O.H.M.S.S. (1969)

Scene: 00:00:42 - The opening scene of On Her Majesty's Secret Service is on the brass doorplate of Universal Exports, in which is reflected Big Ben

at the Palace of Westminster.

If Universal Exports really had been situated here, then it would be at the building of the Foreign Office

, which occupies that lowermost corner of Whitehall Street

Big Ben reflected in the brass plate of Universal Exports. The plate was positioned on the opposite side of Whitehall Street from Big Ben. The lowermost image, like the original image, is a mirror image. In real life, everything is the other way around. Director Peter Hunt actually appears in the reflection as a passer by

. The location in Skyfall (2012) where Bond gives chase on foot after appearing from the Metro is immediately to the right of frame on Whitehall Street.

Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster from Parliament Square, the the place where the brass plate would have been mounted.

Parliament Square

, with Whitehall Street

to the right, mid background Westminster Abbey

, left of frame Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. The photograph is in an arc of 270 degrees. If the plate was on any building, it would have had to be on the Foreign Office

, the white building to the right of frame.

Scene: 00:01:31 - Bond is passed by a mysterious woman in a Mercury Cougar and rescues her from the surf.
Location: Guincho Beach

, Estoril, Portugal.

Scene: 00:09:22 - Bond's Aston Martin DBS arrives at his hotel.
Location: Palácio Estoril Hotel

, Estoril

, Portugal, between Avenida Clotilde and and Avenida de Nice on the waterfront Avenida Marginal N6, just east of the harbor.

Scene: 00:20:05 - Bond is driven as a captive by Draco's henchmen
Location: Salazar Bridge , now the 25 de Abril Bridge

, Lisbon, Portugal. Approaching from the north on the long S curve which precedes the bridge.

The statue of Christ at the Santuário de Cristo Rei

on the south side of the river, on the upriver side of the bridge is visible in the frame. The camera lens is long which means that it looks much closer than it is.

Scene: 00:30:31 Teresa drives through the countryside to the family ranch in her Mercury Cougar
Location: Herdade do Zambujal

near Setúbal

, Portugal, on the Sado River estuary

Diana Rigg on set in Portugal, with a rather ambiguous message written on the photograph.

Scene: 00:36:12 - Bond and Tracy at the jewelers in Rossio
Location: Rossio, Lisbon, Portugal at the south-west end of Praça Dom Pedro IV

at the junction of Rua 1 de Ezembro, Rua Aurea

BERN

Scene: 00:36:42 - The Rolls-Royce containing, Draco, Bond and Tracy enters Bern from the East across the Nydeggbrücke
Location: Nydeggbrücke

, Bern

, Switzerland.

COLLEGE OF ARMS

Scene: 00:45:12 - Bond takes instruction in Heraldry
Location: The College of Arms

, St Paul's, London, England.
Directions: Best approach would be subway to St Pauls Subway stop, then head directly downhill to the River Thames. There is a new footbridge across the river immediately behind the right shoulder of the camera.

The College of Arms, Queen Victoria Street, London

St Pauls Cathedral. The combination of the colors of the stone, the overcast sky and the color balance of the Eastmancolor film give a magnificent color balance. To the left of frame is Faraday House

The College of Arms is not open to the public but I have been inside when one of my visits fortuitously coincided with an exhibition held within the College.

James Bond's Aston Martin DBS is visible in the forecourt of the College of Arms.

The College of Arms on Queen Victoria Street. The spire of St Paul's Cathedral is visible rising over the top of the college, center frame. Faraday House is to the left of the College of Arms. The camera looks north.

In the above photograph, the The College of Arms

. The River Thames and the new footbridge over the River Thames is a behind the Camera.

College of Arms, St Pauls, London, England

The dome of St Paul's Cathedral rises above the roofline of the College of Arms.

St Paul's Cathedral after the Blitz, 1940. You can see that the rubble has been cleared away. Faraday House is center left of frame, and the College of Arms, to its right (east) is also untouched.

»The College of Arms is in Queen Victoria Street on the fringe of the City. It is a pleasant little Queen Anne backwater in ancient red brick with white sashed windows and a convenient cobbled courtyard, where Bond parked his car. There are horseshoe-shaped stone stairs leading up to an impressive entrance, over which, that day, there hung a banner showing a splendid heraldic beast, half animal and half bird, in gold against a pale blue background. Griffon, thought Bond. Made of Or. He went through the door into a large gloomy hall whose dark panelling was lined with the musty portraits of proud-looking gentlemen in ruffs and lace, and from whose cornice hung the banners of the Commonwealth. The porter, a kindly, soft-spoken man in a cherry-coloured uniform with brass buttons, asked Bond what he could do for him. Bond asked for the Griffon Or and confirmed that he had an appointment.«

SWITZERLAND

Scene: Bond arrives at the station on his way to Piz Gloria (00:45:41)
Location: Lauterbrunnen Station, Jungfrau Region, Switzerland.
Approx Co-Ordinates: 46° 35' 53.59" N 7° 54' 27.56" E

Map: Landeskarte der Schweiz 1:50,000 Number 264 'JUNGFRAU' and
Number 254 'INTERLAKEN' or 1:100,000 Number 101 'THUNER SEE ZENTRALSCHWEIZ'

Directions: Take the N2 Autobahn from Bern South-West as far as Interlaken. The turn-off (South) for Lauterbrunnen is signposted just outside Interlaken. Just as you arrive in Lauterbrunnen, the station is on your left.

The arrival of the narrow-gauge train from the valley. The camera tripod, being on rough ground, is inclined downwards at a slightly greater angle than the descent of the ground, which means that the train looks like it is traveling downhill.

The red arrow indicates exactly where Bond's footsteps fell as he alighted from the carriage, right in front of that fishplate.

In the above photograph, the view of the platform and station. Down the valley is to the right of frame. Bond alights in front of this station and walks to the left of frame, around the end of the building.

In the above photograph, the station at Lauterbrunnen. Bond travels around the corner facing the camera and toward the stone wall, where the descending ramp meets the station level. The party turn left up the ramp and continue out of frame to the left.

In the above photograph, the stone ramp which ascends to road level. The station building is just in the frame to the right.

In the above photograph, the stone ramp as it reaches the roadway. Continue in the direction of travel on the ramp in order to continue up the Valley, or take a U-turn to your right and follow the road back down the Valley. The pedestrian footway which was in the process of being added to the roadway above has blocked the ramp to vehicular traffic, which means that the sleigh and the VW Beetle could no longer drive out of the station as they do in the film. I wish I had taken photographs of these places years ago.

The train comes up the valley from Interlaken where it meets the mainline and arrives at Lauterbrunnen station.

The station has changed a little, with the an addition to the canopy which obscures the original outline of the Locomotive Shed which can be seen in frame 00:46:41. The original clock, which may be seen in the same frame, is still in the same place.

The train has halted in the second set of tracks from the camera which is on the platform and Bond steps off the train almost directly opposite the clock onto the sleepers of the track nearest the camera.

The sleigh carrying Bond and Irma Bunt is waiting at the south end of the station at frame 00:47:03 and drives up the stone ramp to the main road behind the station. The addition of a concrete apron to add a footpath for pedestrians to the road above means that vehicles can no longer make this maneuver.

At 00:47:21 as the sleigh pulls away, there is a good view up the entire valley of Lauterbrunnen. Mürren is on the cliff-tops out of frame to the right. Wengen out of frame to the left. This is the most precipitous valley in Switzerland, walled by immense sheer cliffs.

The cog railway itself continues from Lauterbrunnen up to Wengen, above Lauterbrunnen to the East and thence up to the top of the Jungfrau through a tunnel within the Eiger. There are connections down to Grindelwald and thus the entire Jungfrau region is served by this cog railway.

Note that the skipass for Mürren does not permit access to the skilifts for Wengen-Grindelwald ski area and vice versa. Ski resorts can be parochial about this and no inter-village disagreement is too small not to be turned into a cause of trouble and inconvenience for visiting skiers and tourists. You can physically ski from one end of the Mürren ski area (at Piz Gloria) all the way to the far side of Grindelwald with half a day or less so there are no physical obstacles to using all three ski areas. As with all joined resort areas, the only matter of importance is that you end up on the correct side of the watershed, facing a downhill run to your hotel, when the lifts close for the day. The cog-railway runs into the evening so this would not be a problem at Grindelwald-Wengen-Mürren. Always check before departing, however.

Lauterbrunnen-Stetchelberg also has one of this pay parking lot systems where you have to pay to use the parking lot and pay to purchase a lift pass. The amounts are small but you have to obtain a parking ticket and they go and pay for the parking ticket when you leave. This can become highly annoying when moving around in skiboots (which are very difficult to walk in) or are assembling quantities of skiing or mountaineering gear. Zermatt is the worst for this in that not only do you have to purchase a parking ticket and a lift pass but also a ticket for the train. Worse than that, the parking attendants try and make you park you car not at the station but at a car park further away so that day skiers can use the main car park. Zermatt is my all-time most-hated resort as a result of this. In fact if I want to ski Zermatt I drive all the way to Cervinia and ski over the mountain to Zermatt.

Many of the areas used for filming the ski escapes are only accessible by mountaineers but some are accessible by descending from the head of the lift on skis. If you are not a mountaineer nor a skier, use caution and take advice.

In the above map, the Eiger-Monch-Jungfrau Massif and the villages below it, Grindelwald-Wengen-Mürren.

Scene: Bond Arrives at Piz Gloria by Helicopter (00:50:10)
Location: Piz Gloria, on the Schilthorn above Mürren, Jungfrau Region.
Approx Co-Ordinates: 46° 31 59.91 N 07° 49 00.12 E
Map: Swiss Carte Nationale De Swiss 1:50,000 Number 264 'JUNGFRAU' and Number 254 'INTERLAKEN' or 1:100,000 Number 101 'THUNER SEE ZENTRALSCHWEIZ'. Also very useful are the piste maps for the Mürren area.

Directions: From Lauterbrunnen, proceed up the valley to Stetchelberg to take the Schilthornbahn. This is the first of four long Cable-Car rides. Descent can be via Cable-Car or via skis.

In the above photograph Piz Gloria from the West. Grindelwald, Wengen, Mürren and the Eiger-Mönch-Jungfrau Massif which they sit below are all ahead of the camera. The Heli-Pad is closest to the camera. The Cable-Car docks on the other side of the structure.

The Jungfrau area (Grindelwald, Wengen and Mürren) is one of the old winter sports capitals of the Alps, which received extensive British patronization in the Victorian period. There is a famous ski race held on the Schilthorn and descending to Lauterbrunnen instituted in 1928 by Sir Arnold Lunn, and known as the 'Inferno' probably because fast ski descents of such great distance are calculated to set one's thighs on fire.

The Cable-Car ride to the very top of the Schilthorn is achieved in four stages from the valley floor several miles onward from Lauterbrunnen. There was considerable local opposition to this invasion and some of the construction was vandalized. The final stage from Birg to the top of the Schilthorn faced considerable technical difficulties due to the immense length: 6970 meters, ascending through a height of 2103 meters. The cable way was complete in 1967 but the project had run out of money and the top station was incomplete. With the fortuitous arrival of EON Productions, a deal was struck whereby EON would complete the construction and receive three months exclusive use.

In On Her Majesty's Secret Service at 00:50:24 you can see the ski descent away from the Piz Gloria/Schilthorn, which follows the ridge to the left of camera. The actual exit is just around the right hand edge of the nearest concrete wall. You can see the ski tracks in the snow.

At 00:50:36 we re-approach from the rear (West) of Piz Gloria, the Cable-Car descending on the side obscured from us. The square helicopter pad facing us was built by EON productions as part of the compensation for being allowed to use the then incomplete Piz Gloria in filming. Since the date of filming it has been expanded into a polygonal shape which houses the cinema. When the helicopter lands you will see Bond and Irma Bunt descend on the opposite side of the helicopter pad from view through an ice tunnel built for filming.

It is possible to exit the building on either side of the helicopter pad but should only be attempted by Mountaineers as ropes are required in winter.

In frame 00:50:49 you can see the steps which lead from the Heli-Pad down to the ice tunnel.

At frame 00:51:42 we see Bond and Irma Bunt exiting the ice tunnel and re-entering Piz Gloria. As they enter, we have a view of the East-facing elevation where the Cable-Cars dock. Passengers alight though the side of the Cable-Car and enter the wings which exit into the vestibule in which Bond and Irma Bunt are received by the henchman on the reception desk.

At 00:52:19 we cut to the studio at Pinewood for Blofeld's office and Bond's apartments.

At 00:54:59 we see Bond ascend one of the two curved staircases within Piz Gloria which lead to the upper story revolving restaurant. The grille with the circular decorations which rises from the outer line of the staircase remains the same today. There are two curved staircases within Piz Gloria and it is the white staircase with the left-hand curve which Bond ascends. You can see the head of this staircase from the opposite angle in frame 02:00:02. Once again, at 01:02:03, it is this staircase which Tracy managed to throw henchman 'Grunther' played by Russian wrestler Yuri Borionko.

With Bond seated at 00:56:42 we have a view North to the north face of the Eiger may be seen behind his left, and to the right of that, the Mönch (Monch) and the Jungfrau. The railway which winds through the tunnel beneath the Eiger terminates in a cavern within the peak of the Jungfrau not far to the left (East) of the Jungfrau as we view it. Elevators take passengers up to the wind-swept observation deck. A similar railway and tunnel system was planned for the Matterhorn at Zermatt but fortunately the war cancelled the plans which have never been taken up.

In the above photograph, the view from the other side of the top of the Eiger-Mönch-Jungfrau Massif looking away South.

At 00:57:41 during dinner we have a view directly across the North Face of the Eiger. You can read about the gruesome first conquest of the Eiger in Heinrich Harrer's book The White Spider. The title of the book refers to the criss-cross of snow-filled ravines toward the top of the North Face. Heinrich Harrer subsequently went on to be trapped by the Second World War in Tibet and wrote Seven Years in Tibet.

At 01:10:16 we have a shot of the Cable-Car descending to the next station at Birg away from Piz Gloria. The piste descends under the cables for the first section of its descent. At 01:10:34 Bond's number two can be seen keeping an eye on Piz Gloria.

01:12:40 Bond's Number Two cam be seen climbing up to Piz Gloria and is shot at by the guards. This takes place at the right hand corner of Piz Gloria visible in camera in the following scene, the side facing the Eiger.

At 01:23:54 Bond begins his escape from Piz Gloria, reaching the outside of the winding house.

At 01:27:48 we re-enter the reception area where the Cable-Cars dock and at 01:29:21 Bond enters the docking area for the Cable-Car and appears to exit directly onto the snow but this is not possible because of the height above the ground.

In the above photograph, the 'Garage' at Piz Gloria, next to which skiers exit onto the snow. The structure of Piz Gloria is to the left of frame. The Heli-pad is just visible above the roof line of the Garage.

In the above photograph, the Cable-Car dick at Piz Gloria. The 'Garage' is just to the left of frame.

In the above photograph, the interior of the 'Boardroom' within Piz Gloria. The windows look down onto the snow directly under the Cable-Car. This area is not open to the public. If you are holding a combined S.P.E.C.T.R.E - SMERSH - 00-rated Agent Board Meeting and Dining-In I suggest you approach the management and request permission to use this splendid venue.

In the above photograph, the left-hand-descending staircase in Piz Gloria as it enters the upper revolving section.

In the above photograph, the lower section of the Left-Hand-Descending stairway.

ESCAPE FROM PIZ GLORIA

Setting up the shot of George Lazenby escaping from the winding house on Piz Gloria.

The Piz Gloria cable-car dock showing the location of the door which Bond and his pursuers would have had to egressed from.

By 01:29:37 Bond is already on the snow of the piste and descending to the right of the first pylon, slightly above the piste.

In the above photograph, the view from the window of the S.P.E.C.T.R.E. boardroom. The first cable pylon is visible and just beyond it, the Piste.

Willy Bognor Junior filming George Lazenby skiing

Willy Bogner Jr

films George Lazenby. I prefer using Bigfeet

rather than full size skis for this operation.

At 01:55:44 the helicopter assault on Piz Gloria begins with interior scenes at Pinewood Studios.

At 01:59:38 Telly Sevalas and Diana Rigg enter the rotating upper section of Piz Gloria.

At 02:00:54 we see the steps which lead onto the ridge which are to the left of the elevation of Piz Gloria which houses the Cable-Car dock.

At 02:05:29 Blofeld jumps from the first pylon outside Piz Gloria which has been mocked-up with boarding.

Scene: Bond fights with one of Blofeld's henchmen on the edge of the precipice (01:32:49).
Location: Above Stetchelberg at Gimmelwald, further up the valley from Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
Directions: Swiss Carte Nationale De Swiss 1:50,000 Number 264 'JUNGFRAU'
Approx Co-Ordinates: 46 33 19.40 N 07 54 05.74 E

This was filmed directly above the lowermost station of the Schilthornbahn Cable-Car at Stechelberg. As Blofeld's henchmen falls and the camera pans you can see the shadow cast upon the cliff by the Cable-Car, in which the camera is mounted.

The Cliff Fall: The assembled frames from the long downward panning shot of Blofeld's henchman falling to his death.

The cliffs below Murren and above Stetchelberg

The cliffs below Mürren and above Stetchelberg. You can see the first leg of the Seilbahn as it runs from the Talstation in the valley floor to the top of the cliff north of Mürren. The second leg goes from this station up to Birg, and the third, from Birg to Piz Gloria at the top of the Schilthorn. The pylon you can see center right at the top of the cliff carries electric power up to Mürren.

In the above screen-shots, the helicopter crew prepare for another day of aerial photograph. The viaduct in the background is the cable operated railcar which takes passengers from Lauterbrunnen up to Mürren. This railway has been replaced recently (around 2007).

Scene: Irma Bunt sends the girls off (01:34:23).
Location: The lowermost station of the Schilthornbahn Cable-Car at Stetchelberg, further up the valley from Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland.
Directions: Swiss Carte Nationale De Swiss 1:50,000 Number 264 'JUNGFRAU'
Approx Co-Ordinates: 46 33 19.40 N 07 54 05.74 E

This scene was shot under the concrete canopy of the Schilthornbahn at Stetchelberg which is the Cable-Car which takes you all the way to Piz Gloria at the top of the Schilthorn.

Scene: Blofeld's henchmen arrive suddenly in their black Mercedes-Benz 220

Location:

One of the best scenes in the motion picture. Erma Bunt is all smiles as she bids good bye to the girls, but with the sudden and grave appearance of the Mercedes-Benz as it halts sharply she changes into a more sinister character and barks » Schnell! Der Englander ist abgehauen! «

PURSUIT AT THE ICE FAIR

Scene: The Ice Festival (01:35:50).
Location: Between Hotel Oberland and Hotel Regina, Grindelwald, Jungfrau region, Switzerland.
Map: Swiss Carte Nationale De Swiss 1:50,000 Number 254 'INTERLAKEN'.

Directions: As you approach Grindelwald, stay on the main route and the Hotel Oberland appears on your left, just after the railway station, with the area of the ice festival on your right, which is used as the main bus stop. Shortly after the Hotel Oberland on your right is the tourist office and the tourist office car park.

In the above photograph, the hard stand for the Post-Bus and car parking is below the rail on the walkway. This is the area used for the Ice Festival. The Hotel Regina is directly ahead of you and the turrets can be seen in the movie frames. The Hotel Oberland is out of frame to the right of Camera, by the Cameraman's right hand. The road down the mountain is to your right.

The Ice Festival was filmed on the bus stand in front of the Hotel Oberland in Grindelwald. In mid-winter the car park is flooded and freezes over. You can see the distinctive turreted outline of the Hotel Regina behind the ice festival to the right of frame. Tracy's Mercury Cougar is parked to the left of the ice festival as you stand in front of the Hotel Oberland, under the stone parapet of the raised car park beyond it, beyond which is the tourist information office.

In the above photograph, the Hotel Oberland in Grindelwald, taken from the hard-stand and looking directly at the place where the previous photograph was taken from. The Hotel Regina is behind you. The road from the valley comes in from left of frame.

In the above photograph, you are arriving from the valley, with the Hotel Regina on your right hand side, and the Parking Area about to appear on your right.

The choice of the Mercury Cougar was the product of Salzman & Broccoli's relationship with Henry Ford. This relationship gave us the inspired choice of the 1964 Ford Mustang in Goldfinger. The original planning on the Ford Mustang was for a very cheap sporty car which would appeal to young people on low incomes. One of prototypes did not even have adjustable seats. Ford broke down its product line into three brands to segment different markets: The Lincoln brand served the luxury end, the Mercury the mid sector and the Ford brand the economy bracket. The Mercury Cougar was little different to the Ford Mustang, both being constructed of pressed metal monoqoque, but the Cougar enjoyed a longer wheelbase, which made it more spacious, but less sporty. than the Mustang. Like the Mustang, the Cougar came with a choice of powerplants, ranging from an economy six up to the high output big-block V8s, which, in the case of the Mercury Cougar chosen for Tracy was the 428 Cobra Jet. This engine would place the Mercury Cougar in the front rank of power output for American cars and would mean that its acceleration would have been impressive, driven by the high levels of torque available from big-block V8s.

In Switzerland, equality of import taxation means that nearly every brand of car is represented, including American brands. This, coupled with high incomes and the Swiss taste for exotic and sporty automobiles means that the Mercury Cougar would not have looked out of place in Switzerland, while not being commonplace.

The concentration of wealth on the French and Italian Rivieras means that a similar representation of Automotive brands is found to Switzerland. I have seen the latest model of Corvette on the road in the French Riviera weeks before the first one goes on sale in the United States. Again, this would be the natural habitat of such a vehicle. Tracy Draco would naturally have chosen the slightly more luxurious Mercury Cougar over the Mustang and spending most of her time on the Riviera would have chosen a convertible.

The 428 Cobra Jet engine in the Cougar, rated at 335HP but probably generating 360HP would have enabled it to easily out-pace the Mercedes-Benz saloon of Blofeld's Henchmen and would have kept Bond's Aston Martin DBS at a distance on straighter sections of Highway. On a winding highway the greatly superior handling and roadholding of the DBS would have enabled it to catch the Mercury Cougar. The great weight of the Big-Block V8 means that cars equipped with such engines display oversteer. Furthermore, convertible cars such as this Mercury Cougar have half the roll stiffness of cars with a normal roof, which means that they grip the road less well.

In snow, you will find that a powerful cars with torque converter transmissions increase the speed of the rear wheels via the automatic transmission, when the wheels start to lose grip in snow. The engine note does not change but you can hear the rear wheels speed up and the car maintain speed. This does not help much if the car is not already moving. If you are trying to pull away on snow in a powerful car with an automatic transmission, the large torque generated by the torque converter means that the tires break traction quickly and will not propel the car forward. The speedometer will display speeds of 120kmh / 70mph while the car is stationary, as the automatic transmission senses no load in the drivetrain and changes up. Tracy's Mercury Cougar, however, will be equipped with snow chains, like all vehicles in Switzerland during Winter. The 428 Cobra Jet Cougar was also fitted with disc brakes which would have been very useful in Switzerland.

There were three Mercury Cougars used in the Film, at least two of which survive.

ESCAPE FROM THE ICE FAIR

Scene: Blofeld's henchmen shoot at Bond in the telephone booth (01:39:51).
Location: Opposite the Hotel Staubbach, Lauterbrunnen, Jungfrau region, Switzerland.
Approx Co-Ordinates: 46 35 35.34 N 07 54 27.17 E
Map: Swiss Carte Nationale De Swiss 1:50,000 Number 254 'INTERLAKEN'.

Directions: Drive up the valley from Lauterbrunnen station about 500m until you see the Hotel Staubbach appears on your left. The road ahead of you curves left in a descending U-bend passing the church.

In the above photograph, the telephone booth was located only meters in front of the camera, to the center right of frame. The Mercury Cougar was located in the street below the embankment on which the camera is standing, coming toward the camera. The Mercedes-Benz of the henchmen pulls into the driveway of the Hotel Staubach, which is below the level of the roadway, further from the camera.

The Hotel Jungfrau

fills the frame and is visible to the right in the photograph.

The raised stone wall of the car park on which the telephone booth was placed for the film is directly opposite the Hotel Staubbach

Tracy parks the Mercury Cougar below the telephone booth on the road as if heading down toward Lauterbrunnen station and takes off down the valley back toward Lauterbrunnen when Blofeld's henchmen attack. The henchmen shoot at Bond from the car park of the Hotel Staubbach.

The telephone booth used in the film was a mock-up as there is no telephone booth nor PTT at this location in Lauterbrunnen.

You can see the church in the shot of the Mercury Cougar which precedes its arrival at the telephone booth.

Scene: The Mercury Cougar slides off a turn (01:40:30).
Location: Lauterbrunnen, between the church and the Hotel Staubbach.
Approx Co-Ordinates: 46 35 33.80 N 07 54 27.61 E
Map: Swiss Carte Nationale De Swiss 1:50,000 Number 254 'INTERLAKEN'.

In the above photograph, the tight turn which the Mercury Cougar negotiates. The automobile travels toward the camera on the section of road to the right of frame, and turns to its right, down the section of road in mid frame.

This takes place slightly further up valley from the scene with the telephone booth. Were it not for the clever editing of the film, it would be visible in the previous scene with the telephone booth. The main road up the valley passes between the Hotel Staubbach and the telephone booth and curves around to the left in a descending U-bend past the church. There is a small side road which joins the start of the 'U' and continues the line of the road up which you are approaching. The Mercury Cougar drives down this small road toward you and Tracy fluffs the turn and has to reverse. In real life, the Cougar has just driven up this U-bend.

I kept driving past this location, wondering why it seemed familiar. While working through the location clippings book I again felt something familiar: I was looking right at this house. Not the first time this had happened.

NIGHT IN THE BARN

George Lazenby wears a Rolex Daytona for the scene in the barn with Diana Rigg

George Lazenby wears his Rolex Daytona for the scene in the barn with Diana Rigg

ESCAPE FROM THE BARN

The peak visible center background is the Monch. This image was formed from all the frames of Bond and Tracy jumping the roof of the barns. The image of the Monch is only visible in the footage of the henchman jumping the barn. The low cloud had cleared for that take.

Two Bonds and two Teresas during the ski escape from the Barn

In this frame you can see several other Bond & Tracy doubles who have completed their run and are waiting for the remaining pair to jump through the trees.

Location of the ski jump over the snow blower

The actual fall, the descent between the top and the bottom of the run over the road is not that great and there is only just enough speed on the skis to make the jump.

In the above screenshot, the section of Ice Glacier which was exploded off the mountainside to form part of the avalanche scene.

You can see that at the time of filming of On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) the Autoroute Geneva-Laussane had been constructed but the Autoroute Lausanne-Bern did not exist, nor the four-lane highway which takes you up from Bern to Interlaken and the Jungfrau region. Cast, crew and equipment coming up-country would have flown into Zürich and then most likely driven to via Bern to Interlaken, although in the pre-autoroute days driving Zürich-Luzern-Interlaken would have been a shorter route.

In the above map, road network of Switzerland is show in the 1960s. Marked in purple are the two routes which the Mercury Cougar might have followed from the airport at Zürich. In the pre-autoroute era a native Swiss would have driven from Zürich via Luzern to Interlaken and the Jungfrau, but in the beginning of the Autoroute era a driver unfamiliar with Switzerland might have opted for the more straightforward route from Zürich to Bern and thence Interlaken. Certainly the route via Luzern is the more interesting and testing drive. After Luzern, the route heads south up a long straight climb through valley punctuated by a series of lakes. Finally after Lungern it climbs over a pass (marked in red diamonds) and drops into the valley of the River Aare at Meiringen. Interlaken is down valley to the west. This pass is not as severe as the major Alpine passes but I have had some hair-raising moments in early season heavy snowfall while on summer tires.

If driving from Zürich then the route via Bern takes you past the locations used in Bern. If you drive from Zürich via Luzern, then you pass the location used in Goldfinger (1964) for Auric Goldfinger's factory at Stans.

If driving from Genève to Davos then I would take the Autoroute to Bern, then cut across to Luzern and come at at Wadenswil, turning right to head for Davos. This cuts out the long autoroute journey from Bern to Zürich and then all the way down to Wadenswil.

Switzerland's lack of import restrictions and the proximity of the American Zone of Germany to the north meant that Switzerland already far more American automobiles than any other European country and some very nice examples could be seen. The Mercury Cougar, while may have drawn an admiring glance, would not have appeared unusual as it drove to the Jungfrau.

At peak hours, frequently there is a large traffic jam on the autoroute around the north and west sides of Bern, so it is worth learning to use the old roads to bypass Bern to the south.

German autobahn route from England to Switzerland

Overview of the 1960s routes from England to Switzerland from Merrick's The Great Motor Highways of the Alps (1958). At that time, when there were no French autoroutes crossing Europe meant using the German Autobahn network for as much of the route as possible. From Channel Ports this meant heading for Liege in Belgium, thence picking up the Autobahn as you crossed the Rhein.

http://swissclassics.com/ - Swiss Classics magazine, which is a good source of the dates of events of numerous Swiss Alpine rallys. Diary

http://www.jungfraurallye.com/ - For lady drivers. Clearly, the Countess Teresa set a precedent in her Mercury Cougar. The Jungfrau Rallye for pre-1983 classics is for lady drivers.

WEDDING

Scene: 02:15:06 - Bond visits a jewelers to purchase a wedding ring.
Location: Rossio, Lisbon, Portugal at the south-west end of Praça Dom Pedro IV

at the junction of Rua 1 de Ezembro, Rua Aurea

Scene: 02:15:30 - The wedding of Bond and Teresa.
Location: Zambujal

near Setúbal

, Portugal, on the Sado River estuary

Scene: 02:17:59 - Bond and Teresa start their honeymoon in their Aston Martin
Location: Salazar Bridge , now the 25 de Abril Bridge

, Lisbon, Portugal. Approaching from the north on the long S curve which precedes the bridge.

The northern approach to the Salazar Bridge, Lisbon, Portugal: The Aston Martin DBS is prepared for filming. No question about where this was because the only stretch of six lane highway in Portugal at this time was on either size of the Salazar Bridge. In the Sixties, neither Spain nor Portugal were wealthy countries and while they enjoyed better standards of living than before the war, large infrastructure projects were beyond them.

Scene: 02:18:19 - The newlyweds drive along the coast road.
Location: Arrábida Natural Park

, near Setubal, Portugal on the N379, driving south.

Scene: Blofeld and Irma Bunt machine-gun the Aston Martin from their Mercedes-Benz 600

Location: Arrábida Natural Park

, near Setubal, Portugal on the N379, driving south, on the second stone-walled pull-off, next to the wooden take-off ramp for the paragliders. The Mercedes-Benz disappears around the right hand bend after the shooting.

Map of Portugal, Lisboa, showing the areas used from filming by EON for OHMSS

Map of Portugal in the 1960s, Lisboa, showing the areas used from filming by EON for OHMSS. You can see that the six lane highway either side of the Salazar Bridge is the only six-lane highway in Portugal.

Lisbon is in the far south west of Europe and so it is a long, but very pleasurable drive, from anywhere. The crew were traveling from England and in 1968 there were car ferries from Southampton

or Portsmouth

Bilboa and Santander

in northern Spain. It is possible that the direct ferry to Lisbon in Portugal was still operating at this time. These ferries enabled those driving to Portugal or southern Spain to avoid the long drive south through France. Almost certainly the crew and the automobiles such as the Aston Martin and the Mercury Cougar would have traveled by this route. The ferry services from English ports to Spain and Portugal seem to have have gradually disappeared.

PREMIÈRE

George Lazenby on Westminster Bridge, London, England.

George Lazenby on Westminster Bridge, London. Immediately behind the camera is St Thomas's Hospital

. In the Background is the Palace of Westminster

, specifically Big Ben

. To the right of frame is Westminster Bridge

Looking south east over London from the City of Westminster. Mid frame lowermost is Westminster Abbey. Between Westminster Abbey and the river is the Palace of Westminster. The black tower mid frame left on the horizon is the Natwest Tower. The towers on the horizon mid frame right are at Canary Wharf which was built on what used to be the docklands area. This frame is from Johnny English (2003)

+ The Reichenbach Falls at Meiringen, further East up Lake Brienzer See. This is the scene of used by Arthur Conan-Doyle for the fatal plunge of Holmes and Moriarty. Meiringen has a small Sherlock Holmes museum.

http://swissclassics.com/ - Swiss Classics magazine, which is a good source of the dates of events of numerous Swiss Alpine rallys. Diary

- At Picasa

- At Twitter

- At Tumblr

- At pinterest.com

- At Gigapan

- Blog

-At Facebook

CONTENTS - FILM LOCATIONS - WARTIME LOCATIONS - GRAND TOURING - EQUIPMENT - NEW MATERIAL - INDEX