Stars come out for Bond premiere in London
From Katherine Haddon

LONDON—Thousands of cheering fans thronged central London Tuesday to catch a glimpse of the new James Bond, Daniel Craig, and his co-stars at the world premiere of “Casino Royale” before Queen Elizabeth II.
The “blond Bond” secured the biggest cheers of the evening as he spent an hour doing interviews, chatting to fans and signing autographs in Leicester Square, which was sealed off for the event.
But his co-star Eva Green, who plays Bond girl Vesper Lynd and shares some red-hot love scenes with Craig, also proved a hit with fans, as did Dame Judi Dench, who reprises her role as secret service head M.
Craig, dressed in Bond’s signature black tie, praised his “fantastic” fans and “fabulous” reception as he chatted to reporters at the red carpet event.
“I never expected anything like this,” the actor revealed.
And he emphasised his sense of awe at the occasion when, on being asked what the best thing was about playing 007, he nodded at his character’s Aston Martin DBS, on show in the square, and replied: “That car”.
His co-stars were full of praise for Craig’s rugged performance, with Green, who is French, praising him as a “beautiful and deep actor” and Dench saying he was “heaven, divine” to work with.
Asked whether she thought the Queen would enjoy the movie, Oscar winner Dench quipped: “I don’t know whether she’s a Bond fan. And if she’s not, then poor lady.”
On her arrival, the monarch, clad in an ivory ball gown, greeted the cast of the movie in the cinema foyer before sitting down to enjoy the show with husband Prince Philip.
Other celebrity guests included singer Elton John and his partner David Furnish and Mohamed al-Fayed, the owner of department store Harrods.
Tributes to Britain’s most famous cinematic export took place all day across the capital to mark the launch of the hotly anticipated 21st Bond film.
Harrods decorated all 72 of its windows with a “Casino Royale” theme and is displaying another Aston Martin DBS car, as used in the movie.
Even the traditional changing of the guards ceremony outside Buckingham Palace was given a showbiz flavour — the Band of the Scots Guards played Bond music in a nod to the premiere.
When she watches the premiere, the Queen may initially have trouble recognizing Craig’s Bond as the same character portrayed by his immediate predecessor, Pierce Brosnan.
Craig summed up the change at the premiere: “You see who he is and how he became Bond. He makes a few mistakes but at the end of the day, he becomes Bond.”
The trademark gadgets are few and far between and, when a barman asks 007 whether he would like his Martini shaken or stirred, he hits back: “Do I look like I give a damn?”
The first few minutes of the two-and-a-half hour film are shot in black and white and show a muscular, violent Bond at the dawn of his career — before he received his “licence to kill”.
And the legendary womaniser even falls head-over-heels in love with Lynd, the government accountant sent to oversee Bond as he plays in the film’s centrepiece poker game against Le Chiffre, sinister banker to the world’s terrorists.
But a shocking plot twist ensures that the secret agent’s tender side is not exposed for long.
Only in the last few moments of the film is the famous Bond theme music played and the spy’s catchphrase — “The name’s Bond, James Bond” — is its final line, underlining his coming-of-age.
“Casino Royale” was the first 007 book which Ian Fleming wrote, but the movie’s makers only obtained the rights to film it in 2000.
Shot in Britain, the Czech Republic, the Bahamas and Italy and featuring actors from around the world, the film has the same international feel as previous Bond outings.