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Film Fan has written 43 reviews in 12 countries.
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Film Locations in London, United Kingdom
(Dir: Robert Altman, 2001)
In this brilliant upstairs/ downstairs English country murder the action takes place pretty much in one manor house a la parlour room theatre. Two main houses were used for filming with the majority of the downstairs scenes being shot on soundstages at Shepperton. Syon House, Syon Park was used for the upstairs bedrooms and Wrotham Park, Barnet for the exteriors and the staircase entry hall and dining and drawing rooms which come off it. Syon House is near London’s Kew Gardens and is opened to the public (though still the personal residence of the Duke of Northumberland.) and Wrotham Park isn’t open to the public.
For those of you treating my recommendations like a little column you may like to hear a little story about the production. It’s common knowledge that Altman used multiple cameras to get the actors to play more naturally, but keeping to the realism, the jewellery worn above stairs was the real deal as well and had to be escorted around by armed guards - crazy, and none of the servants are supposedly wearing any make up (don’t know how true that one is…). |
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Film Locations in Scotland, United Kingdom
The Wicker Man (Dir: Robin Hardy, 1973)
The original was filmed in and around the towns of Plockton, Newton Stewart, Gatehouse of Fleet and Kirkudbright and at Cluzean Castle, Ayshire (now owned by National Trust and open to the public.). The Castle and it’s gardens were used as the exterior for Lord Summerisle’s house and the dining room was used, and is decorated in the same way as it was then, complete with knife holder, but most of the other internal scenes were shot at Lochinch Castle. Plockton was used for Summerisle Harbour and the buildings seen in the film still stand. Gatehouse of Fleet’s Cally Estate office was used for The Green Man Inn, while the interiors were shot at Ellangowan Hotel, Creetown. The location you’re probably most interested in, the one of the final scene is at Burrowhead, now a caravan park called Burrowhead Holiday Village, but still looking pretty much the same as it did in the film.
Among the controversies of this film are a few relating to the Scottish locations in Dumfries and Galloway, the most famous being that Britt Ekland called it ‘the most dismal place in creation’ and producers etc. had to do their best to smooth things over with the locals. Ekland also made a fuss when she saw that a bottom double for her naked bottom appeared in the final film - it wasn’t that hers wasn’t nice but that she didn’t want to get it out for the cameras. She also told stories about animals having been accidentally killed in the burning man scene.
The area is so happy to have had the film put them on the map that there is an annual Wickerman Festival held at the end of which the key scene - bar the trapped prisoner - is recreated in the burning of a huge man of wicker. The original stumps from the shoot at Burrowhead were left there and survived until 2006 when someone made off with them - film cretin! |
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Film Locations in West Country, United Kingdom
Hot Fuzz (Dir: Edgar Wright, 2007)
Edgar Wright could pretty much be my friend. If I was him I would make exactly the same kinds of film referencing my own favourites in a similar homage-o-fest. Wright grew up in Wells and uses it as “Sandford” in “Hot Fuzz”. It’s all about details with these guys - Sandford is the name of the town used in police training manuals. It’s all Wells and the surrounds - drive into the centre, or as they call it locally, The Market Square, and you’re on the spot for the final showdown, Wells local, “The Crown” becomes the Sandford pub and the local Somerfield is the local Somerfield etc. To keep it looking small town they had to take out Wells Cathedral, but apart from that it is all as is. What I want know is do they really have a miniature village? I’m thinking no but if they do I will be so impressed. This is on my list of film pilgrimages for this year so I’ll be able to give, more info on a trip to Sandford after I visit…
The police training scenes were filmed at the Hendon Police Training College, NW4.
This stuff is all clearly lined out in the credits so it doesn’t take a genius to work out the locations, but I wanted to include it because I love the film and I’d love for someone else to review it after already having been there - or even better if they live there…so come on…it’s really near Glastonbury if that helps anyone out? |
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Film Locations in London, United Kingdom
Batman (Dir: Tim Burton, 1989)
Burton’s gothic version of New York, playground to the winged freak bat man, Gotham City, was built at Pinewood, where it spread out over 18 soundstages. The outside of Wayne Manor was Tudor, Knebworth House and the interiors were Hatfield House (also used in Orlando and Tomb Raider.). Rumour was that the studio wanted to use Battersea Power Station for Axis Chemicals but they instead used an empty power station in Acton Lane (Acton.), the outside of Axis is Little Barford Power Station, Bedfordshire. You can’t go inside the empty power station in Acton so it’s probably more interesting to see the exteriors. Hatfield House you can visit though and it’s pretty good, see: www.hatfield-house.co.uk and Knebworth House: www.knebworthhouse.com |
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Film Locations in London, United Kingdom
Goldeneye (Dir: Martin Campbell, 1995)
I put the bungy in the list but I missed the other locations out. Obviously the highlight was using the new ‘secret’ MI6 building as British Intelligence headquarters - absolute genius! It’s at 85 Albert Embankment if you’re not sure. It’s also used in “The World is Not Enough” - well they had to keep it consistent then didn’t they!
The bad news is that the big tank scene where it pummels up part of St. Petersburg was shot on a set and at the British Sugar Factory in Peterborough and Leavesden Aerodrome, Hertfordshire (we all knew that but it is still disappointing to have it confirmed - though some of the end shots are real and some of the chase scenes as well - it’s really hard to tell which ones though.). A lot of Russia was actually shot in the UK. The huge Russian hotel for example was the Langham in Portland Place dressed up with Russian flags, the Russian Defence Ministry interiors were shot at the Draper’s Hall, Throgmorton Ave, Broadgate and Somerset House is used for a St. Petersburg Square - the cold war must really be over…
I haven’t been there but the huge satellite dish is supposed to be at Arecibo in Puerto Rico. |
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