Connecting The Villains Of 'Quantum of Solace'

WARNING: Plot spoilers

Stax at IGN and Rotten Tomatoes recently visited the Quantum of Solace set in Austria for a closer look at the villains in this 22nd James Bond film.

‘The way we finished up in Casino Royale was with a man who’d lost something that was taken away from him. The woman that he loved killed herself because he thought she was guilty because she was double-crossing him. And he never had the chance to go: “Why?”,’ said Daniel Craig during during a roundtable interview. ‘That’s where we start the story and he’s looking for that quantum of solace. He’s looking for that little bit, but he can’t be open about it because it’s a sign of weakness. It gets very complicated but then [the title] also ties in to who the bad guys are.’

Explaining what sets the villains of Quantum of Solace–including Dominic Green (Mathieu Amalic), Elvis (Anatole Taubman), Mr. White (Jesper Christensen) and General Medrano (Joaquín Cosio)–apart from others in the Bond series, director Marc Forster said: ‘I just find it interesting that everyone today–and that’s why I wanted to have Greene in there when Paul [Haggis] and I were working on the script together–everybody presents themselves today as green is so fashionable. Everyone’s trying to be green, every corporation … so I think it’s something one has to look at very carefully.’

‘To be a James Bond, 007, you have to have killed two persons. So you are an assassin and you are also a secret agent but you’re also a broken heart. They wrote the script with that concept.’ – Mathieu Amalric on the character of 007

In one of the scenes observed at the Seebühne floating stage on Lake Constance in Bregenz, 007 is tracking down Mr. White early on in the film. Bond observes his target making contact with other villains in the audience as the Tosca performance continues.

Quantum Of Solace Bregenz Set Visit

Summing up the scene, Forster said: ‘Bond is trying to figure out who these people are and what is the relationship between them, because he’s realizing just how many there are. He’s trying to figure out how they are connected because the interesting thing is we have several bad guys in this movie. Dominic Greene is the lead one but there are a couple of other ones and he’s trying to connect them all.’

‘Tosca has a parallel to the story I’m telling,’ Forster added as a reason for choosing the location for Quantum of Solace.

‘Last time Bond spent the whole of Casino Royale learning the lesson that you don’t kill people before you ask them the important questions. He learned that; he shot me in the knee,’ said Christensen of his character ‘Mr. White’ in the film. ‘So we start the next one with him asking me the questions. And then he screws up and stuff happens.’

‘We’ve got a single character who’s trying to make some sense of the world and fighting against perceived evil. But he’s also very independent and therefore he should always remain non-political.’ – Daniel Craig

On comparing the intricate mix of reality and fantasy that make up the film, Amalric said: ‘If it was realistic the evil would win because that’s what would happen today. That’s why I think it’s called Quantum of Solace. It’s quite ironic. It’s as if Bond was saying, “Please, can I stop running? Maybe if the evil wins I can have some peace and go home and just sleep.” And I like that because everybody knows there’s going to be a 23rd film. The poor guy will just keep running and searching for the next villain and the next evil.’

There’s much more. Check out the following two set reports for further information on the involvement of Mr. White and all the villains in the film, the low-key approach taken with the Bond baddies, Craig on 007, Forster on locations and classic Bond, and several other Quantum-related details.

Quantum of Evil
(IGN)

For Your Eyes Only: RT in Austria with James Bond
(Rotten Tomatoes)

Additionally, 13 new behind-the-scenes photos of Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Amalric, Christensen, and others have been added online: Click Here

CommanderBond.net will keep you updated with all the latest news and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

Sir Sean Connery To Attend Edinburgh International Film Festival

Sir Sean Connery is set to attend this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival in mid-June.

Connery will be making an appearance along with co-patron Tilda Swinton at what is known as the longest continually-running film festival in the world. 142 feature-length films from 29 countries will make up this year’s event, scheduled from 18-29 June.

The full press release follows:

Veteran actor Sir Sean Connery and Oscar-winner Tilda Swinton are due to attend this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival, organisers revealed.

The two stars are patrons of the event, which holds the honour of being the longest continually-running film festival in the world. The announcement came as final programme details for the event, which has now moved to a new slot in the calendar, were revealed.

Festival chiefs said next month’s event will showcase 142 feature-length films from 29 countries, including 15 world premieres.

Among the movies being shown for the first time anywhere are opening film The Edge Of Love, starring Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller, and Faintheart, which will close the festival. The decision was taken last year to move the festival from August to June.

Organisers believe the new slot will give them room for the festival to expand.

Artistic director Hannah McGill said: “We have a terrifically exciting programme this year, which is the happy result of a very enthusiastic response from distributors and filmmakers.

“From powerful artistic and political statements to works of pure, escapist entertainment, I think this is a festival that reflects an active, vibrant world film culture – and suits the diverse and daring tastes of our audience.”

Scottish culture minister Linda Fabiani said: “Scotland’s diverse and vibrant cultural life is one of our defining features.

“It is the energy, commitment and creativity of Edinburgh’s festivals which together make Edinburgh the world’s pre-eminent festival city, attracting tourists and showcasing Scottish talent on the international stage.

“As the world’s longest continuously-running film festival, the Edinburgh International Film Festival holds a very special place in the hearts of film enthusiasts and professionals. It undoubtedly deserves its excellent reputation and I am sure they will build on this with the 2008 programme and their move to a new position in the calendar.”

For further details about the event, including the full line-up of films, visit the official website.

Keep watching CommanderBond.net for all the latest James Bond 007 coverage.

007 In Austria: 'This is so Bond'

While filming on Quantum of Solace continues at the Seebühne floating opera stage in Bregenz, the main cast members of the film assembled together for a photocall at the Austrian location.

Daniel Craig was joined by Bond girl Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric (Dominic Greene) and Anatole Taubman (Elvis) and director Marc Forster as they posed for photos yesterday at the eye-opening ‘Tosca’ stage that will play a role in film.

View Photographs:
Set One (16 photographs) /
Set Two (7 photographs)

The 007 production arrived in Austria on 29 April to begin preparations for the shoot. Residents in Bregenz welcomed the cast and crew with open arms as cardboard cutouts of previous Bond actors were constructed throughout the town and several other special events and parties were held.

Shooting will continue until 9 May when the production is expected to return to Pinewood Studios.

“This is so Bond” – these were the words of Callum McDougall, Executive Producer of the 22nd James Bond movie Quantum of Solace, when he first saw the Floating Opera Stage of the Bregenz Festival in Austria. Bregenz, a dramatically picturesque town in the westernmost province of Austria, famous for its annual summer opera festival, is buzzing these days with Hollywood glamour and celebrity excitement – people lining the streets trying to get a glimpse of James Bond actor Daniel Craig, witness a dramatic car chase or just attend many of the special events and parties created around the movie shoot.

Unusual and spectacular venues are a key ingredient of James Bond movies, and the Floating Stage of the Bregenz Festival definitely is unusual and spectacular. The annual Bregenz Summer Festival in July and August will present Puccini’s masterpiece Tosca this year and is again expected to attract thousands of visitors to the shores of Lake Constance and the charming town of Bregenz.

“The Tosca stage set with its gigantic blue eye fits in perfectly with the storyline of the new Bond movie,” said director Marc Forster earlier last year. The shoot requires that a complete performance of the opera Tosca is staged over several evenings, including over 1500 soloists and extras, orchestra, chorus members, technicians and audience. The spectacular scenes are currently shot on stage and backstage as well as inside the Festival Opera House in Bregenz until Friday, May 9.

Austria has been an exciting location for a Bond movie before. Vienna provided the location for The Living Daylights (1987) where several spectacular and memorable scenes with Timothy Dalton where shot in the Prater amusement park and on the Giant Ferris Wheel.

CommanderBond.net will keep you updated with all the latest news and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

'Quantum of Solace' – Official Blog Report #7

The official Quantum of Solace blog has been updated today with another crew member from the 22nd James Bond film: production sound mixer Chris Munro.

On location in Panama (where Quantum in February and March), Munro describes his job as ‘being responsible for all the sound used during shooting.’

‘During production, I’m the person that’s looking after what happens to the original recordings to the sound: what happens to the actor’s dialogue, all the sound effects, anything that’s recorded whilst were actually shooting.’

Speaking specifically about filming in Panama, Munro added: ‘One of the problems of course is that it’s a noisy environment. There’s lots of people and it’s a busy city.’

‘This is my fifth Bond film,’ continued Munro, ‘but I previously worked with this director, Marc Forster on The Kite Runner, and I know that he hates to have any dialogue replaced. He wants all the dialogue to be original. That’s the way he works. That’s the way he wants the film to sound and that’s what we hope to do.’

‘On Casino Royale, we won a BAFTA for best sound, so hopefully this is going to do the same for us.’

Stay tuned to the CommanderBond.net main page for the most up-to-date and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

Go Behind-The-Scenes Of 'Quantum of Solace' In Austria

WARNING: Possible spoilers

As previously mentioned on the CommanderBond.net main page, the Today Show got an exclusive sneak peek (Video 1 | Video 2) earlier this morning into the Austrian set of Quantum of Solace in Bregenz.

Starting off on the ‘eye-opening’ opera stage in Bregenz, Today Show correspondent Ann Curry stated that scenes for the 22nd James Bond film were filmed on the same set just the night before.

Curry also got a chance to sit down with Daniel Craig and discuss his return as 007.

‘We’ve got an incredibly talented and rich group of people who are making this movie,’ Craig started off. ‘Everybody’s throwing so much energy into it and working so hard and they want to because everybody’s so proud to be involved with a Bond movie and the Bond franchise itself.’

‘One of the things we were setting up in the last movie was that Bond has begun and it was the beginning of his career and his attitude towards life and things was very narrow-minded. And so this one is more about him coming to terms with that and learning a few things about himself a realizing who he is. He’s James Bond.’

‘I tend to separate what I do and who I am. And that, I think, is what you have to do.’ – Daniel Craig

When asked if he had hurt himself at all during the shooting so far, ‘not badly’ was Craig’s reply.

‘You know, I enjoy the physical side of filming. I always have. I throw myself into it because I get a kick out of it and I think we can achieve and do things that make the plot and storyline move forward much better if I stay involved with as much of the filming as possible.’

Following up a comment by production designer Dennis Gassner that Craig wasn’t all that unlike 007 in some ways, Craig said: ‘Oh, really? I’m as far removed from this person as I could possibly be. This is major acting.’

‘Makes me feel a bit awkward, really,’ added Craig when told Sir Sean Connery was a fan of his portrayal of Bond. ‘I mean, it’s very nice. It’s a huge compliment.’

  

Floating Stage with ‘Tosca’ Set at Bregenz
(Images copyright Bruno Klomfar and Karl Forster)

Craig continued: ‘I like the job. It’s the collective persons making a film that gives me the most joy. Working with interesting and talented people–they inspire you. For me, that’s always been the most essential part of what I do.’

‘I try and mix it up as much as possible. If I can, I try and do stuff that’s not necessarily the most obvious thing to do.’ – Daniel Craig

‘On Casino Royale, I’d never done something on that scale before. I’d never been involved so closely in something like that so it created very different feelings for me and very different challenges compared to the movies I’d done before. And the outcome was also very different because we had a great success with it.’

Finishing things off, Craig put some rumours to rest: ‘There’s a misconception about me that I have a problem with doing interviews, but I really don’t. I kind of enjoy them. And I’m enjoying this one.’

The show also featured an extensive behind-the-scenes look at the the floating stage with the ‘Tosca’ set.

On a tour of the location, director Marc Forster described the sequence as it will appear in the finished film. ‘It’s basically about Bond overlooking Greene, who is the villain in the movie,’ he said. ‘Bond is following the villain into this opera.’

Forster was also quick to reply following Curry’s mention that Quantum of Solace was a revenge movie. ‘I wouldn’t call it revenge. He’s just psychologically damaged.’

‘We’ve done Daniel incredibly elegantly in Tom Ford.’ – Costume designer Louise Frogley

‘It’s been an amazing journey,’ added Dennis Gassner. ‘[Craig] is James Bond and I’ve taken the great angular face and those great blue eyes and used that as our pattern language for the film.’

Besides the actual set, the Today Show production also visited the props and make-up department, where Anatole Taubman (who plays one of the henchmen in the film, Elvis) was being prepared for a scene.

Speaking with lead villain Mathieu Amalric, Curry asked him why he signed on for the role: ‘Well, listen,’ he said. ‘If someone calls you one morning and asks you “do you want to be the James Bond girl?”, would you hesitate? It’s the same thing.’

The Today Show production also briefly visited Olga Kurylenko in her dressing room during a break. When asked if the rumours were true that her character Camille would be the very first Bond girl who didn’t lock lips with 007, Kurylenko only playfully evaded the question.

CommanderBond.net will keep you updated with all the latest news and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

More 'Quantum' Spy Shots In Bregenz

Following up several behind-the-scenes photographs from the set of Daniel Craig’s second James Bond film in Austria, Monsters and Critics have come across even more.

Focusing on several of the extras as well as stuntmen practicing a jump from a theatre roof, the 10 Quantum of Solace spy shots can be viewed online here.

In related news, the Today Show visited the Bregenz set earlier this morning. Click here for CommanderBond.net’s full report.

CommanderBond.net will keep you updated with all the latest news and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

Today Show 'Quantum of Solace' Austria Set Visit

NBC’s The Today Show will be visiting the Quantum of Solace set in Austria.

The segment, which will likely include behind-the-scene footage of Daniel Craig’s second James Bond film, is set to air on the Monday, 5 May episode.

The Today Show airs 7:00am – 11:00am (EST). Visit TV Guide for further details.

CommanderBond.net will keep you updated with all the latest news and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

Examining What Went Wrong In 'Quantum' Action Sequences

It’s no secret that in their quest for a jaw-dropping opening sequence for the 22nd James Bond adventure, the Quantum of Solace production has suffered more than a couple mishaps in the process.

Most notable among these incidents were an Aston Martin DBS losing control and flying off a lakeside road into Italy’s Lake Garda. The other, occurring only a few days later, involved another one of the cars involved in the chase that crashed after ramming into a filming lorry and then into a nearby wall.

The latter event was serious enough that filming was temporarily suspended on Quantum of Solace to allow for investigating into the incidents.

The Times has posted an excellent article in which Joseph Dunns looks specifically at what went wrong during the filming of these dangerous Bond stunt sequences:

Calamity James: behind the scenes of the jinxed Bond film

The 007 production has since moved onto filming of different sequences in Austria.

Stay tuned to the CommanderBond.net main page for the most up-to-date and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

Winehouse James Bond Title Theme Unlikely To Be Finished

Despite recent confirmations by music producer Mark Ronson that Amy Winehouse was indeed planning a song for the 22nd James Bond film, there are no doubts that the track will ever be finished.

Speaking to Sky News, Ronson, who was working alongside Winehouse, has said they have ceased work on the Quantum of Solace track.

‘We tried to work for a little bit,’ he said. ‘I’m not sure she’s ready to work on music yet.’

When asked if he thought their James Bond theme would ever be made, Ronson was doubtful: ‘I don’t think so unless by some miracle of science it gets recorded and someone sings a vocal on it so probably not.’

‘We did work on it but we never finished it so that’s about it.’

A spokesman for Winehouse added: ‘Mark has presented a track to Amy, but she had other ideas about the direction it should take. She has always made her own decisions about her music.’

‘Needless to say, this is part of the process between artist and producer and we’re sure they will continue to make great music together.’

Other sources mentioned that the prime reason this 007 theme stalled was that Winehouse ‘did not feel the song was appropriate in its current form.’

Keep your eyes on the CommanderBond.net main page for the most up-to-date and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.

Photographs: 'Quantum of Solace' Shooting At Floating Stage And Opera House

WARNING: Possible minor spoilers

18 photographs taken during the Quantum of Solace filming the past two days in Austria have been posted online at Getty Images.

The shots were captured as the 22nd James Bond production continued filmed in the Austrian cities of Feldkirch and Bregenz.

The Seebühne Floating Stage was prepared for an action sequence in which 007 interrupts an opera performance as he pursues one of the film’s villains across the grandstand and through the audience.

Shooting also took place inside the nearby Bregenz Festival House, where Daniel Craig can clearly be seen in a tuxedo.

Other photos captured several of the extras on the Quantum of Solace sets as well as director Marc Forster.

  

Floating Stage with ‘Tosca’ Set at Bregenz
(Images copyright Bruno Klomfar and Karl Forster)

Click Here To View All The
Quantum of Solace Photos

These photos follow up those from yesterday in which Craig and Anatole Taubman (who plays villain Elvis) were spotted in Feldkirch.

The Bond production arrived on 29 April and shooting is expected to continue until mid-May.

CBn will keep you updated with all the latest news and complete coverage of Quantum of Solace.