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| Although filming on the River Thames had already been taking place for a number of weeks, it was Monday 19th April that the man himself, Pierce Brosnan, put in an appearance at Festival Pier, the hub of all the watery action. We had been tipped off about Pierce's arrival a few days beforehand by several kind members of the crew, but we had no idea how busy he would be on the day. |
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I, along with fellow enthusiasts David Williams, Ray Savage and Steve Woodbridge, spent a warm, sunny afternoon patrolling the banks of the Thames, following the armada of camera boats, safety boats, and Pierce in the sleek little "Q Boat" as they went about the business of filming the large amount of shots needed with Pierce behind the wheel of the boat. This is my account of an afternoon very well spent. |
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We
all arrived at the Pier around 1pm, and discussed the events of the morning
with some fans who had been present all day. Pierce had arrived at the
Pier at 9 in the morning, after spending an hour in the make-up truck.
He was accompanied with his personal bodyguard and a group of admirers
eager to have their photographs taken with him.
The remainder of the morning was quiet, with Pierce spending a good deal of time aboard the catering boat "The Golden Salamander". He was seen strolling on deck a few times, and soon after we arrived, we watched as some of the crew made last minute checks on the Q Boat as Pierce sat in the driving seat. Then, at about 2.30, he was lowered into the water, and started revving the engine of the boat while the camera crew aboard the KOS Intercepter readied themselves for a crucial piece of close up filming with Pierce at the wheel of the craft. |
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| The boats set off in the direction of Westminster Bridge, upstream. We immediately followed them, and when we got to the bridge, about 5 minutes later, we could see the boats just upstream from the Houses of Parliament. Even at that distance, we could hear Pierce revving the engine of the little boat. Moments passed, and we waited in anticipation for the great chase to start. Then, a thunderous roar, and the two boats started heading in our direction. The camera boat, left, kept just in front of Pierce, who would wind from side to side in the wake of the Interceptor's path. From the looks of things, Pierce was getting absolutely drenched from the spray generated from the camera boat and his own boat. |
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After
doing his first take, Pierce turned the Q boat round and whilst approaching
Westminster Bridge, he took the opportunity to give us the V for Victory
sign (left). He was obviously enjoying every minute of it!
D.J. Williams, who was also present, had a zoom camera so was able to provide us with some amazing close-ups. ..... The camera crew and Pierce then headed back to the Houses of Parliament to do a second take. We all rushed to the other side of the bridge to watch the action. Passers by had cottoned on to what was happening, and the side of the bridge slowly filled up with people eager to catch a glimpse of Pierce at the wheel of the boat! |
Click for larger version. The boats, back at their initial position just underneath Lambeth Bridge, spent a few moments preparing for the second take. We took the opportunity to debate which one of us Pierce was acknowledging when he had sped underneath the bridge. |
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Then,
engines roaring into life once again, the boats gradually approached our
position. This time, Pierce was being buffeted around in the little Q Boat
by the tremendous wash from the (obviously overloaded) camera boat. The
small black craft was tossed around in the river like a toy, but as you
can tell from the photograph to the left, this certainly made the whole
scene more dramatic.
I think what they were intending to do here was to make it look as if the wake is from the Cigar Girl's SunSeeker, which is about the same size as the Camera Boat (possibly bigger, and certainly more expensive!) Still, Pierce, at the wheel of the boat, coped admirably with the demands of the situation, and looked like a real pro. We couldn't believe that this was his first time behind the wheel of the craft, unless of course, he had been given training on a private lake prior to this filming. |
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Pierce,
after the second take, turned around and headed back under the bridge.
Another great photo opportunity.
We were all taken aback when the overloaded camera boat, instead of following Pierce in the Q Boat, made it's way back in the opposite direction to Festival Pier. What, we thought, was Pierce doing heading back upstream on his own? The answer soon became apparent, as we watched, amused, as he played around in the boat for a a few minutes, doing some daring manoeuvres and chasing up and down the river. He was just having a bit of fun- completely understandably, as the Q boat sure looks like it would be very exciting to drive. Pierce then decided he'd had enough and headed back to Festival Pier, and we all made our way back, discussing the amazing sights we had just witnessed. |
The Tower Bridge Scenes
| Pierce
arrived back safely at Festival Pier, and proceeded immediately to the
Golden Salamander, where he changed his shirt and Brioni suit. This took
about 25 minutes, during which time we speculated where filming would next
take place. We had a sneaking suspicion that it might be Tower Bridge,
since some Police launches were preparing to depart, and in our experience,
the Police boats have only been used in those scenes shot around and underneath
Tower Bridge.
We were right, and soon enough the armada of boats set off downstream in the direction of Tower Bridge. When I said armada, I meant it. In total, there were about 8 boats in convoy travelling down the river. |
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Wade Eastwood arrives at HMS Belfast in the Q Boat, and soon after, Pierce was transferred to the driving seat. The convoy was lead by the fantastic SunSeeker, which Pierce was on (a more dignified way of travelling than being squeezed into the Q Boat). This was followed by Wade Eastwood in the Q Boat itself, who had the job of taking it to Tower Bridge, and then there were the two camera boats, the KOS Interceptor and the Blythe 33 (Steadycam boat). Following them were 3 safety boats with reconnaissance divers at the ready. The two Police Boats brought up the rear of the flotilla. |
| Wade
Eastwood was swapped for Pierce while the boats assembled in the relatively
calm waters between HMS Belfast and the riverbank. With Pierce behind the
wheel, everything was set for another take until the crew realized there
was a small problem with the camera equipment that was fitted to the front
of the Q Boat (right). The boats were all tied together and made their
way towards the bank. The technicians repaired the equipment, during which
time Pierce was wrapped in a coat to keep him warm. For the next twenty
minutes, he was only a couple of meters away from us.
At one point he had a phonecall on his mobile, and spent 5 minutes chatting to someone whilst the crew busied themselves around him. Pierce seemed a bit bored while all this was going on, but nevertheless looked superb with his smart suit and (tremendously) over-gelled hair. |
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Click for larger version. A crowd
had formed on the bank of the river. There were cries of "Pierce!" from
some awestruck women, and some passing Japanese tourists heard the someone
mention James Bond, and asked "Ah, James Bond. Where?"
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| Pierce
sets off from HMS Belfast in the direction of Tower Bridge. It was at this
point that Pierce drove near the bank and gave me a wave! Then, he throttled
back and left everyone standing. We, of course, hurried over to the nearby
Tower Bridge to catch the filming.
Most of the safety boats remained around HMS Belfast so as to be sure they were out of shot. Only the Blythe 33, the Police boats, and Bond himself carried on downstream. |
| Here
you can see how the Q Boat had been equipped with a camera, to allow close-ups
of Pierce in the driving seat whilst famous monuments, such as Tower Bridge,
can be glimpsed in the background.
The camera was wrapped in polythene to keep out water, but Pierce was ready to be splashed a little as the boat leaped around the river at the base of Tower Bridge. |
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| The
speeding Q Boat, with Brosnan at the wheel, made several passes at the
foot of Tower Bridge, with 2 Police Boats, lights flashing, in close pursuit.
Only a single take was necessary, and them Brosnan, the Camera boat and the Police boats all made their way back to Festival Pier. Upon arrival back at the Pier, Pierce and the clan (including Maria Grazia Cucinotta) made their way onto the banks of the river and into their respective chauffer-driven cars. Unfortunately, as we had been taking pictures all the way down at Tower Bridge, by the time we made it back to Festival Pier (about 5.30pm) Pierce had left, and most people had gone home. The security guard told me that there had been some pushing and shoving in attempt to get close to Pierce, and in the end, he called it a day after signing several signatures. |
Click for larger version. The guard also joked that while everyone was vying for a glimpse of Pierce, Maria Grazia Cucinotta (The Cigar Girl) had slipped round the back of the crowd, unnoticed (probably to her chagrin!) |
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A
most successful day spent with good company on the banks of England's most
famous river. Of course, the weather helped a great deal- It was sunny
and warm all day, with temperatures reaching at least 16 degrees.
Of course, the thing that really made it for me, and the many others that were present, was the chance to see Pierce, dressed impeccably of course, looking like he was having a whale of a time. It was the first time I have ever seen Pierce up close in person, and I can think of no better way to be introduced to the man who plays MI6's best agent, in this, the now legendary, Thames boat chase. |
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