Whilst the new Bond girl Olga
Kurylenko (Camille)
was attending the Dutch
premiere, cast and crew members traveled to Lucerne
to take part in the Swiss premiere for "Quantum
of Solace"
on Tuesday 4th November 2008. Director Marc
Forster was joined by producer Barbara
Broccoli and actor Anatole Taubman
(Elvis). James Bond star Daniel Craig also traveled to Lucerne
but was ill in bed with the flu and unable to attend the evening.
Above: Anatole Taubman, Carl von Malaise, Director
Marc Forster,
Producer Barbara Broccoli and Roger
Crotti
|
Despite missing 007, Swiss fans were able to see Forster on
the red carpet at the Kino MAXX cinema in the town of Emmenbrücke
near Lucerne. "The atmosphere is pretty extraordinary
and very, very special. It's an incredible thing to be home
and to be here," said Forster, whose arrival was greeted
by cheers from the crowd. Forster added that he is always nervous
debuting one of his films in his home country, and was honoured
by the huge turnout.
Taubman told reporters it was "phenomenal" to be
at a premiere in his home country. "My heart's beating
at a double pace," he said. When asked about his line
of Swiss German in the film, he said "I think I'll be
the only Bond character ever who speaks in Swiss German to
his mother".
The premiere has been quite a coup for the picturesque Lucerne
region, according to local press. Marcel Perren, managing director
of Lucerne Tourism, said that Emmenbrücke had been chosen
because Lucerne did not have a big enough cinema for 1,500
people. Perren said it was a "wonderful opportunity" for
the area, which has been trying to raise its film profile. "James
Bond is known worldwide and having that in Lucerne is just
great," he said.
Forster said at a media conference in Lucerne's palace hotel
ahead of the evening premiere that there was a certain amount
of "Swissness" in film. This came from the fact that
he always puts personal touches in his films. He said he was
drawn to characters like Bond which were "emotionally
not really that accessible". This northern European tendency
to be slightly more emotionally closed off was also part of
his Swiss background. "My aesthetic in general definitely
has an imprint of European cinema more than United States cinema," he
added.
"Quantum of Solace" opens nationwide
in Switzerland on Wednesday 5th November 2008 (French speaking),
Thursday 6th November (German speaking), and Friday 7th November
(Italian speaking).
