Rome has been in a Bond tizzy this past week as the cast and crew of the latest Bond movie “Spectre” have descended on the Eternal city.
We’ve had a silver Aston Martin with license plate DB10 AGB bouncing over the cobblestones and racing up the steep embankment wall of the Tiber River chased by an orange Jaguar. We’ve had Bond in black driving gloves and cameramen in boats with helmets on, and a new, sexy Bond Woman.
Director Sam Mendes has brought “Spectre” to Rome for 20 days of filming. Prior to the arrival there was plenty of moaning and groaning about the expected road blocks, bus route changes and general inconvenience. But now that they are here, I’ve seen a lot of enthusiastic Romans.
A source in Rome’s City Hall told me that the production company has already paid 500,000 euros for permits, overtime for traffic cops, and extra garbage collection, and the amount is expected to rise to 800,000 or maybe even to one million. The official told me the first day alone the production company paid 120,000 euros to the city. The city is also expecting the film to generate roughly 16 million euros during its stay in Rome. There are hundreds of extras, hundreds of security guards, production crews, catering services, drivers, and hotels gaining from the film.
In addition to those working on the film, the Paparazzi are having a field day and Romans are spending hours standing around on bridges and back streets of the center trying to get a photo of the film sets.
The day before the filming was set to begin James Bond (actor Daniel Craig) and this film’s Bond Girl (actress Monica Bellucci) showed up for a photo-opportunity on a terrace outside city hall with the breath-taking view out over the Roman Forum and down to the Coliseum.
Monica Belluci was looking gorgeous in a red tube dress—which brings me to an important point. Monica Bellucci, at age 50, is the oldest “Bond Girl” in history. She looks great beside Daniel Craig who is 4 years younger. Actually, guess what? She is not a Bond Girl, she is a Bond Woman – mature, sexy, and self-confident. Bellucci plays a widow named Lucia Sciarra. Certainly a far cry from some of the earlier Bond Girls – Pussy Galore, Honey Ryder, and Plenty O’Toole.
Daniel Craig and Monica Bellucci were together during the first day of filming in the EUR neighborhood of Rome, built under fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. The two were exchanging a few words at a funeral. Apparently the production company did not get permission to use the Verano Cemetery in Rome for the film so they created their own cemetery between the columns of the Museum of Roman Civilization.
Romans have had a ball watching the film crew struggle to do car chase scenes on the city’s cobblestones. The low-riding silver Aston Martin has been getting caught up in the omnipresent holes in the roads. And in a scene the other night in the narrow cobblestone streets of the Borgo –near the Vatican—actor Daniel Craig reportedly bashed his head on the roof of the Aston Martin when they hit a bump in the road and had to be treated by an ambulance crew on site.
Craig, despite the bumps, has been the picture of James Bond gentlemanliness. He has appeared constantly in black suit and tie, mostly with black driving gloves. I have been intrigued by the souped-up cars used for the car chase scenes. They have some big black construction on top with men sitting inside, some of the cars are encased in intricate metal frames. I can’t figure out who is driving and who is filming.
Tom Rankin – a fellow American living in Rome with a blog SustainableRome who works hard to make Rome more environmentally friendly , was a little disappointed with the car chase along the bike paths on the embankment of the Tiber River. He told the AP, “It is unfortunate they chose the bike path as a place to race cars. Wouldn’t it have been great if Bond hopped on a bicycle in order to escape…I don’t know—I think using the Aston Martin is kind of old school.”
He is right. Old School. But one thing at a time – we’ve got a Bond Woman in “Spectre” maybe we will have a Bond Bike Chase in the next Bond movie.
There is more excitement still to come. James Bond (or a stunt man) is expected to parachute out of a helicopter and onto the old Ponte Sisto (a pedestrian bridge crossing the Tiber) between the old city center and the Trastevere neighborhood. His Aston Martin is supposed to crash into a Fiat 500, and he is expected to escape into the Villa Torlonia—a Museum in a park that once was Mussolini’s Villa—and run through the Villa’s underground tunnels.
Sounds rather exciting!
Yes it is pretty cool!
Oh I cannot wait to see this film and of course, the scenes shot in Rome. I know we here in Princeton are of mixed minds too when a film is shot in our town – excited to spot some “big” names, but a lot of inconveniences too with road closings, etc. I’m so happy they chose a 50 year-old (and an Italian to boot) to play the latest Bond woman. I remember being in Siracusa, Sicily years ago when the director Tornatore was filming “Malena,” starring Monica Bellucci. I had no idea who she was at the time, but found myself in the middle of the movie set, during one of their breaks, having coffee with the extras. At a certain point, Tornatore called for everyone but the actors to clear the set, but I had just gotten my macchiato and a cannolo. There was no way I was abandoning them, so we snuck inside the cafe and watched the filming from behind those beaded curtains. Tornatore kept asking Bellucci to walk up and down the dusty street so many times that I realized movie making could be quite boring. But it was great fun to be in the thick of it and a day I’ll always remember.
Linda, you have the most amazing stories. The caffe’ macchiato and cannolo! Watching behind the beaded curtains! I can just picture it perfectly. And yes, I would have never cleared out if I had a caffe’ macchiato and a cannolo to enjoy. I think you are right though. Movie making can be boring. My son had a tiny role in an Italian film that was shot in Romania several summers back. He was a minor so I had to accompany him and I must admit it was hours and hours waiting around to repeat over and over again the same things. Not for me. I prefer news — there is a lot more non-stop action.
. . don’t suppose we’ll ever see the making of a Bond movie down here – shame really, we have some excellent locations complete with muddy fields and trackways, and cows that wouldn’t move for anything – not even an aston martin!
A Bond movie made in Turkey would be fantastic!! With all the geo-political drama going on over there, I don’t see why it wouldn’t be a perfect location. Istanbul, for starters, would be my first choice for a city to make a film in. James Bond on the Bosphorous – that would be something. Then they can head down to where the cows don’t move…why not? I am all for it. It would probably cost them a lot less than filming in Rome too!
To see James Bond in Rome is marvelous! And to be racing up the TIber – fantastic – where do I buy my ticket??? What amazing photos! I think this film will be great and I absolutely adore Monica Bellucci as she is one of my favorite actresses. She was fabulous in Malena, but I really loved her in The Apartment and Don’t Look Back both with Vincent Cassel. However, my absolutel favorite was Remember Me, My Love (Ricordati di Me) with Fabrizio Bentivolgio (heavy sigh), which if you haven’t seen it was simply heartbreaking and had fantastic performances not only from Bellucci, but also from Bentivoglio and Laura Morante who was superb. Gosh I love Italian cinema. Thanks again Trisha! I love your blog! :-)
Gosh Kay, I haven’t seen a single one of those Bellucci movies — I must see them all. I have always liked Vincent Cassel and I am sorry they have split up. Oh well. I am really cheering for her in this film — I hope she is good — all the fifty-somethings like me need her to be fantastic!!
Sounds like fun. I had read about the cobblestones, but only that they caused so much noise that there will have to be some fixing done. Sounds like Daniel Craig needed some fixing too. I like him. I saw him and Hugh Jackman in a two-man play in New York a few years ago. They were playing Chicago cops. No break in the play, and it was pretty serious, but I was glad I went. At the end of the play they came out on stage taking their shirts off (only) and then auctioned off back stage photo op with them all for Aids during Broadway Cares. They sold two of the ops for $10,000 each. All the time they were on stage ushers were shining flashlights back and forth at the audience to make sure no pictures were taken.
Also all the time on stage they sounded like the Midwest, but during the auction back came the original accents.
I know I will enjoy this Bond movie too–after all Rome is a major player!!!
A presto
Hey Joan — to tell you the truth, I am not a big Daniel Craig fan. I think I just got stuck on Sean Connery and after him no one else is good enough. Also, Daniel Craig reminds me of a young Vladimir Putin. Not really fair to say that, but he does. In the footage around Rome though he always seemed very professional, serious and willing to do whatever necessary. Not a prima donna at all.
So good to read some fun news coming out of Rome, Trisha – especially after the Dutch hooligans trashed Piazza de Spagna and damaged the Baraccia fountain. Bonus good news is a 50 year old Bond woman !
Yes, the James Bond story (with the 50-year-old Bond Woman) is definitely good news. Unfortunately, I need to do another post today on some ugly news. There is a massive anti-migrant demonstration today (50,000 expected) and then a counter pro-migrant demonstration and police are expecting a lot of clashes — I already covered the first clashes late yesterday and we’ve had helicopters flying overhead since dawn today as all the demonstrators descend on the city. Never a calm moment around here.
Such a perfect fantasy – a gift! To have James Bond turn up in your town, and perform car stunts on the bridges you walk over every day. Above all, from a NH point of view, you have spring, while we are still in the midst of winter, with more snow expected tomorrow, on top of the 100 inches already here! It is an escape just to read this post!
And indeed very interesting that there is an older Bond Woman this time. Can’t wait to see the film, and see what they’ve done with her.
I hope Rome negotiates to have the film opening there, that should bring in another bundle of money. And be an exciting day, with Daniel Craig back in town.
Sean Connery, hunk that he still is, is pretty much a social dinosaur, at least in those old films. Let’s hope Craig and the writers can move things forward a bit!
I am so pumped about the choice of Monica Bellucci and to have a Bond WOMAN as you so correctly write. Talk about a refreshing update to the Bond brand :)
Yes, it was very long in coming but bring on the BOND WOMAN!!!