Bratislava Safe House

Just before the concert interval in The Living Daylights, Bond and Saunders leave and head across the street to an apartment. Saunders has been informed that a sniper has been assigned to watch over General Koskov and Bond is brought in to make sure that the general's defection over to the west will be safe. They hide behind the hammer and sickle on the balcony on the third floor.

The Mi6 safe house is located just opposite the Volksoper on Währinger Strasse in central Vienna, doubling for Bratislava in the film. The corner shop where Bond and Saunders enter is in reality a candy shop run by an old lady which is well worth a visit. Bond and Saunders are entering the place which has been closed with metal shutters in the film. The red "Bonbons" sign is the same as in the film.
            "-You want the soft nosed ones I expect? 

-No, steel tipped. KGB snipers usually wears body armour."

                             -Saunders and Bond-

In the film, the sign above the door reads 'KSS Agitačné Stredisko'. The KSS was the Communist Party of Slovakia, which was a branch of the state Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ) at the time. 'Agitačné Stredisko' means ''Agitation Center''. Apparently Mi6 has disguised their safe house as one of the Slovakian Communist Party headquarters. Furthermore, the street is called 'Ulica Cervenej' which appropriately means "Red Street" in Slovak.

From the balcony Bond and Saunders have a clear view over the conservatoire. Saunders observes the general coming out through the window in the bathroom. In reality this window is located in the cloakroom.

Kara is positioned on the third floor as well, aiming her rifle at Koskov when Bond shoots the rifle out of her hands.

                            "Fire Bond, fire!"

The view from Kara's window. 

Today the candy shop has a few pictures of Dalton on display in the window, of which two were taken of Dalton inside the shop during filming.

Aston Montenegro

After Vesper has been kidnapped, Bond speeds away in his Aston Martin from the Hotel Splendide. The car is parked at the Grandhotel Pupp parking lot, the hotel in Karlovy Vary that doubled for Hotel Splendide in the film (also covered earlier). However the parking lot is enclosed by a barrier, which would make it impossible for Bond to speed away from the parking lot as he does in the film.

The hotel has the car park guarded for 24 hours a day. It appears that the more dignifying guests get to park their cars along the road and in the "gun barrel" in front of the hotel.

The Prater Ferris wheel - Wiener Riesenrad

After attending the opera at the Schönbrunn Schlossteater, Bond and Kara go for a ride in the famous Ferris wheel at the Prater amusement park. Bond has made an appointment with Saunders at the Prater Café and is going to meet him there at midnight.

Necros, disguised as a balloon salesman is approaching Saunders as Bond and Kara ascent on the wheel. The Prater Café was constructed in Pinewood and Saunders death was accordingly not filmed on location. This does not stop you however from getting a cup of coffee in one of the many cafes around the wheel.

  "Ein balloon mein herr?"

Bond of course uses the time on the wheel to seduce Kara. It would prove to be quite an easy task. They are riding in car no. 10. The lights in the cars cannot be turned off however. The area around the wheel has changed substantially since 1987 and many of the attractions in the park from that time are gone. But assuming the wheel has not changed its position (not very likely) you can still determine where Saunders was positioned when Necros offered him a balloon.

The wheel is seen in various scenes throughout the film. It is also featured in the film The Third Man from 1949, starring Orson Welles. The Prater plays a part in the film, and the line "balloon mein herr?" is taken from that film.

The Wiener Riesenrad, German for giant wheel, was constructed in 1897 in celebration of the golden jubilee of Emperor Franz Joseph I. It was the tallest Ferris wheel in the world between 1920 and 1985 and is still one of the most popular tourist attractions in Vienna. The wheel is located at the entrance of the Wurstelprater park and cost about €10 for one ride.

The Prater wheel features rather extensively in The Third Man. This film was an obvious inspiration for Director John Glen and not surprisingly, since The Third Man is considered one of the greatest films of all time. It is shot on location in Vienna, a city still in ruins in 1949. A few other Bond connections include Bernard Lee in one of the roles and Guy Hamilton as the assistant director. The two main characters Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles also go for a ride on the wheel.

-Mein herr, balloon. Balloon mein herr?

Schönbrunn Palace - Part 3

 As Bond and Kara pass the Schönbrunn Palace they witness a dancing competition or a demonstration of the Viennese Waltz to the tunes of Johann Strauss Jr's waltz Op. 333 titled "Wine, women and song". This piece of music was composed by Strauss Jr. in 1869 and the title was drawn from the old adage: "Who loves not wine, women and song remains a fool his whole life long". This adage is probably a subtle nod to Bond who has enjoyed all three on numerous occasions over the years.

They ride through the garden in front of the palace only to arrive at their hotel located in another part of Vienna in the next scene. In the film the orchestra was located on the balcony above the dance floor. You can still recognize the characteristic green window shutters on the palace. The palace is of course open to the public and you can expect a great number tourists in the garden. 

The dance floor was created right in front of the palace facing the garden. Bond and Kara arrive from Obeliskenalle and continue down Lichte Allee in front of the palace. It is a shame that the outdoor scenes at Schönbrunn only last a minute or two. The full exterior of the rear side of the palace is never shown. During the end credits, the front exterior is pictured. Bond is visiting the palace on two further occasions in the film. He and Kara are attending the opera in the Schlossteater, and later Bond secretly attends Kara's ending performance in the same venue.

Seen on the other side of the palace garden, on a hill, is the Gloriette. This 18th century structure was erected during the reign of Emperor Joseph II and Empress Maria Theresa and functioned as a lookout point for the garden as well as a dining hall.

The Gloriette was built in 1775 and as well as being a festival hall it was the breakfast room for Emperor Franz Joseph I. The dining room, located in the middle of the gloriette, today houses a café. On the roof is an observation floor overlooking the garden and the city of Vienna. The view over the Palace and the garden is spectacular. Needless to say, if you are visiting Schönbrunn the Gloriette is a perfect place to stop for lunch.

Schönbrunn Palace, part 2 - The Palace Garden

In The Living Daylights Bond and Kara ride through Vienna in a horse carriage. On the way to their hotel, Im Palais Schwarzenberg, they pass the former summer palace of the Austrian Imperial family and the most famous tourist attraction in Vienna, the Schönbrunn Palace. Even though you never see the full exterior of the back side of the palace when they ride past it, the front exterior is pictured during the end credits.

Obeliskenallee

Bond's horse carriage arrive through the Obeliskenallee in the garden and continue on the Lichte Allee in front of the palace. Bond and Kara would return to Schönbrunn later the same evening to attend the opera performance of Le Nozze di Figaro which was filmed at the Schönbrunn Palace theater, the 'Schlossteater'. 

Schönbrunn Palace is definitely one of the most beautiful Bond locations in Vienna and a memorable experience. You have the best view over the palace and garden from the hill where the 'Gloriette' is located. Schönbrunn is one of the most important cultural monuments in Austria and apparently the palace and garden illustrate the tastes, interests and aspirations of successive Habsburg monarchs. Needless to say, a visit is a must when you travel to Vienna.

Today is Timothy Dalton's birthday and different sources claim that he was born either in 1944 or 1946. Why his birth year is unknown is not clear to me. 

Regardless of the fact that you do not want to be associated with the role, The Living Daylights is a solid Bond film that certainly belongs in the top ten list. Either way,

Happy Birthday Timothy

Noble House: Macau

In the third episode of Noble House, starring Pierce Brosnan, Ian Dunross and Miss Casey make a trip to Macau when Dunross needs to speak with Lando Mata, a Portuguese born in Macau who controls the gambling concession. Lando sends his Rolls Royce to pick up Dunross and Casey. They pass a few famous landmarks in the city of Macau on the way to Lando's home.

Briefly seen is the ruin of St. Paul's, a 17th century Portuguese cathedral located in one of the oldest parts of Macau. The ruin was once part of a 16th century complex including of what was originally St. Paul's college and the cathedral. Finished in 1602 St. Paul's was one of the biggest catholic churches in Asia. The cathedral was destroyed by a fire during a typhoon in 1835 and the facade was the only thing that survived.

The Rolls Royce is also driving past Casino Lisboa in the center of Macau. Casey thinks she's in Las Vegas and Dunross points out that the gentlemen in Las Vegas probably could learn a thing or two from Macau. The Casino Lisboa is one of the most famous hotel casinos in Macau and the round hotel tower seen in Noble House was built in the 1970's by Stanley Ho. In competition with Wynn Macau, a big extension was added to Casino Lisboa in 2006, the Grand Lisboa.

Lando Mata's house was not located in Macau, these scenes were filmed on the south side of Hong Kong Island. But an interesting Bond reference in Noble House is the fact that Dunross and Casey visit the floating Macau Palace casino. The same casino Bond visits in The Man with the Golden Gun. 

The Grand Lisboa and the original Casino Lisboa from Noble House to the right.

Macau was the last remaining European colony in Asia when Portugal handed it over to the Peoples Republic of China in 1999. Dunross tells Casey that the Portuguese had tried to give Macau back already in 1974 but that the Peoples Republic had refused to accept it then.