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Batman Begins in particular having memorable scenes shot in both the aforementioned Croydon and the same location as the Spice Girls' iconic Wannabe video.
Indeed. In a way, it's rather ironic since back in the golden age of Hollywood most movies (including the ones set in the UK) were shot on backlots in Southern California.
You know all the Star Wars movies (except I think two of the prequels..?) have been shot in the UK? The first three Indiana Jones movies etc. - loads of really big things besides Bond.
I imagine the majority of Marvels were made in the US but there have been a number here- the latest Spider Man of course too.
Yes, I knew that about Star Wars, but I hadn't really thought much about/been aware that a lot of US productions were mainly filmed in the UK. Unless you read about it, you kinda just assume a US produced and set film is made there and/or Canada!
So was I for the longest time, it blew my mind to find out that Kubrick shot his New York epic Eyes Wide Shut just a few miles away from my cousin's flat in Buckinghamshire.
I believe you're right about the two prequels. Episodes 2 and 3 did their initial filming in Australia but both had months-long reshoots in the UK, so technically every SW movie has been filmed in the UK.
That's true. In fact, he actually filmed a lot of those sequences at the Beckton Gasworks aka the factory from the FYEO pre-credits scene.
Kubrick apparently loved working in the UK so much, he moved there in the early 60s and just never left. The only movie of his from 1961 onwards that wasn't shot entirely in Britain was Barry Lyndon, about half of which was filmed in Ireland.
Wow is that an interior set?
Oh that's interesting, I didn't know that. Both of the 'A Star Wars Story' were in the UK too, weren't they? I remember Rogue One having lots of Stormtroopers running down a Jubilee Line platform! :)
It is quite funny watching films with a 'did they shoot that bit in the UK?' head on! I was watching Mission Impossible Rogue Nation again the other day and the bits in Vienna after the opera are very well done but I did realise the whole car chase bit was in London- when Ilsa jumps out of the car she lands right next to the Bank of England! :) Which is only a couple of streets away from the building Ethan jumps into at the climax to trap Lane in the glass box!
Also there's a slightly bizarre scene where St Pancras station is doubled by a very recognisable London Excel exhibition centre! (Which was where Bruce Wayne first drove the tumbler, fact fans :) ).
Wasn't he famously scared of flying? Hence why Full Metal Jacket was in the UK despite that it really shouldn't have been!
I think that was partially it, but he also really seemed to take to the UK in general. Mostly because it would have been very difficult for movie studios to monitor him while he was filming.
Yes definitely. I had no idea the second Avengers movie was here, I must say.
Although I think Batman '89 is quite a funny one because it actually looks like it's been shot in the UK! That autumnal country lane the Batmobile drives down, Wayne Manor being very clearly a genuine Tudor mansion just like they don't have anywhere in the States! :D
The Superman movies can be a bit jarring like that too: like the little American town in Superman II that looks like it's in Surrey :D
I think it's much easier to get away with that sort of thing nowadays with CGI. Even low budget contemporary dramas can now use digital effects to erase uncooperative animals, people, and adverts from the backgrounds of shots.
Gosh. I hadn't even guessed that it was mostly CGI.
At a certain point, you kind of get attuned to spotting American/Canadian actors who live in the UK because they always pop up in these kinds of movies.
Of course. It's always a pleasure to see him pop up. Speaking of Batman 89, it's a shame that William Hootkins never got a chance to be in a Bond movie. If they had filmed License to Kill at Pinewood, he would have made an excellent Milton Krest.
I'm sure it makes sense from a financial and production level but it's still a bit surreal.
Ooh I like that, he would have.
Wow, that's an impressive set! Hitchcock relied a lot on studio shots for more control over lighting etc. I imagine the same might have been the case for this film? I haven't seen it by the way, so I'm just curious why Kubrick didn't use NY or locations elsewhere in US/Canada.
Me neither! I guess that film was CGI heavy, which made things easier though.
I've never seen Batman '89. I'll keep that in mind if I ever watch it!
Did they film those shots in Surrey?
I was just guessing: but I just looked it up and, yes, it's Chobham Common in Surrey :D
Not a million miles away from where Skyfall (the actual house) was! :)
Haha! They should have done a better job making it look like an American town, it seems! :D
Was there a particular reason for the Skyfall production not to build the Skyfall Lodge in Scotland? Logistics?
Well I think the town set is fairly good: I just recognise the countryside, but that might just be because I'm local- I'm sure to most people watching it's more than close enough.
Yeah I would imagine that's exactly it: there's no reason to be in the middle of nowhere if you don't have to be. If you're in the wilds of Scotland everything costs more to ship there, you've got bigger costs for crew transport and lodging, you can't get stuff there as quickly if you need it etc. If you're within an hour or so of London then it all becomes a lot easier.
I actually visited the set when they had the house built and Hankley Common is a surprisingly good double for Scotland - heather everywhere; they chose very well. And the house looked incredible! :)
Both Hankley Common and Chobham Common double for other locations quite a bit, especially the United States. Largely due to how large and relatively flat they are, which is rather uncommon for the UK.
They've been used as the American mid-west in a number of films, like Return to Oz, Saving Private Ryan, and (as you mentioned) Superman II.
I just looked it up and you are correct that it the exterior shot of the house wasn't filmed in Surrey. However, one of the other America-set scenes was, which was what confused me.
They built that whole house, the barn, and even the road itself off a country lane in Wiltshire. They did a good job of it, too.
It's no doubt different when your a local and used to seeing those locations.
Yes, I imagine they look towards solutions like that to cut costs when needed. Even with productions as big as the Bond films!
That's cool! How close to the house did you get?
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Tom Cruise doing stunts in Hellesylt (video in the article):
Edit: VG have also posted a video.
Right up to it! :)
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Interesting; thanks!