The Culinary Institute of America

The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is an American private college and culinary school specializing in culinary, baking, and pastry arts education. The school's primary campus is located in Hyde Park, New York, with branch campuses in St. Helena and Napa, California; San Antonio, Texas; and Singapore. The college, which was the first to teach culinary arts in the United States, offers associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees, and has the largest staff of American Culinary Federation Certified Master Chefs. The CIA also offers continuing education for professionals in the hospitality industry as well as conferences and consulting services. The college additionally offers recreational classes for non-professionals. The college operates student-run restaurants on its four U.S. campuses.

The school was founded in 1946 in New Haven, Connecticut, as a vocational institute for returning veterans of World War II. With a growing student body, the school purchased a former Jesuit novitiate in Hyde Park in 1970, which remains its central campus. The school began awarding associate degrees in 1971, bachelor's degrees in 1993, and master's degrees in 2018. Additional campuses were opened in the following years: St. Helena in 1995, Texas in 2008, Singapore in 2010, and Napa in 2016.

## History

The New Haven Restaurant Institute was founded on May 22, 1946 in New Haven, Connecticut as a vocational training school for returning World War II veterans. It was organized by the New Haven Restaurant Association, who positioned Frances Roth and Katharine Angell to lead and develop the school. It was the first culinary college in the United States. With assistance from Yale University, the school purchased the Davies mansion in New Haven's Prospect Hill neighborhood. The first class consisted of sixteen students and the faculty included a dietitian, a baker, and a chef. In 1947 the school was renamed the Restaurant Institute of Connecticut to reflect its growing repute; the school's name was changed again to the Culinary Institute of America in 1951.

Enrollment grew to approximately 1,000 students by 1969, beyond the capacity of its original campus, so the school purchased the St. Andrew-on-Hudson Jesuit novitiate in Hyde Park, New York in 1970. In 1971, the college began awarding associate degrees, and opened its doors in Hyde Park in the following year. From 1974 to 1979, the school built three residence halls, a culinary library, a career planning center, and a learning resources center. From 1982 to 1984, the American Bounty and Caterina de' Medici Restaurants and St. Andrew's Café opened. In 1984, the school's continuing education center (later named the J. Willard Marriott Education Center) opened, and the school improved its teaching kitchens and constructed an experimental kitchen and food laboratory. In 1990, the school opened a baking and pastry facility, named two years later as the Shunsuke Takaki School of Baking and Pastry. In 1993, the school opened its Conrad N. Hilton Library and began offering bachelor's degree programs. In 1995, the school's first branch campus opened, the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, California. In 1998, the Student Recreation Center was opened.

The Apple Pie Bakery Café opened in 2000, and the Colavita Center opened the following year. More residence halls were built at the school's Hyde Park campus in 2004. In 2005, Anton Plaza opened in Hyde Park while the Ventura Center for Menu Research and Development opened in St. Helena. The school's third campus opened in 2008 in San Antonio. Two years later, the CIA opened a campus in Singapore consisting of a facility on the campus of Temasek Polytechnic. In 2012, the CIA began offering a bachelor's degree program in culinary science, and in 2014 introduced a bachelor's degree in applied food studies. In 2015, the college expanded its recreation center and added a new dining facility for students, called The Egg; both are housed in the CIA's Student Commons building. In the same year, the college acquired a portion of Copia, a museum in downtown Napa, California that operated from 2001 to 2008. In 2016, the college opened a campus, the Culinary Institute of America at Copia, which houses the CIA's new Food Business School. The college, which was outgrowing its St. Helena campus, purchased the northern portion of the Copia property for \$12.5 million. In 2018, the CIA launched a Bachelor of Science degree program in Hospitality Management and introduced master's-level education with a Master of Professional Studies degree program in Food Business. In 2019, the college began offering a Master of Professional Studies degree program in Wine Management.

## Campuses

### Hyde Park, New York

The school's largest and primary campus operates four public restaurants for students to gain experience. Food served at the American Bounty Restaurant highlights Hudson Valley produce and is prepared in the style of cuisines of the Americas. The Bocuse Restaurant serves traditional French food using modern techniques. It was the first of the school's restaurants, and opened as the Epicurean Room and Rabalais Grill in 1973, before being renamed the Escoffier Restaurant (after Auguste Escoffier) in 1974. In 2012 it was again renamed to honor Paul Bocuse, and given a \$3 million renovation by Adam Tihany. The Ristorante Caterina de' Medici is a restaurant with a focus on Italian food. The Apple Pie Bakery Café has a casual atmosphere.

The school also frequently creates on-campus pop-up restaurants, including Post Road Brew House. The second of the campus' pop-ups, the gastropub opened in February 2016 in the General Foods Nutrition Center (formerly St. Andrew's Cafe).

The campus offers intercollegiate, intramural, and club athletics. Its intercollegiate program began in 2004, and is affiliated with the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

### Napa County, California

The CIA has two campuses in Napa County, California. The campus in St. Helena is known as the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone; the other campus, in the city of Napa, is known as the Culinary Institute of America at Copia. The Greystone campus runs associate degree programs, certificate programs, continuing education courses, and custom classes. The Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies runs wine instruction classes and a certification program for wine professionals.

The campus also operates two restaurants. The Gatehouse Restaurant offers contemporary dishes using regional ingredients, and the Bakery Café by illy serves food prepared by students in the college's baking and pastry arts degree program. The campus formerly operated the Conservatory Restaurant, which was run by students of the Farm-to-Table concentration of the bachelor's degree program.

The Copia campus was purchased in 2015. The building and grounds were formerly Copia, a museum in downtown Napa that operated from 2001 to 2008. The campus opened in 2016 as the Culinary Institute of America at Copia, to house the CIA's new Food Business School and includes a restaurant, the Restaurant at CIA Copia. Copia also holds food and wine events, classes, and conferences and seminars throughout the year, including the Worlds of Flavor International Conference & Festival.

### San Antonio, Texas

The San Antonio campus is located in Downtown San Antonio's Pearl Brewery, and runs associate degree programs in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts, as well as programs for professionals and food enthusiasts. The campus' restaurant, Savor, serves dishes inspired by ingredients and techniques from around the world. The campus also hosts seminars and conferences for foodservice professionals.

### Singapore

The Culinary Institute of America, with the Singapore Institute of Technology and Temasek Polytechnic, runs its bachelor's degree program in Culinary Arts Management in Singapore to graduates of Polytechnic institutions who have earned diplomas in hospitality, tourism, or culinary arts. Temasek Polytechnic and the CIA constructed a 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m2) educational facility with three teaching kitchens to house the programs.

## Organization and administration

The Culinary Institute of America is a nonprofit organization governed by a 24-member board of trustees. These trustees are elected to three-year terms by the Members of the Corporation, the stakeholders of the CIA. Each trustee can serve a maximum of four terms. The board appoints the president and votes on major initiatives for operation of the college, including tuition and fees, nomination of new trustees, operating and capital budgets, planning, major construction projects, and bylaw changes and amendments. The school's board of trustees has 24 members, including Ralph Brennan, Fred Carl, Jr., Thomas Keller, Michael Mina, Robert A. Muh, Charlie Palmer, Roy Yamaguchi, and chairman Jon L. Luther.

The college's president is L. Timothy Ryan, a graduate of the school and its fifth president. The president's cabinet consists of seven vice presidents, the campus's provost, and its chief of staff. There is proportionately a large number of departments, for operating various functions related to foodservice classes and restaurants.

The official school colors are green and gold, chosen as common food colors. The college logo includes a stalk of wheat.

### Faculty

The school's full-time faculty number approximately 150. The school differs from most colleges as its faculty is largely composed of chefs. The college employs a number of American Culinary Federation-certified Certified Master Chefs, as well as Master Bakers certified by the Retail Bakers of America. The faculty also includes authors of textbooks, magazines, and other published media. Many of the instructors are graduates of the school.

## Academics

### Degree programs

The college offers multiple associate and bachelor's degrees programs, as well as master's degree programs. Each associate and bachelor's program requires a 15-week externship at a CIA-approved foodservice operation. The school's degree programs are accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

### The Food Business School

In spring 2015, the institute opened the Food Business School for executive and graduate education in business. The school's faculty are instructors at UC Berkeley, Stanford University, and UC Davis; some were chefs, restaurant consultants and other food industry employees. The school involves three separate programs: online classes, 3- or 4-day sessions at the Greystone campus or other areas in the San Francisco Bay Area, and multiple-month-long programs. Tuition varies from \$400 for a single course to \$4,000 for an "intensive retreat". The program only offers certificates, but not graduate degrees. The school's dean and founder is William Rosenzweig.

### Other programs and courses

The college's New York campus also offers continuing education courses and certificate programs. The California and Texas campuses run several continuing education classes, and the California campus also has programs for wine professionals. A variety of programs for food enthusiasts are run as well at all the U.S. campuses. The college partnered with Epicurious in running an online cooking school featuring a variety of culinary classes. The CIA also runs a certification program called ProChef, a program to recognize culinary and academic skills, as well as familiarity with business practices.

The CIA's California campus also runs an accelerated culinary program for students who already have at least a four-year bachelor's degree in hospitality, food-service, or another related field. The program includes the same basic classes as the school's associate degree programs, however the accelerated program does not include the externship requirement, and several classes are run with a faster-paced curriculum or including more in-depth material.

### Conferences and summits

The CIA holds various conferences, summits, and retreats for professionals in food and related industries, focusing on topics such as world cuisines, flavor development, health and wellness, nutrition science, volume foodservice, sustainability, and technology. These include the Worlds of Flavor International Conference and Festival; Menus of Change; Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives; and the Global Plant-Forward Culinary Summit.

### Libraries and museums

The school's Archives and Special Collections department is located in the Hyde Park campus' Conrad N. Hilton Library. Highlights of the collection includes a Roman amphora displayed in the Archives Reading Room, menu covers for New York City's Chanterelle Restaurant which were designed by notable artists, and a 1556 Latin edition of Athenaeus' Deipnosophistae, volume 15.

The Greystone campus maintains the Margie Schubert Library, located adjacent to the school's teaching kitchens.

The CIA also operates a college museum, the Chuck Williams Culinary Arts Museum, at its Copia campus in Napa.

## Student body

### Admissions

Undergraduate admission to the Culinary Institute of America is characterized by College Board as "not selective". The Princeton Review, in its 2017 edition, gave the university an admissions selectivity rating of 70 out of 99.

For the freshman class entering Fall 2017, the Culinary Institute of America received 989 applications of which 934 were accepted for a 94% admissions rate. The admitted students' academic profile showed an SAT average score of 970 to 1190, while the average composite ACT score was 17–23. The school began accepting the Common Application in 2016, after becoming a member on August 1 of that year.

Additionally, for the 2016–2017 academic year, the Culinary Institute of America received 443 transfer applications of which 98% were accepted, and 70% enrolled. The Culinary Institute of America admits all students on a need-blind basis.

### Enrollment

In Fall 2016, the university had an enrollment of 2,774 undergraduate students (including 512 first-year students) and 19 graduate students. Of all students, 32% are from the state of New York and 12.2% are international students, from 37 countries. The student body has an average age of 22 years. 57% of students were in the top half of their high school class rank, with 6% in their class's top tenth. The average high school GPA was 3.10. 443 students applied to transfer to the CIA, with a 98% admission rate and 72% enrollment rate for those admitted. 82% of first-year students lived in college housing, while 61% of all undergraduates lived in college housing. 100% of the student body is enrolled as full-time students.

In 2014, undergraduates were enrolled in five schools: the School of Culinary Arts, the School of Baking and Pastry Arts, the School of Business and Management, the School of Liberal Arts and Food Studies, and the School of Culinary Science and Nutrition. Within the bachelor programs, 83% of student majors are in business management, 10% in culinary science, and 6% are interdisciplinary.

As of July 2016, associate and bachelor's degree tuitions are \$14,315 per semester (\$28,630 per year). Other charges vary per campus. With board, supplies, and fees, the first semester is typically about \$17,200, with later semesters around \$16,500. Room fees vary, with New York per-semester rates from \$3,210 for a double-occupancy room to \$4,085 for a single. In California, on-campus quads or triples are \$3,200, doubles are \$3,800, and singles are \$4,700. Tuition and residence hall rates are set to increase in July 2017. In 2017, the Princeton Review estimated the average annual total for a student before aid was \$46,846, and cost per credit hour before aid was \$955. The average need-based financial aid was \$13,950, and 100% of students judged to have financial need received aid; 64% of the student body. The average need-based loan was \$3,825, and the average loan debt per graduate was \$51,200. 88% of graduates were offered full-time employment within six months, with an average starting salary of \$33,754 per year. Average earnings from on-campus employment were \$2,355; the school offers federal and other work study accommodations.

## Publications

mise en place is the college's newsletter for alumni. The newsletter aims to improve the relationship between the school and its alumni by providing information of interest about the college, its alumni, and students; covering of major issues and events concerning the college; and featuring the leadership and contributions of the school's alumni.

La Papillote, the school's student newspaper, was established in 1979. The newspaper's stated purpose is to report the news of the institution to the students and other members of the campus community. The newspaper also examines contemporary issues of the industry and other topics. The school's student life department oversees production of the newspaper and fills its editor-in-chief position, which is held by a current student. The paper uses submissions from students, chefs, and outside professionals.

## Branding

The CIA has a brand licensing program that sells branded products for foodservice operations and households, and it also publishes cookbooks for professional and home use. The school's general cookbook, The Professional Chef also has an interactive iPad edition that PC Magazine called "a new frontier for books." During the late 1990s, the CIA produced the PBS television show Cooking Secrets of the CIA.

## Events

Beginning in April 2007, the school hosts the CIA Leadership Awards event annually to honor people for success and achievements in the foodservice industry. The events are organized as fundraising dinners, with CEOs and other prominent members of the industry attending, sponsoring student scholarships. At the Leadership Awards event, the school issues the Augie Award, named for Auguste Escoffier, the French chef and restaurateur who popularized and modernized French cuisine. In 2017, Shep Gordon, Jacques Pépin, and Martha Stewart were each recipients of the award.

In 2017, the CIA began hosting its Thomas Keller Golf Classic, a golf outing and fundraiser for student scholarships. The school hosted the inaugural event on June 17 at Silverado Resort and the school's Copia campus in Napa County, near Keller's restaurant the French Laundry.

## Criticism

On April 23, 2008, amid complaints directed toward CIA president Tim Ryan, the school's teachers' union approved a vote of no confidence, with a vote of 85 to 9. The faculty described poor equipment, falling academic standards, and little support in the administration for complaints as causes. The largest complaints, laid out in a thirteen-item list, included outdated technology, poorly-designed uniforms, poor-quality classes and dining hall meals, excessive tuition, students admitted with no chance of succeeding, substandard school-brand kitchen equipment, overcrowded classes and residence halls, complicated schedules, and poor record-keeping. The document described President Ryan as taking an autocratic style, ignoring staff input, and retaliating against criticism. Ryan later met with union representatives and described coming improvements in scheduling and curriculum. Immediately after the faculty's vote of no confidence, the board of trustees unanimously voted to their confidence and support of Ryan and extended his contract.

Following the approval, students began organizing a protest, including creating several student groups on Facebook, and hanging "Fire Tim Ryan" signs in dorm rooms. The students described further complaints including the administration's close ties with the corporate food industry and less challenging kitchen tasks, such as frying frozen waffle fries. In May the school prevented the campus newspaper, La Papillote, from writing about the issue, which prompted its editor to resign. The school later apologized and reportedly allowed a full report in the paper's next issue. Ryan held that he was trying to prevent students from being involved in a conflict between the faculty and administration.

On April 23, 2013, about 90 students held a walkout and protest in objection to a recent trend of declining enforcement of educational standards. The policy, requiring applicants to have professional kitchen experience, has varied from three months to a year, and is currently six months; a 2011 revision allowed front-of-house service to count for the requirement. The protesting students signed letters to teachers and the school administration, gave speeches, and donned name tags with their student loan debt written on them.

On September 27, 2015, the Culinary Craft Association (CCA), a union at the school, protested the CIA's outsourcing of jobs. Previously in 2015, the school had terminated 40 jobs in its dishwashing, stewarding, and cleaning departments, forcing them to reapply for jobs with cut wages and benefits. Later that year, CCA joined the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 200United, members of which also protested in September 2015. The school was also demanding CCA cut ties with SEIU in order for the union workers to keep their jobs. On September 22, 2017, CCA held another protest; 17 of the 45 workers represented in the union are scheduled to be laid off and replaced by workers of LCS Facility Group. The workers are in grounds-keeping, recycling and painting at the school, where most of them have been employed for at least 20 years.

In November 2017, soon after the Weinstein effect began and because of it, The Washington Post reported on a student who criticized the school's handling of sexual assault. She was the victim of an attempted rape on the CIA's campus. The victim and attacker were scheduled to work together at an on-campus restaurant soon after the attack, and after the victim's complaint, she nevertheless had to work with him that subsequent weekend. After they were scheduled together again, she quit working there. At the same time, one of the school's deans informed her the school dismissed her complaint as the attack did not violate the school's harassment, sexual misconduct and discrimination policy. The victim said that the school also mentioned that because the victim escaped, no violation occurred.

## Notable people

The CIA has approximately 50,000 graduates in the culinary industry. Some of the college's notable alumni include:

- Grant Achatz
- John Besh
- Richard Blais
- Jérôme Bocuse
- Anthony Bourdain
- David Burke
- Anne Burrell
- Michael Chiarello
- Roy Choi
- Mike Colameco
- Scott Conant
- Cat Cora
- Dan Coudreaut
- Rocco DiSpirito
- John Doherty
- Steve Ells
- Todd English
- Dean Fearing
- Susan Feniger
- Larry Forgione
- Amanda Freitag
- Duff Goldman
- Johnny Iuzzini
- Vikas Khanna
- Spike Mendelsohn
- Michael Mina
- Rick Moonen
- Sara Moulton
- Rajat Parr
- Charlie Palmer
- L. Timothy Ryan
- Walter Scheib
- Barton Seaver
- Michael Smith
- Kerry Simon
- Michael Symon
- Roy Yamaguchi
- Geoffrey Zakarian

## In popular culture

Several books have been written about the school. Journalist Michael Ruhlman, in his first book about the CIA, The Making of a Chef, documents his experiences as he passes through the classes at an accelerated rate. In another book, The Soul of a Chef, he documents seven chefs taking the ACF Master Chef test held there semi-annually. Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain also features an in-depth discussion of the author's education at the CIA. The book Beaten, Seared, and Sauced: On Becoming a Chef at The Culinary Institute of America by Jonathan Dixon, provides a first-hand experience of a student's experiences at the CIA. The 1995 film Heavy was partially filmed at the school, using interiors and exteriors of its buildings. In 2015, the SyFy show Ghost Hunters filmed an episode about the school's Hyde Park campus.

## Explanatory notes

American private culinary school

Hospitality schools in the United States

Private universities and colleges in New York (state)

Tourist attractions in Dutchess County, New York

Universities and colleges established in 1946

Universities and colleges in Dutchess County, New York


Spectre (2015 film)

Spectre is a 2015 spy film and the twenty-fourth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions. Directed by Sam Mendes and written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, John Logan, and Jez Butterworth, it stars Daniel Craig as Bond, alongside Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Dave Bautista, Monica Bellucci, and Ralph Fiennes. It was distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. In the film, Bond learns of Spectre, an international crime organisation led by Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Waltz).

Despite initially stating he would not direct Spectre, Mendes confirmed his return in 2014 after Nicolas Winding Refn declined to direct; Mendes became the first to direct successive James Bond films since John Glen. The inclusion of Spectre and its associated characters marked the end of the Thunderball controversy, in which Kevin McClory and Fleming were embroiled in lengthy legal disputes over the film rights to the novel; Spectre is the first film to feature these elements since Diamonds Are Forever (1971). Following the Sony Pictures hack, it was revealed Sony and Eon clashed regarding finance, stunts, and filming locations; Spectre is estimated to have a final budget of \$245–300 million, making it one of the most expensive films ever made. Principal photography began in December 2014 and lasted until July 2015, with filming locations including Austria, the United Kingdom, Italy, Morocco, and Mexico.

Spectre premiered at the Royal Albert Hall on 26 October 2015 and was theatrically released in conventional and IMAX formats in the United Kingdom that day, and in the United States on 6 November. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the action sequences, cast performances (particularly Craig's and Bautista's), and the musical score, but criticised the pacing and formulaic narrative decisions. It grossed \$880 million worldwide, making it the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2015 and the second-highest grossing James Bond film after Skyfall, unadjusted for inflation. The film's theme song, "Writing's on the Wall", won an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Original Song. The next film in the series, No Time to Die, was released in 2021.

## Plot

In Mexico City, MI6 agent James Bond foils a bombing attempt during a Day of the Dead festival. Bond obtains a ring stylized with an octopus from the deceased attacker, Marco Sciarra, uncovering his connection to a secret organization.

In London, Gareth Mallory, the current M, suspends Bond for his unauthorized action. M is engaged in a power struggle with Max Denbigh (whom Bond dubs "C"), the Director-General of the new, privately backed Joint Intelligence Service formed by the merger of MI5 and MI6. C campaigns for Britain to join the global surveillance and intelligence initiative "Nine Eyes" and shut down the '00' section. Bond, who was operating on a mission posthumously assigned by the previous M to eliminate Sciarra and track down his employers, goes rogue from MI6, with Eve Moneypenny and Q agreeing to aid Bond covertly.

Following the previous M's instructions, Bond attends Sciarra's funeral in Rome and rescues his widow Lucia from assassins. Lucia reveals Sciarra's association with a terrorist network run by figurehead Franz Oberhauser, who has been presumed dead for twenty years. Using Sciarra's ring, Bond infiltrates a meeting where Oberhauser targets the "Pale King" for assassination. Oberhauser recognizes Bond, who flees across the city in a modified Aston Martin DB10, pursued by Oberhauser's right-hand Hinx. Moneypenny identifies the Pale King as Mr. White, a former member of the organisation's subsidiary, Quantum.

Bond tracks White down to Altaussee, where he is dying of thallium poisoning. Bond offers to protect his daughter, psychiatrist Madeleine Swann, who possesses knowledge about "L'Américain". White commits suicide. Bond finds Swann, who is reluctant to trust him until she is abducted by Hinx and his forces. Bond rescues Swann, earning him her trust. Q reveals Le Chiffre, Dominic Greene and Raoul Silva as agents of Oberhauser's organization, which Swann reveals is named Spectre. Swann takes Bond to L'Américain, a hotel in Tangier, where a secret room directs them to Oberhauser's base in the Sahara. Hinx ambushes them en route to the base, but they fight him off and defeat him.

Arriving at the base, Bond and Swann confront Oberhauser, who reveals Spectre's involvement in the Joint Intelligence Service and the Nine Eyes programme. C, complicit in Spectre's scheme, plans to give Spectre unrestricted access to intelligence gathered by Nine Eyes. After showing Swann a distressing recording of her father's suicide, Oberhauser subjects Bond to neurosurgical torture. He discusses his shared past with Bond to Swann, revealing that they became adoptive brothers after Bond's parents died. Envious of his father's newfound affection for Bond and resentful of negligence, Oberhauser killed him and staged his own death as well. Since then, he founded Spectre with the intention to target Bond and adopted the name Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Bond and Swann break free, stun Blofeld with an explosive wristwatch, and destroy the base before fleeing to London to prevent Nine Eyes from going online.

In London, Bond, Swann, M, Q, Bill Tanner and Moneypenny gather to arrest C. However, Swann and Bond are separately abducted by Spectre operatives while the others proceed with the plan. After Q stops Nine Eyes from going online, a fatal struggle between M and C results in C's death. Bond is taken to the ruins of the old MI6 building, scheduled for demolition after Silva's bombing, where Swann is held captive. Blofeld, who survived the base's destruction with heavy scarring to his face, gives Bond a three-minute ultimatum to abandon Swann or attempt a rescue and risk death. Bond finds Swann and they escape as the building collapses. Bond shoots down Blofeld's helicopter, which crashes onto Westminster Bridge. Blofeld survives and is arrested by M.

Later, Bond receives his restored Aston Martin DB5 from Q and drives off with Swann.

## Cast

- Daniel Craig as James Bond, agent 007. The director Sam Mendes has described Bond as being extremely focused in Spectre, likening his new-found dedication to hunting.
- Christoph Waltz as Ernst Stavro Blofeld (born Franz Oberhauser), Bond's nemesis and the mysterious mastermind behind Spectre, as well as the puppeteer responsible for a series of recent events in Bond's life, motivated by a longstanding grudge against him.
- Léa Seydoux as Madeleine Swann, a psychiatrist working at a private medical clinic in the Austrian Alps, and the daughter of Mr White.
- Ben Whishaw as Q, MI6 quartermaster who outfits Bond with equipment for use in the field.
- Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny, a former agent who left the field to become M's assistant.
- Dave Bautista as Mr. Hinx, Spectre's top assassin.
- Andrew Scott as C (Max Denbigh), head of the new joint intelligence service and an agent for Spectre, heavily involved with their plan to merge nine national intelligence agencies into the Nine Eyes Committee, allowing Spectre to have the power to take over the world.
- Rory Kinnear as Bill Tanner, M's chief of staff.
- Jesper Christensen as Mr. White, a fugitive from MI6 and a former senior figure in Spectre's Quantum subsidiary, as portrayed in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, now dying from thallium poisoning after falling from Spectre's favour over his reservations relating to human trafficking.
- Monica Bellucci as Lucia Sciarra, the Italian wife of assassin Marco Sciarra.
- Ralph Fiennes as M (Gareth Mallory), head of MI6.
- Stephanie Sigman as Estrella, a Mexican agent who accompanies Bond on his mission to assassinate Marco Sciarra.
- Alessandro Cremona as Marco Sciarra, an Italian Spectre agent whom Bond kills in the pre-title sequence of the movie.
- Judi Dench as Mallory's predecessor M, who posthumously gives Bond his mission. This film marks Dench's eighth and final appearance as M, 20 years after beginning with GoldenEye.

## Production

### Pre-production

In March 2013, Mendes said he would not return to direct the next film in the series, then known as Bond 24; he later recanted and announced that he would return, as he found the script and the plans for the long-term future of the franchise appealing. Nicolas Winding Refn would later reveal that he turned down an offer to direct the film. In directing Skyfall and Spectre, Mendes became the first director to oversee two successive Bond films since John Glen directed five consecutive films, ending with Licence to Kill in 1989. Dennis Gassner returned as the film's production designer, while cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema took over from Roger Deakins. In July 2015 Mendes noted that the combined crew of Spectre numbered over one thousand, making it a larger production than Skyfall. Craig is listed as co-producer. He considered the credit a high point of his career, saying, "I'm just so proud of the fact that my name comes up somewhere else on the titles."

The film's usage of the Spectre organisation and its characters marked the end of long-standing litigation between Eon Productions and producer Kevin McClory, who sued James Bond creator Ian Fleming in 1961 claiming ownership over elements of the novel Thunderball, and in an out of court settlement two years later, was awarded the novel's film rights, including Spectre and its characters. McClory died in 2006, and in November 2013 MGM and the McClory estate formally settled the issue with Danjaq, sister company of Eon Productions—with MGM acquiring the full copyright film rights to the concept of Spectre and all of the characters associated with it. It has been suggested that with the acquisition of the film rights and the organisation's re-introduction to the series' continuity, the SPECTRE acronym was discarded and the organisation reimagined as "Spectre".

When Sony Pictures Entertainment renegotiated with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures the deal to co-finance the Bond franchise in 2011, they were tasked to provide 25% of the negative cost of both Skyfall and Spectre, in exchange for receiving 25% of the profits plus distribution fees for overseeing its worldwide rollout. When the film was announced in June 2013, the budget was not yet fixed, but was certain to be higher than the \$210 million of Skyfall due to foreign locations and bigger payments for Mendes and Craig. In November 2014, Sony was targeted by hackers who released details of confidential e-mails between Sony executives regarding several high-profile film projects. Included within these were several memos relating to the production of Spectre, claiming that the film was over budget, detailing early drafts of the script written by John Logan, and expressing Sony's frustration with the project. Eon Productions later issued a statement confirming the leak of what they called "an early version of the screenplay". Eon resisted Sony and MGM's arguments to cut down on stunts and location work to reduce the budget, but managed to secure tax incentives and rebates, such as \$14 million from Mexico. Spectre has a final budget estimated between \$250 million and \$275 million.

### Writing

Spectre marked the return of many scriptwriters from the previous Bond films, such as Skyfall writer John Logan; Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who had done work in five previous Bond films, and British playwright Jez Butterworth, who had previously made uncredited contributions to Skyfall. Butterworth was brought in to polish the script, being helped by Mendes and Craig. Butterworth considered that his changes involved adding what he would like to see as a teenager, and limited the scenes with Bond talking to men, as "Bond shoots other men—he doesn't sit around chatting to them. So you put a line through that." With the acquisition of the rights to Spectre and its associated characters, Purvis and Wade revealed that the film would provide a minor retcon to the continuity of the previous films, with the Quantum organisation alluded to in Casino Royale and introduced in Quantum of Solace reimagined as a division within Spectre rather than an independent organisation which is implied to be no longer active by the film's events. The plot of Spectre also linked the events of Skyfall to Craig's first two Bond movies by revealing antagonist Raoul Silva to be associated with Spectre reverting Skyfall's initial solo story status. Various plot ideas were discussed and discarded during the writing process; Ralph Fiennes revealed in a 2021 podcast interview that at one stage Sam Mendes suggested a plot twist revealing M to be the villain, which Fiennes vetoed. Another draft by John Logan had MI6 chief of staff Bill Tanner uncovered as a Spectre mole.

Despite being an original story, Spectre draws on Ian Fleming's source material, most notably in the character of Franz Oberhauser, played by Christoph Waltz, and his father Hannes. Hannes Oberhauser is a background character in the short story "Octopussy" from the Octopussy and The Living Daylights collection, and is named in the film as having been a temporary legal guardian of a young Bond in 1983. As Sam Mendes searched for events in young Bond's life to follow the childhood discussed in Skyfall, he came across Hannes Oberhauser, who becomes a father figure to Bond. From there, Mendes conceived the idea of "a natural child who had been pushed out, cuckoo in the nest" by Bond, which became Franz. Similarly, Charmian Bond is shown to have been his full-time guardian, observing the back story established by Fleming.

### Casting

The main cast was revealed in December 2014 at the 007 Stage at Pinewood Studios. Daniel Craig returned for his fourth appearance as James Bond, while Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris and Ben Whishaw reprised their roles as M, Eve Moneypenny and Q respectively, having been established in Skyfall. Rory Kinnear also reprised his role as Bill Tanner in his third appearance in the series.

Christoph Waltz was cast in the role of Franz Oberhauser, though he refused to comment on the nature of the part. It was later revealed with the film's release that he is Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Waltz got interested in the film for dealing with technology-assisted mass surveillance, "speaking about relevant social issues in a way that few Bonds have done before", and denied rumours that the role was written specially for him, but added that "when I came on board, the role grew, evolved, and mutated."

Dave Bautista was cast as Mr Hinx after producers sought an actor with a background in contact sports. The character only has one line in the entire film, "Shit". Sam Mendes thought the silent nature would drive Bautista away, but the lifelong Bond fan expressed interest in reviving the quiet henchman archetype of characters such as Jaws. Bautista's performance was inspired mostly by Oddjob from Goldfinger, and said not talking created an acting challenge, "trying to find this way where I am actually going to have to speak without speaking." After casting Bérénice Marlohe, a relative newcomer, as Sévérine in Skyfall, Mendes sought out a more experienced actor for the role of Madeleine Swann, ultimately casting Léa Seydoux in the role. Monica Bellucci joined the cast as Lucia Sciarra, becoming, at the age of fifty, the oldest actress to be cast as a Bond girl. She had previously auditioned for the role of Paris Carver in Tomorrow Never Dies, but was passed over in favour of Teri Hatcher. In a separate interview with Danish website Euroman, Jesper Christensen revealed he would be reprising his role as Mr White from Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. Christensen's character was reportedly killed off in a scene intended to be used as an epilogue to Quantum of Solace, before it was removed from the final cut of the film, enabling his return in Spectre.

In addition to the principal cast, Alessandro Cremona was cast as Marco Sciarra, Stephanie Sigman was cast as Estrella, and Detlef Bothe was cast as a villain for scenes shot in Austria. In February 2015 over 1,500 background artistes were hired for the pre-title sequence set in Mexico, though they were replicated in the film, giving the effect of around 10,000 extras.

### Filming

Mendes revealed that production would begin on 8 December 2014 at Pinewood Studios, with filming taking seven months. Mendes also confirmed several filming locations, including London, Mexico City and Rome. Van Hoytema shot the film mostly on Kodak 35mm film stock (in addition to digital cameras such as the 6K Arri Alexa 65mm), in contrast to Skyfall being filmed solely on digital cameras. Early filming took place at Pinewood Studios, and around London, with scenes variously featuring Craig and Harris at Bond's flat, and Craig and Kinnear travelling down the River Thames.

Filming was carried out in Austria between December 2014 and February 2015, with production taking place in the area around Sölden—including the Ötztal Glacier Road, Rettenbach glacier and the adjacent ski resort plus cable car station—Obertilliach and Lake Altaussee. Scenes filmed in Austria centred on the Ice Q Restaurant, standing in for the fictional Hoffler Klinik, a private medical clinic in the Austrian Alps. Filming included an action scene featuring a Land Rover Defender Bigfoot and a Range Rover Sport. Various airplane models were used in filming, from a life-sized plane with detachable wings to film the crash in the woods, to plane fuselages either built atop snowmobiles or shot from nitrogen cannons. Production was temporarily halted first by an injury to Craig, who suffered a meniscus tear whilst shooting a fight scene with Bautista, and later by an accident involving a filming vehicle that saw three crew members injured, at least one of them seriously.

Filming temporarily returned to England to shoot scenes at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, which stood in for a location in Rome, before moving on to the city itself for a five-week shoot across the city, with locations including the Ponte Sisto bridge and the Roman Forum. The production faced opposition from a variety of special interest groups and city authorities, who were concerned about the potential for damage to historical sites around the city, and problems with graffiti and rubbish appearing in the film. Special effects supervisor Chris Corbould stated the scenes had to be extensively planned prior to filming specially to avoid any mishaps, going to the point of building protection above steps where cars would drive. A car chase scene set along the banks of the Tiber River and through the streets of Rome featured an Aston Martin DB10 (a model developed especially for the film, with only 10 examples produced) and a Jaguar C-X75. The C-X75 was originally developed as a hybrid electric vehicle with four independent electric engines powered by two jet turbines, before the project was cancelled. The version used for filming was converted to use a conventional internal combustion engine, to minimise the potential for disruption from mechanical problems with the complex hybrid system. The C-X75s used for filming were developed by the engineering division of Formula One racing team Williams, who built the original C-X75 prototype for Jaguar. Remote driving pods were built above the cars so the vehicles could be driven while the cameras focused on Craig and Bautista at the steering wheel. According to chief stunt co-ordinator Gary Powell, filming the chase had the "risk of skidding into the Vatican", and led to "a record for smashing up cars in Spectre—seven Aston Martins in all," with the film's car expenses estimated at £24 million (\$48 million).

With filming completed in Rome, production moved to Mexico City in late March to shoot the film's opening sequence, with scenes to include the Day of the Dead festival filmed in and around the Zócalo and the Centro Histórico district. At the time, no such Day of the Dead parade like the one from the film took place in Mexico City; in 2016, due to the interest raised by Spectre and the government's desire to promote the pre-Hispanic Mexican culture, the federal and local authorities decided to organise an actual "Día de Muertos" parade through Paseo de la Reforma and Centro Histórico on 29 October 2016, which was attended by 250,000 people. The film opens with a long take that joins six shots seamlessly, and was one of the few scenes that required previsualisation. Through extensive planning, filming did not require motion control cameras. The scene joints were done in post-production through re-timing and re-projections, which even matched Mexico locations with interiors filmed at Pinewood.

The planned scenes required the city square to be closed for filming a sequence involving a fight aboard a Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm Bo 105CBS helicopter flown by stunt pilot Chuck Aaron, which called for modifications to be made to several buildings to prevent damage. This particular scene in Mexico required 1,500 extras, 10 giant skeletons and 250,000 paper flowers. Reports in the Mexican media added that the film's second unit would move to Palenque in the state of Chiapas, to film aerial manoeuvres considered too dangerous to shoot in an urban area. These were pasted over a computer-generated square and crowd below the helicopter, with motion capture doubles fighting inside. Mendes and the effects team felt that this approach "would get believable composition and movement" compared to adding a digital helicopter above the Mexico City location. Following filming in Mexico, and during a scheduled break, Craig was flown to New York to undergo minor surgery to fix his knee injury. It was reported that filming was not affected and he had returned to filming at Pinewood Studios as planned on 22 April. Nonetheless, some parts of the Mexico scene were done with stunt doubles, whose faces were digitally replaced with Craig's.

On 17 May 2015 filming took place on the Thames in London. Stunt scenes involving Craig and Seydoux on a speedboat as well as a low flying helicopter near Westminster Bridge were shot at night, with filming temporarily closing both Westminster and Lambeth Bridges. Scenes were also shot on the river near MI6's headquarters at Vauxhall Cross. The crew returned to the river less than a week later to film scenes solely set on Westminster Bridge. The London Fire Brigade was on set to simulate rain as well as monitor smoke used for filming. Craig, Seydoux, and Waltz, as well as Harris and Fiennes, were seen being filmed. Prior to this, scenes involving Fiennes were shot at a restaurant in Covent Garden. Blofeld's helicopter crash was done with two full sized helicopter shells, which were rigged with steelwork and an overhead track. Computer-generated rotor blades and scenery damage were added in post-production. The MI6 building, which in the film is vacated and scheduled for demolition following the terrorist attack from Skyfall, was replaced in the production plates for a digital reconstruction. When the building is detonated, it is a combination of both a miniature and a breakaway version of the digital building.

After wrapping up in England, production travelled to Morocco in June, with filming taking place in Oujda, Tangier and Erfoud, after preliminary work was completed by the production's second unit. The headquarters of Spectre in Morocco was located in Gara Medouar which is a 'crater' caused by erosion and of neither volcanic nor impact origin. An explosion filmed in Morocco holds a Guinness World Record for the largest film stunt explosion in cinematic history, involving 8,140 litres of kerosene and 24 charges each with a kilogramme of high explosives. The outside shots of a train in a desert featured the Oriental Desert Express. Principal photography concluded on 5 July 2015. A wrap-up party for Spectre was held in commemoration before entering post-production. Filming took 128 days.

Whilst filming in Mexico City, speculation in the media claimed that the script had been altered to accommodate the demands of Mexican authorities—reportedly influencing details of the scene and characters, casting choices, and modifying the script to portray the country in a "positive light"—to secure tax concessions and financial support worth up to \$20 million for the film. This was denied by producer Michael G. Wilson, who stated that the scene had always been intended to be shot in Mexico as production had been attracted to the imagery of the Day of the Dead, and that the script had been developed from there. Production of Skyfall had previously faced similar problems while attempting to secure permits to shoot the film's pre-title sequence in India before moving to Istanbul.

Five companies did the visual effects—Industrial Light & Magic, Double Negative, Moving Picture Company, Cinesite and Peerless—under the supervision of Steve Begg. The computer-generated effects included set extensions, digital touches on the vehicles, and crumbling buildings. A sixth one, Framestore, handled the title sequence, the seventh in the series designed by Daniel Kleinman. It took four months to complete, and centred on an octopus motif reminiscent of the Spectre logo, along with images of love and relationships.

### Soundtrack

Thomas Newman returned as Spectre's composer. Rather than composing the score once the film had moved into post-production, Newman worked during filming. The theatrical trailer released in July 2015 contained a rendition of John Barry's On Her Majesty's Secret Service theme. Mendes stated that the final film would have more than 100 minutes of music. The soundtrack album was released on 23 October 2015 in the UK and 6 November 2015 in the US on Decca Records.

The English band Radiohead were commissioned to write the title song, and submitted "Man of War", an unreleased song written in the 1990s. It was rejected as it had not been written for the film and so was ineligible for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Radiohead recorded another song for the film, "Spectre", but this was also rejected as too melancholy.

In September 2015, Eon announced that Sam Smith had recorded the title theme, "Writing's on the Wall". Smith reported writing the song in a single session with regular collaborator Jimmy Napes in under half an hour before recording a demo. Satisfied with the quality, the filmmakers used the demo in the final release. "Writing's on the Wall" was released as a download on 25 September 2015. It received mixed reviews from critics and fans, particularly in comparison to Adele's "Skyfall", leading to Shirley Bassey trending on Twitter on the day it was released. Despite the mixed reception, it became the first Bond theme to reach number one in the UK Singles Chart, the second to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song, and the fifth to be nominated. It also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards.

## Marketing

During the December 2014 press conference announcing the start of filming, Aston Martin and Eon unveiled the new DB10 as the official car for the film. The DB10 was designed in collaboration between Aston Martin and the filmmakers, with only 10 being produced especially for Spectre as a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the company's association with the franchise. Only eight of those 10 were used for the film, however; the remaining two were used for promotional work. After modifying the Jaguar C-X75 for the film, Williams F1 carried the 007 logo on their cars at the 2015 Mexican Grand Prix, with the team playing host to the cast and crew ahead of the Mexican premiere of the film.

To promote the film, the film's marketers continued the trend established during Skyfall's production of releasing still images of clapperboards and video blogs on Eon's official social media accounts.

On 13 March 2015, several members of the cast and crew, including Craig, Whishaw, Wilson and Mendes, as well as previous James Bond actor, Sir Roger Moore, appeared in a sketch written by David Walliams and the Dawson Brothers for Comic Relief's Red Nose Day on BBC One. In the sketch, they film a behind-the-scenes documentary on the filming of Spectre. The first teaser trailer for Spectre was released worldwide in March 2015, followed by the theatrical trailer in July and the final trailer in October.

## Release

### Theatrical

Spectre had its world premiere at the Royal Film Performance, an event in aid of the Film & TV Charity, in London on 26 October 2015 at the Royal Albert Hall, the same day as its general release in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. It was released in the United States on 6 November. Following the announcement of the start of filming, Paramount Pictures brought forward the release of Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation to avoid competing with Spectre. In March 2015 IMAX corporation announced that Spectre would be screened in its cinemas, following Skyfall's success with the company. In the UK it received a wider release than Skyfall, with a minimum of 647 cinemas including 40 IMAX screens, compared to Skyfall's 587 locations and 21 IMAX screens.

### Home media

Spectre was released for Digital HD on 22 January 2016 and on DVD and Blu-ray on 9 and 22 February 2016 in the US and UK respectively. It debuted atop the home video charts in both countries, and finished 2016 with 1.5 million units in the UK, the second best-selling title of the year, behind only Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and 2 million copies in the US, 12th in the year-end charts.

The film was later released on Ultra HD Blu-ray on 22 October 2019 by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment along with the previous three films, and standalone on 25 February 2020 in the US and 23 March 2020 in the UK.

## Reception

### Box office

Spectre grossed \$880.7 million worldwide; \$135.5 million of the takings were generated from the UK market and \$200.1 million from North America. Worldwide, this made it the second-highest-grossing James Bond film after Skyfall, and the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2015. Deadline Hollywood calculated the film's net profit as \$98.4 million, accounting for production budgets, marketing, talent participations, and other costs; box office grosses and home media revenues placed it sixteenth on their list of 2015's "Most Valuable Blockbusters". Sony had expected the net profit of the film to be around \$38 million had it performed to the same level of its predecessor, but it earned 20% less than Skyfall. Sony paid 50% of the production costs for the film—which totalled some \$250 million after accounting for government incentives—but received only 25% of certain profits, once costs were recouped. The studio also spent tens of millions of dollars in marketing and had to give MGM some of the profit from the studio's non-Bond films, including 22 Jump Street.

In the United Kingdom, the film grossed £4.1 million (\$6.4 million) from its Monday preview screenings. It grossed £6.3 million (\$9.2 million) on its opening day and then £5.7 million (\$8.8 million) on Wednesday, setting UK records for both days. In the film's first seven days it grossed £41.7 million (\$63.8 million), breaking the UK record for highest first-week opening, set by Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban's £23.9 million (\$36.9 million) in 2004.[^1] Its Friday–Saturday gross was £20.4 million (\$31.2 million) compared to Skyfall's £20.1 million (\$31 million). The film also broke the record for the best per-screen opening average with \$110,000, a record previously held by The Dark Knight with \$100,200. It has grossed a total of \$136.3 million there. In the UK, it surpassed Avatar to become the country's highest-grossing IMAX release ever with \$10.09 million.

Spectre opened in Germany with \$22.5 million (including previews), which included a new record for the biggest Saturday of all time, Australia with \$8.7 million (including previews) and South Korea opened to \$8.2 million (including previews). Despite the 13 November Paris attacks, which led to numerous theatres being closed down, the film opened with \$14.6 million (including \$2 million in previews) in France. In Mexico, where part of the film was shot, it debuted with more than double that of Skyfall with \$4.5 million. It also bested its predecessor's opening in various Nordic regions where MGM is distributing, such as in Finland (\$2.7 million) and Norway (\$2.9 million), and in other markets like Denmark (\$4.2 million), the Netherlands (\$3.4 million), and Sweden (\$3.1 million). In India, it opened at No. 1 with \$4.8 million which is 4% above the opening of Skyfall. It topped the German-speaking Switzerland box office for four weeks and in the Netherlands, it held the No. 1 spot for seven weeks straight where it topped Minions to become the top movie of the year. The top earning markets are Germany (\$70.3 million) and France (\$38.8 million). In Paris, it has the second-highest ticket sales of all time with 4.1 million tickets sold only behind Spider-Man 3 which sold over 6.3 million tickets in 2007.

In the United States and Canada the film opened on 6 November 2015, and in its opening weekend, was originally projected to gross \$70–75 million from 3,927 screens, the widest release for a Bond film. However, after it grossed \$5.3 million from its early Thursday night showings and \$28 million on its opening day, weekend projections were increased to \$75–80 million. The film ended up grossing \$70.4 million in its opening weekend (about \$20 million less than Skyfall's \$90.6 million debut, including IMAX previews), but nevertheless finished first at the box office. IMAX generated \$9.1 million for Spectre at 374 screens, premium large format made \$8 million from 429 cinemas, reaping 11% of the film's opening, which means that Spectre earned \$17.1 million (23%) of its opening weekend total in large-format venues. Cinemark XD generated \$1.9 million in 112 XD locations.

In China, it opened on 12 November and earned \$15 million on its opening day, which is the second biggest 2D single day gross for a Hollywood film behind the \$18.5 million opening day of Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation and occupying 43% of all available screens which included \$790,000 in advance night screenings. Through its opening weekend, it earned \$48.1 million from 14,700 screens which is 198% ahead of Skyfall, a new record for a Hollywood 2D opening. IMAX contributed \$4.6 million on 246 screens, also a new record for a three-day opening for a November release (breaking Interstellar's record). In its second weekend, it added \$12.1 million falling precipitously by 75% which is the second worst second weekend drop for any major Hollywood release in China of 2015. It grossed a total of \$84.7 million there after four weekends (foreign films in the Middle Kingdom play for 30 days only, unless granted special extensions). Despite a strong opening, it failed to attain the \$100 million mark there as projected due to mixed response from critics and audiences as well as facing competition from local films.

### Critical response

Spectre has an approval rating of based on professional reviews on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of . Its critical consensus reads, "Spectre nudges Daniel Craig's rebooted Bond closer to the glorious, action-driven spectacle of earlier entries, although it's admittedly reliant on established 007 formula." Metacritic (which uses a weighted average) assigned Spectre a score of 60 out of 100 based on 48 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.

Prior to its UK release, Spectre mostly received positive reviews. Mark Kermode, film critic for The Observer, gave the film four out of five stars, observing that the film did not live up to the standard set by Skyfall, but was able to tap into audience expectations. Writing in The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw gave the film a full five stars, calling it "inventive, intelligent and complex", and singling out Craig's performance as the film's highlight. In another five star review, The Daily Telegraph's Robbie Collin described Spectre as "a swaggering show of confidence'", lauding it as "a feat of pure cinematic necromancy". Positive yet critical assessments included Kim Newman of Sight and Sound, who wrote that "for all its wayward plotting (including an unhelpful tie-in with Bond's childhood that makes very little sense) and off-the-peg elements, Spectre works" as he felt "the audience's patience gets tested by two and a half hours of set-pieces strung on one of the series' thinner plots"; and IGN's Chris Tilly, who rated the film 7.2 out of 10, considering Spectre "solid if unspectacular", and concluding that "the film falls frustratingly short of greatness."

Critical appraisal was mixed in the United States. In a review for RogerEbert.com, Matt Zoller Seitz gave Spectre 2.5 out of 4, describing it as inconsistent and unable to capitalise on its potential. Kenneth Turan, reviewing the film for Los Angeles Times, concluded that Spectre "comes off as exhausted and uninspired". Manohla Dargis of The New York Times criticised the film as having "nothing surprising" and sacrificing its originality for the sake of box office returns. Forbes' Scott Mendelson also heavily criticised the film, denouncing Spectre as "the worst 007 movie in 30 years". Darren Franich of Entertainment Weekly viewed Spectre as "an overreaction to our current blockbuster moment", aspiring "to be a serialized sequel" and proving "itself as a Saga". While noting that "[n]othing that happens in Spectre holds up to even minor logical scrutiny", he had "come not to bury Spectre, but to weirdly praise it. Because the final act of the movie is so strange, so willfully obtuse, that it deserves extra attention." Christopher Orr, writing in The Atlantic, also criticised the film, saying that Spectre "backslides on virtually every [aspect]". Lawrence Toppman of The Charlotte Observer called Craig's performance "Bored, James Bored." Alyssa Rosenberg, writing for The Washington Post, stated that the film turned into "a disappointingly conventional Bond film."

In a positive review published in Rolling Stone, Peter Travers gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4, describing Spectre as "party time for Bond fans, a fierce, funny, gorgeously produced valentine to the longest-running franchise in movies". Mick LaSalle from the San Francisco Chronicle, raved that "One of the great satisfactions of Spectre is that, in addition to all the stirring action, and all the timely references to a secret organisation out to steal everyone's personal information, we get to believe in Bond as a person." Stephen Whitty from The New York Daily News, who awarded the film four of five stars, stated that "Craig is cruelly efficient. Dave Bautista makes a good, Oddjob-like assassin. And while Lea Seydoux doesn't leave a huge impression as this film's 'Bond girl', perhaps it's because we've already met—far too briefly—the hypnotic Monica Bellucci, as the first real 'Bond woman' since Diana Rigg." Chicago Sun-Times film reviewer Richard Roeper, who gave the film three stars out of four, considered the film "solidly in the middle of the all-time rankings, which means it's still a slick, beautifully photographed, action-packed, international thriller with a number of wonderfully, ludicrously entertaining set pieces, a sprinkling of dry wit, myriad gorgeous women and a classic psycho-villain who is clearly out of his mind but seems to like it that way." Michael Phillips, reviewing for the Chicago Tribune, stated, "For all its workmanlike devotion to out-of-control helicopters, Spectre works best when everyone's on the ground, doing his or her job, driving expensive fast cars heedlessly, detonating the occasional wisecrack, enjoying themselves and their beautiful clothes." Variety film critic Guy Lodge complained in his review that "What's missing is the unexpected emotional urgency of Skyfall,'' as the film sustains its predecessor's nostalgia kick with a less sentimental bent."

### Accolades

[^1]:

James Bond film

Films that won the Best Original Song Academy Award

Films with screenplays by Jez Butterworth

Films with screenplays by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade


S Club

S Club, formerly known as S Club 7, are a British pop group formed in 1998. They originally comprised Tina Barrett, Paul Cattermole, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, Jo O'Meara, Hannah Spearritt and Rachel Stevens.

S Club 7 were formed by the former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller, who signed them to Polydor Records. They rose to fame with their BBC television sitcom Miami 7, aimed at a young audience. Within five years, they achieved four UK number-one singles, a UK number-one album (S Club), several successful singles in Europe and a top-10 single on the US Hot 100 ("Never Had a Dream Come True"). They recorded four studio albums, released 11 singles, and have sold more than 10 million albums worldwide. Miami 7 lasted four seasons and was watched by over 90 million viewers.

S Club 7 won BRIT Awards in 2000 for British breakthrough act and in 2002 for best British single. In 2001, they earned the Record of the Year award. After Cattermole departed in 2002 to join a metal band, the group removed the "7" from their name. Their penultimate single reached number five in the UK charts and their final album failed to make the top ten. They disbanded in 2003.

After disbanding, some members suffered financial problems and were critical of Fuller's management. O'Meara was implicated in a bullying controversy in the reality television show Celebrity Big Brother. The members performed intermittently in smaller groups. S Club 7 reunited for a UK tour in 2015 before splitting again. In 2023, they announced an arena tour to mark 25 years since their formation; however, Cattermole died in April at that year and Spearritt withdrew from the tour in May. In July, S Club released their first new single in more than 20 years, "These Are the Days", in memory of Cattermole.

## History

### 1997–1998: Formation

S Club 7 were formed by the music executive Simon Fuller, who had previously managed the Spice Girls. He conceived the group concept after the Spice Girls sacked him as their manager in November 1997. He described S Club 7 as a continuation of ideas he had had for the Spice Girls, but with a softer, more uplifting image. The same songwriting team was used for both acts.

Fuller placed an advert in The Stage and held auditions with more than 10,000 applicants. Both Jo O'Meara and Paul Cattermole were spotted by producers from Fuller's company, 19 Management, and asked to audition. Rachel Stevens was the only member who did not audition; instead, two producers approached her and asked her to record a demo tape. According to the journalist Steven Poole, after Fuller's disagreements with the Spice Girls, he picked "the blandest, most malleable characters ... nice kids who wouldn't answer back".

Once the lineup was decided, the members flew to Italy to become acquainted with each other. Stevens remarked that the group "felt comfortable with each other from the beginning". Several members of the group said that the "S" in S Club 7 stands for Simon, after the group's creator, although the official line has always been ambiguous. The group's entry on the Popjustice website says that at one point they were nearly called "Sugar Club" instead of the name that stuck. Another theory is that the group is so-named because "S" is the first letter of the word "seven". McIntosh, in a December 2012 interview, said a lot of Fuller's success has been based on the number 19 (owning 19 Entertainment); therefore as "S" is the 19th letter of the alphabet, the "S" was put into S Club 7.

### 1999–2000: Debut and success

S Club 7 rose to fame in a children's television series, Miami 7, first broadcast on CBBC between April and July 1999. The members played fictional versions of themselves and went on adventures and performed a song in each episode. In the US, the show was renamed S Club 7 in Miami and broadcast on Fox Family. By 2000, it had been sold to 100 countries and viewed by 90 million people. The use of the television show to publicise the group was likened to the Monkees.

S Club 7 released their debut single, "Bring It All Back", on 9 June 1999, which The Guardian likened to the Jackson 5. It reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and was certified platinum. S Club 7's debut album, S Club, was released in October 1999. It reached number two in the UK Albums Chart and was certified double platinum. S Club 7 supported Woolworths' Kids First Campaign throughout 1999 and 2000. In September 1999, "S Club Party" entered the UK charts at number two and number one in New Zealand. The double A-side with the ballad "Two in a Million" and the uptempo "You're My Number One", reached number two in the UK charts in December 1999.

In February 2000, S Club 7 won for British Breakthrough Act award at the 2000 BRIT Awards. In the same month, the toy manufacturer Hasbro announced a licensing deal to create S Club 7 dolls. In April, S Club's second television series, L.A. 7 (renamed S Club 7 in L.A. in the US), began airing. Later that year, S Club 7 starred in the television series S Club 7 Go Wild!, in which they travelled the world raising awareness of endangered species. "Reach", another retro-styled uptempo track, was released as a single in May 2000 and reached number two on the UK charts.

S Club 7's second album, 7, was released on 12 June 2000. It reached number one in the UK charts and was certified triple platinum in the UK and gold in the US. The second single from the album, "Natural", reached number three in September 2000. That October, S Club 7 launched the annual Poppy Appeal campaign with Dame Thora Hird. Alongside numerous other artists, they contributed vocals to a cover of the Rolling Stones song "It's Only Rock 'N' Roll" for Children's Promise, an alliance of seven children's charities. It entered the UK charts at number nineteen. In November 2000, S Club 7 recorded the ballad "Never Had a Dream Come True", the year's official song for the Children in Need charity campaign, which became a number one in the UK and a top-ten hit in the US.

### 2001: Sunshine

S Club 7 released their third studio album, Sunshine, on 26 November 2001. The lead single, "Don't Stop Movin'", released in April 2001, marked a more sophisticated sound, likened to the 1983 Michael Jackson song "Billie Jean". It reached number one, went platinum and became the seventh-best-selling single of 2001. It won Record of the Year and earned S Club 7 their second BRIT Award, this time for best British single. S Club 7 donated more than £200,000 to Children in Need after it reached number one. On 20 March 2001, Cattermole, Lee and McIntosh were caught with cannabis in Covent Garden, London. They were cautioned by police at Charing Cross Police Station and released without charge. They released an apology through their publicity firm. BT and Cadbury, who had sponsorship deals with S Club 7, said they were "disappointed" but kept their contracts with the band, while the Quaker Oats Company ended talks with 19 Entertainment. Pepsi signed a sponsorship deal with S Club 7 within a month of the caution.

After spending most of early 2001 rehearsing, the S Club Party 2001 tour began on 19 May 2001. Once the tour was over, the group flew to the United States to film the third series of their television show Hollywood 7. The group had to continuously cope with intense schedules and early starts whilst recording for the programme.

Cattermole and Spearritt began dating in 2001 and were in a relationship until 2008. The relationship was kept secret for the first six months. Cattermole later said it had been "forced" by management and did not happen "organically", as their romance had been written into Hollywood 7. Hollywood 7 aired alongside a new CBBC reality show, S Club Search, which invited children to extend the S Club brand and audition to form a younger version of the band. The new group were to be chosen to sing with S Club 7 on Children in Need 2001 and to tour with them on their future S Club 7 Carnival 2002 tour. The winning children formed a new group, S Club Juniors, and had six top-ten UK hits.

In November, they recorded a second Children in Need single, "Have You Ever", co-written by Chris Braide and Cathy Dennis. The performance on the night featured many primary school children who had pre-recorded their own versions of the chorus, including the first television appearance by S Club Juniors. The single became the S Club 7's fourth number one and the 21st-biggest-selling single of 2001.

### 2002: Cattermole's departure

In January 2002, S Club 7 embarked upon their second arena tour. Reviewing a performance for The Independent, Steve Jelbert likened it to "a compilation of toddler-friendly Eurovision entries", and wrote: "They may have been manufactured solely as a money-spinning multimedia creation, but this is a slick, decent-value show, performed by highly trained entertainers."

The third single from Sunshine, "You", reached number two in the UK. The group was disappointed by the choice of single, as they had hoped to continue the more contemporary sound established by "Don't Stop Movin'". Cattermole said later that they had "wanted to be perceived as cool since the very beginning" but that their management had "taken it away".

In 2002, Cattermole quit S Club 7 to rejoin his school metal band, Skua. He later described frustration with the S Club 7 management, and said that "things were being handled so badly, I had to go". Cattermole stayed with S Club 7 until June 2002, featuring in four episodes of their final television series, Viva S Club. His final concert before his departure was Party at the Palace, part of Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee celebrations. Skua failed to secure a record deal.

After Cattermole's departure, the group was renamed S Club. The remaining members re-signed their deal with Fuller and their record company. "Alive", S Club's first single without Cattermole, reached number five on the UK Singles Chart, and their fourth album, Seeing Double, reached number 17. O'Meara announced that she would step back from performing for the remainder of the year due to a back condition.

### 2003: Film and breakup

In April 2003, S Club released their first feature film, Seeing Double. The film moved into the realm of children's fantasy, and saw the group fighting the evil scientist Victor Gaghan in his quest to clone the world's pop stars. The film's release was marked by rumours that the group were about to split, which they denied.

That month, the Sunday Mirror reported that of the €75 million the band had made for Fuller, the band members had received €150,000 each a year. The Mirror also reported that the group members travelled economy on flights and prepared their own food and laundry when working abroad. Spearritt's parents reportedly hired lawyers to chase payments owed to them by Fuller and his management company.

Ten days after the release of Seeing Double, during their S Club United tour on 21 April 2003, S Club announced on stage that they were breaking up. They cited a mutual split, saying it was time "to move on and face new challenges". The members later described exhaustion from hectic schedules and long filming days. Fans expressed anger after S Club had denied rumours of a split only weeks prior. Their final single was a double A-side, coupling "Love Ain't Gonna Wait for You", from their fourth album Seeing Double, with a new ballad, "Say Goodbye", released on 26 May, which reached number two in the UK. On 2 June, a greatest hits album, Best: The Greatest Hits of S Club 7, was released, containing the previously unreleased track, "Everybody Get Pumped". It reached number two in the United Kingdom.

### 2003–2008: Solo projects

In 2003, Stevens signed a £1.5 million four-album deal with Polydor and Fuller. Her debut solo album, Funky Dory, reached number nine on the UK Albums Chart and was certified gold. In January 2007, O'Meara joined the fifth series of the British reality television show Celebrity Big Brother, broadcast on Channel 4. She and other contestants were accused of making racist and bullying comments about the Indian contestant Shilpa Shetty, which drew record numbers of viewer complaints and international media coverage. After leaving the show, O'Meara denied that she was racist and said that the show's editing had misconstrued her behaviour.

In 2008, O'Meara, Cattermole and McIntosh began performing at British nightclubs, universities and holiday camps as S Club 3. Other members of the group occasionally joined them. Cattermole later declared bankruptcy and sold his 2000 BRIT Award at auction. He worked various other jobs, such as a community radio manager and as a psychic. Spearritt acted in the 2004 films Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London and Seed of Chucky, and played the lead role of Abby Maitland for five series of the ITV science fiction series Primeval.

### 2014–2015: Reunion

On 14 November 2014, S Club 7 reunited for a BBC Children in Need telethon, performing a medley of "S Club Party", "Reach", "Bring It All Back" and "Don't Stop Movin'". On 28 April 2015, S Club 7 reissued Best: The Greatest Hits of S Club 7, with a previously unreleased song, "Rain", as well as "Friday Night" from the S Club album. In May, S Club 7 performed in UK arenas on the Bring It All Back 2015 tour. By December 2017, the group had become a trio again and released a single, "Family".

In 2019, Cattermole said that Fuller, not the group members, had been signed to Polydor as S Club 7. The members were merely affiliates and had received "pittance" from merchandise. In January 2023, Spearritt said she had been forced into homelessness. She said that people wrongly assumed the members of S Club 7 were millionaires, and that they had not been on a good wage compared to the modern music industry.

### 2023: Second reunion and death of Cattermole

On 13 February 2023, S Club 7 announced on The One Show that they would reunite for a 25th-anniversary tour. The tour is scheduled to begin at M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool on 13 October 2023 and culminate with a performance at the O2 Arena in London two weeks later.

On 6 April 2023, Cattermole died of natural causes at the age of 46. His bandmates said they were "truly devastated". Following his death, Best: The Greatest Hits of S Club 7 reached number seven on the Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100. On 14 May, the group announced they had changed their name to S Club and that Spearritt would not join them on their coming tour. Though Lee said Spearritt remained a member of the group, other sources reported that she had left. On June 30, "Don't Stop Movin'" entered the vinyl charts at number one.

On 26 July, S Club released their first new single in more than 20 years, "These Are the Days", in memory of Cattermole. It was written and produced by S Club's original songwriting team; Barrett described it as "a nod to our old sound". Spearritt did not take part, saying she was still too upset by Cattermole's death.

## Musical style

The style of music S Club 7 has is usually pop, or more specifically bubblegum pop. Their first two singles had vocals shared equally amongst the seven members of the group, and it was not until their third single, "Two in a Million", that O'Meara became known as their lead vocalist. Although the band were to progressively change their style over the four years they were together, even their first album had many tracks atypical of the pop genre: "You're My Number One" and "Everybody Wants Ya" were Motown-driven, whereas "Viva La Fiesta" and "It's a Feel Good Thing" were both "bouncy, salsa-driven Latino songs".

Over the years their style and direction changed progressively with each new album. Their second album 7 had songs with styles that somewhat opposed the traditional pop songs that rival pop bands of the nineties were releasing. With the release of "Natural" in 2000, S Club 7 showcased a new R&B-lite sound. The release of their third album, Sunshine, gave audiences their biggest change: the album contained tracks such as the disco-influenced "Don't Stop Movin'" and the R&B ballad "Show Me Your Colours". The album marked a more mature approach for the band.

After the departure of Cattermole, S Club released their fourth and final album, Seeing Double, including the single "Alive", which was called a "power-packed dance floor filler". The single has a style similar to that of their final single, "Love Ain't Gonna Wait for You". The album contained dance tracks that varied from their original bubblegum pop stylings, such as the "sex for the CBBC generation" on "Hey Kitty Kitty", although a reviewer referring to "Gangsta Love", said "S Club's spiritual home is the suburban disco, not urban underground clubs, and their attempt to go garage on "Gangsta Love" ends up amusing rather than authentic".

## Awards and nominations

## Members

### Timeline

## Discography

- S Club (1999)
- 7 (2000)
- Sunshine (2001)
- Seeing Double (2002)

## Filmography

| Year | Title                | Roles                                          | Notes                                                  |
|------|----------------------|------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------|
| 1999 | It's An S Club Thing | Themselves                                     | Documentary                                            |
| 2002 | ''Don't Stop Movin   | Themselves                                     | Documentary                                            |
| 2003 | Seeing Double        | Acting as fictionalised versions of themselves | Musical comedy film; continuation of Miami 7 storyline |

Film

## Concert tours

Headlining'''

- S Club Party Tour (2001–2002)
- Carnival Tour (2002)
- S Club United Tour with S Club Juniors (2003)
- Bring It All Back 2015 (2015)
- The Good Times Tour (2023)

British pop group