Deconstructing Spectre

A Grand Opening in Mexico City

Spectre (2015), James Bond’s 24th adventure directed by Sam Mendes, features one of the strongest openings and most epic set pieces in the whole series. Filmed at the historic centre of Mexico City, the opening scene (11 mins 30 secs) starts with what appears to be a single, uncut 4-minute tracking shot. In fact, and in contrast to the myth perpetuated by many websites, as we will see, there are at least two cuts in that 4-minute segment and the action takes place in two different locations.

Director of Photography: Hoyte van Hoytema

Locations (re)visited in January-February 2024

Mapping the opening scene

Part 1 – The parade on c. de Tacuba

Opening travelling shot outside the National Museum of Art and along Tacuba street, which is considered to be one of the oldest streets in the Americas. We fade in facing in the direction of the metropolitan Cathedral (Constitution Square also known as Zocalo), as the Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) procession is actually heading the other way, towards Palacio de Bellas Artes.

The camera does a 180-degree turn and we start walking along with the parade with the National Museum of Art on our right hand side.

We do another 180-turn and meet Bond and Estrella who are following Marco Sciarra.

Sciarra takes a left on Xicotencatl heading towards the X on the map, while Bond and Estrella continue straight on Tacuba, past the yellow building which today hosts Maison Kayser.

Bond and Estrella walk into a (fake) entrance of the Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mexico on Tacuba (the real hotel is next to Zocalo, number 2 on the map).

(The real carpet at the real entrance of the Gran Hotel)

Part 2: Inside the Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mexico

The sequence is cut just as the camera pans to the left across the Dia de Muertos poster.

We then walk up the steps of the Gran Hotel (2 on the map) and observe the breathtakingly beautiful interiors – the lobby, the elevator, the roof.

Bond and Estrella head for the elevator and then go up to room 327 (some have read into this a reference to Kubrick and The Shining‘s Room 237).

The second definite cut in the shot comes during a fast turn of the camera inside Room 327 (sorry I couldn’t afford to book a night there just to take the photo, so you’ll have to trust me on this one)

Part 3: On the rooftops of Xicotencatl

Back at the junction of Tacuba and Xicotencatl, Bond walks out of the window and onto the rooftop of the yellow building (currently Maison Kayser).

He walks along that rooftop with the Palacio de Mineria in the background (located just opposite the National Museum of Art).

Assuming this is not in a studio with a green screen, the production designers have done some skillful work in creating a safe-ish corridor for Daniel Craig to walk on, and some steps to walk down in between the buildings, although I would still get massive acrophobia if I were him.

The steps seen on the right in the last photo above are now covered by a temporary structure due to engineering works.

Bond eventually arrives that the end of rooftop (which is actually the old Senate building) at the corner of Xicotencatl and Donceles, facing a grey modernist block (in real life this is Teatro Fru Fru, founded in 1899). In one of the apartments Marco Sciarra meets his accomplishes. Bond shoots them and manages to bring down the entire building facade. Ouch.

After the mayhem of the explosion and collapse of the buildings, Sciarra flees. Bond regroups and runs after him. We know we’re still in that part of town because we can still see the facade of the Palacio de Minería.

Part 4: The chase down 20 de Noviembre

While the parade appears to be one continuous line moving consistently towards one direction, the next part of this sequence is shot in a different part of the historic centre, along the large boulevard of 20 de Noviembre, towards the Constitution Square. The crowd is now moving towards Zocalo rather than away from it.

We finally arrive at Zocalo as Bond walks next to the arches at the corner of 20 de noviembre and Plaza de la Constitucion.

Part 5: The helicopter fight at Zocalo

An epic fight starts on a helicopter that hovers above Zocalo (the Constitution Square with the Cathedral – the second biggest square in the world after the Red Square in Moscow).

Facing south towards 20 de noviembre

Facing south from the rooftop bar of Terraza Catedral

As the helicopter fight continues we get good views of the majestic and massive Palacio Nacional on Zocalo square.

Bond wins the fight and rides the helicopter into the sunset, flying past the Latin American (Torre Latinoamericana), the first major skyscraper to be built on a highly active seismic zone.