âVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING
like itâ one of Spectreâs cast tells
Empire. âItâs so exciting I cannot
tell you. You have to pinch yourself.
Itâs... extraordinary.â
Itâs a sultry March evening in Mexico
City and the topic under discussion is
the traditionally eye-popping pre-title
sequence of the 24th Bond film currently
shooting in the capital. Youâd expect
Johnny Extra to gush about anything
they saw on a 007 set but when the actor
brandishing the superlatives has already
demolished a canalside building in
Venice freefallen from a disintegrating
DC-3 into a desert sinkhole and downed
a helicopter by blowing up his characterâs
own ancestral home beneath it you take
them at their word. Yep itâs fair to say
that even Daniel Craig is impressed.
Heâs not alone. Earlier that day
Empire is perched on a balcony of the
cityâs sumptuous Gran Hotel. Below us
in the Zócalo â Mexico Cityâs vast central
square bordered by a cathedral a palace
and various government buildings â
a thousand extras garbed in the macabre
costumes of the countryâs Day Of The
Dead festival are snaking their way
towards an imposing nightmarish stage
erected at its centre. On the stage is the
festivalâs centrepiece La Catrina: a giant
grinning skull 30 or 40 feet high flanked
on either side by two equally tall
cackling skeletons. Another 500 extras
playing spectators entertainers police
and soldiers litter the square while next
to the stage is a beefy-looking military
helicopter which is about to embark on
a less-than-smooth journey. Itâs fair to
say that weâre impressed too. H
MEXICO
MEXICO CITY
DATE MARCH 28 2015
WORDS NEIL ALCOCK
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