London locations spoiler-ish question

Napoleon Plural

Can someone pm me regarding the London locations featured in Skyfall, in particular on top of which high buildings is Craig seen standing guard over the city, and which Tube stations feature, for instance?

Without giving away plot details, as I'm trying to keep away from all that!

Strangeways

Hi Nap.
The scene where he is running on the road is clearly Whitehall. That's Westminster Station entrance to his left, our right. The tube station is likely to have been purpose built at Pinewood like in DAD.

Martin Aston

There was some filming inside Charing Cross Station.

Strangeways

Ah indeed there was, probably on the old Jubillee Line platforms which are now disused. More similaraties to Borune will probably be discussed as this was teh station used in Bourne III as well.

Moonraker 5

Napoleon Plural wrote:

Can someone pm me regarding the London locations featured in Skyfall, in particular on top of which high buildings is Craig seen standing guard over the city, and which Tube stations feature, for instance?

The building on which he's seen on the roof is 55 Whitehall, directly opposite Admiralty House.

The tube station that was reconstructed in Pinewood was Temple station.

At the start of filming, a number of scenes were shot around Smithfield Market.

Napoleon Plural

Thanks, everyone!

Moore Than

I can add a few more London locations.

The Four Seasons Hotel in Canary Wharf
The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square
Port of London Authority Building, Tower Hill
Vauxhall Bridge
Parliament Square

And likely but not definite, Cadogan Square.

Ejector seat!Your Joking!

St Mark's Square, Regents Park- Where Bond is seen jogging

Napoleon Plural

Thanks a lot!

But... bloody 'ell, that's a lot of London! Suggests serious budget restrictions if half the movie is shot there.

Not that that makes for a worse movie by any means.

HowardB

Being from the USA, London IS an exotic location for me. Actually looking forward to seeing the London locations in the film

jasper_lamar_crabb

Napoleon Plural wrote:

bloody 'ell, that's a lot of London! Suggests serious budget restrictions if half the movie is shot there.

London is an expensive and difficult place to shoot, so nothing to worry about in that regard.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who's wanted to see a Bond film largely set in London.

David Schofield

jasper_lamar_crabb wrote:

I'm sure I'm not the only one who's wanted to see a Bond film largely set in London.

Yeah. A faithful interpretation of MOONRAKER.

Even in 2012, with some clever changes, I think it could be done.

Strangeways

Hmmmmm
I have issues with the movie being shot in London/UK.
MI6 is supposed to be the branch of the SIS that deals with OVERSEAS missions.
If work needs to be done on UK soil that should be the role of MI5.
As 007 is an MI6 agent, most of his work would be done overseas!

minigeff

Strangeways wrote:

If work needs to be done on UK soil that should be the role of MI5.
As 007 is an MI6 agent, most of his work would be done overseas!

kinda addressed your own point there pal

CmdrAtticus

I have a big problem with this point as well, though if you read Moonraker again, you can see how the whole MI6-MI5-Special Branch
problem gets complicated. M had to send Bond in as the governments new official security officer for the Moonraker project because MI6 had screened and approved of the Germans working at the sight. One of them murders the former government security officer and it gets in the press. His assistant (Brand), another secret undercover officer may get her cover blown, and a test launch is scheduled soon. The PM consults with the Security Services. MI5 puts up three possible replacements, but they are already on other assignments. The PM has a meeting with the heads of the Services and they agree to let MI6 put in their man since they were the ones who gave the Germans a pass to work on the project.

Because of the terrorist activities today, I'm sure there is a lot of blurring of the bureaucratic lines of action between MI5 and MI6 as there is with the CIA, FBI and Homeland Security in the US. The internal agencies have to rely on MI6 and CIA for external intel and
threat assessments that may become internal problems. I can also see
how a problem would arise as in the case of Moonraker, where an agency is initially responsible for a security issue, and when a problem arises over it, the other agencies would prefer staying out, especially if it would get in the press and put them in a bad light (for example, the problems TSA is having with its screening guards). For example, what if one of the screeners turned out to be an FBI undercover agent or even CIA, and all this press could blow their cover?

That's why SKYFALL should be interesting on this point. Bond is chasing after terrorists who are killing MI6 personnel (maybe M is a target) inside England. If they're targeting MI6, who's responsible? Scotland Yard? They are murdered citizens. MI5? It's an internal security breach if it's done by external terrorists. MI6? They are the ones attacked and being targeted. Quite a quagmire.

Napoleon Plural

No plot details, babe!

Moonraker 5

Look at the issue with the unexplained death of Gareth Williams, the GCHQ employee seconded to MI6. The latter has been investigating it on its own and has been accused of failing to involve and inform the police and, indeed, withholding evidence to further their own investigations...

CmdrAtticus

Moonraker 5 wrote:

Look at the issue with the unexplained death of Gareth Williams, the GCHQ employee seconded to MI6. The latter has been investigating it on its own and has been accused of failing to involve and inform the police and, indeed, withholding evidence to further their own investigations...

That really smacks of the same legalities with regards to the murder of the
Security Officer in Moonraker, and how M- then Bond got tied up in it, as well
as how the services will be shown in relation to Craigs actions as he runs and
shoots away at villains while on the streets of London.

Moore Than

Moore Than wrote:

I can add a few more London locations.

The Four Seasons Hotel in Canary Wharf
The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square
Port of London Authority Building, Tower Hill
Vauxhall Bridge
Parliament Square

And likely but not definite, Cadogan Square.

Here's three more London locations to add to those I posted earlier.

Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich
Trinity Square
The Mall

HalfMonk HalfHitman

Moonraker 5 wrote:

The building on which he's seen on the roof is 55 Whitehall, directly opposite Admiralty House.

That shot startled me, because I have been to London exactly once, in July of 2011, and here's the shot I took outside my hotel (Royal Horseguards) window.

always shaken

Idid a write up on Nov 26 /2012 on a previous Skyfall
London locations worth a look at