It is not so often that a film can have a concrete cultural impact, which is more on a tradition more than thousand years old. This is however the case with 007 Specter and its opening scene taking place during the Day of the Dead in Mexico …
If you have seen the 24th installment of the (mis) adventures of James Bond 007 Specter, you should logically have in mind the opening scene of the film by Sam Mendes. A formidable sequence shot, virtuoso, in which James Bond performs, during the feast of the dead in Mexico City, the last wills of the former M killed at Skyfall by blowing up an apartment where several terrorists have gathered who plan to blow up a sports stadium.
Here is the sequence again, for the record …
Listed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by Unesco, a tradition dating back more than 3000 years, the Feast of the Dead, El Día de los Muertos, is a sacred tradition in Mexico, which takes place on October 31st and usually continues the first 2 days of November. Mexicans celebrate their dead there, in colorful tributes where everything is codified, often by going with their family to the cemeteries where the graves of the missing are located. We had also dedicated a specific article on this subject around the animated film Coco, of which it is the very heart of the story.
Although joyful, this event remains an intimate celebration. An article from Guardian dated 2019 looked back at the utterly astonishing impact of the opening streak of 007 Specter on this celebration in Mexico City.
Since the filming of this sequence in fact, this celebration has left the domain of the private sphere to become a gigantic parade in Mexico City, inspired by the film. This parade has only existed since 2016, in the wake of the film’s release, and has continued to grow since then.
“We have always celebrated the Day of the Dead here in Mexico City, but in a more serious way” commented at the time the Mexican Secretary of State for Tourism, Enrique de la Madrid, in a interview given on October 30, 2016 to the Guardian. “It’s a tradition deeply rooted in Mexico. But we decided to have a festival.” An initiative that has also been variously appreciated; some pointing to a completely distorted event.
That said, it is rare to see that a film, in this case a very specific sequence, can have such a cultural impact to the point of reappropriating it. Even if, of course, such an initiative is obviously not without commercial ulterior motives …
