TRIVIA (suite)
-Second Unit Director Alexander Witt and the second unit traveled to Shanghai in China to shoot establishing shots and driving sequences. The crew worked nights in the busy week leading up to the Chinese New Year to capture the exhilarating, ever-changing metropolis that is one of the most dynamic cities in the world. An aerial unit piloted by Marc Wolff was granted rare access to the skies above the city to shoot from a helicopter on loan from the Chinese Government. Production Designer Dennis Gassner and the art department then worked to create the rest of the Chinese environment on sound-stages at Pinewood Studios.
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-The film deals with James Bond's Scottish ancestry. Bond's family history was created by Ian Fleming in the Bond novel "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", first published in 1964. Fleming was inspired to add the back-story of Bond's genealogy into the book after seeing the character played by Sean Connery (a Scotchman) in 1962's James Bond 007 contre Dr. No (1962). 'Skyfall' is the second time in the official James Bond film series that James Bond discusses the death of his parents, the first time was in GoldenEye (1995). Clan of Bond names created by the production for the plaques and headstones at the chapel and graveyard include Andrew Bond, Robert Bond, Monique Delacroix Bond, Celia Bond, Kathleen Bond, Elsa/Elsie Louise Bond, Ramsay William Bond, and Margaret Jean Davidson Bond.
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-The name of the World War II era French song heard playing on Silva's island lair is "Boum!" and is sung by the famous French singer / songwriter Charles Trenet. The song won the Grand Prix du Disque and was first released in 1938, its use in the film occurring around 74 years after it first debuted.
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-M's name is "Olivia Mansfield." A 2013 props exhibition revealed her full name to be visible in an inscription on the box given to Bond from Eve containing M's porcelain bulldog figurine. In 1995, the original script for GoldenEye (1995) had revealed M's name as "Barbara Mawdsley," but this was before the James Bond series "reboot" with Casino Royale (2006), so Judi Dench's interpretation of M is likely two different characters. Curiously, "Olivia" is Dench's middle name, and the first head of the British Secret Service was (George) Mansfield Smith-Cummings (known by the first letter of his last name "C"). According to fellow spy novelist 'John Le Carré', Ian Fleming (ever tongue in cheek), designated the head of SIS as "M", using instead Cummings' first name. Keeping the Mansfield here as a surname is a twist but not intended in any of Fleming's original works. Fleming's "Man With the Golden Gun" gave his M's name as Myles Messervy.
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-The secret Intelligence career of original James Bond producer Harry Saltzman was first revealed by fellow Canadian David Giammarco in his acclaimed 2002 book "For Your Eyes Only: Behind the Scenes of the James Bond Films" on the 40th anniversary of the James Bond Films. For the 50th anniversary film Skyfall (2012), Hilary Saltzman, Steven Saltzman and David Giammarco disclosed the full extent of Saltzman's Intelligence work with previously-classified documents, photos and analysis in an exclusive feature for Vanity Fair Magazine titled "50 Years of 007: The Secret Spy Life of James Bond Producer Harry Saltzman".
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-Bond Girl Naomie Harris's mother is from Jamaica where author Ian Fleming wrote the James Bond stories at his GoldenEye estate. At 35 years of age at the start of filming, Harris is one of the oldest actresses to play a major Bond Girl. Honor Blackman is tied for eldest to ever play one, being 37 years of age at the time of filming Goldfinger (1964), and Maud Adams was also 37 years old at time of filming for Octopussy (1983). Harris attended the Royal World Premiere of 'Skyfall' with twenty-six members of her family.
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-English Naomie Harris is the second actress of Jamaican descent to play a leading Bond Girl in a Bond movie. American Grace Jones was the first in Dangereusement vôtre (1985). Jones was born in Spanish Town, Jamaica whereas Harris' mother is from Jamaica, Naomie spending some time there as a child. James Bond creator Ian Fleming wrote the James Bond stories at Goldeneye in Jamaica. The first ever Bond Girl in the official series was Swiss actress Ursula Andress who was first seen in a white bikini emerging from the tranquil sea waters of Jamaica in James Bond 007 contre Dr. No (1962). Harris is the third actress of Jamaican descent to play a Bond Girl, Marguerite LeWars was the first in James Bond 007 contre Dr. No (1962). LeWars was the reigning Miss Jamaica and was cast in the film when the production crew encountered her at Kingston Airport where she had been an employee there.
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-Second time in the official James Bond series that James Bond has broken into M's home as he did in Casino Royale (2006). That time, M said, "Don't ever break into my apartment again" though she fails to reference this in 'Skyfall'.
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-'Skyfall' is only the fourth James Bond movie in the official series which doesn't allow for marketing purposes the formation of the OO7 symbol within the film's title wording by way of forming one or two of the 'O's. The others include Opération Tonnerre (1965), Vivre et laisser mourir (1973), and Tuer n'est pas jouer (1987). And it's the fifth if one includes the unofficial Jamais plus jamais (1983).
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-The mug Q drinks from in his lab has the letter "Q" from the game Scrabble printed on it, complete with the number "10", the point value of the letter Q in the board game.
