Skyfall
Think on your sins.
Skyfall (2012)
Production
Budget
$200 000 000
Revenue
$1 108 561 013
Director
Scenario
Composer
Producer
Actors
Daniel Craig
James Bond
Javier Bardem
Silva
Ralph Fiennes
Gareth Mallory
Bérénice Marlohe
Séverine
Albert Finney
Kincade
Short description
Following a failed assignment that exposes undercover agents and leads to an attack on the MI6 headquarters, James Bond must identify the person responsible. While M faces internal challenges to her leadership from Gareth Mallory, the new head of the Intelligence and Security Committee, Bond works with field agent Eve to track down a mysterious adversary named Silva. The conflict forces Bond to defend his superior as her own past returns to threaten her.
Directed by Sam Mendes, this action thriller is the seventh of 15 films he directed, following Away We Go and preceding Spectre. The movie stars Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, and Bérénice Marlohe. Produced by Columbia Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, EON Productions, and Danjaq, the project had a budget of 200 million USD. It was a significant commercial success, earning 1.11 billion USD worldwide.
The film is well-received by both audiences and professionals. It holds a rating of 7.8/10 on IMDb from 770,000 votes and 7.3/10 on TMDB from 16,419 votes. Film critics gave it a higher score of 8.3/10 based on 388 reviews.
What's left behind the scenes
- Actress Margarita Levieva was considered for the role of the Bond girl.
- James Bond's watch is an Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600m Co-Axial Chronometer. The watches of all other characters in the film are various watch brands, also owned by Swatch Group.
- After using the original title of Ian Fleming's book, 'Quantum of Solace', only four unused titles remained that could be used for this film, as all previous films were also named after the author's novels. These were 'The Property of a Lady', 'Hildebrand Rarity', 'Risk', and 'Agent 007 in New York'. However, none of them were used, and instead, the title Skyfall, unrelated to Fleming's works, was chosen.
- This film is released four years after 'Quantum of Solace' (2008). This is the longest gap between films in the series without a change in the actor playing James Bond. Previous long gaps between the films 'Licence to Kill' (1989) and 'GoldenEye' (1995), and then between 'Die Another Day' (2002) and 'Casino Royale' (2006) were accompanied by a change in the actor playing Bond.
- For the first time, a director who had received an Academy Award (Sam Mendes was awarded for 'American Beauty', 1999) directed a James Bond film.
- Work on the film was postponed for approximately eight to nine months between 2010 and 2011 due to the bankruptcy of MGM Studios. Officially, all work was suspended on April 19, 2010. In a press release, producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson stated: “Due to the continuing uncertainty regarding the future of MGM and the failure to sell the studio, we have suspended work on the 23rd Bond film indefinitely. We do not know when work will resume, nor do we anticipate when this film will be released.” However, production of the film resumed in January 2011.
- Kevin Spacey was considered for a role in the film but declined to participate due to scheduling conflicts.
- This is the first Bond film shot in China (work took place in Shanghai). 'Licence to Kill' (1989) was originally intended to be filmed in China, but the difficulties the crew encountered eventually became insurmountable. When the Chinese government issued a number of restrictive demands, such as the right to veto the script, continuing filming became impractical.
- Judi Dench plays the role of M for the seventh time. By the time this film was released in 2012, Dench had been portraying the character for 17 years. This record is comparable to the length of time Bernard Lee played the role of M, although during the same period, Lee appeared in 11 Bond films, while Dench appeared in only seven.
- Originally, composer David Arnold was expected to write the music for this film.
- This marks the first English-language role for French actress Bérénice Marlo, who plays one of Bond's companions. At the time of the casting call and the official film announcement in the media, Marlo was the most popular, but also somewhat notorious, candidate, as she had previously appeared in a sex scene in a low-budget television show wearing only a red wig.
- This is the third James Bond film to be shot in Istanbul. The first was "From Russia with Love" (1963), and the second was "The World Is Not Enough" (1999). The film was shot in Turkey in the same locations as "From Russia with Love" (1963), including Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul and the Hagia Sophia, now the Ayasofya Museum.
- Javier Bardem's appearance in the film marks the first time a Spanish actor has played the main villain in a James Bond film. The script was translated into Bardem's native Spanish so that he could better understand the plot and his character. Bardem became the second Oscar winner to play the main villain in a Bond film. The first was Christopher Walken in "A View to a Kill" (1985). Incidentally, both awards were for Best Supporting Actor.
- The film features cars such as the Aston Martin DB5, Jaguar XJL, and Range Rover Vogue SE.
- The film utilizes two key locations, as did the classic Bond film "From Russia with Love" (1963). These are Istanbul (Turkey) and Scotland.
- Ben Whishaw became the fourth actor to portray Q in the official James Bond film series. This marks the first time Q is younger than Bond, and the character's first appearance since the film "Die Another Day" (2002).
- According to the official press conference on November 3, 2011, this Bond film is not related to any of the previously published stories or novels by Ian Fleming about James Bond.
- According to producer Michael G. Wilson, the official passport used by Daniel Craig as Bond is not simply a prop, but a genuine document issued by the British Home Office. Everything from the paper, printing, photograph, and jacket is authentic. However, for security reasons, the passport is encoded with information that would immediately reveal it as fraudulent if misused in any official transaction.
- At the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games, actor Daniel Craig and Queen Elizabeth II were filmed in a comedic sketch where Craig, as Bond, meets the Queen to escort her to the stadium. They are shown walking towards a helicopter, which then flies along the Thames to the stadium, where stunt performers and Bond parachute from the helicopter to the iconic Bond theme music. This was the Queen's first acting role.
- In the trailer, Q provides Bond with a Walther PPK. This weapon is considered Bond's most popular, as he has used it more frequently. He initially used a Beretta, but it was later replaced by the PPK.
- Since his first role as Bond, Daniel Craig has often been called James Blond due to his hair color, which differed noticeably from that of actors who previously played the role. They had dark brown or black hair.
- On its very first day of release, the title song "Skyfall," sung by Adele, reached the top 10 on the iTunes Charts in 21 countries worldwide. It became number one in Belgium, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
- Glencoe in the Highlands, Scotland, replaced Duntroon Castle in Argyll, Scotland, as the location for the film's climax. Scenes that were planned to be filmed in India or South Africa were filmed in Turkey. Ultimately, the film was shot in the United Kingdom, China, Japan, and Turkey.
- While playing a Bond girl, actress Bérénice Marlo said that she was inspired by the role played by Famke Janssen in the film "GoldenEye" (1995).
- This Bond film, which began shooting in 2011, marked Debbie McWilliams' 30th year as the head of casting for the Bond series. Her first film was "For Your Eyes Only" (1981).
- For ten years, this is the first Bond film after "Die Another Day" (2002) that does not use the novels of Ian Fleming for its title.
- During principal photography, three Turkish teenagers breached security and infiltrated the set in the city of Adana, southern Turkey (in true espionage fashion). Once on the closed set, they captured footage of a train sequence on their mobile phones. The three navigated alleyways and scaled a wire fence near the railway station where the film was being shot. They then slipped under carriages and gathered in a repair depot, where they donned disguises – helmets and overalls belonging to employees who were not on duty at the time. They were later apprehended by security, questioned, and removed from the set.
- For the filming of this movie, the Eminonu business district of Istanbul had to be closed for three weeks. While stores were allowed to open, they were unable to trade as the area was closed to the public, traffic, and pedestrians. Store owners were paid 750 Turkish Lira per day to cover their losses.
- This is the fourth Bond film to be shot in Scotland, following "From Russia with Love" (1963 – various locations in Argyll and Bute), "The Spy Who Loved Me" (1977 – Faslane naval base), and "The World Is Not Enough" (1999 – Eilean Donan Castle on Loch Duich in the Highlands). Including the unofficial film "Casino Royale" (1967 – the village of Killin in Stirling), "Skyfall" (2012) is the fifth picture filmed in Scotland. The first actor to play Bond on the big screen was a Scotsman, Sean Connery. A Scottish estate in Dalness once belonged to the Fleming family, and Ian Fleming loved Scotland so much that he gave James Bond Scottish ancestry. The character’s father, Andrew, is from Glencoe, where "Coordinates" (2012) was filmed near Buachaille Etive Mor. And in "On Her Majesty’s Secret Service" (1969), James Bond wore a kilt.
- The train crash scene was filmed without the use of computer graphics.
- During filming in Turkey, the production faced criticism for damaging the roofs of buildings in Istanbul where motorcycle chase scenes were shot. Producer Michael J. Wilson held a press conference, and the accusations were dropped as the roof covering was removed for stunt riding and replaced with a copy for the duration of filming, after which the original tiles were returned.
- The scene of Q and Bond's meeting features a painting by English artist William Turner (Joseph Mallord William Turner) "The Fighting Temeraire" (1839).
- During pre-production, Sam Mendes was initially hired as a consultant during MGM's bankruptcy period to avoid direct payment for Mendes's work as a director, and essentially, to avoid paying the official director of the project.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
