Skyfall - MI6 Community

Skyfall improving like a fine wine

Matt007 — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 10:04:02 +0000

Must say after an initial sense of anticlimax having seen it at the pictures, Skyfall is quickly rising up my list of best Bonds after watching on DVD.

There are so many classic scenes, characters and the slower, more mature pace of the film helps the non traditional formula.

There are a few plot holes that could have been solved with one line if dialogue, namely the whereabouts of the hard drive, bonds responsibility for M's death, and Silvas bomb underground, but overall it's getting better and better.

Like OHMSS

Aston Martin

Gman82 — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 21:26:01 +0000

Does anyone have any news if Aston Martin will be using there cars in the up coming SkyFall Production?

What about a big 'THANK YOU' letter for Babs and Michael? Signed by us all?

Gustav_Graves — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 13:04:15 +0000

I was just thinking of this. I think the Bond producers deserve a little extra congratulations for the massive success of 'Skyfall'. And also, to encourage them to continue on the same high quality level. Is this a nice idea? Perhaps the owner and moderators of the website have some suggestions?

Another award for SkyFall!

Bondpix — Tue, 14 May 2013 19:37:47 +0100

Congratulations go to Gary Powell for winning the Taurus Stunt Award for Best Stunt Coordinator for "SkyFall". A well deserved win for Gary and his excellent crew of stunt men and women.

Uhm friends? Daniel Craig's hairline is retreating a la Connery :-/

Gustav_Graves — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 22:04:05 +0000

2006:

2012:

Billion Dollar Bond: Skyfall Earns $1,108,561,013

JWESTBROOK — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 04:32:32 +0100

October 28: +$77.7 Million
October 29: +$80.6 Million
November 4: +$287 Million ( $206.4 Mil in under a week! )
November 11: +$518.6 Million ( $231.6 Mil in a week! )
November 18: +$669.2 Million ( $150.6 Mil in a week! )
November 25: +$790.1 Million ( $120.9 Mil in a week! )
November 30: +$800.3 Million
December 2: +$869 Million ( $78.9 Mil in a week! )
December 9: +$918.2 Million ( $49.2 Mil in a week. ) **Highest Grossing Sony Film Ever**
December 16: +$951 Million ( $32.8 Mil in a week. )
December 23: +$974.2 Million ( $23.2 Mil in a week. )
December 30: +$1,000.2 Million! ( $25.8 Mil in a week. )
January 6: + $1,023.3 Million ( $21.3 Mil in a week. )
January 13: + $1, 032.9 Million ( $9.3 Mil in a week. )
January 20: + $1, 034.4 Million ( $1.5 Mil in a week. )
January 21: Skyfall opens in China.
January 27: + $1, 078.5 Million ( $44.1 Mil in a week! )
February 3: + $1, 093.5 Million ( $15 Mil in a week. )
February 10: + $1, 100.8 Million ( $12.8 Mil in a week. )
February 17: + $1, 108.1 Million ( $7.3 Mil in a week. )
February 24: + $1, 108.3 Million ( $0.2 Mil in a week. )
March 10th: + $1,108,348,855
April 10th: + $1,108,561,013

Raoul Silva

Skyfall007silva — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 06:57:54 +0100

what does everybody think?

Skyfall honest trailer ( Kind of funny)

htall90 — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 21:10:23 +0000

Skyfall, past Bond references???

thelivingroyale — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 18:32:23 +0100

After the pic thread got derailed, I decided to make this. This is a thread talking about past Bond references in SF, and if you think there are any. You shoud watch the trailer before entering this thread, warning you now.

Here are some from the trailer, thanks to @FromCanadaWithLove and @JWESTBROOK

M writing Bond's obituary - Tomorrow Never Dies (Carver writing Bond's)
Bond Dies - You Only Live Twice
Explosion at MI6 HQ - The World Is Not Enough
Scorpion - Diamonds Are Forever
To Q, "You must be joking" - Goldfinger
DB5 - Goldfinger
Bond being issued PPK - Dr. No
Palm reading gun - Licence to Kill
"Be careful of what you wish for" - Quantum of Solace (Greene says the same line)
Bond, tied to a chair, with Silva - Casino Royale (torture scene)
Silva next to fallen statue - GoldenEye
Train top fight - Octopussy
Shower sex scene - AVTAK (right?)
Secluded villain's island - Dr. No / TMWTGG
Scotland locations w/ Helicopter - FRWL
Stag statue - Thunderball

Product Placement in Skyfall

fredlandmark — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 17:45:48 +0100

Hello fellow Bond-fans!

Can someone please help me answering a short questionnaire (5 questions) about product placement in Skyfall?
It is for my dissertation. Many thanks! Regards, Fred

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NQPTDDP

Anyone else find it jarring when M swore in Skyfall?

Major_Boothroyd — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 13:51:15 +0000

Judi Dench dropping the F-bomb quite casually in the final act was surprising and I thought altogether unnecessary for a Bond film.

Berenice Marlohe

Germanlady — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 08:01:26 +0000

Interesting one of her...

What does "Skyfall" mean in British culture?

UsualMan — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 20:19:36 +0000

Yes I known that this is something like lot of rain (and probably second name for London ;-) ), but why They chosen it? Maybe somebody known more, and it have a little more symbolism in British culture(or other?)?

The Skyfall DVD/Blu Ray-Out now!

bondbat007 — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 05:14:29 +0000

I know that Skyfall is still a long way from release, but I am still starting to think of the eventual DVD/Blu Ray of the film. One thing I hated about Sony's part in the last two films were the two mediocre DVD releases of the films. CR eventually did get a really cool 3 disc DVD but the original 2 disc release and the 2 disc QoS DVD was pretty lacking in terms of features. Also given that this is Bond's 50th, what do you think should be included on this DVD when it is released?

I would like

-A great in depth documentery with lots of good interviews
-The return of the MI6 triva from the DAD dvd
-Deleted Scenes
-Commentary from Mendes/Craig/Wilson&Babs
-And some sort of great "50 years of Bond" feature

SKYFALL MERCHANDISING

=bg= — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 01:04:38 +0100

Mod edit: all collectibles, props and other wanna-haves of SF can be discussed here.

=bg='s original question: that does it say on Q's mug and where can I buy it?
Q 10?

mod edit: watch the image copyrights!

Skyfall Named Empire Awards 'Best Film'; Mendes Wins 'Best Director'

JWESTBROOK — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 02:02:22 +0000

Actual Nominations:
Satellite Awards
Best Picture
Javier Bardem for Actor in a Supporting Role
Judi Dench for Actress in a Supporting Role
Original Score
Original Song
Cinematography
Visual Effects
(Thanks to Panchito for the update)

SAG Awards
Best Supporting Actor - Javier Bardem

Phoenix Film Critics Society
Best Picture - Skyfall
Best Supporting Actor - Javier Bardem
Best Supporting Actress - Judi Dench
Best Cinematography - Roger Deakins

St. Louis Film Critics
Best Cinematography - Roger Deakins

Washington DC Area Film Critics:
Best Cinematography - Roger Deakins
Best Supporting Actor - Javier Bardem

Critics Choice Awards
Best Supporting Actor - Javier Bardem
Best Supporting Actress - Judi Dench
Best Cinematography - Roger Deakins
Best Action Movie - Skyfall
Best Actor in an Action Role - Daniel Craig
Best Actress in an Action Role - Judi Dench
Best Song - "Skyfall" by Adele

Golden Globes
Best Song - "Skyfall" by Adele and Paul Epworth

Southeastern Film Critics Association
Best Cinematography - Roger Deakins (runner up )

London Film Critics Circle
Best British Film - Skyfall
Supporting Actor - Javier Bardem
Supporting Actress - Judi Dench
Actor of the Year - Daniel Craig
Actress of the Year - Judi Dench

Producer's Guild
Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli - Skyfall

BAFTA's
Best British Film - Skyfall
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Javier Bardem
Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Judi Dench
Best Editing - Stuart Baird
Best Cinematography - Roger Deakins
Best Production Design - Dennis Gassner
Best Original Music - Thomas Newman
Best Sound - Skyfall (Not sure who will accept, Skyfall had like 30 people in their sound department.)

American Society of Cinematographers' Best of 2012
Roger Deakins - Skyfall

American Cinema Editors
Best Edited Dramtic Film - Skyfall

BRIT Awards
Best British Single - Adele
British (Song) Producer of the Year - Paul Epworth

Saturn Awards
Best Action Adventure - Skyfall
Best Actor - Daniel Craig
Best Supporting Actor - Javier Bardem
Best Supporting Actress - Judi Dench
Best Editing - Stuart Baird
Best Music - Thomas Newman
Best Make-Up - Skyfall

OSCAR's
Best Cinematography - Roger Deakins
Best Original Score - Thomas Newman
Best Original Song - Paul Epworth and Adele's Skyfall
Best Sound Editing - Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers
Best Song Mixing - Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell and Stuart Wilson

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Actual Wins:
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
Best Cinematography - Roger Deakins

Boston Online Film Critics
Best Cinematography - Roger Deakins

Satellite Awards
Javier Bardem for Actor in a Supporting Role

St. Louis Film Critics
Best Cinematography - Roger Deakins

Art Directors Guild
Cinematic Imagery Award - Dennis Gasner (Sir Ken Adam, Peter Lamont, Allan Cameron)

Digital Spy Readers
Best Film of 2012
Best Actor of 2012 Daniel Craig
Best Actress of 2012 Judi Dench

Critics Choice Awards (3 wins of 7 nominations)
Best Action Move-Skyfall
Best actor in action movie-Daniel Craig
Best Song-Adele

Golden Globes
Best Song - "Skyfall" by Adele and Paul Epworth

SAG Awards
Skyfall - Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture

Art Directors Guild Awards
Contemporary Film - Dennis Gassner for Skyfall

London Evening Standard
Film of the Year - Skyfall
Director of the Year - Sam Mendes
Best Rising Newcomer - Ben Wishaw

BAFTA's
Best British Film - Skyfall
Best Score - Thomas Newman

Motion Picture Sound Editors
Best Sound Effects And Foley - Skyfall

Costume Designer Guild Awards
Outstanding Contemporary Film - Jany Temime (Skyfall)

BRIT Awards
Best British Single - Skyfall (Adele)
British (Song) Producer of the Year - Paul Epworth

OSCAR's
Best Sound Editing - Skyfall (tie with Zero Dark Thirty)
Best Original Song - Adele and Paul Epworth (Skyfall)

Jameson Empire Awards
Best Film - Skyfall
Best Director - Sam Mendes
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Rankings
AP Critics Best of 2012
#3 Skyfall

YouTube
Second Highest Viewed Movie Trailer of 2012

QMI Agency Top 10:
#7 Film of the year (avg of three rankings)

Rotten Tomatoes Top 100 of 2012
#51 / 100 (based on critic score)

Empire Magazine's Best of the Year
#4 Skyfall

Cinema Blend Top 10 Action Scenes of 2012
#1 Skyfall (PTS)

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10 Flemingesque moments in Skyfall

jetsetwilly — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 11:35:20 +0000

I've seen the film twice now, and a few Fleming-type moments jumped out at me more the second time round. Here they are -

1) The obvious one to begin with. Bond dying, Obituary written by M, a depressed Bond going AWOL, and then Bond reappearing again, with health at an all-time low. This whole episode is taken out of Fleming's last few novels - TB (Bond's health), YOLT (Bond being a shadow of his former self, Bond dying) and TMWTGG - Bond resurfacing and being tested and questioned.

2) Severine - she felt like a Fleming girl (a bird with one wing down). The fact that she was used as a young hooker emphasised this even more. There was a sadness about her. I actually felt more sorry for this Bond girl than any previous female, despite her brief appearance.

3) The scene with the glass on Severine's head felt like it was penned by Fleming. It was one of the most disturbing scenes in the entire franchise, and actually genuinely shocked me. The music playing in the background (what was it?) felt like the bizzare elements of Fleming, and Bond looking round feeling uncomfortable before the gun is placed in his hand was Craig's defining moment as Fleming's Bond for me. Here he nailed it.

4) Likewise, helicopters blaring music out as Silva flew towards Skyfall had a touch of the benign bizzare Fleming.

5) The whole casino scene from start to finish literally jumped out of an unwritten Fleming novel, from Bond's tense conversation with Severine, to the bizzare pit fight with dragons.

6) Silva had a touch of the outlandish Fleming villain. His appearance reminded me of how Scaramanga would have looked, and the hints at homosexuality emphasise that further, as I'm sure Scaramanga was attracted to Bond in TMWTGG.

7) M's death, tragic ending was another Fleming masterstroke. He often ended his novels with a shock twist, and only twice have we seen this appear in the films, with CR and OHMSS.

Skyall Lodge, with its tombstone graves. The title itself is very Fleming, and the house itself in Glencoe captured perfectly how Fleming probably imagined where his hero was brought up.

9) Bond asking to be taken to Severine's employer. Gambling his life to get to meet the villain, surrendering himself on the boat so he could face Silva felt very Flemingesque.

10) The Shanghai build-up, spying through glass windows reflecting neon, fighting against the backdrop of moving neon lights was another Fleming touch.

Skyfall Questions (Spoilers)

Gareth00789 — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 23:43:48 +0100

Hi, thought it would be good to start a thread so we can talk about certain parts of the film Skyfall. I would like to ask someone who has seen the film, what was the creature in the shanghi part where bond and a bad guy fall into this pit with a sort of lizard. what is the creature called, and did it seem animated to you. was it real?????

Skyfall rugby jersey

=bg= — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 16:15:59 +0000

http://www.weststigers.com.au/news-display/Wests-Tigers-to-release-SKYFALL-jersey-exclusively-on-Social-Media/70233

Everything Wrong With Skyfall In 4 Minutes Or Less

Pierce2Daniel — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 12:39:54 +0000

Pretty funny and true

How did Silva recruit so many henchman in the Metropolitan Police

CIA — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 05:32:16 +0000

Two two cops in the tube that gave him the police uniform
The driver of the police vehicle to drive him to that dropped him off at the building M was giving her testimony at
The three policemen who helped Silva shoot up the place

How did he recruit so many willing to commit terrorist attacks against their own county. I sometimes wonder if Silva had a couple hired goons at MI6 that helped him escape. It's more plausible than he managing to get the jump on three armed guards while the door to his glass chamber opening.

Tennyson - the key to understanding Skyfall? (contains spoilers)

Troy — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 19:02:41 +0000

Regrettably, I can't take credit for this level of analysis, but I found these two reviews. They are quite deep, but i like the thrust of their analysis. Have the hit on something? or are talking pretentious bollocks?

David Thomson commented:

The film is hugely fun, but has a very serious theme: the place of tradition in the modern world. It really feels like a statement about modern Britain by Mendes, Deakins and Crag - three of our leading

Skyfall is by far the closest depiction of the Bond from the novels. The novels are in many ways are about the traditions of the British Empire colliding with post WW2 decline. Something that Skyfall almost stands as a response to. Skyfall itself is an answer the questions and insecurities Fleming exposed as the Empire rapidly declined in the 50s and 60s.

SPOILERS HERE:

The central Tennyson quote by M is the key to the whole film (incase you missed the relevance of the Fighting Temarare by Turner earlier on). Throughout the film tradition is constantly threatened by modernity - and each time a tempered version of tradition comes up trumps. There are countless examples... Bond is shot not by the mistake of someone on the ground, but because of the high tech communication. MI6 new building is destroyed and they're safer in ancient WW2 tunnels. Silva is a tech genius, but Bond (and M) is repeatedly called out of touch or old. And of course, the final sequence can be seen as one giant metaphor - the high tech invaders storming Bond's castle with all their equipment and Bond has ancient rifles and a knife. And how does he finally beat Silva - by the most simple weapon he has. There is so much of this throughout the film I can't remember it off the top of my head. The whole film is about the interaction of tradition and modernity.

The reading I take from the film is as Tennyson says: time will give you a beating, but hold onto your history and traditions and they will steel you against anything that comes at you. That's exactly what James Bond does.

SPOILERS END

I'd love to hear how Americans react to the themes of tradition in the film. Particularly around the relevance of the Tennyson quote from Ulysses spoken by M:

Though much is taken, much abides; and though
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

If putting that Tennyson speech into the mouth of one of our greatest living actors in the middle of our biggest cultural exports isn't a statement about Britain, I don't know what is.

I can't see any of those sentiments or political position of Skyfall being made by many American filmmakers.

Chris Hunneysett commented:

Sir, the Tennyson is the essential to our understanding of the film but for these complementary reasons:
The film is absolutely about selling Britain and Mendes underlines how Bond is the best of Britain by drawing a parallel, or possibly an umbilical cord through time between this most modern hero and our most ancient, King Arthur.
It was Tennyson in his 'Idylls of the King' codified the Arthurian legend and Mendes is in effect continuing the tale of Arthur when he returns, when England needs him most.
The pre-title sequence is the Malory's (does that name ring a bell from the movie?) Le Morte d'Arthur, the story of how Arthur is betrayed by a woman, mortally wounded in action and disappears presumed dead in the lake.
During the titles Bond undergoes a symbolic Christian rebirth.
Time passes and when Britain needs Arthur/Bond again and so he returns as legend foretells.
The threat is once again Mordred (Silva) about whom legend is distinctly ambiguous of the familial relationship between he and Arthur.
Thus we have lots of references to M as their joint (metaphorical) mother, (both men are orphans, Arthur also had a fostered upbringing), Severine, the woman they share is also an orphan. Further, Bond is revealed to have a birth mother with a Spanish maiden name, suggesting a further ahem, bond with Silva.
The Merlin figure is of course Q.
I don't believe a director as erudite as Mendes would include these details/imagery/language by coincidence, it would almost impossible to do so by accident. The purpose is to anchor Bond firmly in the tradition of British heroic sacrifice (Tennyson also of course wrote The Charge Of The Light Brigade) and so elevate him from the mundane into the legendary.
These elements incorporated in the subtext will be registered in the audience's mind whether they realise it or not, they will be familiar with the basic elements of Arthurian legend but not necessarily identify them as such in Skyfall but the film will benefit from the cultural echoes regardless.
Yes this is what Joseph Campbell was writing about in The Hero With a Thousand Faces (and far better than I) but what Mendes does is employ the theory to wed Bond to Arthur for Bond's benefit, the movie's benefit and for the audience's benefit.
Thanks for listening.

Taken from Roger Ebert's Journal
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2012/11/a_great_deal_of_solace.html#comments

Amazing piano artistic interpretation of Skyfall

007can — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 18:44:19 +0000

You have to check this video out- a pianist named Sunny Choi interprets Skyfall and performs it with so much passion!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuXTaVnypyc&list=UUppVe5NioL7fAHEflYGeYgA&index=5

Open Minded !

Skyfail — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 11:26:32 +0000

Having read through most of the discussion's over here. I was surprisingly shocked.
I felt I needed to take the time to applaud mi6community!

In every other Bond fan site they look at Skyfall as the Gospel. Nobody dares criticises it. But over here people have a more open discussion and genuinely see the good and the faults in the movie. Which I feel is great.

Which begs the question why is a movie like Skyfall being so highly regarded??

Location, Location, Location

shadowonthesun — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 03:25:50 +0100

This thread, I admit, is slightly inspired by Balje's creation suggesting a sewer as a Bond villain's lair. It reminded me of the thread on the old forums about appropriate locations for Bond films. This thread is a recreation of old - what locations do you want to see?

Allow me to open the bidding with this: the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking. Bond villains are often wealthy industrialists, and usually have some kind of headquarters - like Hugo Drax's sprawling aerospace engineering compound in Moonraker, or Elliot Carver's braodcast centre in Tomorrow Never Dies - that Bond visits. And naturally, they have (or at least try to have) that Ken Adam larger-than-life quality. Looking at pictures of it online, the McLaren Technology Centre has just that. It's slightly futuristic, has aesthetic lines, and plenty of glass:

Of course, the cars would probably have to go - otherwise, it would just look like Patrick Dempsey's office in Transformers - Dark of the Moon, and the less we say about that, the better. But the beauty of it is that McLaren is a Formula 1 team, and Formula 1 has a mandatory two-week shut-down during the summer, usually for the month of August. So EON could reasonably film Bond there without affecting the day-to-day operations.

Any other suggestions?

location in scotland?

alphabetagaga — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 15:08:54 +0000

so i'm trying to pin point a exact location in scotland used in skyfall. bond looking into the valley and m steps out of the db5. it is 1hr 46min 34secs into the film

anyone know?

Why are the Bond filmmakers so reluctant to let us see deleted scenes and outtakes?

Purplecipher — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 18:36:41 +0000

Why are the makers of the Bond films so reluctant to let us see deleted scenes and outtakes from Skyfall and earlier films in the series? Are we really to believe the actors are so word- and action-perfect throughout the Bond series that they've never fluffed their lines ... or stirred a martini instead of shaking it? In popular TV shows such as It'll Be Alright On The Night, outtakes from the Bond films are glaringly noticeable for their absence. Surely the owners of the Bond franchise don't imagine the actors themselves, or the series, will be demeaned by fluffs and cock-ups being revealed to the great unwashed public? And outtakes would be a marvellous bonus on any DVD or Blu-Ray issue. As for deleted scenes failing to make it on to DVD or Blu-Ray releases of the films - why are the filmmakers so utterly stingy in what they are prepared to let us see? A mere handful of deleted scenes have been included on commercial releases, and yet we know from producers' and actors' comments that time constraints quite often determine the cutting of one or more scenes from the final cut. So come on EON and the filmmakers - quit hogging these unintentional Bond bloopers and deleted scenes for yourselves and let the fans enjoy them too!
Am I alone in my views?

Vote for Skyfall and Co nominated for 6 Empire Awards

Germanlady — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:25:10 +0000

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/jamesbond/9902236/Skyfall-leads-Empire-nominations.html

Vote here: (Hopefully SF and Co will get your votes. I am never sure around here)
http://www.empireonline.com/awards2013/competition.asp

skyfall

bionicsnail — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 23:54:39 +0000

Am I Still the only one who thinks Mr Craig is a poor bond?

The Score of Skyfall

PanchitoPistoles — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 12:52:47 +0100

http://twitter.com/IncredibleSuit/status/54192961608626176

It looks like David Arnold talked about Bernard Herrmann's Psycho score at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London yesterday. There he confirmed he hasn't been asked to score Bond 23 yet. Does it mean there is a chance the movie will get an other composer?