The representation of Venice in Bond films

Troubleshooter007

Hi I am a Ba geography student based in the UK. For my dissertation I am looking at the representation of Venice in From Russia with Love(1963), Moonraker(1979) and Casino Royale(2006)to see if it is an accurate representation of place or the audiences preceived views of the place. I am also interested to know if seeing a location such as Venice in a Bond film has influenced anyone in wanting to visit the place. Thanks

Golrush007

I am not an expert on the geography of Venice, but in Moonraker, it appears that Bond goes to the Venini glass factory and it is shown to be near St. Marks Square, whereas in actuality I think it is on a separate island, although I think that there is a Venini shop in central Venice, which might be the shop that Bond enters before going into the factory area. As far as I know glass making is not allowed in Venice itself. I might be wrong though.

Seeing Venice in Bond films definitely influenced me in wanting to visit the city, which I did in September 2007.

Troubleshooter007

Did it live up to your expectations?
Or was it different than you expected it to be?

Napoleon Plural

Okay some facts:

1)The climax of CR in Venice seems a nod to Don't Look Back, as Bond pursues Vesper who is wearing a red dress, through the labryinthine streets. Also, the woman in red can denote deceit in mythology I understand.

2) Fleming's Bond goes to Venice in Risico, a short story adapted and used a bit in the film For Your Eyes Only. There's a foot chase along the Lido, a then derelict stretch of land.

3) Visit the paid for site onthetracksof007.com for exhaustive detail of the actual locations.

Did it make me want to visit Venice? Yes and no. It was on an interrail trip I went on in the late 1980s, and that was influenced by MR. Venice is only a backdrop in FRWL.

Golrush007

Troubleshooter007 wrote:

Did it live up to your expectations?
Or was it different than you expected it to be?

The city was as intriguing as I expected, and I enjoyed the atmosphere of the place very much. Travelling on a gondola in the narrow canals was a great experience. I would say yes, it did live up to my expectations. The only trouble was that I only had a day there. I would have loved more time to explore the city, and do things like visit the Venini factory on Murano.

Napoleon Plural

Fleming talked about Venice in his book Thrilling Cities too. He said the best time to visit is February when it's not too touristy and not too hot.

John Drake

As a place where buildings collapse, gondola's double as hovercraft's and a pigeon can express surprise.

Troubleshooter007

John Drake wrote:

As a place where buildings collapse, gondola's double as hovercraft's and a pigeon can express surprise.

Apart from the comedic bits and the unusual parts would you be visit the place?
Is Bond more about the unusual occurring and escapist fantasy?

Napoleon Plural

Oh I dunno TS. You could argue the city features more outlandish aspects. The Venice scene in the more down to earth Casino Royale was tacked on by writer Paul Haggis, and features the most amazing special effects of the film. There's never really been a grim, plain Bond scene shot in Venice, yes, it's generally larger than life.