There's an unlikely new villain in
James Bond's life. Carlos Lopez, the mayor of a remote northern
Chilean town, burst onto the film set of the latest installment
of the fictional super-spy's adventures, "Quantum of Solace,"
on Tuesday and was detained by police.
"He got angry, entered into a private enclosure ... and
caused public disorder and was detained," a police official
said by telephone from Baquedano, declining to be named. "Now
it is in the hands of the prosecutor."
Lopez said he drove onto the set between the cameras and
Bond actor Daniel Craig, interrupting filming, because he was
angry at what he called an excessive police presence in the
small town because of the filming and the fact Chilean soil was
being used to represent neighboring Bolivia.
"For a town that has just 1,000 residents, sending in
special forces and water cannon, preventing people from walking
in the street, reminded me of the worst of the Pinochet years,"
Lopez told Reuters by telephone from Baquedano, referring to
Augusto Pinochet's 1973-90 dictatorship.
"I also disagree with national territory being used as
locations (to represent) other countries," he said. "Even in a
fictional film, unfortunately friendly, neighboring countries
use decisions like this to make unjustified claims."
Chile annexed the region around the northern mining center
of Antofagasta in a war in the late 19th century, depriving
Bolivia of its only maritime border -- an issue that continues
to deeply divide the countries politically today.
The film will be released jointly by Sony Pictures
Entertainment's Columbia Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Studios. It is scheduled to open in Britain on October 31 and
on November 7 elsewhere.
(Reporting by Simon Gardner; Editing by Bill Trott)
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