Films made in St Petersburg, the Russian one!

October (1927) Sergei Eisenstein’s film, an epic depiction of the 1917 Revolution, is a silent black and white masterpiece.

The End of St Petersburg (1927) Another film dedicated to the 1917 Revolution, Pudovkin’s film forms part of the director’s Revolutionary Trilogy.

The Irony of Fate (1975) A romantic comedy that uses as its plot device the extreme similarity of Soviet housing.

The Burglar (1986) A perestroika favourite, the film portrays the city’s underground rock scene.

Brother (1997) A bleak yet humorous film that depicts the chaos of mid-1990s St Petersburg.

Golden Eye (1995) 007 comes to St Petersburg to carry out a daring raid involving the Russian Mafia in this action-packed film.

Russian Ark (2002) The world’s first unedited feature film, Russian Ark is a 90-minute wander through the Winter Palace.

The Idiot (2003) A highly successful and popular Russian TV adaptation of Dostoevsky’s The Idiot. Available on DVD everywhere.

The Stroll (2003) Three young people wander around the city discussing life and love.

Garpastum (2003) Love, war and football take equal billing in this impressive film by Alexsei German Jr.

From traveldk.com

And

Midnight in Saint Petersburg (1996) with Michael Caine (as Harry Palmer). Neil Harvey

Any others?

The Ship That Died Of Shame

Some shots in the film, eg. the de-comissioning of the MTB1087, were filmed at the far end of Portsmouth Harbour, and Porchester Castle is visible in a number of shots.

Derek Owen

Almeria, Spain

Reelstreet devotees will have noticed a big recent interest in the south of Spain known as Andalucia, more specifically the south-east corner based around Almeria.

Almeria ("The Mirror") is a major port used to export vegetables grown from the greenhouses which cover a huge extent of the neighbouring countryside.

The area has been hosts to hundreds of films (see Wikipedia's extraordinarily lengthy list), many of them westerns, notably the Eastwood Dollar trilogy, and other Sergio Leone productions. The Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park provides pristine beaches and is protected to a certain extent by its UNESCO status while the desert area around Tabernas, further inland, looks very much how one would perceive America's wild west. It also can stand in very convincingly for north Africa and the Mid-East.

There are three standing western town film sets within shooting distance of each other, all open for visitors and indeed Mini Hollywood aka el Oasys has the additional attractions of a zoo and swimming pool, as well as driving movie trails, taking in some of the still standing buildings seen in the Dollars.

There is plenty of accommodation in San Jose on the coast in the park, and without rain in the summer great weather can be guaranteed. For culture vultures Guadix and even Granada are within a day trip from Almeria. And in winter the Sierra Nevada provides ski-ing. Now that's diversity.

Simon James

Some recent films made in Washington DC

ALL THE PRESIDENT’s MEN
AMERICAN PRESIDENT, THE
BROADCAST NEWS
DAVE
DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, THE
DEEP IMPACT
DIE HARD II: DIE HARDER
EXORCIST
FEW GOOD MEN, A
FIRM, THE
GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH, THE
IN THE LINE OF FIRE
INDEPENDENCE DAY
JFK
LAST DETAIL, THE
MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, THE
MANHUNTER
MARS ATTACKS!
MINORITY REPORT
MR SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON
THE NET
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD
NIXON
NO WAY OUT
THE PELICAN BRIEF
PEOPLE VS LARRY FLYNT, THE
RECRUIT, THE
ST ELMO’S FIRE
SPY GAME
STRANGERS ON A TRAIN
SUSPECT
TOPAZ
TRAFFIC
TRANSFORMERS
TRUE LIES
THE X FILES

For movie locations around Washington, D.C., see http://dcmovielocations.blogspot.com/

The Small World of Sammy Lee

Clubs, cafes, pubs, theatres, hotels, restaurants, adult magazines and strip joints. Soho of the 1960 and of today hasn’t really changed much. But there is also a thriving local community of hard working people, shop-keepers, pensioners, bread, wine and pastry shops.

Gone is the fear of mob violence once promulgated by the popular press, and in its stead is a slightly seedy, somewhat grubby entertainment centre. But then if you put Blackpool, Brighton or Bournemouth under the spotlight you might well make some startling comparisons. However, as far as I know Soho doesn’t have candy-floss, whelk stalls or kiss-me-quick bonnets.

The history of Soho began with the expansion of the smarter areas of London, those to the west of Regent’s Street, moving east to cheaper building plots, newer houses, and the delights of Soho Square, and, as this area became one of entertainment in all its forms, bounded at its southern side by a whole line of famous theatres, with its angle on Piccadilly Circus, with Shaftesbury Avenue, with all the Theatres, Tottenham Court Road, on the east with its bookshops and Oxford Street, to the north, with all the popular shops, Soho became an easily accessible independent zone, in the heart of London, bright lights, excitement and dancing girls. Who could want for more? Sammy Lee takes us on a Cook’s Tour of the area, running, or perhaps scuttling, along its highways, byways and back alleys, in a wonderful and nostalgic visitation of both these famous areas.

Sammy also visits the East End in his peregrinations, the former site of many of London’s pleasures, Whitechapel, famous for Jack the Ripper and the vile and vicious slums of the 1880’s, many of which were being destroyed in Secret Place, and more of which was destroyed by Hitler.

Hardware stores, ethnic grocers, small factories and manufacturers of garments are in abundance, both in the East and West Ends, street markets flourish, cafes and pubs still operate, and the ever changing pattern of London’s life and London’s poor are still there.

We found them whilst researching for The Small World of Sammy Lee, and Secret Place.