An alpine lake that borders Germany, Austria, and Switzerland isn't necessarily the first place you'd think of to find James Bond. But that's where Britain's iconic secret agent is on a chilly evening in May; specifically, a quaint Austrian town called Bregenz known as an opera-lover's hotspot thanks to an annual festival and an opera stage that rises majestically out of Lake Constance. Tonight, Puccini's epic tragedy Tosca has been remounted for 007's 22nd adventure, Quantum Of Solace, with a stage packed with clergy-robed choral singers and 1200 extras decked out in evening-wear finery as the audience.
As the opera is performed on the spectacular stage (the backdrop is a colossal, big-brother eye, complete with an iris that tilts hydraulically), Daniel Craig's super spy slinks around the fringes, hopping nimbly from the lakeside moorings to solid ground and scanning the crowd for Solace's main villain Dominic Greene (The Diving Bell And The Butterfly's Mathieu Amalric). Quantum Of Solace offers the second sight of Craig's take on the ice-cool assassin, following his successful introduction in Casino Royale. Picking up one hour after Royale ends, Quantum follows Bond as he sets out on a vengeful mission to discover why Vesper (Eva Green) betrayed him.
Before descending on Bregenz, the 007 road show travelled to Chile, Panama, and Siena, Italy, as Bond circumnavigates the globe to find the link between Amalric's toxic CEO and Vesper while, naturally, encountering a bevy of new Bond beauties (including Ukrainian actress Olga Kurylenko), useful gadgetry, and flashy cars. The pressure is on for Solace to top Royale's princely reception, both in terms of ramped-up action and stunt work and box-office takings. But bettering a mind-blowing reboot that arguably rescued the franchise from a post-Bourne obsolescence is no easy task.
"There's more pressure this time, but I'm just trying to apply the same rules as I did last time," says Craig, who silenced naysayers with his kinetic, compelling turn in Royale. "Certainly, we couldn't repeat what we did last time. We're into a new way of thinking..."
At the tail end of a lengthy night shoot, the 007 production machine leaves the cold Austrian night behind to shoot in the bowels of the opera house. This is our chance to sit down with Craig, his co-stars Amalric and Kurylenko, and director Marc Forster to discuss the ins, outs, ups, and downs of seeking Solace.
