Focus Of The Week: Goldfinger

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Goldfinger, the third cinematic 007 adventure, sees James Bond (Sean Connery) sent to investigate Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe), one of the wealthiest men in the world, under suspicion for smuggling gold reserves. The mission takes 007 to Miami where Bond meets Goldfinger’s assistant Jill Masterson (Shirley Eaton). She falls for him and pays with her life, smothered in gold paint. Tracking Goldfinger to Switzerland, Bond is subsequently captured by manservant and chauffeur Oddjob (Harold Sakata). He narrowly escapes death on a laser table but his scant knowledge of Goldfinger’s plans save his life. He is taken to Goldfinger’s stud farm in Kentucky and discovers the latter’s plot to create economic chaos by irradiating the gold bullion in nearby Fort Knox. Teaming up with pilot Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman), Bond thwart’s Goldfinger’s scheme with just 0.07 seconds to spare.

Screenwriter Richard Maibaum started adapting Goldfinger, Fleming’s seventh 007 novel, in April 1963 just as From Russia With Love entered production.

When Guy Hamilton came on board as director, he looked to add more humour and swagger. Working with writer Paul Dehn, Hamilton’s approach is perhaps best typified by Bond’s vehicle: Fleming’s Aston Martin DB Mk III was upgraded to an Aston Martin DB5 complete with gadgets such as machine guns and an ejector seat.

When it came to casting the titular villain, Producer Cubby Broccoli brought in German actor Gert Fröbe. Hamilton suggested Honor Blackman, then popular on British TV as Cathy Gale in The Avengers, as Pussy Galore, Goldfinger’s pilot and Bond’s love interest. The director also spotted wrestler Harold Sakata, an Olympic silver medallist who competed under the name Tosh Togo, and cast him as Oddjob.

Shooting began on March 9 1964 at Pinewood. Sean Connery joined the production ten days later as he was under contract to shoot Alfred Hitchcock’s Marnie. The actor’s presence was further missed when Harold Sakata accidentally caught him with a karate chop, forcing the actor to lose a week’s filming.

Officials at Fort Knox were reluctant to give the filmmakers access so, for the climax of the film inside the gold vault, Broccoli declared that he wanted a “cathedral of gold”. Production designer Ken Adam provided a stunning backdrop to Bond’s battle with Oddjob. Other astonishing sets designed by Adam included a drug lab hidden in an oil storage tank, a rumpus room that turns into a strategy centre and the Auric Enterprises Laser Room.

As well as the look of 007, Goldfinger also defined the sound of the series. John Barry wrote the score and theme for the film, the latter sung by the incomparable Shirley Bassey. It became a worldwide hit and propelled the soundtrack to the top of the US charts, dethroning the Beatles from the number one spot.

Just before release, the film fell foul of the MPAA, the US ratings board, who objected to the name ‘Pussy Galore’ as too risqué. Through skilful negotiation, Cubby Broccoli managed to over turn the decision and the film became the fastest grossing Bond film ever released. It also became the first 007 film to win an Academy Award, Norman Wanstall picking up the Oscar for Best Sound Effects Editing.

Special James Bond Collectors Coin Released

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The Royal Mint has revealed a brand-new collection of 10p coins which map out the A-Z of what makes Britain great with B standing for Bond. The James Bond coin features the iconic gun barrel and 007 logo. The entire collection will be rolling out into circulation across the country from today, and will be available at selected Post Offices from this week. A collectors’ folder, and silver proof and uncirculated versions of the 10p coins, will be available to purchase from The Royal Mint website. The coins will also be available to purchase at Bond in Motion, London Film Museum.

For more information visit https://www.royalmint.com/coinhunt/

Lewis Gilbert 1920 – 2018

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British director, producer and screenwriter Lewis Gilbert has passed away at the age of 97. Gilbert directed three Bond films; You Only Live Twice (1967), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Moonraker (1979).

Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli have released the following statement: “It is with great sadness that we learn of the passing of our dear friend Lewis Gilbert. Lewis was a true gentleman. He made an enormous contribution to the British film industry as well as the Bond films, directing You Only Live Twice, The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker. His films are not only loved by us but are considered classics within the series. He will be sorely missed.”

Born into a family of music-hall performers, Lewis Gilbert began his career as a child actor. British producer Alexander Korda offered to send him to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, but he had his sights set on directing. In 1939, he worked as an assistant on Alfred Hitchcock’s Jamaica Inn.

Joining the RAF when WWII broke out, Gilbert was attached to the US Air Corps film Unit where he directed several documentaries. He continued to write and direct documentaries after the war, before directing low budget features. He eventually graduated to bigger productions, making a name for himself with Alfie (1966), which in turn made an international star of Michael Caine.

Gilbert won 2 BAFTAs for Educating Rita (1984) and The Michael Balcon Award (1990). In 1997 he was awarded a CBE and in 2001 he was made a fellow of the British Film Institute.

Focus Of The Week: Skyfall Train Chase

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The train chase was shot in Adana, a modern city in the agricultural heartland of Turkey, close to the Eastern border. The second unit, directed by Alexander Witt, spent one month setting up the action in Turkey and then filmed for two months.

Working on a speeding train, proved both technically challenging and dangerous. Both Daniel Craig (James Bond) and Ola Rapace (Patrice) performed their own stunts attached to safety wires while the train was travelling at 40mph.

As Producer Barbara Broccoli said: “We were in Turkey for the train sequence and I had my heart in my mouth the whole time; he (Daniel) and Ola were fighting on the roof of a moving train and the moves that they were doing were just heart stopping. Daniel’s the reason why the action works as well as it does because he sells it, he’s up there and I think audiences know that.”

The climax of the sequence took place on the Varda Bridge, an hour outside of Adana. The fight comes to an end when Eve, implored by M to “take the shot” shoots Bond instead of Patrice, sending Bond plummeting into the river below.

Focus Of The Week: Spectre’s Rome Car Chase

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On February 19 2015, the Spectre unit began shooting the exciting car chase through the cobbled streets and alongside the river Tiber in Rome.

As Sam Mendes put it, “I loved the car chase being a one-on-one speed battle, a game of cat and mouse between two of the fastest cars in the world, neither of which had been seen before.”

The sequence depicts Bond (Daniel Craig)’s first run-in with Spectre’s imposing hit man Hinx (Dave Bautista). Franz Oberhauser (Christoph Waltz) notices Bond has infiltrated Spectre’s clandestine meeting and sends Hinx to apprehend him. 007 makes his escape and a high-speed duel ensues played out in two unique supercars — an Aston Martin D10 and a Jaguar C-X75 — against a backdrop of historic landmarks.

Director Sam Mendes conceived the sequence with three elements running parallel; Hinx in relentless pursuit of Bond, 007 calling Moneypenny to track down ‘The Pale King’ at Lake Altaussee and a lighter strand of Bond experimenting with the DB10’s gadgets. “Bond steals the car from Q’s workshop without really knowing what it does,” says Mendes. “That just adds another little twist.”

The Rome location raised the challenge of shooting a car chase in one of the busiest cities in the world. Associate Producer Gregg Wilson recalled “Via Nomentana was one of the longest city lock-offs our location department had ever done — it was about three kilometres of main roads entering Rome.” The cars swerve down the Scala de Pinedo steps and onto the towpath of the Tiber. Concrete wedges, disguised as cobbles were placed on the steps as protection and the walls were clad in steel, painted over to look like concrete, to avoid damage from the DB10’s flamethrower. Care was taken to preserve the city’s rich heritage.

With cars jumping and landing at speeds of 70mph the rigours of filming demanded eight Aston Martins and seven Jaguars be on hand. Without the easy option of a factory providing spare parts, three crews worked day and night to keep the cars on the road.

Focus Of The Week: Tee Hee

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A loyal henchman to Dr. Kananga/Mr. Big (Yaphet Kotto), Tee Hee (Julius Harris) earned his name through his constant sniggering but, behind the laughs, lies a ruthless assassin. He has a metal arm, a replacement for the one bitten off by a crocodile named Albert, graced with a set of pincers to cut and claw his victims.

Bond (Roger Moore) first encounters Tee Hee at Kananga’s Fillet Of Soul restaurant in New York. When Kananga’s medium Solitaire (Jane Seymour) divines 007 is armed, Tee Hee reaches into his pocket, picks out the Walther PPK and twists the barrel, making it impossible for use. When Tee Hee returns the out-of-shape gun with a broad smile, Bond quips, “Funny how the least little thing amuses him.”

During another interrogation by Kananga, Tee Hee is ordered to snip Bond’s finger off to see if he is telling the truth. Solitaire confirms that he is and Kananga orders Tee Hee to let 007 go. Instead, Tee Hee knocks him unconscious.

Bond is taken to the crocodile farm, which Kananga uses as a cover for his heroin laboratory. Pointing out the crocodile that snapped off his arm, Tee Hee lures 007 to a small island surrounded by the deadly reptiles and leaves him to die. With no visible means of escape, Bond improvises the crocodiles as stepping stones to get off the island and subsequently destroys Kananga’s operation.

After he thwarts Kananga’s evil plans, Bond and Solitaire board The Crescent Passenger train. Tee Hee smuggles himself on board inside a mail bag and battles Bond in the small cabin. Bond severs the release wires of Tee Hee’s pincer claw, causing his mechanical arm to lock onto the window handle. Bond throws him out of the train window, ripping his metal arm off. When Solitaire asks Bond what just happened, he replies, “Just being disarming, darling.”

Focus Of The Week: Martin Campbell

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A filmmaker with both a flair for action and skill with character, Martin Campbell is in the unique position of launching two actors as 007: Pierce Brosnan in GoldenEye (1995) and Daniel Craig in Casino Royale (2006).

Campbell was born in New Zealand where he spent his childhood before moving to England in 1966 to work as a cinematographer making his directorial debut with The Sex Thief (1973). Campbell became a producer on Black Joe (1977) and worked as an associate producer on Scum (1979), Alan Clarke’s tough, controversial, acclaimed study of the British borstal system for young offenders.

In the late seventies, Campbell moved into television, directing episodes of such popular UK shows as Shoestring, The Professionals and Minder. Yet he cemented his reputation with two miniseries; Reilly: Ace Of Spies (1983) starring Sam Neill and Edge Of Darkness (1985) starring Bob Peck, the latter winning a BAFTA TV award for Best Drama.

It was his work on Edge Of Darkness that brought him to the attention of Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli who chose him to direct GoldenEye. The film not only reintroduced the character after a six-year gap but also presented Pierce Brosnan as the new 007. Campbell delivered action with realism but with an added panache that was different from other 90s cinematic heroes.

“There were all these other heroes, the Bruce Willises and the Arnold Schwarzeneggers – they’re all blue collar,” he observed. “But there are no sophisticated antiheroes around. So I made GoldenEye a showcase for that kind of hero.”

Audiences welcomed the new Bond, the film becoming the most financially successful 007 film since Moonraker. After GoldenEye, Campbell stayed in the action genre with The Mask Of Zorro and Vertical Limit, as well as more serious fare such as Beyond Borders. He returned to the world of Bond with Casino Royale, again introducing a new 007 in Daniel Craig. The film included some of the most exciting action sequences in the series to date — a foot chase through a construction site shot in the Bahamas, a Venetian villa that crumbles into the Grand Canal and a Guinness World Record breaking Aston Martin barrel roll stunt — while making smaller, more intimate scenes, such as the central poker game, equally intense.

“The card game was probably the most difficult scene I’ve ever had to film,” he recalled. “It’s one thing to shoot a game of chemin de fer or 21, that’s very simple. When you’re playing Texas Hold’em poker with ten players around a table, that’s tough because it’s a more complex game and, with ten players all looking at each other. It’s very tricky to film.”

The finished film garnered multiple nominations, including a BAFTA win for Best Sound and further nominations including Outstanding British Film and Best Actor for Daniel Craig. Casino Royale became the first 007 film to earn other over $100 million at the UK box office and became the highest-grossing Bond film up to that point.

Focus Of The Week: Eiffel Tower Leap

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The jump from the Eiffel Tower during A View To A Kill’s Paris chase is a triumph of both the practical and the courageous. Bond (Roger Moore) pursues May Day (Grace Jones), bodyguard of industrialist Max Zorin, up the iconic French landmark. Clad all in black, she parachutes from the tower and, pursued by Bond in a car, escapes in a Glastron speedboat.
The sequence had its roots in a lunch between producer Michael G. Wilson and stuntman B.J. Worth. Worth indicated to the producer he would love to jump off the Eiffel Tower for an action sequence. The idea took four years and A View To A Kill to bring Worth’s dream to fruition. 
 “The Eiffel Tower was tricky because they have very strict rules about stunts being performed,” says Director John Glen. “The problem with the Eiffel Tower as a jumping platform is that the top is very thin. But the bottom is very wide so it slopes outwards very quickly.”
Worth began practicing the stunt by jumping from hot air balloons. Key to the stunt’s success was figuring out how long the stunt man had before he had to open the parachute. Michael G. Wilson did the calculations: “I said to him, “You’ve got about three and a half seconds, then you’ve got to pull it.”
Worth needed two permissions from the French authorities, one to jump from the tower, the other to land in Paris. After French production manager Serge Toubout facilitated the access, a ramp was built for Worth to jump off. Weather conditions had to be just right: any sudden gusts of wind could blow Worth back into the tower. The duration of the fall was so short there was no time to open a second parachute. 
At dawn on August 4, Worth, dressed as May Day, prepared to jump from the 300 metre tower. “I inhaled deeply and shouted ‘This one’s for Cubby!” he remembered. “I bolted down the plank and dove over the edge, throwing my chest to the horizon. Time almost stopped.”
The jump went off without a hitch. 30 seconds later Worth landed safely on Paris terra firma, next to his wife and children. Within the hour Producer Cubby Broccoli had delivered a case of champagne to Worth’s hotel room for a job well done. 

Focus Of The Week: Boris Grishenko

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A supremely talented hacker, Boris Grishenko, played by Alan Cumming, is crucial to Alex Trevelyan (Sean Bean)’s plot to hit London with GoldenEye, an electromagnetic pulse weapon and electronically steal billions of pounds from the Bank Of England.

With computer skills second to none, Grishenko is a fixture at the Severnaya Space Weapons Control Centre in Siberia. His hobby is to hack into the world’s securest computer systems, taking joy in creating passwords with elaborate riddles. Boris is often unaware of the moral ramifications of his actions; instead he sees the world as one big computer game often ending with his victory yell “I am invincible”.

Boris gives the signal for General Ouromov (Gottfried John) and Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen) to begin the massacre at Severnaya and later luring fellow programmer Natalya Simonova (Izabella Scorupco) into a trap in St. Petersburg. His actions become even more dangerous in Cuba, programming the GoldenEye satellite to detonate over London while hacking into the Bank Of England mainframe.

Boris is happy to see Natalya in Cuba, oblivious to her anger at his actions. As Natalya alters the course of the GoldenEye to harmlessly explode over the Atlantic Ocean, Boris tries to hack her pass codes. Bond and Natalya hurry to destroy the satellite command centre. Boris survives the crash of the transmitter and antenna through the station’s roof but is frozen solid by a cascade of liquid nitrogen. He was not invincible after all.

Focus Of The Week: Dr. No

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In 1961, American producer Albert R. ‘Cubby’ Broccoli wanted to bring Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels to the screen. Teaming up with Canadian producer Harry Saltzman, who had optioned the rights to the series, Broccoli landed the financing from United Artists, raising $1 million to bring 007 to the screen.

Initially Broccoli and Saltzman wanted Thunderball to be the first Bond adventure. When their intention was scuppered by copyright issues, they turned to Dr. No, the sixth Fleming novel that featured a topical story (the space race) and plenty of action, all set in a dazzling tropical location. To direct the picture, the producers chose Terence Young, a filmmaker Broccoli knew could bring the elegance, style and panache that were hallmarks of the character.

To adapt the screenplay, the team selected Wolf Mankowitz, who initially introduced Broccoli to Saltzman, and Richard Maibaum who had penned Broccoli’s first big hit The Red Beret alongside Johanna Harwood and Berkely Mather.

The final screenplay cleaved closer to Fleming. James Bond (Sean Connery) is sent to Jamaica to investigate the suspected murder of a fellow agent. Bond, with the help of CIA operative Felix Leiter (Jack Lord) and islander Quarrel (Jack Kitzmuller), follows a trail that leads him to scientist Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman). Landing on Dr. No’s private island, Crab Key, Bond encounters sea-shell collector Honey Ryder. The pair are captured by Dr. No’s private army and Bond learns of the scientist’s plan to destroy the US space program as a first step towards world domination. Bond outwits Dr. No, knocking him into a nuclear reactor pool, and rescues Honey before the island explodes.

The biggest question revolved around the casting of James Bond. The producers considered casting big names such as Richard Burton, James Mason and Cary Grant (the best man at Broccoli’s wedding). When Mason and Grant refused to sign up to multi-picture deals, Broccoli and Saltzman sought an unknown, discovering a young exciting Scottish actor named Sean Connery. It took Terence Young, who had worked with Connery on Action Of The Tiger, to school the actor in the ways of sharp suits, expensive food and fine wines. The role ultimately fit Connery like a glove.

For Honey Ryder, the producers cast Swedish actress Ursula Andress, who took the role at the prompting of her husband John Derek. To play the title role of Dr. No, Ian Fleming himself suggested friend and playwright Noel Coward. Coward sent a typically witty response by telegram: “Dear Ian, the answer to Dr. No is No! No! No!” The producers finally cast New York stage actor Joseph Wiseman.

Filming began in Jamaica on January 16 1962 before moving to Pinewood to shoot interiors. From Maurice Binder’s title sequence to Ken Adams’ sets to Monty Norman’s theme arranged by John Barry, the film established many of the elements now associated with the series. Equally ground-breaking was the film’s sense of pace and action. “The secret of the James Bond fights is that they are dramatic but are never real enough to be violently sickening,” said stunt arranger Bob Simmons. Dr. No opened in England on October 5th 1962 to huge critical praise and box office success. A new cinematic hero was born. The 5th October now marks, ‘Global James Bond Day’.

Focus Of The Week: The Spy Who Loved Me Chase

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The ski chase that opens The Spy Who Loved Me is among the most thrilling sequences in the entire series. On assignment in Austria, 007 is pursued down a mountain by KGB assassins when he is confronted by a cliff face. All looks lost when Bond skies off the edge to a certain death — until, after a few heart-stopping moments, a parachute opens emblazoned with a Union Jack.

The body of the chase sequence was filmed by the second unit in St. Moritz, Switzerland during January 1977. Despite Roger Moore’s skill as a skier, stunt doubles replaced him during the chase. “If the action’s sufficiently fast you can — by sleight of hand and clever editing — believe it’s the real person,” said Assistant Editor John Grover. “Roger’s a good skier but not a stunt skier. Sorry Roger!” Cameraman Willy Bogner, who had previously captured the skiing sequences in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969), tracked the stunt men on skis using a handheld camera to give the action an extra dynamic edge.

The moment Bond skis off the mountain was inspired by an advertisement for Canadian Club of a skier zooming off Mount Asgard in Canada and then opening a parachute. “We were looking for an opening sequence,” recalled Wilson. “I said, ‘Let’s find this guy’.”

‘This guy’ was climber and stuntman Rick Sylvester. Although the stunt was later revealed to be falsified. Sylvester was convinced it could be done for real. Producer Cubby Broccoli remembered the daredevil as “born with an irresistible urge to cheat death, preferably on skis, he was a natural worry to his mother.”

So, led by second unit director John Glen (who went onto direct five Bond films), Sylvester and a crew of ten headed to Mount Asgard in Auyuittuq National Park on Baffin Island, Canada to film the stunt. The shoot stretched the crew to the limit.

“We were in this very desolate part of the world, inside the Arctic circle with an Eskimo village about 30 miles away,” said Glen. “Each day we had to travel out by helicopter to set up the climbing pylons so the crew could get up there with the cameras. The weather was atrocious.”

Glen waited for ten days, the harsh conditions almost scuppering the stunt. But with a brief respite in the wind and clouds parting, the crew only had a fifteen- minute window to pull off the stunt. “The last thing I said to him was “Go Rick, and don’t forget, you’re James Bond,” recalled John Glen.

Out of the three cameras rolling, only one managed to capture the stunt and an instantly iconic moment was born. As Broccoli put it, “It was brave and it was beautiful. It was the pure essence of James Bond.”

 

Focus Of The Week: Quantum Of Solace

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Quantum Of Solace (2008) represented a first in the 007 series. With the action picking up just ten minutes after the end of Casino Royale (2006), it became the first direct sequel produced by EON Productions.

The idea for the film initially had much closer ties to Casino Royale, with Bond going in search of Vesper’s boyfriend. The finished story ultimately took a different path. Bond’s search for the reasons behind Vesper’s betrayal brings him into contact with Quantum, a sinister organisation with operatives all over the world. 007’s investigation takes him to Haiti, where he meets Camille, an agent looking to avenge the death of her family at the hands of former Bolivian dictator General Medrano. Camille leads Bond to Dominic Greene, the CEO of eco-friendly company Greene Planet and a high-ranking member of Quantum. Greene, who is in league with Medrano, is plotting to store away Bolivia’s water supply underground with the idea of using it as leverage to run the entire country.

Marc Forster (Monster’s Ball, Finding Neverland) was hired to direct a screenplay by Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. On January 25 2008, the production confirmed the title as Quantum Of Solace, after a 1960 Ian Fleming short story in which Bond is told an anecdote over dinner in Jamaica. “Ian Fleming always had an emotional line through his books,” recalled Daniel Craig. “Quantum Of Solace is a moving story debating relationships and how they hurt. He suggests if you don’t have a quantum of solace in your relationship, you should give up.”

Starring alongside Daniel Craig was Olga Kurylenko as Camille, a woman as desperate for revenge as Bond. Respected French actor Mathieu Amalric played faux environmentalist Dominic Greene. Rising star Gemma Arterton played Agent Fields, who meets a sticky end covered in oil in homage to Goldfinger, where Jill Masterson is painted gold. Regulars returning to the series included Jeffrey Wright (Felix Leiter), Jesper Christensen (Mr. White), Giancarlo Giannini (Mathis) and, of course, the inimitable Judi Dench as M.

Quantum Of Solace filmed in more overseas locations than any previous Bond film to date — 13 out of the 22 weeks were on location. Filming started at Pinewood Studios, the production travelled to Panama City and Colón in Panama and the Atacama Desert in Chile before moving onto Italy, visiting Siena, Carrara and Lake Garda. The main unit ended in Bregenz, Austria, with additional aerial sequences shot in Mexico. For a moment when Bond and Camille freefall out of a DC-3, the unit took over the world’s largest sky-diving wind tunnel in Bedford. Working with stunt coordinator Gary Powell, Craig and Kurylenko simulated the experience of freefalling at 170 mph.

The film’s other stunning action set-pieces included a rooftop foot-chase in Siena, a high-speed pursuit through the streets and tunnels of Lake Garda and a boat sequence shot in Colón doubling for Haiti. The production took a more believable approach to spectacle. As Producer Barbara Broccoli puts it: “One of the reasons we had much more realistic action was because Daniel was able and wanted to do it. When your leading-man does it, then everyone follows suit.”

Quantum Of Solace had its royal world premiere on 29th October 2008 at the Odeon Leicester Square. Opening to the public two days later, the film would go on to earn a phenomenal box office gross of $586 million.