Duel on the beach - James Bond Island, Thailand

Probably the most famous Bond location in the world is the island of Ko Tapu, or nail island in Thailand, today known as "James Bond island".
Because of the fame, it is also one of the most commercially ruined locations you can visit. But nonetheless, when in Thailand it is well worth a visit. The island is situated in a beautiful part of Thailand, namely Phang Nga bay. It was here that Scaramanga's secret lair was located in The man with the golden gun and the famous duel between Scaramanga and Bond took place on the beach here in 1974.    
                    
                "Watch that mushroom shaped rock!"
     

Since 1981 the island is part of the Ao Phang Nga National Park and since 1998 it is forbidden for tourist boats to approach Ko Tapu, which aims to stop erosion of the limestone rocks that might eventually result in a collapse. Despite that, the beach is not protected and therefore ruined by both the locals and the tourists.
         

Scaramanga has built a luxurious hideout inside the mountain and has a view over the "mushroom shaped rock". When Bond arrives, he lands on the water and stops his sea plane on the beach. Nick Nack greets him  with a bottle of Dom Perignon 1964, which Scaramanga then opens by shooting off the cork.

                                    "-Six bullets to your one?
                                      -I only need one..."
                                                     -Bond to Scaramanga-

From the beach Bond and Scaramanga reach the entrance to the lair. Of course it is a fake as you can see from the left picture. Another example of excellent production and set design. Obviously all the interior scenes were shot in studio. The cast have left their autographs on some metal plates that can be found on the rock wall.



The original beach is covered with stalls and vendors selling sea shells with the 007 logo and other trinkets, so sadly the original untouched setting is gone forever. But the beach where Scaramanga and Miss Anders are served drinks by Nick Nack, seen in the pre-title sequence, are not the same as the one used in the duel scene. Instead you can find that beach on the other side of the big rock to the right. Fortunately this beach is not as well known and therefore free from both tourists and vendors.

Scaramanga's private beach to the right

The easiest way to get to James Bond island is probably taking a daylong sightseeing trip where the visit is included together with lunch, elephant trek, speedboat trip and various visits etc. You can almost certainly find at least one tour including James Bond island at every travel agent in Phuket. But the best way to get there would be charter a boat by yourself and leave early in the morning to avoid the tourists and the people selling kitsch. That is probably the only way you can truly enjoy this classic location in peace.

Phang Nga Bay was also used in the final scenes of Tomorrow never dies, 23 years later. The famous "James Bond Island" is not visible however but the surrounding rocks and beautiful scenery is very recognizable indeed. In Tomorrow the location is supposed to be in the south China sea, namely Ha Long bay.

Bangkok car chase

Probably two of the least important locations in the world, from a Bond perspective, can be found in Bangkok. They featured only for a few seconds in the background during the car chase in The man with the golden gun and is interesting only from a documentary point of view. I am talking about the "Democracy monument" and the "Gigant Swing", both located in the heart of Bangkok.

Bond is chasing Scaramanga in a red AMC Hornet, previously stolen from a car show room, with the Louisiana state sheriff J.W. Pepper in the other seat. Scaramanga is driving a golden AMC with agent Mary Goodnight locked in the boot. A few different Bangkok sights can probably be recognized in the film but a lot of things have changed since 1974 so it is hard to find locations still untouched. 

"Who are you after this time boy, commis?! Let's go get 'em, I'm with you all the way!"

The democracy monument was commissioned in 1939 to honor the "Siamese Revolution of 1932" which led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in the Kingdom of Siam. In June 1939 the name Siam was changed to Thailand. (Bond's only other connection with Siam was that he unintentionally drank Siamese vodka in You only live twice 1967.)

Another monument briefly seen during the car chase is the "Gigant Swing" in front of Wat Suthat temple. The swing can only be recognized by the lowest part and is never seen in its full heigth in the movie. The Wat Suthat temple in the background is more obvious and they probably chose to film the sequence here because it was a distinct Thai location. 

The Gigant Swing was originally constructed in 1784 and is a religious structure used in various ceremonies. It was renovated and moved to its current location in 1920 and a major reconstruction took place between 2005 and 2007. I visited both of these locations in 2005 unaware of their significance to the Bond history, something that I discovered years later. 

The car chase is one of the least interesting chases in the entire Bond series and is probably remembered only for the finale when Bond jumps with the car over a river and flips it 360 degrees. A stunt that became world famous after the Bond film. 

The film itself qualifies in the bottom five list despite Christofer Lee and the fact that there are two Swedish ladies in the lead. The plot is poorly written and Scaramanga is no actual threat to Bond or anyone else. The film has little action and takes almost no advantage of the exotic locations in Hong Kong and Macao. That said, it is one of Sir Roger's better efforts as Bond, before he became to tired of doing his own fight sequences. It is also the film where Bond has the most number of suits in the series.


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