London (England) > Reviews > London : The Site for Movies

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Advantages:	Vibrant cosmopolitan city .  Lots of celebrities to see
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Full review

London has been the site for a surprisingly large number of Oscar-winning, box-office hits. 101 Dalmatians, which starred Glen Close, Jeff Daniels and Joely Richardson, a live-action version of the greatly --loved Disney Cartoon, was shot in and around London. Major locations included Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Burlington Arcade, Battersea Park and Kenwood House in Hampstead.

Elizabeth, directed by Shekhar Kapur, focused on the situation where the young Queen Elizabeth inherited a nation wracked by internal religious conflict as a result of the rule of her father King Henry VIII and the intervention of her half-sister, Mary. In a relatively short period Elizabeth overcame all these problems to become a powerful monarch. Among locations used was the Tower of London.

The witty romantic comedy, Four Weddings and a Funeral, helped make Hugh Grant on international star and was a smash hit around the world. The churches used included the chapel of the Royal Naval College in Greenwich, South East London and the couple enjoyed their "how many lovers" conversation in the Café Rouge restaurant on Wellington Street, London.

Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins were the main stars in Howard's End and this greatly acclaimed adaptation of E.M. Forster's novel used a number of London locations such as the famous department store, Fortnum & Mason's, St. James's Court Hotel, Victoria Square, Admiralty Arch and St. Pancras Station.

The 1998 movie, Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels and starring Jason Flemyng directed by Guy Ritchie and Dexter Fletcher was very much a London-based epic with locations such as Borough Market, Bethnal Green Town Hall and Staples Market, Camden used in the shooting.

The Madness of King George, which starred Helen Mirren and Nigel Hawthorne, dealt with the kindly King George who was ill and his mental instability led to intrigue in the royal court. Scenes were shot at Syon House, Brentford, St. Paul's Cathedral and in the Painted Hall at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich.

Monica Potter, Rufus Sewell, Tom Hollander and Joseph Fiennes all starred in the 1999 movie, Martha - Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence. This thoroughly charming British comedy was set in London and sites used included Blakes Hotel, Roland Gardens, the Livebait seafood restaurant and the Battersea Park Café.

The widely acclaimed movie, Mrs Brown, which dealt with the quite extraordinary relationship between the then world's most powerful woman, Queen Victoria, and John Brown, a simple but very loyal Scottish Highlander starred Judi Dench, Billy Connolly and Geoffrey Palmer. Although mainly filmed at Osborne House, Isle of Wight, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London was also used for some scenes.

Winner of no less than seven Oscars, the 1998 movie, Shakespeare in Love, who stars included Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Judy Dench and Geoffrey Rush, focussed on Shakespeare, played by Joseph Fiennes, suffering from writer's block while aiming to write his new play. Locations in London used included the Banqueting Hall at Whitehall Palace, Marble Hill House, Spitalfields, St. Bartholemew's and the River Thames near Barnes.

Sliding Doors which also starred Gwyneth Paltrow and John Hannah was a popular romantic comedy set in London, including scenes shot in Bertorellis restaurant in Charlotte Street, the Blue Anchor pub in Hammersmith and the Albert Bridge, over the River Thames.

Wilde, the very impressive drama centered around the life of the playwright and bon vivant Oscar Wilde, which starred Stephen Fry and Jude Law, used a number of locations in London for filming. They included Somerset House, Borough Market, Lincoln's Inn, Middle Temple and the Cadogan Hotel.

The main location for the hugely popular romantic comedy, Notting Hill, produced by Duncan Kenworthy and starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts, was the Portobello Road area of Notting hill and some scenes were also shot at Kenwood House on Hampstead Heath, North Lo
ndon.

The 19th James Bond movie, The World is Not Enough, which starred Pierce Brosnan, involved scenes featuring the River Thames and a tussle atop the Millenium Dome in Greenwich.

Entrapment, the movie in which Sean Connery plays a jewel thief and the lovely Catherine Zeta-Jones as an insurance company investigator included scenes shot at the National West minister Tower and Limehouse Tunnel in London.

There you it at a compendium if movies that utilised a wide selection of locations in London and helped show an international audience what this historic city has to offer!