The Mi6 radio control unit - Mi6 HQ?

Midnight in London

In Dr. No, when the radio control at Mi6 looses contact with Strangways who is their station agent in Jamaica, Bond is immediately summoned to M. Moneypenny has apparently been searching London for him and of course he can be found at one of the finest clubs in town. Playing a game of Chemin de fer at Les Ambassadeurs, Bond receives a business card and has to pass the shoe. In the next scene he walks into M's office.

The building to the right is probably the one that still exists today

"-It happens to be 3 am. When do you sleep 007?
       -Never on the firm's time sir..."
              -M and Bond at the office-





The exterior of Bond's office is never shown, but two buildings are briefly visible before the scene at the radio department. When the contact with Jamaica is broken, the foreman of signals immediately informs Mi6. If the buildings shown in the first scene is supposed to house both the radio unit and M's office is not clear.

The foreman of signals is casually dressed for the night shift.


"Foreman of signals, sir. Jamaica's broken off mid-transmission. No Sir it's not a technical fault." 





The buildings that were used in the film can be found at a rather well known place. They are located right next to the real Mi6 headquarters at Vauxhall. Even though the exact same buildings doesn't exist anymore it appears that at least one of the buildings visible in the film still stands on the south bank of the Thames today.

Why these buildings were used is not known. If they are supposed to portray the exterior of Mi6 is not entirely clear but if they are, this is the only time that the Universal Exports is visible during the Connery era. In On Her Majesty's secret service, a sign in the pre-title sequence indicates that the Mi6 headquarters are located in Westminster, close to Big Ben. Then it took another seven films until the exterior would be seen again - this time located at Whitehall in Octopussy.

The real Mi6 can be spotted to the right

Portuguese Macau



"-But what the hell is Lazar? 
         -Not what, who; a Portuguese, lives in Macau." 
                         Bond to Calthorpe

In The man with the golden gun, Bond goes to Macau to find the weapons and munitions manufacturer Lazar who allegedly has manufactured the golden bullets for Scaramanga. Bond is driven to Lazar's gun shop in a cycle rickshaw, but just before he arrives he passes in front of a casino called Casino de Macau. This scene was shot on location just in front of the floating casino called 'Casino Macau Palace', or 'Casino de Macau' which evidently was the name in 1974. Today, the pedal driven taxi is a tourist attraction in Macau and if you want to try one, you will probably pay about five times more than a regular taxi.

So far this location has been one of the hardest to identify, partly because of the insufficient information about the casino but also because of the very few exterior shots. However, a few old photographs proved to be most helpful and made it possible to determine the location.

Original picture website

In the picture to the left the name on the sign says 'Casino Macau Palace' and if this was the name before or after The man with the golden gun is unknown. But the sign and entrance are the only things from the exterior of the casino that can be recognized from the film, even though the name has been changed. The picture below makes it possible to determine the exact spot where the casino was located, namely along Rua das Lorchas, between Ponte No 12 and 14.

Original picture website

The original casino was moored along the quay in the inner harbor, just opposite the buildings that can be found at 220 Rua das Lorchas today. Bond questions Lazar about by whom the golden bullets will be collected, in order to track down Scaramanga. Lazar claims that he delivers them in the casino, without specifying which casino. It is implied that it is the floating Macau Palace that Lazar is referring to since the sign has already been pictured.



"-Who collects them? 
-I swear I do not know! My instructions are to go to the casino and deliver them, get paid and then vanish."
                -Bond questions Lazar-




Only a few scenes from the interior of the casino is seen in the film. In his book: 'My word is my Bond', Sir Roger writes about the casino where you place your bet through an opening in the roof, which indicate that these scenes were filmed on location in Macau. But since the real casino is gone it is impossible to determine where.

Up until some years ago, Macau still had a floating casino with the same name as the original; Casino Macau Palace. Although the building was new (or at least renovated), as seen in the picture below, the casino was located in the same place as the original. But it also had another location, namely in an area called Fisherman's Wharf, very close to the ferry terminal, where it probably was located up until its retirement. I have not been able to determine for how long the casino was located there, but today the floating 'Macau Palace' is anchored in the inner harbor, in the north western part of the Macau peninsula and it looks like it has been out of business for quite some time.

  "I hate to interrupt your dinner but does señor Lazar live here? Lazaaar..?!"
                           -Bond to a Chinese family-

Avenida Amizade opposite Jai Alai Casino

This is the old location of 'Macau Palace Casino' where it was located up until a few years ago, before it was towed away to its present "resting place" in the inner harbor. If the casino currently is being renovated and awaits a reopening is not clear, but the activity during my visit last year was very low. One can only hope that it will be reopened and moved to its original location. 








One of the many references to the past Bond films that can be found in Skyfall is the fact that Bond again ends up at a floating casino in Macau. The "Floating dragon" casino seen in Skyfall is a fictitious casino that was created in studio for the film, but I think it is obvious that the inspiration for the building comes from the original 'Macau Palace Casino'.

Casino 'Floating dragon' in Skyfall

Yacht Club de Monaco

Yacht Manticore is anchored in the middle of Monte Carlo harbor. 

In GoldenEye, Bond follows Xenia and the Admiral from the casino to the Monte Carlo Yacht Club, where they park the Ferrari. Bond watches them from the open air theater Fort Antoine where he takes a few snapshots of Xenia and the boat that belongs to the yacht Manticore. He later returns to his car in the parking lot above the yacht club.

Xenia parks along the Quai Antoine and a boat is waiting for her and the Admiral at one of the small piers. The letters Y.C.M indicates that Manticore belongs to Yacht Club de Monaco.

Bond returns to the Aston and receives a message from Moneypenny through his CD-player with information about Xenia and the yacht. The small parking lot is located right above the yacht club, along Avenue de la Quarantaine, but it appears to be a residential parking today so you might not be able to park here, even with an Aston...

          "Goodnight James, I trust you stay, on-a-top of things..."

The parking lot is visible from Fort Antoine (to the bottom left). 

Located at 16 Quai Antoine, the yacht club will move to a new venue on Quai Louis II, where currently a new clubhouse is being built. The building works will be completed at the end of 2013 so this summer is the last chance to visit the yacht club at its present location.

Fort Antoine is visible above the club

Founded in 1953 by Prince Rainier III of Monaco, Y.C.M. is probably one of the most prestigious yacht clubs in the world and many of the worlds most luxurious yachts belong to the club. HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, the reigning monarch of Monaco, is the president of the club since 1984.

An abandoned station - Vauxhall Cross

"It seems you've become useful again..."

In Die another day, after the sword fight with Gustav Graves at 'Blades', Bond is called back into service. In the lobby of the fencing club Bond receives a key, sent from M. The key opens a door that leads down to a secret part of Mi6, an abandoned tube station called Vauxhall Cross where M is waiting. Bond arrives to the location in a London cab.

The door can be found at the southeast end of Westminster Bridge, just opposite Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. The name Vauxhall Cross is a reference to the fact that the real Mi6 HQ is located at the end of Vauxhall Bridge and close to the real tube station called Vauxhall. Since Bond would have had to walk approximately 2 km to get to the real Vauxhall Station, it is implied that the secret station is located somewhere along the south bank.  

Once when I visited the place, the door was open and I got a peek inside. Behind it is a small room housing an electric central, so don't be disappointed if you can't find the steep staircase that Brosnan walks down. That scene and the following at the tube station were shot in studio.

           "An abandoned station, for abandoned agents..."



Another famous location that can be found nearby is the lamp post that was used in the promotional photos of George Lazenby when he "took office" after Sir Sean. That lamp post can be found on the other side of the street, just opposite of the secret Mi6 door.

The Citroën chase - Pagi village, part 2

After flipping the car over at "the low road" Bond takes over the wheel of the iconic Citroën and the car chase begins. Bond and Melina are follwed by two of Gonzales' black Peugeots through the village of Pagi and the surrounding countryside. The action is supposed to take place in Spain, near Madrid, but was filmed in Corfu, Greece. The cars are driving past the bell tower of a church in Pagi. This architectural character, with the separate bell tower, is strongly influenced by the Venetian style. After nearly 400 years of Venetian rule between the 15th and the late 18th century, the Venetian architecture can still be found all over the island.
                    
                    "You don't mind if I drive do you?"
                                   -Bond to Melina-

As the cars drive through Pagi, a man washing olives from the harvest looks up as they pass his home. This house and the driveway can also be found on location, just 50 meters before the bell tower. The road that runs through Pagi, and past this house, is called 'Epar. Od. Arkadades-Agiou Georgiou' and apparently covers a good part of the north-western part of the island.

Olives in Corfu are harvested from November to April so this is the time to visit Corfu if you want to watch an authentic harvest. Filming in Corfu started in September 1980 and according to the special location section on the Bluray, the scenes in Pagi were filmed in mid-October, which becomes obvious when you compare my pictures from mid-July.

The Citroën is actually passing the church already before the "low road", when entering the village. The steps have been hidden behind an old woman selling flowers. Thanks to the clever filming you never realize the fact that the car went in and out of Pagi the same way.

In the picture above: the bell tower is visible to the right in the curve and this is the same way as the Citroën was driving when entering the village.   

               


                   "Por favor, campo allá!"

The expression Bond uses to get the crowd to bump start the car is "campo allá", which actually is translated to "beyond the field". Bond meant of course to say something like "let's go", but campo allá is evidently a more rural choice of words, which would be appropriate in the Spanish countryside. However, chances are that no one would understand what you mean if you use this kind of expression in central Madrid.

Blades fencing club and the Foreign Office

Die another day
A few locations have doubled for different places throughout the series, for example Somerset house that was used as the Ministry of Defence in Tomorrow and as a Russian square in the middle of S:t Petersburg in GoldenEye. Another location that was used in both Die another day and Quantum of Solace is the Reform Club in London.

In Die another day, Bond meets with Gustav Graves at the fencing club ''Blades''. After an old fashioned sword fight, where they destroy a good part of the club, Gustav settles his lost wager in the lobby.

"My my, they do get around. But then diamonds are for everyone."
                               -Gustav Graves-

Filmed in the upper gallery, overlooking the square atrium on the ground floor

The scenes at Blades were filmed at the renowned Reform Club in central London. A classic gentlemen's club that was founded in 1836 and probably the most sought after club for any Bond fan. Originally membership was restricted to those who pledged support for the Great Reform Act of 1832 (given middle-class men the right to vote) and the liberal club was meant to be a counterweight against the Tories. Today the political connection is gone, even though the club maintain its liberal and progressive traditions. Since 1981 the Reform Club is open for female members.

The exterior of the Reform Club, located at 104 Pall Mall

The fencing scenes at Blades are among the highlights of the film, even though Madonna's role as fencing instructor Verity is totally pointless and, just like the title song utterly worthless. Madonna's appearance ruins an otherwise splendid scene between Brosnan, Stephens and Pike at the club. Part of the sword fight was filmed in the upper gallery of the club juxtaposed with scenes filmed at Pinewood and the "lobby" scene with Bond and Graves was filmed in the square atrium on the ground floor, located a few steps up from the entrance of the club.

Bond gets the key to the Mi6 underground station 

After sending off Graves and Frost in the lobby, Bond receives M's calling card: the key to a secret underground station that is part of Mi6. During this scene you see the floor pattern in the Reform Club lobby. The floor can be recognized in Quantum of solace (see below).

     "You're a rare challenge Mr Bond."

Part of the sword fight shot in studio

---

Quantum of Solace

In Quantum of solace, M has been called in to the Foreign Secretary to explain Bond's actions in Bolivia. Before entering his office, she walks down the hallway of the Foreign Office with Tanner. This scene was also filmed at the Reform Club. The stairway and statue in the background can be recognized from the scene at Blades, as well as the floor from the square atrium.

In 2011 I was fortunate enough to visit the club and the interior is absolutely magnificent. Both the atrium on the ground floor and the upper gallery, where part of the sword fight took place, still look exactly like in the two films. The atrium is reminiscent of an Italian courtyard, and inspired by Italian Renaissance architecture, this is one of the finest Victorian buildings in the country. The building has remained almost unchanged since completion in 1841 (a few years after the founding of The Reform Club). The stairs (seen behind M) is elegantly decorated with tunnel-vaulted mirrors that creates the effect of a massive staircase.
The feeling you have when you walk up the stairs to the upper gallery even surpasses the feeling you have at the Peninsula in Hong Kong or Casino Monte Carlo. Unfortunately, photography is prohibited and in places like this you do not even want to try if you are not a member. I suppose I have to wait for a membership...

And if you don't wear a tie, do not even try to get in.

United Nations HQ - New York

Probably the most uninspiring pre-title sequence in the entire series is the one from Live and let die 1973. Three British agents are killed in three different locations. One is killed in New York, which is the reason for M to send Bond over there to come up with some answers. The agent is attending a session in the United Nations when the film starts, and is killed with a sonic weapon through his headphone translator. The building pictured in the film, of course being the real United Nations building, is located in New York on the bank of the East river where it has been since the completion in 1952.

Of course Bond never visits the UN during his relatively short visit to New York, and a more interesting location would of course be the 'Oh cult voodoo shop' at 33 east 65th street. Even though the United Nations is not a very interesting Bond location it is more attractive as a tourist site. This is the very heart of world diplomacy and a visit is strongly recommended when one is in New York, regardless of the Bond connection.

You will have the best view over the building from the Brooklyn side, probably around the area of Hunters Point but the more classic view is the one from 1st avenue in Manhattan. Here you can see the line of flagpoles where the flags of all the 193 UN member states are flown.

In front of the building you can also find the classic "knotted revolver", designed by the Swedish painter and sculptor Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd. The sculpture was made after the killing of John Lennon in December 1980 and has ever since been a non-violence symbol. The revolver can be found on several places in Sweden and also in a few dozen countries throughout the world.

An interesting coincidence is the fact that Bond gets the barrel of his Walther PPK bent by henchman Tee Hee, when he meets with Mr Big in New York. Since the sculpture was made in the 80's it has absolutely no significance to the film or whatsoever, but I thought it was a fun trivia to mention.

Not surprisingly the city of New York is portrayed very dull and uninspiring, with the lack of a proper skyline or other famous sites like the Brooklyn bridge, World trade center or the Statue of Liberty. This is, as I have mentioned before, a consisting theme in Guy Hamilton's last three Bond films, from Diamonds to Golden gun. Live and let die is definitely one of the weaker films in the series, mainly due to the fact that it's just boring, even though it is better than both its predecessor and successor. Even though Moore was quite committed and plays a good first Bond (regardless of the extremely poor introduction), the fighting scenes follow the classic Moore manner and the pre-title sequence is the worst in the series. With John Barry unavailable to do the music he recommended his friend George Martin, who makes a solid work (although not anywhere near Barry or Arnold), even though the title song is far from being the masterpiece that so many others like to claim. The fact that Sir Paul is singing does not automatically make it the best song in the Bond history.

New York still feels like unexploited territory for Bond, but since so many other films have taken place there and so much has happened, it is questionable if there is anything left for Bond to do there.