14 生活時尚 S T Y L E WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2008 • TAIPEI TIMES uantum of Solace and a unit of verve When Marc Forster was approached to direct ‘Quantum of Solace,’ the unusual title was the least of his reservations. Daniel Craig managed to change his mind BY Ryan GILbey THE GUARDIAN, LONDON Forster remembers “Even so, I kept thinking: What’s Marc his response when the upside here?” he says, averting ’ his agent told him he was in line to his eyes from the open laptop on the ‘Q direct the 22nd James Bond film: coffee table before him, which lends “No, no, no, no, no.” The 39-year-old, his features a faint, blue glow. A silent German-born filmmaker squeezes assistant with an air of Rosa Klebb out an incredulous laugh. “I said, about her taps at another keyboard ‘They’ve got the wrong director.’” on the other side of the room, making You take the point. A long, hard stare me wonder if she’s feeding Forster at his resume — which ranges from his answers. “I’m at a point in my the intensity of Monster’s Ball to the career where I can make the mid- winsome Finding Neverland and the budget movies I want to make. I have smartypants comedy Stranger Than creative freedom, final cut, and now Fiction — reveals nothing to suggest they’re offering me a US$200 million an aptitude for mildly fogeyish, movie? If it’s a failure, it could harm espionage-based escapism. my career. And if it’s a success, the And yet here he is, 18 months only advantage is I can make more later, discussing the 22nd James blockbusters. Do I really want that? I Bond film. Precisely how many don’t think so!” He scoffs at the idea. razor-sharp bowler hats, switchblade With his floodlight eyes and enormous shoes and genital thrashings was he hairless head, he momentarily threatened with before he signed resembles a surly baby. on the dotted line? Actually, Forster The clincher for Forster was experienced nothing more torturous talking things over with Daniel Craig, than a charm offensive from Barbara the man who should be praised for Above: Daniel Craig, left, and Olga Kurylenko are pictured in this publicity photo from a scene in Broccoli, one of the most tenacious bringing the first hint of nastiness the latest James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace. Craig plays a grim-faced 007 on the warpath producers ever to share a name to Bond, and blamed for causing an in Quantum of Solace, the sequel to box office hit Casino Royale. PHOTOS: REUTERS with a vegetable. unhealthy upswing in the wearing of Speedos. “Daniel and I are very much where a poster, emblazoned with the “Where is this going?” in sync; he’s a highly intelligent and proposed title, was laid out for his He says he grew accustomed to sensitive actor. His achievement has inspection. It would be fair to say that the title after a while. Now he even been to humanize Bond, so that he his immediate reaction foreshadowed claims to love it. “At least it created could be one of us — not a hero, but that of fans the world over, many of discussion,” he points out. Yes, but an antihero with a dark side. Meeting whom were left marveling that the so did foot-and-mouth. him made me want to jump in, take accolade of Worst Ever Bond Title had When we meet, Forster is still the risk.’” been stolen at last from Octopussy, cutting the picture together, and is On the minus side, there was still while at the same time wondering showing the strain of a punishing the matter of the film’s title — it didn’t how on earth anyone was supposed to schedule which has left him with five have one. “When I signed on, we had a mime Quantum of Solace in a game of weeks to complete editing compared release date but no script and no title,” charades. to his usual 14. “It’s the way Barbara he says with a disbelieving laugh. “That’s the title?” he spluttered. and Michael work,” he sighs. “I think During pre-production, Broccoli and “Well — what do you think?” it’s to minimize studio interference. her co-producer Michael G. Wilson asked Broccoli. I can’t think of any other reason to summoned Forster to their office, “Er, I’m not sure,” Forster replied. impose such a horrible deadline.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 15 [ CLASSICAL DVD REVIEWS ] MATTHAUS-PASSION MAYUKO KAMIO SOL GABBETA NIKOLAI TOKAREV Bach In Recital Shostakovich French Album Karl Richter Tchaikovsky, Chausson, Stravinsky, Etc Munich Philharmonic Rameau, Debussy, Ravel, Franck DGM 073 4149 Sony BMG 88697301002 Sony BMG 8869734612 Sony BMG 8867341452 last a DVD of Bach’s St Matthew featureless white space (Harnoncourt where to start in distributing praise for But bass Ernst Gerold Schramm as denying Jesus three times. Maybe accompaniment. To it she adds Passion to get excited about! filmed his in an ornate rococo church). these. When considering the soprano and Jesus proves at least Schreier’s equal Bach thought it had to be especially items by Tchaikovsky, Szymanowski, At Last month I lamented the The work requires two choruses, and contralto soloists, you have to remember in his fewer moments in the spotlight moving as clearly God himself was Stravinsky and others. shortcomings of the King’s College, Richter opts for men, women and boys that Bach gives the greater music to — the dramatic problem is that, being moved because he allowed him to go For her part, Sol Gabetta offers Cambridge version, and in August (Harnoncourt employed only men the contralto, so it’s Julia Hamari who seen as God, he can’t display variety. on, despite everything, and found the a strenuous Shostakovich disc praised Nikolaus Harnoncourt’s and boys). Richter’s soloists stand in inevitably leaves the more lasting But there isn’t a weak link anywhere Christian church. containing two works, his dolorous marvelous rendering of the same isolation on various levels, all painted impression. But soprano Helen Donath among the soloists, and with subtitles Sony BMG has recently released Cello Concerto No. 2 and his composer’s St John Passion. But a white, while the orchestra, and often is winningly fine as well wherever the in English, French, Spanish and three CDs featuring young classical Cello Sonata. The former, a live top-notch version on DVD of Bach’s even the harpsichord, sounds sonorous music gives her the chance. Chinese this pair of DVDs can be very artists. All are former child prodigies. performance, is with the Munich sublime Good Friday music following in the extreme (Harnoncourt only used When it comes to the men, highly recommended. It’s currently Argentine cellist Sol Gabetta, now 25, Philharmonic Orchestra, the latter with the story as told by Matthew still early 18th-century instruments, whether there’s no problem in deciding being discounted by some Taipei gave her first public recital at the age pianist Mihaela Ursuleasa. Both items proved elusive. Finally I’ve found one. real ones or modern copies, and their precedence. Peter Schreier shines out retailers to around NT$850. of 10, while Russian pianist Nikolai have complex performance histories Karl Richter recorded it in 1971 but softer sound was crucial to his reading). — he’s absolutely stupendous as the If I still on balance prefer the St Tokarev, also 25, gave his, Mozart-like, and a careful study of Shostakovich’s it was only released on DVD in 2006. The approach of the conductors Evangelist, in other words the linkman John Passion, at least as envisioned at the age of 6. political attitudes is advisable before Purists consider it a traditional (as themselves couldn’t be more different throughout the entire three-and-a- by Harnoncourt, it’s partly because of The youngest of the three, the attempting to listen to either. opposed to an “authentic”) reading, either. Harnoncourt threw himself quarter hours (broken into two halves a personal preference for the dramatic 22-year-old Japanese violinist Mayuko Lastly, Nikolai Tokarev (who rather meaning that it employs modern into the music, mouthing the words in Bach’s day by an hour-long sermon). over the contemplative. Also striking Kamio, performed in Taipei at age surprisingly for a Russian studied for instruments and larger forces than and seething with a passionate Curiously he has identical virtues to is its insight, despite being shorter, 19 with the Evergreen Symphony two years in Manchester, England) Bach would have known. But such commitment. Richter is completely Harnoncourt’s Evangelist, Kurt Equiluz into people and situations, most Orchestra in March 2005. Then she gives a solo recital of French keyboard distinctions hardly matter when different. He spends some time — a wonderfully high-pitched tenor notably into the character of Pilate gave a loving rendition of Chausson’s music stretching back 300 years. This the overall effect is as heartfelt and conducting and some playing the voice, immense precision and a total — intelligent, honest, but finally a Poeme — the resulting DVD was CD is arguably the gem of the three persuasive as this. harpsichord, but in neither role does he lack of affectation. A powerful effect pragmatist. Both works, of course, reviewed in this column [Page 14, — lyrical, humane, and accessible Particularly interesting is that its display a flicker of emotion. is achieved in both products by having have their strengths, and the St John Taipei Times, May 7, 2008]. She without detracting from the quality of virtues are almost all the opposite The same, however, certainly can’t the Evangelist filmed head-on and in has nothing so plaintive yet simple repeats the same item on her new the originals.