At the beginning of ‘Moonraker’ James Bond (Roger Moore) arrived to California in USA to visit Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale) in his residence. After shot discussion with main villain 007 went with Corinne Dufour (Corinne Clery) to meet Dr. Holly Goodhead (Lois Chiles) in her office.
Exterior and Grand Salon of Californian residence was filmed at the Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte around 50 km southeast of Paris. Glass corridor and Dr. Goodhead’s office at its end were filmed in Centre Georges Pompidou located in the Beaubourg area in Paris. Below you can see a few photos with that extraordinary building.
Centre Georges Pompidou – view from Rue Beaubourg.
Centre Pompidou – view from Place Georges Pompidou.
Centre Pompidou – view from Place Georges Pompidou.
Centre Pompidou – view from Place Georges Pompidou.
John Rhys-Davies, who played General Leonid Pushkin in ‘The Living Daylights’, was one of the stars at IV Warsaw Comic Con. He is also famous for his performances in such blockbusters as Indiana Jones as well as ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy. During the meeting with fans at Warsaw Comic Con he was on a stage together with Adam Brown, who played Ori in ‘The Hobbit’. They were talking mostly about their work with director Peter Jackson.
Media representatives were waiting for Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens) at the Buckingham Palace in London. There was also his assistant, Miranda Frost (Rosamund Pike), waiting for her boss. Right on time he appeared in the sky with Union Jack parachute. He landed between them, answered a few questions and together with Miranda Frost went by car to receive his knighthood from the Queen. James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) was standing in the crowd and just looking at the villain.
– Buckingham Palace in London.
– Buckingham Palace in London.
– Buckingham Palace in London.– Sculptures at Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace in London.
That sequence was filmed in April 2002. Film crew got permission to work around the Buckingham Palace for one day only, until lunch time.
There was parachute jump of 3 stuntmen planned for the scene. To fly helicopter less than 1 kilometer above the Buckingham Palace it was necessary to get special permissions from Anti-Terrorist Units. Executive Producer Anthony Waye said that according to the script the scene was supposed to be filmed at the House of Parliament. About 2-3 weeks before filming it was decided to try to shoot at the Buckingham Palace. When they were trying to get permissions, Queen Mother died and all the offices were closed for 10 days. Permission to shoot there was received less that a week before planned filming day.
– Buckingham Palace in London. View from Spur Rd.
– Buckingham Palace in London.
About 250 members of the film crew arrived on the set very early that day. Actress Rosamund Pike said that she had to wake up at 4 a.m. At 6.30 a.m. filming could begin as sun was rising.
At first the scene with parachuting Gustav Graves was filmed. Three stuntmen, who were made up to look like the villain in the film, were ready for the jump. They were flying in a helicopter with pilot Mark Wolff, who has flown helicopters for 8 previous James Bond films (Interview with Marc Wolff).
– Buckingham Palace in London.
The first jumper was the team leader Allan Hewitt. Film director Lee Tamahori was happy with the shot. He decided to film second jump as backup. There was no time for third stuntmen to jump.
– UK parachute from ‘Die Another Day’ at ‘Bond in Motion’ exhibition in Prague, Czech Republic in 2023.
Afterwards the scene with Gustav Graves landing in the crowd was filmed. Actor Toby Stephens was suspended under the arm of crane 40 feet in the air. It was moving down so it looked like Stephens was parachuting.
– The square in front of the Buckingham Palace in London.
Film crew had to clean the area before 9.30 a.m. as the Life Guards began preparations for the Changing of the Guard.
Film crew moved to the park behind Canada Gate to complete filming the scene. At that time hundreds of tourists were gathering to see Changing of the Guard.
– Canada Gate at Buckingham Palace.
– Canada Gate at Buckingham Palace.
About an hour before end of filming, Pierce Brosnan arrived on the set. In his brief appearance in the scene he was standing in the crowd and looking at his rival getting into Range Rover.
At the end the scene with Miranda Frost and media representatives waiting for Gustav Graves was filmed. In the film it was shown before all other scenes filmed that day.
Sources: – ‘Die Another Day’ audio commentary, „Die Another Day” Special Edition, Danjaq, LLC and United Artists Corporation, 2006 – ‘Just Another Day’, dir. Roger Penny, A Special Treats Production, 2002
“Dr. No” was the first official (produced by EON Productions) James Bond film. Its world premiere took place at London Pavilion on October 5th, 1962. The building with nearly 1200 seats was located on the corner of Shaftesbury Avenue and Coventry Street on the north-east side of Piccadilly Circus in London.
– Piccadilly Circus. London Pavilion on the right.
There were five showings of ‘Dr. No’ that day, starting at 10.45 a.m. Celebrities including Sean Connery (who played 007), Zena Marshall (who played Miss Taro), film director Terence Young, producers Hally Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli, as well as James Bond author Ian Fleming attended a gala screening in the evening.
– Entrance to London Pavilion at Shaftesbury Avenue.– London Pavilion – view from Coventry Street.– Shaftesbury Avenue.
It is worth to add an interesting fact that the same day The Beatles released their first single – ‘Love Me Do’.
Sources: – ‘Premiere Bond’, Associated Press Television News, BBC Worldwide Americas Inc., 2002 – www.007magazine.co.uk
MovieGate museum is located in a II World War bunker under Solny square in Wroclaw, Poland. You can see there props from many international blockbusters, including James Bond films. Right at the entrance you will see front of Aston Martin V12 Vanquish, that was damaged during car chase in ‘Die Another Day’.If you have enough money, you can also buy most of props from the museum. Front of James Bond’s car costs nearly 300 000 Polish Zloty (almost 70 000 Euro).Next to Aston Martin, there is a glass case with Vesper Lynd’s dress. Eva Green, who played Vesper, was wearing that dress in ‘Casino Royale’. The dress is also available for purchase. It costs nearly quarter of a million Polish Zloty (over 50 000 Euro).There are also other props from ‘Die Another Day’, such as Ice Palace Guard’s G36 Rifle and Korean Soldier’s AKS-74U used in scenes from the beginning of the film.
To check opening hours and tickets prices visit official MovieGate website: moviegate.pl
James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) arrived to Splendide hotel in Montenegro. 007 received keys to Aston Martin DBS parked in front of the hotel. Soon after check-in they both went to a meeting with their MI6 contact person – Rene Mathis (Giancarlo Gianni) in a small village in Montenegro.
The sequence was filmed in Loket in Czech Republic that is located very close to Karlovy Vary that was another ‘Casino Royale’ filming location (read ‘Casino Royale’ in Karlovy Vary).
Scenes with 007, Vesper Lynd and Rene Mathis were filmed in a heart of Loket’s Old Town at T.G. Masaryk street that resembled a square around the Column of the Holy Trinity. Below you can see part of the street from which Aston Martin DBS arrived. While taking the photo I was standing next to the Column of the Holy Trinity that was visible in the scene with Bond and Vesper arriving to the village.
– T.G. Masaryk street in Loket.
– Aston Martin DBS from Casino Royale at ‘Bond in Motion’ exhibition in Prague, Czech Republic in 2023.
James Bond parked the car in front of the building with a bright facade (on the right in photo below).
– Náměstí T. G. Masaryka in Loket.
– Náměstí T. G. Masaryka in Loket.
Restaurant zone where James Bond, Vesper Lynd and Rene Mathis where sitting and talking was located between Hotel Goethe and Hotel Bily Kun. You could see the facade of the hotel with its name behind Matthis in one of the scenes. It was the only facade not modified for the film. There were montenegrin letters on other buildings.
– Hotel Bily kun in Loket.
There is beautiful castle in Loket. It is worth to climb the tower with great view.
– Castle in Loket.
– View from the castle in Loket.
Between roofs you can see the facade of the Hotel Bily Kun that was seen in the film.
James Bond (Daniel Craig) and Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) arrived by train to Montenegro. They got into the black limousine parked at the railway station and drove to the Hotel Splendide. 007 was sent to the Balkans to play poker against Le Chiffre in the titled Casino Royale.
In the film James Bond made journey to Montenegro, but it was filmed mostly in spa-town of Karlovy Vary in Bohemia, west Czech Republic. The Montenegrin train station was in reality the Mill Colonnade.
Mill Colonnade.
There was a scene with Bond and Vesper walking and talking on their way to the limousine filmed between columns of the Mill Colonnade, however it was deleted from the final version of the film.
Mill Colonnade.
The limousine waiting for James Bond and Vesper Lynd was filmed at Lazenska street next to the Mill Colonnade. The street in reality is not much different from the film shot.
Lazenska street in Karlovy Vary.
Next scene with the limousine on the the way to the Hotel Splendide was filmed at Trziste street with the Holy Trinity Column and the Castle Tower in background. The limousine turned right and drove towards the Market Colonnade. In reality the car would be shortly at the starting point. The Mill Colonnade is at the end of the street.
Trziste street in Karlovy Vary.
The building that appeared in the film as the Hotel Splendide was the Grandhotel Pupp. The limousine with 007 and Vesper arrived at the entrance to the hotel. In the film there was asphalt square. Currently there are cobblestones. Walking on them you can find several plates with names of famous hotel guests. ‘Daniel Craig’ is engraved on one of them.
Main entrance to the Grandhotel Pupp in Karlovy Vary.The Grandhotel Pupp in Karlovy Vary.‘Daniel Craig’ plate in front of the Grandhotel Pupp.A display case on the Grandhotel Pupp wall.
When I visited the hotel in2017, the lobby looked pretty similar to the one from 2006, when it was the film set. James Bond and Vesper Lynd were standing at the reception desk that you can see below. When Bond asked Vesper to pay for their stay, there were stairs and corridor visible in background.
The Grandhotel Pupp lobby.The Grandhotel Pupp lobby.The Grandhotel Pupp lobby.
Elevator doors look the same as in the film.Vesper Lynd got into the elevator alone and asked Bond to take another one. As you can see, currently there is a mirror inside the elevator. In the film there was wooden wall. When the elevator doors closed the receptionist came up to Bond and gave him an envelope with car keys.
Elevator in the Grandhotel Pupp.Elevator in the Grandhotel Pupp.
Bond went to the parking lot where Aston Martin DBS was parked. It was real parking lot at Goethova Stezka street in front of the Gradhotel Pupp.
Parking lot in front of the Grandhotel Pupp.Parking lot in front of the Grandhotel Pupp.Aston Martin DBS from Casino Royale at ‘Bond in Motion’ exhibition in Prague, Czech Republic in 2023.
In the evening James Bond walked from the hotel to Casino Royale. In background you could see Grandhotel Pupp as in the photo below.
The Grandhotel Pupp at dusk. View from Charles IV Park.
Magnificent spa house located very close to the Granhotel Pupp was used for the titled Casino Royale. The Imperial Spa was built at the end of the 19th century. In 1922 it was renamed to Spa I. At the end of 20th century the building gradually fell into disrepair. The overall restoration of the spa began in 2019. In 2023 it was reopened to the public.
The Imperial Spa known as Spa I.The Imperial Spa known as Spa I.
You can recognize the facade of the building from the ‘Casino Royale’ poster as well as DVD and Blu-ray covers. There was no access to the building for several years. In 2017 it was opened for visitors. In the corner of a large room upstairs there is a poster with photos from the film set. You can see there how the interior of the building became interior of Casino Royale. General casino room and the staircase were filmed in that building. The room where Bond and Le Chiffre were playing poker was built in film studio in Prague.
Photos from the set of ‘Casino Royale’ in Zander Hall in Spa I.
There were film lights mounted over the set, therefore magnificent ceiling in the room was not visible in the film. There were tables in the middle of the room and bar counter between columns, all the rest such as paintings on a wall and lamp were unchanged. It still looks as in the film. James Bond walked along the room. At the beginning of the shot you could see the painting over the door on the right in photo below.
Zander Hall in Spa I.
Below you can see the opposite side of the room. There was the entrance to the ‘SALON PRIVE’ where 007 was playing poker.
Zander Hall in Spa I.
During a break in the game of poker James Bond and Vesper Lynd were attacked at the hotel by two assasins. Bond killed them both in the fight in the stairwell. Rene Mathis (Giancarlo Giannini) hid their bodies into the trunk of the car parked in front of the hotel. Mathis told Bond about that while they were standing on a balcony (see photo below).
Balconies at the Grandhotel Pupp.
James Bond returned to the poker game and lost all the money. 007 and Vesper went to the balcony. He tried to convince her that she would give him more money, but with no success.
Bond returned to the main room in the casino and ordered a drink. Bar counter was built between columns that you can see in next two photos.
Zander Hall in Spa I.Zander Hall in Spa I.
James Bond was standing by the column, when he saw Le Chiffre with Valenka (Ivana Milicevic) and Kratt (Clemens Schick) leaving the casino. Next photo was taken from the place where the bar counter was located. You can see on the left the door where Le Chiffre was heading to.
Zander Hall in Spa I.Zander Hall in Spa I.
Bond took a knife from a table and went to the door after the villain. James Bond ran down the stairs. In the next photo you can see where that scene was filmed. On the right you can see opened door to the room where the scene with 007 at the bar counter was filmed.On the staircase Bond met Felix Leiter from CIA. Jeffrey Right, who played ‘brother from Langley’, walked the stairs that you can see in the next photo covered with red carpet.
Staircase in Spa I.Staircase in Spa I.
Felix Leiter offered Bond money for the poker game. In the next two photos you can see where they were standing and talking.
Staircase in Spa I.Staircase in Spa I.
Bond won the game. He left the casino with Vesper to celebrate at the dinner. The scene in the restaurant was filmed in the Granhotel Pupp. Below you can see the table where the scene was filmed.
Mill Colonnade.Ceiling in Zander Hall in Spa I.Mill Colonnade.Mill Colonnade.Trziste street.Mill Colonnade.Restaurant in the Grandhotel Pupp.Ochrza river.Ochrza river.Church of Saint Peter and Paul.Ochrza river.Detail of Park Colonnade.Mill Colonnade in Karlovy Vary.
After frantic car chase at the beginning of ‘Quantum of Solace’ James Bond (Daniel Craig) drove to Siena in Tuscany, Italy. He entered the mysterious tunnel. He stopped the car and opened the trunk. There was Mr. White (Jesper Christensen) tied up. James Bond said to him: ‘It’s time to get out’. Right after that the film intro with ‘Another Way to Die’ song by Jack White and Alicia Keys appeared on the screen.
James Bond arriving to Siena in Aston Martin DBS was filmed at Chiesa di San Giuseppe located at the junction of Via di Fontanella, Via Giovanni Dupre and Via Sant’Agata. 007 drove uphill by the Via di Fontanella and after driving under the archway he drove down the Via Giovanni Dupre in the direction of Piazza del Campo. As you may see in photos below he drove up to the one-way street, however the one-way street sign was not seen in the movie. To film the scene, the camera was attached to special wires, so it could be moved high above the roofs from the street level.
Chiesa di San Giuseppe in Siena.Chiesa di San Giuseppe in Siena.
To look at historical city center over the archway at Chiesa di San Giuseppe (as in photo below) you may walk up the Via Sant’Agata to the square at Sant’Agostino church.
The entrance to the tunnel was filmed at Piazzetta Della Paglietta square located at Via Salicotto street.
Piazzetta Della Paglietta and Via Salicotto street.Piazzetta Della Paglietta in Siena. View from Vicolo della Manna.Entrance to the tunnel at the Piazzetta Della Paglietta.
Nowadays it would be difficult to drive in the tunnel as James Bond in Aston Martin DBS due to number of stuff belonging to one caffe in the neighborhood.
Tunnel at the Piazzetta Della Paglietta.
There was MI6 safe house at the end of the tunnel. M (Judi Dench) was waiting there for 007 and his prisoner. Mr. White told them, that the organization of which he was a member, had people everywhere. It turned out that M’s bodyguard, Craig Mitchell (Glenn Foster), was one of them. He tried to kill M, to save Mr. White. James Bond followed him in pursuit in underground aqueducts, Piazza del Campo during famous Palio and on the rooftops of historical buildings. It finished inside the campanile.
The beginning and ending of that foot chase was filmed in the studio where underground aqueducts and interior of the campanile were built. Scenes at Piazza del Campo and on the rooftops were filmed on location in Siena.
Six month before the beginning of principal photography the crew got permission to film real Palio. They used 14 cameras located in different places at Piazza del Campo to capture shots that were later used in ‘Quantum of Solace’.
Piazza del Campo in Siena.
In May 2008 the film unit returned to Siena to film foot chase in the city. There were 300 extras selected from 1500 candidates on Piazza del Campo when James Bond and Craig Mitchell running through the crowd were filmed.
Bond and Mitchell ran out of the square through an open gate. It is the entrance to Museo Civico in Palazzo Pubblico at Piazza del Campo.
Palazzo Pubblico at Piazza del Campo in Siena.Palazzo Pubblico at Piazza del Campo.
They ran into the courtyard just behind the gate. Standing in the courtyard it is worth looking up at the sky and the tower called Torre del Mangia.
Courtyard of the Palazzo Pubblico at Piazza del Campo.Courtyard of the Palazzo Pubblico at Piazza del Campo.
To film the chase of the rooftops, two kilometers of special cables for safety and camera support were used. Cables were suspended on arms of four giant cranes. Each crane weighted two hundred tons. It was necessary to make first geological investigation. There were holes deep at about 10-20 meters made in the ground and filled with cement. It took three months to complete this.
Via del Rialto over which cables were strung.
Balconies seen in the movie were built just for the purpose of filming. Special scaffoldings were used to place them next to existing balcony above intersection of Via del Rialto and Vicolo del Vannello streets. It was the one seen in background behind 007 chasing Craig Mitchell. All other balconies from the movie were built on the left from that one.
Via del Rialto.Intersection of Via del Rialto and Vicolo del Vannello.
During the chase, James Bond jumped on the balcony, walked into the apartment and jumped from the window on the roof of the bus.
The scene with the bus was filmed at Via Pantaneto. Daniel Craig jumped from the window of the building at via Via Pantaneto 135 located at the intersection with Via Pagliaresi. The driver stopped the bus when he heard James Bond jumping on the roof. When 007 was rolling on the bus, Via Pantaneto street was seen in background.
The building at via Via Pantaneto 135. Daniel Craig jumped from from the window located in second row from the roof and first from the right.Via Pantaneto
Bond climbed the gutter to continue the chase on rooftops. It was the gutter on the left at Arco di San Maurizio al Ponte at Via Pantaneto (see next photo).
Arco di San Maurizio al Ponte at Via Pantaneto.The building at via Via Pantaneto 135 on the left and Arco di San Maurizio al Ponte on the right.
The chase ended with a spectacular duel inside the renovated bell tower, from which James Bond emerged victorious. The whole sequence was filmed in the studio. Stuntman Martin, who doubled Daniel Craig in this sequence, recalls his work: It began early October 2007 and finished at the end of February or maybe beginning of March 2008. That was my life – hanging on ropes. I remember that it was hard work, because main unit was shooting on 007 Stage in a day time and we had to shoot at night. It had nothing to do with actual location etc. but it was just logistics and scheduling thing. At 3 a.m. I was 60 feet up in the air with rope wrapped around me. For me personally that was very hard from start to finish. (Interview with Kai Martin – stuntman who has played in 5 James Bond films)
After the chase James Bond returned to MI6 safe house. When he turned left from Via Salicotto to Piazzetta Della Paglietta, the building visible in the last photo was seen in background.
Sources: – ‘Bond on Location’, dir. Bob Done, Special Treats Productions, 2008 – ‘James Bond. Szpieg ktorego kochamy’ Michal Grzesiek, Wydawnictwo Bukowy Las 2011
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More photos from Siena:
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Palazzo Pubblico at Piazza del Campo.Piazza del CampoPiazza del Campo
At the beginning of ‘Quantum of Solace’ James Bond (Daniel Craig) in Aston Martin DBS was chased by criminals in two Alfa Romeos 159. Moreover Italian police joined in on the chase. After evading pursuers 007 drove to Siena.
Second unit with director Dan Bradley was working in northern Italy for several weeks to film that 3 minute sequence. First part of the car chase was filmed in April at Lake Garda. Second part of the sequence was filmed near Carrara in May 2008.
At the very beginning of ‘Quantum of Solace’ camera was skimming across the Lake Garda approaching the tunnel at the water. It was filmed in northeastern part of the lake.
Stunt pilot Marc Wolff recalls working on this scene: We were flying as low as we could over the water. Second unit director Dan Bradley said: ‘Is that as low as you can go?’ I circled around and said: ‘Look’. You could see that the back end of the skids had left a trail in the water because they were dragging along the surface. When you are flying at the certain speed the nose is a little bit higher. The back end of the two skids had dragged into the water and had left their mark. I said: ‘Dan, I don’t think we can get any lower, unless we become a submarine’. (Interview with Marc Wolff – pilot who has worked on 12 Bond films)
Northeastern part of the Lake Garda.
Northeastern part of the Lake Garda.
Northeastern part of the Lake Garda.
Car chase was filmed on the road near Navene on the east coast of the lake and near Limone Sul Garda. The road had to be closed during filming. To take people in and out of town special ferry was arranged.
For dynamic shots gyro-stabilized remote-controlled camera crane called ‘Ultimate Arm’ was used. It was attached to the roof of a Mercedes ML55, that was painted matt black to limit reflections. It could reach a speed of speed 200 kph and the camera could be just inches away from the action during high speed chase.
Stunt driver Martin Ivanov recalls working on the part in the tunnel: Everything was at first rehearsed and tested. It was mostly the scene with the truck that had a blown tire and pushed me into the wall. These were stunts with special effect rigs. There was not much space for improvising. They first shot me going through the traffic. Then we’ve spent a lot of time with going around the truck. It required probably three takes. It was quite difficult to spin 360 degrees in the narrow tunnel. We did it two times. When I was doing it the gearbox cable was snapping from the impact probably. I did 360 spin, I lost the door and I wanted to accelerate but I couldn’t change the gear because the cable was gone. It happened both times. After this spin there was another truck coming towards me but it was shot separately. In one take, which was actually in the movie, it was very close. I had no driver’s door and truck’s bumper was really close, so I could feel the wind from that. (Interview with Martin Ivanov – stunt driver who has played in 4 James Bond films)
There were several accidents on the set. Especially two of them were described in international publications. Aston Martin employee, who was delivering a car to a publicity shoot for the movie, crashed a £134,000 Aston Martin DBS into the lake. The driver was not hurt, but he had to pay fine for unsafe drive. Completely destroyed car has been later purchased by a collector. Few days later two stuntmen playing villains in Alfa Romeo 159 were involved in an accident. Aris Comninos was in a coma. His co-driver, Bruno Verdirosi, was also treated in hospital.
Production manager Terry Bamber recalls both accidents: Unfortunately there was an accident when one of the Aston Martins crashed into the lake. We were setting up for filming and the driver was bringing the Aston Martin for photo shoot. I think it was raining that morning and he lost control on a bend but luckily he hit the barrier. In fact the barrier speared the Aston like it did in the film with the lorry and the car and it flipped backwards over the barrier into the lake. The car hit the water upside down and sank to the bottom. The driver told me the story that it was like James Bond sequence. It must have knocked him down slightly. When he came round he was upside down. It was pitch black. He had to get seatbelts off then his jacket that he was wearing. Luckily the window had smashed so he was able to get out and swim up, because it was only 150 ft. deep there. By that time people were there to rescue him. I can remember that it happened 28 minutes past 6 that I heard about the accident because I thought that it would be another insurance claim, but fortunately it wasn’t that bad. I think he had a broken collarbone and had some stitches on his face. It was quite an amazing story how he survived, but that was nothing to do with us. He was doing a publicity shooting arranged by Aston Martin and wasn’t part of filming. There was also an awful accident with a stuntman that happened while we were filming. We had the Medivac standing by that could fly the stuntman directly to hospital. He was in a coma for a long while. It showed again that Barbara and Michael were fantastic there, making sure that we looked after the family, they went to visit him to make sure that everything was OK. It was quite a horrible moment when that happened. (Interview with Terry Bamber – production manager on James Bond films)
James Bond turned left to avoid roadblock. It was filmed at the intersection of Via IV Novembre SS45bis with Via Benaco SP38 at Lake Garda, near Tremosine. Aston Martin DBS and black Alfa Romeo 159 drove through two short tunnels. That scene was filmed nearly 300 km south from Lake Garda on Via dei Colli, near passo del Vestito, not far from Carrara. Also on Via dei Colli the last scene with Alfa Romeo falling from the cliff was filmed. Other car chase scenes were filmed at marble quarries near Carrara. Stunt coordinator Gary Powell said, that they had to change tires in cars when they moved from tarmac mountain road at Garda Lake to marble quarry. There was only one brand of tire for Aston Martin, therefore they had to cut their own treads into the tires.To create the scene seven Aston Martins and nine Alfa Romeos were used. There were also two Land Rovers. The one that hit the building and fell from the cliff had no engine. It was removed and gasoline was taken out so it wouldn’t create unnecessary explosion.
Filming in the Carrara quarry was difficult due to dust, among other things. Stunt driver Mark Higgins recalls: You could taste it on your lips. It was like powder and we could taste it every night while taking a shower. What else is interesting about the quarry that you never have the impression how steep it is when you watch the movie. When you actually drive there for real roads are lot more aggressive, quite steep. (Interview with Mark Higgins – stunt driver who has played in 4 James Bond films)
Carrara marble quarry in northern Italy.
Carrara marble quarry in northern Italy.
Carrara marble quarry in northern Italy.
Carrara marble quarry in northern Italy.
More photos from Lake Garda and Carrara marble quarry:
James Bond (Daniel Craig) was following Alex Dimitrios (Simon Abkarian) from Nassau to Miami. They both entered ‘Body Worlds’ exhibition. Dimitrios left a bag in a cloakroom. 007 went after him to the main hall. Shortly they both began speechless battle with a knife. James Bond was the winner. 007 noticed that the number from cloak room that Dimitrios put on a poker table was gone. The bag from the cloakroom was gone too. Bond ran out of the building and stopped at the entrance. He took the cellphone taken from Dimitrios and dialed the number that was selected as the last one. In the crowd of people walking in front of the building he saw a man with a bag answering his call.
The whole Miami sequence was filmed in Prague in Czech Republic. The exterior scene was filmed at the building of Ministry of Transportation of the Czech Republic at nábřeží Ludvíka Svobody.
The Ministry of Transportation of the Czech Republic in Prague.
The Ministry of Transportation of the Czech Republic in Prague.
Interior scenes were filmed in the National Memorial on the Vitkov Hill.
The National Monument at Vítkov Hill in Prague.
The National Monument at Vítkov Hill in Prague.
The National Monument at Vítkov Hill in Prague.
The scene in which Alex Dimitrios left the bag was filmed in the cloakroom located on the second floor
Cloakroom in the National Monument at Vítkov Hill in Prague.
When Dimitrios and James Bond left the cloak room they walked by the open door that you can see in photo below.
Cloakroom in the National Monument at Vítkov Hill in Prague.
The ‘Body Worlds’ exhibition was filmed on the first floor, in the room where currently you can find permanent exhibition. It is possible to get there from main entrance at cash desk. The other way is to walk down from the second floor. Stairs are located behind decorated door presented in the center of the photo below. In the film it is possible to see people in background walking those stairs.
Interior of the National Monument at Vítkov Hill in Prague.
Next photo was taken from Columbarium towards the room where the ‘Body Worlds’ exhibition scene was filmed. There is steel construction of permanent exhibition visible in background. On the left there is visible detail of stone handrail of the stairs leading to the second floor above.
Interior of the National Monument at Vítkov Hill in Prague.
James Bond killed Alex Dimitrios and put his body at the stone wall. In that scene there was decorated window visible in background, the same as in photo below.
Interior of the National Monument at Vítkov Hill in Prague.
When 007 left the building there was again the building of Ministry of Transportation of the Czech Republica that doubled for museum in Miami, USA.
The entrance to the Ministry of Transportation of the Czech Republic in Prague.
If you have enough money, you can also buy most of props from the museum. Front of James Bond’s car costs nearly 300 000 Polish Zloty (almost 70 000 Euro).
Next to Aston Martin, there is a glass case with Vesper Lynd’s dress. Eva Green, who played Vesper, was wearing that dress in ‘Casino Royale’. 
The dress is also available for purchase. It costs nearly 
There are also other props from ‘Die Another Day’, such as Ice Palace Guard’s G36 Rifle and Korean Soldier’s AKS-74U used in scenes from the beginning of the film.
JAMES BOND 