My first full day in London for the first time ever was quite historic; it was Thursday, September 8th, the day Queen Elizabeth II had passed away. After a day full of visiting tourist attractions, I figured one might be particularly worth seeing at this moment: Buckingham Palace. The further south I got on the tube from Camden Town, the busier and busier the cars became. People were piling in, many holding bouquets and stems of flowers. When I got off the tube I walked down the crowded Mall among thousands of individuals heading to the gates of Buckingham Palace. To be at this historic site on such a historic day, the film lover inside of me couldn’t help but think this all looked like a scene in a movie. This sparked me to develop a list of historic film sites in London that I would like to visit as a film student, interning in London, and the films I’ve seen that inspired it.
1) Buckingham Palace – Johnny English Reborn
In this hilarious but tense chase scene, Mr. Bean speeds down The Mall away from the gates of Buckingham Palace in an electric wheelchair.
2) Tottenham Court Road – An American Werewolf in London
This station is a part of the London Underground in the West End. In this terrifying scene, a man is chased and hunted by the American Werewolf throughout the London Underground.
3) King’s Cross Station – Harry Potter
The decade spanning film franchise has solidified its touch on London’s history as there is a permanent landmark for Platform 9 ¾, referencing it’s appearance from the first Harry Potter installment in the series.
4) Churchill War Rooms- Darkest Hour
The Churchill War Rooms are steeped within their own history, serving as the spot in which Winston Churchill displayed his bravery in World War 2 and delivered many of his on-air speeches. This set was redesigned in the Darkest Hour, a film about Churchill plotting his route to victory, but filmed within the walls where the true action happened.
5) National Gallery – Skyfall
Another location steeped in history, The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square with a vast collection of paintings spanning centuries. In the James Bond film Skyfall, we see 007 meet Q here.
6) Portobello Road – Paddington
The original Paddington books were set in Notting Hill and the Portobello Road area, and there are scenes throughout the first film in which Paddington spends time in Portobello Road and visits the Portobello Market.
7) Big Ben – Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins features many of the great landmarks that characterize London. She is seen floating above the city with the monumental Big Ben in the background, and the Houses of Parliament below.
8) Piccadilly Circus – Austin Powers
Dr. Evil’s famous spaceship that’s built into a Bob’s Big Boy takes off from the busy Piccadilly Circus in London.
9) South Bank – Four Weddings and a Funeral
Here Hugh Grant’s character, Charles, tells Carrie he loves her but learns that it is too late.
10) Empire Cinemas – Last Night in Soho
When Anya Taylor Joy’s character, Sandie, is transported back to the 1960s, she walks out into Soho where Thunderball is being shown at the Empire Cinema in London Haymarket.
Sam is a Film student at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. He aspires to develop a career as a film director and producer, hoping to follow in the footsteps of many radical independent filmmakers of the past.
