a chase in the nearby streets. (p. 13 of the PDF)

In the Corriere di Siena dated March 16th, an article about a "minor" incident on the set: the exhaust of lorry produced too much carbon monoxyd gas (a lethal one). Everyone survived, though

Interestingly, La Reppublica dated March 16th published an Italian translation of this long article by Anthony Horowith.

[.0.0.7.]

I'm getting more excited about this portion of the movie the more I hear about it. The cable camera only confirms my belief that one of the main reasons they hired Marc Forster is because of his innovative ways of capturing movement with a camera (seen in Stranger Than Fiction and Kite Runner). I suspect with this, and the motion-capture work on the skydiving scene, that we're going to be seeing some very interesting, kinetic camera work in QoS.

[zstoneVII]

Great spot MkB - great work! Thanks!

[00Twelve]

Another appetite-whetting morsel from MkB. Thanks so much!!

[Qwerty]

Now on the CBn main page...

'Quantum of Solace' Production Heading Back To Siena

MAJOR SPOILERS: Action sequence details, 300 extras cast, set construction and much more

[Tim007]

Great summary, Devin!

[DamnCoffee]

There's some pics available over at James Bond fr.

[MarcAngeDraco]

Sounds great! Thanks for the tip on the pics, Matt!

Looks like I was (at least partially) right when I speculated that the police might be chasing Bond in this thread.

[MkB]

Nice effort to sum up a long thread, Qwerty!

Many thanks to MHarkin for the news about pics from "station P" on jamesbond-fr: I had missed this one! Apparently a new member of their forum lives in Siena and has taken part in the casting for local extras. No fresh news for the moment, but he has posted very interesting personal pics showing the cranes over the rooftops of the city. Quite impressive! I'll keep an eye on his posts in the next days/weeks, something interesting will no doubt come up (and let's hope he'll be hired as an extra)

[Skudor]

I agree with AngryPolarBear above.

It doesn't make logical sense. CR was successful, made a lot of money, got new admirers, got critical acclaim etc... Why with QOS would they decide (after MGW admitting they had "run out of ideas" after DAD) go back to a DAD like adventure.

And with Haggis and Forster I am reassured. We may have more action, but will still have the story and character that we saw in CR. Probably not as much, as JB can't fall in love again so soon after CR.

Please don't mention Die Another Day and Quantum of Solace in the same sentence!

I don't mind the action (duh!) as long as it's good.

[MkB]

Please don't mention Die Another Day and Quantum of Solace in the same sentence!

True, you could Jinx it!

[Qwerty]

Nice effort to sum up a long thread, Qwerty!

And my thanks to you for keeping some excellent coverage of the preparations thus far!

[Leon]

There's some pics available over at James Bond fr.

Just checked them, looks like a stunning set-up.

They seem to think the PTS will be 10 minutes. This sounds more realistic but it doesn't say where they got this info.

[BoogieBond]

QUOTE(Skudor @ 18 March 2008 - 15:48)
Please don't mention Die Another Day and Quantum of Solace in the same sentence!

I don't mind the action (duh!) as long as it's good.




I am really confident we are going to get some great action scenes in this. And with MkB's brilliant updates I can't wait for the Siena stuff. Sounds like we are going to get a really exciting chase scene on foot and via boat etc...Can't wait.
DAD what ? It had some pretty good stuff in it but I am hoping the tone and excitement to be more in the spirit of OHMSS hopefully

Edited by BoogieBond, 18 March 2008 - 07:06 PM.

[MkB]

Not really a news, but more of a trivia: this nice Tuscan villa is for sale (only

[MkB]

A news on the website "James Bond Web Italia":
http://www.jamesbond...news.asp?ua=551

Scenes on the Lago di Garda, in Malcesine, will be filmed from April 15th to 19th, 09:00 to 17:00

- A part of the car chase involving the Aston Martin will be shot between Navene and Malcesine.
- Other scenes will be filmed on the Lake, with a speedboat chase.
- Rumours about fight scenes on the Monte Baldo cableway, and a jump (by a double) from the tower of the medieval castle in Malcesine.
- Daniel Craig shouldn't be present.

A pic of the Malcesine medieval castle:

Wikipedia tells a funny trivia about this castle and its tower: "In 1786, Goethe was arrested on suspicion of being a spy after he was caught drawing sketches of the castle". A long tradition of spying there, it seems!

Monte Baldo cableway :
- websites:
http://www.funiviamalcesine.com/
http://www.funiviedelbaldo.it/
- YouTube clips:

[MkB]

In various local newspapers dated March 22, some news about the imminent filming in Siena, after a press conference on set by Guido Cerasuolo last Friday.
The crew will arrive in Siena on March 31, and start filming the rooftops chase on April 4th to April 12th, then 2 weeks on the shores of the Lago di Garda, then 2 weeks in Carrara at the beginning of May, then come back in Siena to film in Piazza del Campo from May 13th to May 17th. A separate unit will be filming in Talamone at the end of April (nota: maybe it's the sequence at the Torre di Talamonaccio that was initially said to be filmed in July??).
According to Guido Cerasuolo, the Italian sequence should last 15-20 minutes, with 7 or 8 minutes in Siena "among the most spectalucar".
Cerasuolo also declares that the production has renounced to a first idea of concluding the chase in the Duomo (cathedral) of Siena, even if they had obtained the authorization, because they deemed the scene would be disrespectful of this sacred monument. Instead, James Bond will pop out the bottini of the fountain of Piazza del Campo (fonte Gaia) right at the moment the Palio race ends.
[Nota by MkB] This fountain has one of the most beautiful of the bottini. It's the green square you can see on this pic taken from the tower of the Palazzo Pubblico:

The bottini scenes will be (have been?) shot in Pinewood, because these medieval tunnels are too precious and fragile to be used as a set, but the production has taken thousands of photos on the field, and I hope their recontitution will be faithful. You can find many pics of the bottini on the website of this local association involved in protecting and promoting ancient monuments linked to the management of water in the Middle Ages:
http://www.ladianasi...ottinifoto.html
[/end of Nota by MkB]
The estimated budget of the sequence in Siena is about 500 - 600 000 EUR (with about 20 000 working days paid)! 2000 local extras, chosen by the Scoutit agency in Firenze, will be used (1000 will be used in Piazza del Campo to simulate the Palio race).
But it is hinted that the filming there will only feature stuntmen and doubles, and Daniel Craig could well never come there.

You'll find the original articles at p. 10-17 and 19-21 of the PDF press review (in Italian).

For the record, MI6.co.uk has written a report about the Siena chase, but nothing new to those who have read this thread...

[Skudor]

Thanks for the report - it sounds fascinating (and a great location).

Does the Bond popping out of a fountain sound a little bit like something Roger Moore would do...

[MkB]

Does the Bond popping out of a fountain sound a little bit like something Roger Moore would do...

Oh yes , but I think it doesn't mean he will pop out of the water, but of the bottini / tunnel of this fountain (i.e. out of a small door on the side of the monumental foutain)

[sharpshooter]

The fountain part sounds rather cool. It sounded Moore-ish at first, but now it seems to me to have a FRWL vibe. Things are shaping up nicely.