Released on the 50th anniversary of James Bond Skyfall is believed to be one of the best installments of the franchise so far. Here are some things you probably didn’t know about it.

1) M’s Real Name Is Revealed In The Film

It’s a little difficult to make out but the inscription at the bottom of the box sent to Bond from M is “Olivia Mansfield”.

Other Bond films and books have revealed alternate names but the series was rebooted with Casino Royale so this was her name in the present continuity.

2) Sales Of Straight Razors Increased By 400% After They Were Featured In The Movie

3) The Antagonist’s Name, Raoul Silva, Is An Anagram For “A Rival Soul”

Which fits given that his character is largely that of a fallen James Bond.

4) The Christ Metaphors Are Strong Throughout The Film

Bond dies and comes back to life after three months. He’s shown walking on water (well, running on ice…)

Silva was, like Lucifer, expelled from his organization and tormented. This drives him to seek revenge.

M is the creator who made both Bond and Silva. She is also responsible for expelling SIlva.

5) Warships Are Used As A Motif In The Film

In the beginning of the movie Q and Bond discuss the ignominy of a grand warship being towed away for scrap. Bond is a tired broken man.

At the end Bond and the new M speak in front of a painting of war ready ships headed to battle. Bond is back.

6) The Opening Credits Outline Important Plot Points

Some of the things we see:

Scenes of Silva’s torture

The map of London’s underground in the flowing red fluid

The Chinese dragons

The Bond gravestone

7) The Man Assassinated In Beijing Is Looking At A Painting That Was Stolen In Real Life

He is identified in the credits as “Shanghai Art Collector” and the painting, Woman with a Fan (Lunia Czechowska), was stolen two years before the movie’s release.

8) The Movie Is Really A History Lesson On Recusants

Catholicism was banned in Britain for a while, and those that continued to practice it were known as Recusants. James Bond appears to be a descendant as his ancestral home has a secret escape passage which was used to shelter priests.

Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, had known the descendants of one such real life prominent family that had the last name “Bond”. The family had a Latin motto which translated to “not even the world is enough.”

9) This Is The First Ever Bond Movie Where The Chief Antagonist Succeeds In Their Primary Objective

In this case it was the death of M.

10) Ben Whishaw, The Actor Who Plays The Tech-Oriented Q, Does Not Own A Computer

Also note his mug with the scrabble tile and the correct point value for the letter “Q”.

11) The Film Makers Had A Training Camp For The Film’s Mercenaries. 42 Started But By The End Of The Camp Only 7 Made The Cut

12) The Names Of The Ousted MI6 Agents Are The Names Of Members Of The Production Crew

Now read about the other British Super Agent: Sherlock Holmes.

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