Sam Mendes: SKYFALL

Daniel Craig recently made his final appearance as James Bond in 'No Time To Die' (2021), before the character is set to be 'reinvented' according to producer Barbara Broccoli. It's time to look back at 'Skyfall' (2012), which is considered the best film in the entire Bond series so far. Fueled by the virtuoso imagery of cinematographer Roger Deakins, 'Skyfall' builds aesthetic bridges from action film to expressionism and film noir. Its multidimensional screenplay overlays the past of its hero, Britain, and the Bond series as a whole - the nostalgic memories that 'Skyfall' revels in are sometimes invented by the film itself. This volume pays special attention to the interplay of aesthetics and the implicit and explicit themes addressed by the film, ranging from psychobiographical and national mythological traumas to threats posed by cyberterrorism in the context of new wars. 'Skyfall' presents these not only with a Bond-esque wink but also with a self-reflective depth.