In Goldeneye during Bond's visit to Casino Monte Carlo, the magnificent Hôtel de Paris is visible in the background as Bond drives up to the casino. The hotel was also briefly visible in Never Say Never Again twelve years earlier as Connery walks into what is called "Casino Royale" in the film. Bond has however never actually stayed in that hotel. The Hôtel de Paris is located in the heart of Monte Carlo, right next to the casino at the convenient address Place du Casino.
Hôtel de Paris was opened in 1863 but is today undergoing a total renovation that is scheduled to continue until 2018. During this renovation, the entire south section of the hotel (the round part of the building as seen in Goldeneye)has been demolished, which is apparent in the picture above.
The Persuaders!
Although Bond himself has never stayed at the Hôtel de Paris, it was nevertheless the destination for Lord Brett Sinclair and Danny Wilde in the first episode of The Persuaders!. After the iconic car chase from Nice airport where Brett and Danny are speeding along the coastal road, they end up in front of the Hôtel de Paris, just like the invitation from Judge Fulton had stated. "Please be my guest it's going to be a ball!!!"
Only one actual scene was shot inside the hotel, and that was Roger Moore's entrance when he walks through the lobby. Everything else, sadly, appear to have been shot in studio. The hotel lobby is amazingly beautiful and well worth a visit even if you are not staying in the hotel. Anyway, Le Bar American and the restaurant Le Louis XVI located inside the hotel on each side of the lobby, are probably two of the best establishments in Monaco. A drink in the bar is simply a must.
In the beginning of the first episode of The Persuaders!, starring Tony Curtis and Roger Moore from the early seventies, the two playboys are racing each other between Nice airport and Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo. One of the more notable locations that featured prominently during this iconic car chase is the viaduct of Èze close to one of the most beautiful villages on the Rivera.
This viaduct featured in the episode is the 'Corniche Viaduct' and is located along the Moyenne Corniche, when driving into Èze from the Nice direction. The viaduct can be found just before you drive into this small village beautifully situated high up in the mountains with a stunning view over the Mediterranean. From L'église d'Èze and the adjacent cemetery you have a nice view over the beautiful construction spanning over a deep ravine.
Lord Brett Sinclair (Sir Roger) is driving a Bahama yellow Aston Martin DBS and Danny Wilde (Curtis) is driving a red Ferrari Dino across the coastal roads of the Riviera. As Brett is dropping off three girls at Nice Côte d'Azur Airport and Wilde is arriving from the States, the two protagonists encounter each other at a stop light just outside the airport. The easygoing tone of the series is set just as they are speeding off and the brilliant song by Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent begins.
The surrounding landscape has obviously not changed notably since 1971.
Eze is definitely the most spectacular village along the Nice-Monaco route and probably one of the most beautifully situated villages on the French Riviera. It is renowned for the view of the sea from its hill top. The Èze commune, extends from the Mediterranean Sea (Èze-sur-Mer) to the hilltop and its medieval village (Èze-Village).
In a previous scene, we actually see the two cars speeding through a curve outside of Èze. This curve is actually located outside of the village, on the opposite side from the viaduct of Èze. This means that the cars first would have had to drive across the bridge, before driving into this curve. The car chase actually has a few of these bloopers, but I do not find it particularly disturbing since the car chase nonetheless is one of the most enjoyable scenes in the entire series.
The song played in during the car chase is the masterpiece by Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent called "Gotta get away".
In GoldenEye, Bond is holidaying on the French Riviera, driving around his Aston Martin DB5 when Xenia is driving up behind him in her Ferrari 355. They are racing around the mountain roads above Monaco in a car chase that particularly resembles the Persuaders car chase. It is obvious that The Persuaders! has influenced director Campbell for the car chase in GoldenEye. Sadly, the GoldenEye car chase is partly ruined by the composer Eric Serra, who has made the worst soundtrack in the entire Bond series. As an example I have edited the car chase from GoldenEye slightly, and if you are a Persuades fan you will not be disappointed!
In the 19th episode of The Persuaders! called "The Morning After", Brett wakes up in his suite at Grand Hôtel in Stockholm, covered earlier. He discovers that he has married a woman during what appears to have been a very wet previous night. When Brett takes a flight back to London, he leaves Stockholm from Bromma Airport, Stockholm's city airport.
Bromma Airport is located only 7 kilometers from the city centre and is closest to the city compared to all the other commercial airports in Stockholm. It was opened in 1936, by King Gustav V, when Stockholm urgently needed a proper airport and it was the first airport in Europe to have paved runways from the start. During World War II Swedish and British aircraft flew to the United Kingdom from Bromma Airport.
Bromma Airport around 1972
Bromma Airport in 2018
However the runway of Bromma was too short for the jet age and for intercontinental traffic in the 1960's (e.g. DC-8), and the capacity limit of Bromma could be foreseen. Therefore Stockholm Arlanda Airport was built. The flight between Stockholm and London in 1972, at the time of filming of The Persuaders! would most likely have taken off from Arlanda. Even though there are several international flights from Bromma today, there are no flights to London.
It is unlikely that any of the principle cast ever were in Stockholm for the filming, since neither Sir Roger nor Curtis are seen outdoors. The interior scenes in the episode were most likely shot in Pinewood with a back projection from various Stockholm locations. Interestingly enough, the back projection from the airport shows airplane hangars from Stockholm's largest airport, Arlanda instead of Bromma. A DC-9 airplane from Scandinavian Airlines is briefly seen in the background.
We do not learn which airline Lord Brett is using, although a billboard from SAS is visible in the terminal in one scene as well as the DC-9 from SAS.
The old terminal building in 2018
At present there is a political campaign run by the environmental party, presently in power, to close down the airport, although there is a strong resistance against it. Hopefully the airport will remain open for many many years to come, because where else would Lord Sinclair land the next time?
As we are getting ready to finally see Rome as a new Bond location in Spectre, it has naturally been used rather extensively as a filming location throughout the decades. Rome was for instance the location for Lord Sinclair and Danny Wilde in an episode of The Persuaders!. In the 17th episode, called 'Five Miles to Midnight', Danny and Brett are sent to Rome to help judge Fulton to smuggle an American mobster out of Italy. As per usual, most of the scenes were shot in Pinewood, but a few establishing shots over Rome were filmed on location.
The episode starts off with a panoramic view over Piazza del Popolo, a large oval square in the northern part of central Rome. You have the best view over the square from one of the viewpoints in the garden of Villa Borghese, for instance near Piazza Bucarest. Piazza del Popolo is an odd choice for an establishing shot, since it is perhaps not the most characteristic place in Rome, even though St. Peter's Church is visible in the far background.
After the title sequence Brett is driving his Aston Martin around town and few famous sights are featured.
Brett makes his entrance in the episode in front of Altare della Patria, (Altar of the fatherland), also known as the national monument to Victor Emmanuel II. He arrives on the Via dei fori Imperiali and drives across Piazza Venezia, which is the big square right in front of the monument and Rome's answer to Trafalgar Square. Built in honour of Victor Emmanuel who was the first king of unified Italy, the monument was inaugurated in 1911 and completed in 1925.
Very briefly seen in the background behind Lord Sinclair is the imposing Palazzo Venezia which also faces the big square. This is a Renaissance palace built in the 15th century by Pope Paul II. The palace is perhaps most known for being the place from where Mussolini harangued the Italian masses during the fascist era. Il Duce declared war against Britain and France on 10 June 1940 from the stone balcony seen in the two pictures below. The balcony connects with the Mussolini’s old office.
Having the most British of all Lords driving his Aston Martin past the balcony where Italy, 30 years earlier, had declared war on England was perhaps a cheeky hint to Il Duce. The palazzo today houses a museum.
In the third episode of The Persuaders! named 'Take Seven', we get to see the exterior of Lord Brett Sinclair's London apartment. Lord Sinclair resides at the prestigious Queen Anne's gate. Located only ten minutes from the Abbey and Big Ben, this is the very heart of London.
Brett's very ''subtle'' Aston Martin is conveniently parked just outside his front door, although I do not expect people to have the same respect for his Lordship's parking space today and leave it unblocked.
The fictitious number 53 was used in the episode. In reality, Lord Sinclair's residence can be found at No. 15.
This is probably one of the better residential areas in London, considering that you are in the very city centre, and you do not hear a sound from the London traffic. All the historic signs on the houses also reveal the high reputation this street has enjoyed over the decades.
As Brett and Danny leave the apartment and drive off in Brett's Aston Martin, they are followed by a suspicious man in a car, not entirely unlike several other episodes in the series. In the background, as they drive off, between the two houses at the end of the street, Big Ben is visible. The metal fence in front of the building appears to be the same as in 1971. The bad guy is driving a Fiat 125, probably equally bad as any of the small British cars produced at the time.
Big Ben visible between the houses at the end of the street
To put Lord Sinclair's apartment on this street was probably a decision of the filmmakers that was based on the street's history. The houses along this very street have been homes to several Lords over the past centuries, and several houses have round blue signs that informs visitors about the historic significance. Hence, this apartment has probably been in the Sinclair family for generations, passed on to the eldest son of every Sinclair generation, presently in the hands of Brett.
In honour of Sir Roger Moore, who celebrates his birthday today,I will make yet another post from The Persuaders! and the episode that starts off in the Capital of Scandinavia.
The first part of the episode "The morning after"takes place in Stockholm where Lord Sinclair wakes up at Grand Hôtel discovering he is married.
Brett and Danny are on their way to the parish office (covered earlier) in a taxi and during the ride we see one of the most exclusive parts of the city. They are driven across Djurgårdsbron over to Djurgården, or 'The Royal Game Park'. The name stems from the game park of King Johan III, which he created in 1579. Since the 15th century the Swedish monarch has owned or held the right of disposition of Royal Djurgården. In the early 19th century, Djurgården developed into a stately residential area when a few foreign dignitaries were given some exclusive land plots.
In the background you see the buildings along the boulevard Strandvägen, one of the most prestigious addresses in Stockholm along with Djurgården. The boulevard Strandvägen and the bridge to Djurgården were constructed just in time for the Stockholm World's fair in 1897. Part of the bridge and Strandvägen are visible behind Brett and Danny when riding in the taxi. The building used as the parish office is located in the opposite direction so ultimately they are going the wrong way.
This area, including Djurgården is truly a beautiful part of Stockholm and a walk along Strandvägen is highly recommended. If you continue down Strandvägen you will ultimately reach the commercial center and the Royal Dramatic Theatre.
Congratulations to Sir Roger Moore who turns 86 today, 14 October 2013!
To one of the nicest persons in the world, long may he live!
Although Bond himself has never stayed at the Hôtel de Paris, it was nevertheless the destination for Lord Brett Sinclair and Danny Wilde in the first episode of The Persuaders!. After the iconic car chase from Nice airport where Brett and Danny are speeding along the coastal road, they end up in front of the Hôtel de Paris, just like the invitation from Judge Fulton had stated.
