Unlike the Gothic gloominess surrounding death in European culture, the Day Of The Dead is a colourful event with sugar skulls, marigolds, the favorite foods and beverages left as gifts at the graves of the departed. It originated in the old Mesoamerican culture, when it was celebrated in early summer, but the coming of Europeans saw it moved to the end of October to coincide with Catholic All Souls Day celebrations. The public holiday of El Día de Muertos is celebrated throughout Mexico (especially the Central and South regions) as a time remember and pray for those who’ve died. Usually called the Zócalo, the second largest square in the world, after Moscow’s Red Square, can also be seen in Steven Soderbergh's Traffic. Amid the mayhem, Bond commandeers a getaway ’copter which has touched down among the crowds on the vast Plaza de la Constitución. The seemingly simple task triggers off – almost literally – catastrophe. The same hotel was featured in the 1989 Bond film Licence To Kill, with Timothy Dalton as 007. The skull-masked reveler (who turns out to be Bond) mingling with the crowd suddenly ducks into the flamboyant lobby of the Gran Hotel Ciudad De Mexico, Avenue 16 de Septiembre 82, making his way to the roof where he’s on a mission to take out the assassin Sciarra in a neighbouring building.

Spectre kicks off with enormous confidence and a stonking teaser sequence (seemingly influenced by the legendary tracking shot which opened Orson Welles’s Touch Of Evil) set in Mexico City during spectacular El Día de Muertos (Day Of The Dead) celebrations. It’s early days so there may be minor spoilers – though I can’t imagine what hasn’t already leaked on the net.īuoyed by the enormous success of Skyfall, there seem to be more genuine locations this time around (much of the previous film’s ‘Hong Kong’ section was filmed in London).

Spectre film lea seydoux