Friday, May 16, 2008

Bond, James Bond in Siena

We're walking around Siena killing time before a highly recommended restaurant opens. (It's called Cane e Gatto and if you're ever in Siena, it's definitely worth killing time for.) As we wander, we suddenly find ourselves on a narrow street -- not that there's any other kind -- away from the central square. We hear the sounds of drumming. Ah, we think, a parade. Good way to divert ourselves from hunger, impatience and tired feet.

Turns out that we not only don't get to see a parade, but we don't get to see the source of the noise, a film crew working on "Quantum of Solace,'' the new James Bond movie, this one directed by Marc Forster ("The Kite Runner," "Stranger Than Fiction," "Finding Neverland" and "Monster's Ball.") I have nothing exciting to report about the movie other than that a friendly production employee who's helping to block off the street tells me that the crew has visited Siena twice for what amounts to five minutes of movie. We're talking across languages so I'm not entirely sure, but I think he said it would take 14 days of shooting to get those five minutes I have no idea whether Daniel Craig -- the almost new Bond -- is here or whether this is strictly second-unit stuff, but it seems that the series again has spared no expense to ensure that it's as location-rich as possible. Loved "Casino Royale," and can't wait to see the next installment to find out what was going on down that street.

Meanwhile in other Siena movie news...er...there is none. Playing here; "What Stays in Vegas," "The Other Boleyn Girl," "The Darjeeling Express," and "Superhero Movie." Good luck finding an Italian film.

Not sure when I'll post again. Heading for the Tuscan hills.

4 comments:

Cilicious said...

heh
I've eaten at Cane e Gatto.
Molto bene.
The more I think about it, the more surprised I am that so few movies (AFAIK) have been filmed in Siena.
(I know *other* Tuscan locations such as Pienza have been popular.)
I would think that Bond and Siena would make a good combo, especially after that final Lake Como scene, in Casino Royale.

Anonymous said...

I was in Sienna on the 14th May and also saw some filming for Quantum of Solace - in the main town square. No sign of any major actors - just doing crowd scenes which would fit in with Bond becomming entangled in the famous Palio horse race around the main square (which has already been flagged in many websites).

Robert Denerstein said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Robert Denerstein said...

Yes, the Palio -- which reportedly has drawn the ire of organizations such as PETA -- reportedly will be featured in the new Bond movie. The race -- a big deal to the residents of Siena -- involves bareback riding around the town square. The race, I've read, is held twice a year -- in July and August. I accidently deleted this post and am posting again.