MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bolivians consider latest James Bond film stigmatizing

Actor Daniel Craig as James Bond

Bolivian Culture Deputy Minister Pablo Groux complained this week that Quantum of Solace, the upcoming film about secret agent James Bond, stigmatizes Bolivia as a centre of drug traffic.

"The producers do not respect anything, and from what I have gathered the film stresses the activities of Bolivia's drug- trafficking gangs. That is not right" Groux said. The Bolivian official said he wrote a letter of protest last week to producer Michael Wilson and director Marc Forster. Quantum of Solace, starring Daniel Craig, has recently completed filming in the north of Chile. In comments to German press Groux further complained that Chilean territory had been used to film scenes supposedly set in Bolivia. "They had no reason to do that. In Bolivia there are sites that could have been used, with no need to cause conflicts with Chilean authorities, as happened with a protest by a northern Chilean mayor" the Bolivian official said. Groux said that the James Bond film has revived past memories of differences between Bolivia and Chile. Bolivia lost territory now belonging to northern Chile, including its access to the Pacific Ocean, in a war in 1879. While Bolivia claims the land as its own, most Chileans, particularly in the affected area, want things to remain as they are. "We Bolivians have always proclaimed our sea outlet and this film reopened wounds among people and authorities from Antofagasta and other places in northern Chile", said Groux. Locals in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile did not like the fact that the territory was portrayed as Bolivian in the film, and several people put Chilean flags in their windows in protest. The displeasure had tense moments when the mayor of the small town of Sierra Gorda stormed into the set with his Jeep and almost ran over two members of the crew. Mayor Carlos Lopez boasted that 007, Daniel Craig, on seeing him had run to hiding.