116-479: Government Offices Great George Street ( GOGGS ) is a large UK government office building situated in Westminster between Horse Guards Road , Great George Street , Parliament Street , King Charles Street and Parliament Square . The western end of the building, on Horse Guards Road , is known as 1 Horse Guards Road ( 1HGR ). The Parliament Street end is referred to as 100 Parliament Street ( 100PS ). GOGGS
232-426: A Jaguar C-X75 . The C-X75 was originally developed as a hybrid electric vehicle with four independent electric engines powered by two jet turbines, before the project was cancelled. The version used for filming was converted to use a conventional internal combustion engine , to minimise the potential for disruption from mechanical problems with the complex hybrid system. The C-X75s used for filming were developed by
348-479: A demo . Satisfied with the quality, the filmmakers used the demo in the final release. "Writing's on the Wall" was released as a download on 25 September 2015. It received mixed reviews from critics and fans, particularly in comparison to Adele 's " Skyfall ", leading to Shirley Bassey trending on Twitter on the day it was released. Despite the mixed reception, it became the first Bond theme to reach number one in
464-429: A 2021 podcast interview that at one stage Sam Mendes suggested a plot twist revealing M to be the villain, which Fiennes vetoed. Another draft by Logan had MI6 chief of staff Bill Tanner uncovered as a Spectre mole. Despite being an original story, Spectre draws on Ian Fleming 's source material , most notably in the character of Franz Oberhauser, played by Christoph Waltz , and his father Hannes. Hannes Oberhauser
580-625: A cost of £140 million, were completed in 2002. The refurbishment of 1 Horse Guards Road added floor space which allowed the entire Treasury staff to be housed in the same building for the first time for some 50 years. By the end of 2004 HM Revenue and Customs was relocated into 100 Parliament Street from Somerset House . In 2013 the Northern Ireland Office and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport moved into 1 Horse Guards Road and 100 Parliament Street respectively. The western end of
696-676: A digital reconstruction. When the building is detonated, it is a combination of both a miniature and a breakaway version of the digital building. After wrapping up in England, production travelled to Morocco in June, with filming taking place in Oujda , Tangier and Erfoud , after preliminary work was completed by the production's second unit. The headquarters of Spectre in Morocco was located in Gara Medouar which
812-507: A distressing recording of her father's suicide, Oberhauser subjects Bond to neurosurgical torture: he discusses his shared past with Bond to Swann, revealing that they became adoptive brothers after Bond's parents died. Believing that his father loved Bond more than him, Oberhauser killed him and staged his death as well. Since then, he founded Spectre intending to target Bond and adopted the name Ernst Stavro Blofeld . Bond and Swann break free, stun Blofeld with an explosive wristwatch, and destroy
928-496: A division within Spectre rather than an independent organisation which is implied to be no longer active by the film's events. The plot of Spectre also linked the events of Skyfall to Craig's first two Bond movies by revealing antagonist Raoul Silva to be associated with Spectre reverting Skyfall ' s initial solo story status. Various plot ideas were discussed and discarded during the writing process; Ralph Fiennes revealed in
1044-687: A final budget of $ 245–300 million. Principal photography began in December 2014 and lasted until July 2015, with filming locations including Austria, the United Kingdom, Italy, Morocco, and Mexico. Spectre premiered at the Royal Albert Hall on 26 October 2015 and was theatrically released in conventional and IMAX formats in the United Kingdom that day, and in the United States on 6 November. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised
1160-561: A greater or lesser degree (for instance Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster or Lord Privy Seal ). The government is sometimes referred to by the metonym " Westminster " or " Whitehall ", as many of its offices are situated there. These metonyms are used especially by members of the Scottish Government , Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive to differentiate their government from His Majesty's Government. The United Kingdom
1276-489: A half hours of set-pieces strung on one of the series's thinner plots"; and IGN 's Chris Tilly, who rated the film 7.2 out of 10, considering Spectre "solid if unspectacular", and concluding that "the film falls frustratingly short of greatness." Critical appraisal was mixed in the United States. In a review for RogerEbert.com , Matt Zoller Seitz gave Spectre 2.5 out of 4, describing it as inconsistent and unable to capitalise on its potential. Kenneth Turan , reviewing
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#17328481975061392-450: A huge impression as this film's 'Bond girl', perhaps it's because we've already met—far too briefly—the hypnotic Monica Bellucci, as the first real 'Bond woman' since Diana Rigg ." Chicago Sun-Times film reviewer Richard Roeper , who gave the film three stars out of four, considered the film "solidly in the middle of the all-time rankings, which means it's still a slick, beautifully photographed, action-packed, international thriller with
1508-588: A life-sized plane with detachable wings to film the crash in the woods, to plane fuselages either built atop snowmobiles or shot from nitrogen cannons. Production was temporarily halted first by an injury to Craig, who suffered a meniscus tear while shooting a fight scene with Bautista, and later by an accident involving a filming vehicle that saw three crew members injured, at least one of them seriously. Filming temporarily returned to England to shoot scenes at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire , which stood in for
1624-556: A location in Rome, before moving on to the city itself for a five-week shoot across the city, with locations including the Ponte Sisto bridge and the Roman Forum . The production faced opposition from a variety of special interest groups and city authorities, who were concerned about the potential for damage to historical sites around the city, and problems with graffiti and rubbish appearing in
1740-602: A meeting, where Oberhauser targets the "Pale King" for assassination. Oberhauser recognises Bond, who flees across the city in a modified Aston Martin DB10 , pursued by the network's top assassin Hinx. Moneypenny identifies the Pale King as Mr. White , a former member of the organisation's subsidiary Quantum. Bond tracks White down to Altaussee , where he is dying of thallium poisoning . Bond offers to protect White's daughter Madeleine Swann ,
1856-478: A member of either House of Parliament. In practice, however, the convention is that ministers must be members of either the House of Commons or the House of Lords to be accountable to Parliament. From time to time, prime ministers appoint non-parliamentarians as ministers. In recent years such ministers have been appointed to the House of Lords. The government is required by convention and for practical reasons to maintain
1972-412: A new House of Commons, unless the prime minister advises the monarch to dissolve Parliament , in which case an election may be held sooner. After an election, the monarch selects as prime minister the leader of the party most likely to command the confidence of the House of Commons, usually by possessing a majority of MPs. Under the uncodified British constitution , executive authority lies with
2088-548: A new record for a three-day opening for a November release (breaking Interstellar ' s record). In its second weekend, it added $ 12.1 million falling precipitously by 75% which is the second worst second weekend drop for any major Hollywood release in China of 2015. It grossed a total of $ 84.7 million there after four weekends (foreign films in the Middle Kingdom play for 30 days only, unless granted special extensions). Despite
2204-514: A number of wonderfully, ludicrously entertaining set pieces, a sprinkling of dry wit, myriad gorgeous women and a classic psycho-villain who is clearly out of his mind but seems to like it that way." Michael Phillips , reviewing for the Chicago Tribune , stated, "For all its workmanlike devotion to out-of-control helicopters, Spectre works best when everyone's on the ground, doing his or her job, driving expensive fast cars heedlessly, detonating
2320-462: A psychiatrist who possesses knowledge about "L'Américain". White commits suicide. Bond finds Swann, who is reluctant to trust him until Hinx and his forces abduct her. Bond rescues Swann, earning him her trust. Q reveals Le Chiffre , Dominic Greene and Raoul Silva as agents of Oberhauser's organisation, which Swann reveals is named Spectre . Swann takes Bond to L'Américain, a hotel in Tangier , where
2436-468: A restaurant in Covent Garden . Blofeld's helicopter crash was done with two full sized helicopter shells, which were rigged with steelwork and an overhead track. Computer-generated rotor blades and scenery damage were added in post-production. The MI6 building , which in the film is vacated and scheduled for demolition following the terrorist attack from Skyfall , was replaced in the production plates for
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#17328481975062552-594: A scheduled break, Craig was flown to New York to undergo minor surgery to fix his knee injury. It was reported that filming was not affected and he had returned to filming at Pinewood Studios as planned on 22 April. Nonetheless, some parts of the Mexico scene were done with stunt doubles, whose faces were digitally replaced with Craig's. On 17 May 2015 filming took place on the Thames in London. Stunt scenes involving Craig and Seydoux on
2668-471: A secret organisation. In London , Gareth Mallory , the current M, suspends Bond for his unauthorised action. M is engaged in a power struggle with Max Denbigh (whom Bond dubs "C"), the Director-General of the new privately backed Joint Intelligence Service formed by the merger of MI5 and MI6. C campaigns for Britain to join the global surveillance and intelligence initiative "Nine Eyes" and shut down
2784-605: A secret room directs them to Oberhauser's base in the Sahara . Hinx ambushes them en route to the base, but they fight him off and defeat him. Arriving at the base, Bond and Swann confront Oberhauser, who reveals Spectre's involvement in the Joint Intelligence Service and the Nine Eyes programme. C, complicit in Spectre's scheme, plans to give Spectre unrestricted access to intelligence gathered by Nine Eyes. After showing Swann
2900-723: A serialized sequel" and proving "itself as a Saga". While noting that "[n]othing that happens in Spectre holds up to even minor logical scrutiny", he had "come not to bury Spectre , but to weirdly praise it. Because the final act of the movie is so strange, so willfully obtuse, that it deserves extra attention." Christopher Orr , writing in The Atlantic , also criticised the film, saying that Spectre "backslides on virtually every [aspect]". Lawrence Toppman of The Charlotte Observer called Craig's performance "Bored, James Bored." Alyssa Rosenberg, writing for The Washington Post , stated that
3016-601: A sketch written by David Walliams and the Dawson Brothers for Comic Relief 's Red Nose Day on BBC One . In the sketch, they film a behind-the-scenes documentary on the filming of Spectre . The first teaser trailer for Spectre was released worldwide in March 2015, followed by the theatrical trailer in July and the final trailer in October. Spectre had its world premiere at
3132-582: A speedboat as well as a low flying helicopter near Westminster Bridge were shot at night, with filming temporarily closing both Westminster and Lambeth Bridges . Scenes were also shot on the river near MI6's headquarters at Vauxhall Cross. The crew returned to the river less than a week later to film scenes solely set on Westminster Bridge. The London Fire Brigade was on set to simulate rain as well as monitor smoke used for filming. Craig, Seydoux, and Waltz, as well as Harris and Fiennes, were seen being filmed. Prior to this, scenes involving Fiennes were shot at
3248-408: A statement confirming the leak of what they called "an early version of the screenplay". Eon resisted Sony and MGM's arguments to cut down on stunts and location work to reduce the budget but managed to secure tax incentives and rebates, such as $ 14 million from Mexico. Spectre has a final budget estimated between $ 250 million and $ 275 million. Spectre marked the return of many scriptwriters from
3364-429: A strong opening, it failed to attain the $ 100 million mark there as projected due to mixed response from critics and audiences as well as facing competition from local films. Spectre has an approval rating of 63% based on 371 professional reviews on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , with an average rating of 6.4/10. Its critical consensus reads, " Spectre nudges Daniel Craig's rebooted Bond closer to
3480-594: A substantial grant from the government, the Sovereign Support Grant , and Queen Elizabeth II's inheritance from her mother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother , was exempt from inheritance tax . In addition to legislative powers, His Majesty's Government has substantial influence over local authorities and other bodies set up by it, through financial powers and grants. Many functions carried out by local authorities, such as paying out housing benefits and council tax benefits, are funded or substantially part-funded by
3596-616: A teenager, and limited the scenes with Bond talking to men, as "Bond shoots other men—he doesn't sit around chatting to them. So you put a line through that." With the acquisition of the rights to Spectre and its associated characters, Purvis and Wade revealed that the film would provide a minor retcon to the continuity of the previous films, with the Quantum organisation alluded to in Casino Royale and introduced in Quantum of Solace reimagined as
Government Offices Great George Street - Misplaced Pages Continue
3712-501: A total of $ 136.3 million there. In the UK, it surpassed Avatar to become the country's highest-grossing IMAX release ever with $ 10.09 million. Spectre opened in Germany with $ 22.5 million (including previews), which included a new record for the biggest Saturday of all time, Australia with $ 8.7 million (including previews) and South Korea opened to $ 8.2 million (including previews). Despite
3828-424: Is a constitutional monarchy in which the reigning monarch (that is, the king or queen who is the head of state at any given time) does not make any open political decisions. All political decisions are taken by the government and Parliament. This constitutional state of affairs is the result of a long history of constraining and reducing the political power of the monarch, beginning with Magna Carta in 1215. Since
3944-517: Is a 'crater' caused by erosion and of neither volcanic nor impact origin. An explosion filmed in Morocco holds a Guinness World Record for the largest film stunt explosion in cinematic history, involving 8,140 litres of kerosene and 24 charges each with a kilogramme of high explosives. The outside shots of a train in a desert featured the Oriental Desert Express . Principal photography concluded on 5 July 2015. A wrap-up party for Spectre
4060-513: Is a background character in the short story " Octopussy " from the Octopussy and The Living Daylights collection, and is named in the film as having been a temporary legal guardian of a young Bond in 1983. As Mendes searched for events in young Bond's life to follow the childhood discussed in Skyfall , he came across Hannes Oberhauser, who becomes a father figure to Bond. From there, Mendes conceived
4176-612: Is held captive. Blofeld, who survived the Sahara base's destruction with heavy scarring to his face, gives Bond a three-minute ultimatum to abandon Swann or attempt a rescue and risk death. Bond finds Swann and they escape as the building collapses. Bond shoots down Blofeld's helicopter, which crashes onto Westminster Bridge . Blofeld survives and is arrested by M. Later, Bond receives his restored Aston Martin DB5 from Q and drives off with Swann. In March 2013, Mendes said he would not return to direct
4292-596: Is not vital. A government is not required to resign even if it loses the confidence of the Lords and is defeated in key votes in that House. The House of Commons is thus the responsible house . The prime minister is held to account during Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) which provides an opportunity for MPs from all parties to question the PM on any subject. There are also departmental questions when ministers answer questions relating to their specific departmental brief. Unlike PMQs, both
4408-643: Is of "exceptional interest and of outstanding importance". It was described by the Victorian Society as an early monument of the Edwardian Baroque Revival . An aerial shot of the building is used in the TV series Spooks to accompany a sub-title portraying it as the Home Office – therefore serving as stand-in to match the distinctly period appearance of the fictitious Home Office accommodation interiors
4524-454: Is that, in addition to all the stirring action, and all the timely references to a secret organisation out to steal everyone's personal information, we get to believe in Bond as a person." Stephen Whitty from The New York Daily News , who awarded the film four of five stars, stated that "Craig is cruelly efficient. Dave Bautista makes a good, Oddjob-like assassin. And while Lea Seydoux doesn't leave
4640-444: Is the second biggest 2D single day gross for a Hollywood film behind the $ 18.5 million opening day of Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation and occupying 43% of all available screens which included $ 790,000 in advance night screenings. Through its opening weekend, it earned $ 48.1 million from 14,700 screens which is 198% ahead of Skyfall , a new record for a Hollywood 2D opening. IMAX contributed $ 4.6 million on 246 screens, also
4756-573: The '00' section. Bond, who was operating on a mission posthumously assigned by the previous M to eliminate Sciarra and track down his employers, goes rogue from MI6, with Eve Moneypenny and Q agreeing to aid Bond covertly. Following the previous M's instructions, Bond attends Sciarra's funeral in Rome and rescues his widow Lucia from assassins. Lucia reveals Sciarra's association with a terrorist network run by Franz Oberhauser, who has been presumed dead for twenty years. Using Sciarra's ring, Bond infiltrates
Government Offices Great George Street - Misplaced Pages Continue
4872-528: The 13 November Paris attacks , which led to numerous theatres being closed down, the film opened with $ 14.6 million (including $ 2 million in previews) in France. In Mexico, where part of the film was shot, it debuted with more than double that of Skyfall with $ 4.5 million. It also bested its predecessor's opening in various Nordic regions where MGM distributes, such as Finland ($ 2.7 million) and Norway ($ 2.9 million), and in other markets like Denmark ($ 4.2 million),
4988-533: The 6K Arri Alexa 65mm ), in contrast to Skyfall being filmed solely on digital cameras. Early filming took place at Pinewood Studios, and around London , with scenes variously featuring Craig and Harris at Bond's flat, and Craig and Kinnear travelling down the River Thames . Filming was carried out in Austria between December 2014 and February 2015, with production taking place in the area around Sölden —including
5104-699: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology occupy the Parliament Street end, referred to as 100 Parliament Street ( 100PS ). The basement houses the Churchill War Rooms , a branch of the Imperial War Museum . Civil servants working in the building are entitled to visit the War Rooms for free. GOGGS is listed Grade II* on the National Heritage List for England , meaning it
5220-473: The Greater London Authority disputed. Similarly, the monarch is immune from criminal prosecution and may only be sued with his permission (this is known as sovereign immunity ). The sovereign, by law, is not required to pay income tax, but Queen Elizabeth II voluntarily paid it from 1993 until the end of her reign in 2022, and also paid local rates voluntarily. However, the monarchy also received
5336-757: The Royal Film Performance , an event in aid of the Film & TV Charity , in London on 26 October 2015 at the Royal Albert Hall, the same day as its general release in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. It was released in the United States on 6 November. Following the announcement of the start of filming, Paramount Pictures brought forward the release of Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation to avoid competing with Spectre . In March 2015 IMAX corporation announced that Spectre would be screened in its cinemas, following Skyfall ' s success with
5452-611: The UK Singles Chart , the second to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song, and the fifth to be nominated. It also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards . During the December 2014 press conference announcing the start of filming, Aston Martin and Eon unveiled the new DB10 as the official car for the film. The DB10 was designed in collaboration between Aston Martin and
5568-472: The visual effects — Industrial Light & Magic , Double Negative , Moving Picture Company , Cinesite and Peerless—under the supervision of Steve Begg. The computer-generated effects included set extensions , digital touches on the vehicles, and crumbling buildings. A sixth one, Framestore , handled the title sequence , the seventh in the series designed by Daniel Kleinman . It took four months to complete, and centred on an octopus motif reminiscent of
5684-547: The Ötztal Glacier Road , Rettenbach glacier and the adjacent ski resort plus cable car station— Obertilliach and Lake Altaussee . Scenes filmed in Austria centred on the Ice Q Restaurant, standing in for the fictional Hoffler Klinik, a private medical clinic in the Austrian Alps . Filming included an action scene featuring a Land Rover Defender Bigfoot and a Range Rover Sport . Various aeroplane models were used in filming, from
5800-503: The Crown, who may use them without having to obtain the consent of Parliament. The prime minister also has weekly meetings with the monarch. What is said in these meetings is strictly private; however, they generally involve government and political matters which the monarch has a "right and a duty" to comment on. Such comments are non-binding however and the King must ultimately abide by decisions of
5916-606: The European Parliament are immune from prosecution in EU states under any circumstance. As a consequence, neither EU bodies nor diplomats have to pay taxes, since it would not be possible to prosecute them for tax evasion. When the UK was a member of the EU, this caused a dispute when the US ambassador to the UK claimed that London's congestion charge was a tax, and not a charge (despite the name), and therefore he did not have to pay it—a claim
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#17328481975066032-618: The McClory estate formally settled the issue with Danjaq , sister company of Eon Productions—with MGM acquiring the full copyright film rights to the concept of Spectre and all of the characters associated with it. It has been suggested that with the acquisition of the film rights and the organisation's re-introduction to the series' continuity, the SPECTRE acronym was discarded and the organisation reimagined as "Spectre". When Sony Pictures Entertainment renegotiated with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures
6148-625: The Netherlands ($ 3.4 million), and Sweden ($ 3.1 million). In India, it opened at No. 1 with $ 4.8 million which is 4% above the opening of Skyfall . It topped the German-speaking Switzerland box office for four weeks and in the Netherlands, it held the No. 1 spot for seven weeks straight where it topped Minions to become the top movie of the year. The top earning markets are Germany ($ 70.3 million) and France ($ 38.8 million). In Paris, it has
6264-460: The Spectre logo, along with images of love and relationships. Thomas Newman returned as Spectre ' s composer. Rather than composing the score once the film had moved into post-production, Newman worked during filming. The theatrical trailer released in July 2015 contained a rendition of John Barry 's On Her Majesty's Secret Service theme. Mendes stated that the final film would have more than 100 minutes of music. The soundtrack album
6380-480: The UK record for highest first-week opening, set by Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ' s £23.9 million ($ 36.9 million) in 2004. Its Friday–Saturday gross was £20.4 million ($ 31.2 million) compared to Skyfall ' s £20.1 million ($ 31 million). The film also broke the record for the best per-screen opening average with $ 110,000, a record previously held by The Dark Knight with $ 100,200. It has grossed
6496-446: The UK, the second best-selling title of the year, behind only Star Wars: The Force Awakens , and 2 million copies in the US, 12th in the year-end charts. The film was later released on Ultra HD Blu-ray on 22 October 2019 by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment along with the previous three films, and standalone on 25 February 2020 in the US and 23 March 2020 in the UK. Spectre grossed $ 880.7 million worldwide; $ 135.5 million of
6612-509: The United Kingdom , officially His Majesty's Government , abbreviated to HM Government , is the central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland . The government is led by the prime minister (currently Keir Starmer since 5 July 2024) who selects all the other ministers . The country has had a Labour government since 2024. The prime minister Keir Starmer and his most senior ministers belong to
6728-599: The Wall ", won an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Original Song. The next film in the series, No Time to Die , was released in 2021. A posthumous message from the previous M leads MI6 agent James Bond to carry out a mission in Mexico City , foiling a bombing attempt on a stadium during the Day of the Dead festival. Bond obtains a ring, stylised with an octopus, from deceased attacker Marco Sciarra and uncovers his connection to
6844-407: The action sequences, cast performances (particularly Craig's and Bautista's), and the musical score, but criticised the pacing and formulaic narrative decisions. It grossed $ 880 million worldwide, making it the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2015 and the second-highest grossing James Bond film after Skyfall , unadjusted for inflation (fourth when adjusted). The film's theme song, " Writing's on
6960-473: The base before fleeing to London to prevent Nine Eyes from going online. In London, Bond, Swann, M, Q, Bill Tanner and Moneypenny gather to arrest C, but Swann and Bond are separately abducted by Spectre operatives, while the others proceed with the plan. After Q stops Nine Eyes from going online, a fatal struggle between M and C results in C's death. Bond is taken to the ruins of the old MI6 building , scheduled for demolition after Silva's bombing, where Swann
7076-415: The box office. IMAX generated $ 9.1 million for Spectre at 374 screens, premium large format made $ 8 million from 429 cinemas, reaping 11% of the film's opening, which means that Spectre earned $ 17.1 million (23%) of its opening weekend total in large-format venues. Cinemark XD generated $ 1.9 million in 112 XD locations. In China, it opened on 12 November and earned $ 15 million on its opening day, which
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#17328481975067192-460: The building in 1940.In the early 1970s, the building also housed several departments of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, primarily in the west half of the building. A major refurbishment of the building was procured under a private finance initiative contract in 2000. The works, which were designed by Foster and Partners together with Feilden and Mawson and carried out by Bovis Lend Lease at
7308-504: The building, on Horse Guards Road , is known as 1 Horse Guards Road ( 1HGR ) and is occupied by HM Treasury , UK Export Finance , Government Internal Audit Agency , Office of the Leader of the House of Commons , Office of the Leader of the House of Lords and parts of the Cabinet Office . The headquarters of HM Revenue and Customs , the Department for Culture, Media and Sport , and
7424-440: The cabinet ministers for the department and junior ministers within the department may answer on behalf of the government, depending on the topic of the question. During debates on legislation proposed by the government, ministers—usually with departmental responsibility for the bill —will lead the debate for the government and respond to points made by MPs or Lords. Committees of both the House of Commons and House of Lords hold
7540-546: The central government. Spectre (2015 film) Spectre is a 2015 spy film and the twenty-fourth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions . Directed by Sam Mendes and written by John Logan , Neal Purvis, Robert Wade , and Jez Butterworth from a story conceived by Logan, Purvis, and Wade, it stars Daniel Craig as Bond , alongside Christoph Waltz , Léa Seydoux , Ben Whishaw , Naomie Harris , Dave Bautista , Monica Bellucci , and Ralph Fiennes . It
7656-411: The charity commissions) are legally more or less independent of the government, and government powers are legally limited to those retained by the Crown under common law or granted and limited by act of Parliament. Both substantive and procedural limitations are enforceable in the courts by judicial review . Nevertheless, magistrates and mayors can still be arrested and put on trial for corruption, and
7772-491: The city square to be closed for filming a sequence involving a fight aboard a Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm Bo 105CBS helicopter flown by stunt pilot Chuck Aaron , which called for modifications to be made to several buildings to prevent damage. This particular scene in Mexico required 1,500 extras, 10 giant skeletons and 250,000 paper flowers. Reports in the Mexican media added that the film's second unit would move to Palenque in
7888-437: The company. In the UK it received a wider release than Skyfall , with a minimum of 647 cinemas including 40 IMAX screens, compared to Skyfall ' s 587 locations and 21 IMAX screens. Spectre was released for Digital HD on 22 January 2016 and on DVD and Blu-ray on 9 and 22 February 2016 in the US and UK respectively. It debuted atop the home video charts in both countries, and finished 2016 with 1.5 million units in
8004-436: The confidence of the House of Commons. It requires the support of the House of Commons for the maintenance of supply (by voting through the government's budgets) and to pass primary legislation . By convention, if a government loses the confidence of the House of Commons it must either resign or a general election is held. The support of the Lords, while useful to the government in getting its legislation passed without delay,
8120-518: The deal to cofinance the Bond franchise in 2011, they were tasked to provide 25% of the negative cost of both Skyfall and Spectre , in exchange for receiving 25% of the profits plus distribution fees for overseeing its worldwide rollout. When the film was announced in June 2013, the budget was not yet fixed, but was certain to be higher than the $ 210 million of Skyfall due to foreign locations and bigger payments for Mendes and Craig. In November 2014, Sony
8236-510: The end of the Thunderball controversy , in which Kevin McClory and Fleming were embroiled in lengthy legal disputes over the film rights to the novel; Spectre is the first film to feature these elements since Diamonds Are Forever (1971). Following the Sony Pictures hack , it was revealed Sony and Eon clashed regarding finance, stunts, and filming locations; Spectre is estimated to have
8352-519: The engineering division of Formula One racing team Williams , who built the original C-X75 prototype for Jaguar. Remote driving pods were built above the cars so the vehicles could be driven while the cameras focused on Craig and Bautista at the steering wheel. According to chief stunt co-ordinator Gary Powell, filming the chase had the "risk of skidding into the Vatican ", and led to "a record for smashing up cars in Spectre —seven Aston Martins in all," with
8468-409: The exchequer to be a member of the House of Lords was Lord Denman , who served for one month in 1834. The British monarch is the head of state and the sovereign , but not the head of government . The monarch takes little direct part in governing the country and remains neutral in political affairs. However, the authority of the state that is vested in the sovereign, known as the Crown , remains
8584-778: The film Darkest Hour showing the character Elizabeth Layton entering the War Rooms for the first time. Later in the film GOGGS is shown in an aerial shot. 51°30′6″N 0°7′42″W / 51.50167°N 0.12833°W / 51.50167; -0.12833 UK government King Charles III [REDACTED] William, Prince of Wales [REDACTED] Charles III ( King-in-Council ) [REDACTED] Starmer ministry ( L ) Keir Starmer ( L ) Angela Rayner ( L ) ( King-in-Parliament ) [REDACTED] Charles III [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The Lord Reed The Lord Hodge Andrew Bailey Monetary Policy Committee The government of
8700-526: The film for Los Angeles Times , concluded that Spectre "comes off as exhausted and uninspired". Manohla Dargis of The New York Times criticised the film as having "nothing surprising" and sacrificing its originality for the sake of box office returns. Forbes 's Scott Mendelson also heavily criticised the film, denouncing Spectre as "the worst 007 movie in 30 years". Darren Franich of Entertainment Weekly viewed Spectre as "an overreaction to our current blockbuster moment", aspiring "to be
8816-897: The film four out of five stars, observing that the film did not live up to the standard set by Skyfall , but was able to tap into audience expectations. Writing in The Guardian , Peter Bradshaw gave the film a full five stars, calling it "inventive, intelligent and complex", and singling out Craig's performance as the film's highlight. In another five star review, The Daily Telegraph ' s Robbie Collin described Spectre as "a swaggering show of confidence'", lauding it as "a feat of pure cinematic necromancy". Positive yet critical assessments included Kim Newman of Sight and Sound , who wrote that "for all its wayward plotting (including an unhelpful tie-in with Bond's childhood that makes very little sense) and off-the-peg elements, Spectre works" as he felt "the audience's patience gets tested by two and
8932-550: The film turned into "a disappointingly conventional Bond film." In a positive review published in Rolling Stone , Peter Travers gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4, describing Spectre as "party time for Bond fans, a fierce, funny, gorgeously produced valentine to the longest-running franchise in movies". Mick LaSalle , writing for the San Francisco Chronicle , raved that "One of the great satisfactions of Spectre
9048-584: The film's car expenses estimated at £24 million ($ 48 million). With filming completed in Rome, production moved to Mexico City in late March to shoot the film's opening sequence, with scenes to include the Day of the Dead festival filmed in and around the Zócalo and the Centro Histórico district. At the time, no such Day of the Dead parade like the one from the film took place in Mexico City; in 2016, due to
9164-409: The film's production designer, while cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema took over from Roger Deakins . In July 2015 Mendes noted that the combined crew of Spectre numbered over one thousand, making it a larger production than Skyfall . Craig is listed as co-producer. He considered the credit a high point of his career, saying, "I'm just so proud of the fact that my name comes up somewhere else on
9280-457: The film, " Spectre ", but this was also rejected as too melancholy. At the 2024 Ivor Novello Awards , Lana Del Rey told BBC News that she wrote her song " 24 " for the film, but had it rejected by producers. In September 2015, Eon announced that Sam Smith had recorded the title theme, " Writing's on the Wall ". Smith reported writing the song in a single session with regular collaborator Jimmy Napes in under half an hour before recording
9396-489: The film. Special effects supervisor Chris Corbould stated the scenes had to be extensively planned prior to filming specially to avoid any mishaps, going to the point of building protection above steps where cars would drive. A car chase scene set along the banks of the Tiber River and through the streets of Rome featured an Aston Martin DB10 (a model developed especially for the film, with only 10 examples produced ) and
9512-545: The film. This was denied by producer Michael G. Wilson, who stated that the scene had always been intended to be shot in Mexico as production had been attracted to the imagery of the Day of the Dead, and that the script had been developed from there. Production of Skyfall had previously faced similar problems while attempting to secure permits to shoot the film's pre-title sequence in India before moving to Istanbul. Five companies did
9628-459: The filmmakers, with only 10 being produced especially for Spectre as a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the company's association with the franchise. Only eight of those 10 were used for the film, however; the remaining two were used for promotional work. After modifying the Jaguar C-X75 for the film, Williams F1 carried the 007 logo on their cars at the 2015 Mexican Grand Prix , with
9744-492: The glorious, action-driven spectacle of earlier entries, although it's admittedly reliant on established 007 formula." Metacritic (which uses a weighted average) assigned Spectre a score of 60 out of 100 based on 48 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. Prior to its UK release, Spectre mostly received positive reviews. Mark Kermode , film critic for The Observer , gave
9860-525: The government has powers to insert commissioners into a local authority to oversee its work, and to issue directives that must be obeyed by the local authority if the local authority is not abiding by its statutory obligations. By contrast, as in European Union (EU) member states, EU officials cannot be prosecuted for any actions carried out in pursuit of their official duties, and foreign country diplomats (though not their employees) and foreign members of
9976-702: The government on the statement. When the government instead chooses to make announcements first outside Parliament, it is often the subject of significant criticism from MPs and the speaker of the House of Commons . The prime minister is based at 10 Downing Street in Westminster , London. Cabinet meetings also take place here. Most government departments have their headquarters nearby in Whitehall . The government's powers include general executive and statutory powers , delegated legislation , and numerous powers of appointment and patronage. However, some powerful officials and bodies, (e.g. HM judges, local authorities , and
10092-477: The government to account, scrutinise its work and examine in detail proposals for legislation. Ministers appear before committees to give evidence and answer questions. Government ministers are also required by convention and the Ministerial Code , when Parliament is sitting, to make major statements regarding government policy or issues of national importance to Parliament. This allows MPs or Lords to question
10208-464: The government. Royal prerogative powers include, but are not limited to, the following: While no formal documents set out the prerogatives, the government published the above list in October 2003 to increase transparency, as some of the powers exercised in the name of the monarch are part of the royal prerogative . However, the complete extent of the royal prerogative powers has never been fully set out, as many of them originated in ancient custom and
10324-666: The idea of "a natural child who had been pushed out, cuckoo in the nest " by Bond, which became Franz. Similarly, Charmian Bond is shown to have been his full-time guardian, observing the back story established by Fleming. The main cast was revealed in December 2014 at the 007 Stage at Pinewood Studios . Daniel Craig returned for his fourth appearance as James Bond, while Ralph Fiennes , Naomie Harris and Ben Whishaw reprised their roles as M, Eve Moneypenny and Q respectively, having been established in Skyfall . Rory Kinnear also reprised his role as Bill Tanner in his third appearance in
10440-708: The interest raised by Spectre and the government's desire to promote the pre-Hispanic Mexican culture, the federal and local authorities decided to organise an actual "Día de Muertos" parade through Paseo de la Reforma and Centro Histórico on 29 October 2016, which was attended by 250,000 people. The film opens with a long take that joins six shots seamlessly, and was one of the few scenes that required previsualisation . Through extensive planning, filming did not require motion control cameras. The scene joints were done in post-production through re-timing and re- projections , which even matched Mexico locations with interiors filmed at Pinewood. The planned scenes required
10556-432: The net profit of the film to be around $ 38 million had it performed to the same level of its predecessor, but it earned 20% less than Skyfall . Sony paid 50% of the production costs for the film—which totalled some $ 250 million after accounting for government incentives—but received only 25% of certain profits, once costs were recouped. The studio also spent tens of millions of dollars in marketing and had to give MGM some of
10672-524: The next film in the series, then known as Bond 24 ; he later recanted and announced that he would return, as he found the script and the plans for the long-term future of the franchise appealing. Nicolas Winding Refn would later reveal that he turned down an offer to direct the film. In directing Skyfall and Spectre , Mendes became the first director to oversee two successive Bond films since John Glen directed five consecutive films, ending with Licence to Kill in 1989. Dennis Gassner returned as
10788-433: The period of absolute monarchy , or were modified by later constitutional practice. As of 2019, there are around 120 government ministers supported by 560,000 civil servants and other staff working in the 24 ministerial departments and their executive agencies . There are also an additional 20 non-ministerial departments with a range of further responsibilities. In theory, a government minister does not have to be
10904-443: The pre-title sequence set in Mexico, though they were replicated in the film, giving the effect of around 10,000 extras. Mendes revealed that production would begin on 8 December 2014 at Pinewood Studios, with filming taking seven months. Mendes also confirmed several filming locations, including London , Mexico City and Rome . Van Hoytema shot the film mostly on Kodak 35mm film stock (in addition to digital cameras such as
11020-418: The previous Bond films, such as Skyfall writer John Logan; Neal Purvis and Robert Wade , who had done work in five previous Bond films, and British playwright Jez Butterworth , who had previously made uncredited contributions to Skyfall . Butterworth was brought in to polish the script, being helped by Mendes and Craig. Butterworth considered that his changes involved adding what he would like to see as
11136-411: The profit from the studio's non- Bond films, including 22 Jump Street . In the United Kingdom, the film grossed £4.1 million ($ 6.4 million) from its Monday preview screenings. It grossed £6.3 million ($ 9.2 million) on its opening day and then £5.7 million ($ 8.8 million) on Wednesday, setting UK records for both days. In the film's first seven days it grossed £41.7 million ($ 63.8 million), breaking
11252-401: The quiet henchman archetype of characters such as Jaws . Bautista's performance was inspired mostly by Oddjob from Goldfinger , and said not talking created an acting challenge, "trying to find this way where I am actually going to have to speak without speaking." After casting Bérénice Marlohe , a relative newcomer, as Sévérine in Skyfall , Mendes sought out a more experienced actor for
11368-605: The role of Madeleine Swann, ultimately casting Léa Seydoux in the role. Monica Bellucci joined the cast as Lucia Sciarra, becoming, at the age of fifty, the oldest actress to be cast as a Bond girl . She had previously auditioned for the role of Paris Carver in Tomorrow Never Dies , but was passed over in favour of Teri Hatcher . In a separate interview with Danish website Euroman, Jesper Christensen revealed he would be reprising his role as Mr White from Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace . Christensen's character
11484-405: The role was written specially for him, but added that "when I came on board, the role grew, evolved, and mutated." Dave Bautista was cast as Mr Hinx after producers sought an actor with a background in contact sports. The character only has one line in the entire film, "Shit". Sam Mendes thought the silent nature would drive Bautista away, but the lifelong Bond fan expressed interest in reviving
11600-707: The second-highest ticket sales of all time with 4.1 million tickets sold only behind Spider-Man 3 which sold over 6.3 million tickets in 2007. In the United States and Canada the film opened on 6 November 2015, and in its opening weekend, was originally projected to gross $ 70–75 million from 3,927 screens, the widest release for a Bond film. However, after it grossed $ 5.3 million from its early Thursday night showings and $ 28 million on its opening day, weekend projections were increased to $ 75–80 million. The film ended up grossing $ 70.4 million in its opening weekend (about $ 20 million less than Skyfall' s $ 90.6 million debut, including IMAX previews), but nevertheless finished first at
11716-619: The series uses, rather than the far more modern real Home Office headquarters at 2 Marsham Street . The character James Bond is seen in a courtyard of GOGGS in the movie Spectre . The building serves as MI6 headquarters after a terrorist attack on the SIS Building in Skyfall . The GOGGS central circular courtyard and King Charles Street outside were used as the start of a London streetrace in Fast & Furious 6 . The GOGGS King Charles Street facade and central circular courtyard were used in
11832-407: The series. Christoph Waltz was cast in the role of Franz Oberhauser, though he refused to comment on the nature of the part. It was later revealed with the film's release that he is Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Waltz got interested in the film for dealing with technology-assisted mass surveillance , "speaking about relevant social issues in a way that few Bonds have done before", and denied rumours that
11948-433: The source of executive power exercised by the government. In addition to explicit statutory authority , the Crown also possesses a body of powers in certain matters collectively known as the royal prerogative . These powers range from the authority to issue or withdraw passports to declarations of war. By long-standing convention, most of these powers are delegated from the sovereign to various ministers or other officers of
12064-593: The sovereign, although this authority is exercised only after receiving the advice of the Privy Council . The prime minister, the House of Lords, the Leader of the Opposition, and the police and military high command serve as members and advisers of the monarch on the Privy Council. In most cases the cabinet exercise power directly as leaders of the government departments , though some Cabinet positions are sinecures to
12180-400: The start of Edward VII 's reign in 1901, by convention, the prime minister has been an elected member of Parliament (MP) and thus answerable to the House of Commons, although there were two weeks in 1963 when Alec Douglas-Home was first a member of the House of Lords and then of neither house. A similar convention applies to the position of chancellor of the exchequer . The last chancellor of
12296-445: The state of Chiapas , to film aerial manoeuvres considered too dangerous to shoot in an urban area. These were pasted over a computer-generated square and crowd below the helicopter, with motion capture doubles fighting inside. Mendes and the effects team felt that this approach "would get believable composition and movement" compared to adding a digital helicopter above the Mexico City location. Following filming in Mexico, and during
12412-572: The supreme decision-making committee, known as the Cabinet . Ministers of the Crown are responsible to the House in which they sit; they make statements in that House and take questions from members of that House. For most senior ministers this is usually the elected House of Commons rather than the House of Lords . The government is dependent on Parliament to make primary legislation , and general elections are held every five years (at most) to elect
12528-519: The takings were generated from the UK market and $ 200.1 million from North America. Worldwide, this made it the second-highest-grossing James Bond film after Skyfall , and the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2015 . Deadline Hollywood calculated the film's net profit as $ 98.4 million, accounting for production budgets, marketing, talent participations, and other costs; box office grosses and home media revenues placed it sixteenth on their list of 2015's "Most Valuable Blockbusters". Sony had expected
12644-481: The team playing host to the cast and crew ahead of the Mexican premiere of the film. To promote the film, the film's marketers continued the trend established during Skyfall ' s production of releasing still images of clapperboards and video blogs on Eon's official social media accounts. On 13 March 2015, several members of the cast and crew, including Craig, Whishaw, Wilson and Mendes, as well as previous James Bond actor, Sir Roger Moore , appeared in
12760-573: The titles." The film's use of the SPECTRE organisation and its characters marked the end of long-standing litigation between Eon Productions and producer Kevin McClory , who sued James Bond creator Ian Fleming in 1961 claiming ownership over elements of the novel Thunderball , and in an out of court settlement two years later, was awarded the novel's film rights, including Spectre and its characters. McClory died in 2006, and in November 2013, MGM and
12876-406: Was targeted by hackers who released details of confidential e-mails between Sony executives regarding several high-profile film projects. Included within these were several memos relating to the production of Spectre , claiming that the film was over budget, detailing early drafts of the script written by John Logan , and expressing Sony's frustration with the project. Eon Productions later issued
12992-635: Was designed by John Brydon following a competition in 1898; the design was "derived from Inigo Jones ’ design for a new Whitehall Palace " in the 1630s. Construction took place in two phases: the East end was completed in 1908 and the West end was completed in 1917. It was originally built as offices for the Board of Education , the Local Government Board and the local Ministry of Works Office; HM Treasury moved into
13108-442: Was distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing . In the film, Bond battles Spectre , an international crime organisation led by Franz Oberhauser (Waltz). Despite initially stating he would not direct Spectre, Mendes confirmed his return in 2014 after Nicolas Winding Refn declined to direct; Mendes became the first to direct successive James Bond films since John Glen . The inclusion of Spectre and its associated characters marked
13224-454: Was held in commemoration before entering post-production. Filming took 128 days. While filming in Mexico City, speculation in the media claimed that the script had been altered to accommodate the demands of Mexican authorities—reportedly influencing details of the scene and characters, casting choices, and modifying the script to portray the country in a "positive light"—to secure tax concessions and financial support worth up to $ 20 million for
13340-457: Was released on 23 October 2015 in the UK and 6 November 2015 in the US on Decca Records . The English band Radiohead were commissioned to write the title song, and submitted " Man of War ", an unreleased song written in the 1990s. It was rejected as it had not been written for the film and so was ineligible for the Academy Award for Best Original Song . Radiohead recorded another song for
13456-443: Was reportedly killed off in a scene intended to be used as an epilogue to Quantum of Solace , before it was removed from the final cut of the film, enabling his return in Spectre . In addition to the principal cast, Alessandro Cremona was cast as Marco Sciarra, Stephanie Sigman was cast as Estrella, and Detlef Bothe was cast as a villain for scenes shot in Austria. In February 2015 over 1,500 background artistes were hired for
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