30 replies to this topic

[Martini]

One sometimes reads in forums that Brosnan after TND didn´t want to shoot too far away from the UK. Was that ever affirmed or is it a rumor? Some sites say for instance that they didn´t travel so much for DAD because of 9/11.

[Martini]

Nobody knows or stupid question?

Edited by Martini, 24 February 2009 - 10:59 AM.

[tim partridge]

Good question. I'd love to know an answer to this too. DAD must be the most studio bound of all the Bond films, perhaps even FRWL (or maybe not).

Edited by tim partridge, 24 February 2009 - 04:32 PM.

[Vauxhall]

It's a good point, and something I'd never thought of before. I don't know the answer, but would be surprised if September 11th was a factor in restricting the amount of travel in DIE ANOTHER DAY.

[trs007]

I am in the camp that supports it was a lack of Brosnan's desire to travel. That is what I had heard back then.

[Mr. Blofeld]

I am in the camp that supports it was a lack of Brosnan's desire to travel.

...and yet, he's willing to go all the way to Greece just to shoot a silly comedy?

[Matt_13]

I am in the camp that supports it was a lack of Brosnan's desire to travel.

...and yet, he's willing to go all the way to Greece just to shoot a silly comedy?

$$$

[trs007]

I am in the camp that supports it was a lack of Brosnan's desire to travel.

...and yet, he's willing to go all the way to Greece just to shoot a silly comedy?

$$$

Yep--what a difference 6-7 years makes in one's attitude (and pocket) when you're not James Bond.

[tim partridge]

I am in the camp that supports it was a lack of Brosnan's desire to travel.

...and yet, he's willing to go all the way to Greece just to shoot a silly comedy?

...That ironically looks just as stagey as DAD.

[DaveBond21]

Good question, which I think has already been answered elsewhere in another thread. But here is my list:-

GE - when Bond meets Wade, I recognise the street in London and it makes me think = "That's not Russia!!".

TND - Brent Cross Shopping Centre car park. The car chase was filmed there. Mind you, it certainly made shopping there more exciting!!

TWINE - Swindon was used for the crowd scenes in Kazakstan. Just recognising the place, as well as always thinking that the crowd behind Bond and Elektra are local Wiltshire extras takes the gloss off that scene for me!!

DAD - Aldershot's woods and Cornwall's beaches were used for the Korean scenes, especially for the hovercraft chase. It looks like January in the British countryside to me, not North Korea!

[Vauxhall]

GE - when Bond meets Wade, I recognise the street in London and it makes me think = "That's not Russia!!".

Also, "St Petersburg Airport" is the Queen's Stand at Epsom Downs Racecourse, 10 minutes down the road from me.

[ke02eww]

Good question, which I think has already been answered elsewhere in another thread. But here is my list:-

TWINE - Swindon was used for the crowd scenes in Kazakstan. Just recognising the place, as well as always thinking that the crowd behind Bond and Elektra are local Wiltshire extras takes the gloss off that scene for me!!

Ah DB21, why is everyone so anti-swindon?...

Perhaps only a true Fleming fan would know of the linkage with the town, and while i'm biased (yes i'm a wiltshire yokel) I thought someone on here might enjoy this link...

http://www.swindonwe...mp;t=JAMES BOND

Shame about the car, but we'll see if we can have it re-shot with a vanq...

BTW, where in UK are you from before you sold out for sun, sea and XXXX?..

[tim partridge]

Does anyone know what became of "Eon Studios" in Frogmore, St Albans? I seem to recall they knocked that up out of a supermarket an airfield for TND. Last I saw it hosted TV's "Robot Wars" about ten years ago.

It was really impressive how the first two Brosnan films had to make film studios from scratch under severe deadlines!

I wonder what happened to that Hatfield site they made Saving Private Ryan at the same time as TND as well...

[Royal Dalton]

Ah DB21, why is everyone so anti-swindon?...

Perhaps only a true Fleming fan would know of the linkage with the town, and while i'm biased (yes i'm a wiltshire yokel) I thought someone on here might enjoy this link...

http://www.swindonwe...mp;t=JAMES BOND

Don't worry about it. We both know that all the best people are bumpkins.

Anyway, Dave's wrong. They only shot the King Industries exteriors in Wiltshire. And they cut virtually all of that out in the end anyway.

Does anyone know what became of "Eon Studios" in Frogmore, St Albans? I seem to recall they knocked that up out of a supermarket an airfield for TND. Last I saw it hosted TV's "Robot Wars" about ten years ago.

Dunno. It's a bit of a twist for a supermarket to be turned into a film studio, though. It's usually the other way round!

[broadshoulder]

The Brozza locations were really cheap werent they? I mean QoS went to Chile,Panama and Bolivia and shot on the streets. Brozza went to Brent Cross, Wales and Aldershot - hardly the same thing.

The most disapointing location for me was Istanbul. I mean ISTANBUL!! The legendary location of From Russia With Love. But all we get is some shot of the rooftops, the outside inserts of Leanders Tower and some views of Oil Tankers on the Bosphorus. The rest of it is shot at Pinewood.

What a waste...

[Major Tallon]

For me, the low point was the painted backdrop in DAD when Brosnan was meant to be climbing onto the pier in Hong Kong. Not remotely convincing.

[Simon]

I wonder what happened to that Hatfield site they made Saving Private Ryan at the same time as TND as well...

And Band of Brothers.

And I only know this having just watched the whole series on DVD - what a stunning production this is. Superb.

[Vauxhall]

For me, the low point was the painted backdrop in DAD when Brosnan was meant to be climbing onto the pier in Hong Kong. Not remotely convincing.

DIE ANOTHER DAY really was atrocious in that respect. Korea, Hong Kong and Iceland were all recreated in the UK. The most adventurous the travel got was for the scenes supposed to be set in Cuba; they went all the way to Spain for those...

[JimmyBond]

The most adventurous the travel got was for the scenes supposed to be set in Cuba; they went all the way to Spain for those...

Ironically that was the best aspect of the film. It really does help for them to actually go on location every once in a while. It made QoS look great and gave many of the early 60s Bond their unique flavor.

[marktmurphy]

TWINE - Swindon was used for the crowd scenes in Kazakstan. Just recognising the place, as well as always thinking that the crowd behind Bond and Elektra are local Wiltshire extras takes the gloss off that scene for me!!

As pointed out above, only the King pipeline HQ exterior shot was shot in Swindon (the Motorola building): the crowd scenes you mention were shot in Spain.

I am in the camp that supports it was a lack of Brosnan's desire to travel. That is what I had heard back then.

Did he not travel from the US to shoot them, though? And then go and travel all over the world to promote them? Sounds dubious to me.

[Jim]

DIE ANOTHER DAY really was atrocious in that respect. Korea, Hong Kong and Iceland were all recreated in the UK. The most adventurous the travel got was for the scenes supposed to be set in Cuba; they went all the way to Spain for those...

Well, fair enough, but could they have actually filmed it in Cuba? One wonders about infrastructure, to cope with massive film units and their demands (and permission, given the nature of James Bond and the theme of that Cuban bit, which seems to be about Cuba being a safe haven for terrorists, bad acting and other such things). Similar sort of point about Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan I guess.

[Vauxhall]

DIE ANOTHER DAY really was atrocious in that respect. Korea, Hong Kong and Iceland were all recreated in the UK. The most adventurous the travel got was for the scenes supposed to be set in Cuba; they went all the way to Spain for those...

Well, fair enough, but could they have actually filmed it in Cuba? One wonders about infrastructure, to cope with massive film units and their demands (and permission, given the nature of James Bond and the theme of that Cuban bit, which seems to be about Cuba being a safe haven for terrorists, bad acting and other such things). Similar sort of point about Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan I guess.

No, you're quite right; the same can be said about North Korea of course. Having said that they had to settle for Cadiz in DIE ANOTHER DAY, for the GOLDENEYE scenes set in Cuba, they did manage to persuade Brosnan to travel to Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

Just a thought, perhaps Tamahori decided to save money on travel expenses in DIE ANOTHER DAY so he could pump the funds into state-of-the-art CGI effects...

[marktmurphy]

DIE ANOTHER DAY really was atrocious in that respect. Korea, Hong Kong and Iceland were all recreated in the UK. The most adventurous the travel got was for the scenes supposed to be set in Cuba; they went all the way to Spain for those...

Well, fair enough, but could they have actually filmed it in Cuba? One wonders about infrastructure, to cope with massive film units and their demands (and permission, given the nature of James Bond and the theme of that Cuban bit, which seems to be about Cuba being a safe haven for terrorists, bad acting and other such things). Similar sort of point about Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan I guess.

Around the same time the BBC shot a series of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet in the Dominican Republic as doubling for Cuba, and frankly it looked pretty fantastic. DAD looked nothing like Cuba in comparison and looks like what it is; a dozen or so extras wandering around the two buildings they found that could just about pass for Cuban if they stuck some palm trees outside. In the rain.

[Forward Look]

Cadiz, Spain vs. Havana - any difference?

[Double-Oh Agent]

From what I can recall during filming of those movies:

GoldenEye -- EON did go to St. Petersburg where they filmed some scenes but most were not there. They had planned to shoot some of the tank chase there but ultimately felt that the streets couldn't support the weight of the tank. Regarding Cuba, they didn't film there because American members of the cast and crew couldn't work there because of the U.S. embargo on Cuba. They did go to Monte Carlo and Puerto Rico, however.

Tomorrow Never Dies -- As for the car park chase, why go to Germany to film a scene that is almost entirely shot in an interior when you can do it in England with no one being the wiser for less money? EON wanted to go to Vietnam but negotiations broke down at the last minute so the crew settled on Thailand. Regardless, most of the film, for whatever reason, was required mainly in interiors (perhaps because much of the movie was being written while they were filming). TBesides Thailand, they did go to Hamburg.

The World Is Not Enough -- I don't remember as much about the locations in this film but EON did shoot scenes in France for the skiing and Istanbul and I, believe, Baku. But I think the earlier point of questions about the local infrastructures of the Eastern European countries successfully bearing the strain from having to deal with the large Bond film crew's needs is a valid point.

Die Another Day -- The 2001 terrorist attacks by al-Queda definitely played a part in the film staying closer to home. The film began just three months after the terrorist attacks so no one knew when or where they would strike next and with Bond being such a big film and a very prominent example of Western values, it was not unlikely to believe that Bond 20 could have been a target. Also, regarding the film's subject matter, North Korea and South Korea weren't wild about it even going so far as to protest the film when it was released, so there's no way EON could film there. As for Cuba, see GoldenEye, hence the filming in Spain. EON did go to Iceland where they filmed the car chase.

These are some of the reasons for why Brosnan's films didn't have as much of a travelogue feel, which I do think is one of the negatives of his films. But to say that his films didn't go anywhere or to blame Pierce Brosnan for it is not only laughable but completely erroneous.

[Royal Dalton]

Does anyone know what became of "Eon Studios" in Frogmore, St Albans? I seem to recall they knocked that up out of a supermarket an airfield for TND. Last I saw it hosted TV's "Robot Wars" about ten years ago.

Frogmore James Bond site becomes new homes

20 April 2009

NEARLY 80 new houses and apartments have been built for key public sector workers and people who are struggling to get mortgages in the recession.

They were constructed on a brownfield site previously occupied by a Kwik Save warehouse in Park Street, Frogmore, which had previously been used to film the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies.

Hightown Praetorian & Churches Housing Association (HPCHA) spent £15.2 million on the new homes which included £1.4m from St Albans District Council and £3.4m from the Homes and Communities Agency.

David Bogle, chief executive of HPCHA, said: "We are pleased to be able to provide these high quality homes.

"The mix of homes offer opportunities for those on low incomes to rent accommodation or start to save to purchase a home of their own."

Rent at the new homes will be cheaper than the private sector but more expensive than public-sector rents, providing an alternative to council housing where none is available.

Ten apartments have been let to public sector key workers, who include teachers, nurses, doctors, firemen and police officers, at intermediate rents and 24 have been made available for people struggling to get mortgages.

Forty-four homes are being rented to residents nominated by St Albans District Council.

http://www.hertsad.c...w...3A55:45:593

[tim partridge]

Thanks, Dalton.

Ah, rest assured, it did get wiped off afterall.

[tim partridge]

From what I can recall during filming of those movies:

GoldenEye -- EON did go to St. Petersburg where they filmed some scenes but most were not there. They had planned to shoot some of the tank chase there but ultimately felt that the streets couldn't support the weight of the tank. Regarding Cuba, they didn't film there because American members of the cast and crew couldn't work there because of the U.S. embargo on Cuba. They did go to Monte Carlo and Puerto Rico, however.

It is scary just how all of the main unit scenes set in Russia were either shot in Central London or on the backlot at Leavesden! The film still looks great, though.

Severneya:
Leavesden backlot and stages

Train Station Natalya arrives at:
St Pancras station, London

Church interiors and exteriors:
a couple of Churches in central London

Russian street Wade's car breaks down in:
Central London

Statue Park:
Leavesden backlot

Zukovsky's bar exterior:
Leavesden Backlot

St Petersburg airport:
Ascot Race Course

Janus Train depot:
Nene Valley, Peterborough



-- Very very good location doubling work.

[Harmsway]

The locations in the Brosnan films were awful. Partially, I imagine it's because they didn't travel anywhere, but it's also because they didn't make the locations count for anything. They're a backdrop of the truest sort, with little personality or color of their own. GOLDENEYE all the sweep of a television movie, TOMORROW NEVER DIES felt like everything had been built on a set (and, for that matter, seemed absolutely determined to stage the whole thing in ugly technological sets), and THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH might be an all-time low for the franchise in this regard (the Maiden's Tower was a nice touch, though).

The closest the Brosnan era got to having locations with some level of interest was DIE ANOTHER DAY. Most of the locations were created on set, and that kept them from really registering, but there are moments where it works. I actually think Cadiz provides a decent model for Cuba (I've traveled to Cuba, and definitely got the Cuban vibe in the flick - particularly when Bond travels to a cigar factory, something I did twice during my time there). And the Iceland setting was quite gorgeous. But we still have plenty of those awful "shot in our backyard" moments.

Still, this is one area where the Craig films have been an undeniable improvement. We still don't spend quite as much time in the locations that I would like, but they have a real flavor all their own, and they've started to get more creative about how they utilize their locales (ala the Tosca sequence).

It is scary just how all of the main unit scenes set in Russia were either shot in Central London or on the backlot at Leavesden!

It shows.

[tim partridge]

I thought QOS was a vast improvement in this area. Sadly, I get too much of a TV vibe from CR because of the obviousness and overfamiliarity (thanks to other movies made in the 2000s) of the claustrophic Prague locations. I did dig Venice though and the big crane in Madagascar (although it did remind me of the Janus dish in Cuba).