Amor e Dedinhos de Pé - Joaquim de Almeida (1993) - Jardim Lou Lim Ieoc, Macau

I think this will be the final film location post for this year and it's a familiar location for regular followers here. Lou Lim Ieoc (the "I" is pronounced like a "Y") garden makes an appearance in a couple of scenes, mainly as a restaurant/teahouse.

Amor e Dedinhos de Pé - Joaquim de Almeida (1993) - Lin Fung Temple, Macau

There are two similar sized temple complexes on the Macau peninsula. The first one is the famous Kwun Yam temple (aka Templo de Pou Chai, seen here) on Avenida do Coronel Mesquita. The other temple, located not that far away, is Lin Fung Temple. The shot of the rooftop (see image 3) helped to discover which one was featured in this film, but they both have similar layouts with small alleyways between the main buildings. The last image looks like they constructed some extra, fake walls each side of the frame in the courtyard in front of the main temple building (a small feat given what the production design did to the Taipa Praia and the seafront house). 

Amor e Dedinhos de Pé - Joaquim de Almeida (1993) - Templo Pequeno de Kun Iam, Taipa

Here's another great example of how much things have changed in Macau over the past couple of decades (if seeing the horror of the Cotai Strip wasn't enough). There is a very brief glimpse of a small beach-side shrine built upon a stone terrace. Believe it or not this is the Templo Pequeno de Kun Iam that now has a large main road in front of it called Estrada Nordeste da Taipa. Click on this Googlemaps link to compare the modern view with the early 90s shot below. There is a similar image over on the Macau Memories website.

Amor e Dedinhos de Pé - Joaquim de Almeida (1993) - Cemitério São Miguel Arcanjo, Macau

The Cemetery of St Michael Cemetery the Archangel is the location used for the burial of Victoriana's grandfather, Mr Padilla, after he dies from a heart attack. There aren't many big cemeteries in Macau - the place is quite small after all - but the identification is helped by the real life grave of João Corrêa Paes d'Assumpção which appears in the first frame below.

Amor e Dedinhos de Pé - Joaquim de Almeida (1993) - Avenida da Praia, Taipa

There are a few scenes in this film shot along the Avenida da Praia in Taipa, however, it's easily missed because it appears that the production crew went to great lengths to construct a large facade that covered the Taipa Houses (collectively known as the "Taipa Houses Museum") to give the appearance of more houses, and greater height, connected in a terrace. So in the screen shots below you can see that the street does look very familiar, but the houses on the right of the frame are all completely fake.

Given that the production appears to have constructed a colonial-style house on the seafront in Coloane, then the creation of a facade here to give the impression of more, taller properties is not that unbelievable.

Amor e Dedinhos de Pé - Joaquim de Almeida (1993) - Avenida do Conselheiro Ferreira de Almeida, Macau

A brief scene showing Francisco's boater-hatted buddies on their way to the wedding was shot at the north side of Tap Seac. In the initial image the actors can be seen walking down Travessa do Tap Siac - a small alleyway located between the Galeria Tap Seac and Arquivo de Macau buildings. The large archway at the end of the building was most likely built to hide some of the more modern buildings in the background. The main road in front of the buildings - which the arch has also been built across - is Avenida do Conselheiro Ferreira de Almeida.

There's also a sedan chair scene in the film that was shot along the same road, although the images below start at the section of road behind the arch above. These old Portuguese colonial houses are still around as far as I know - there are three in a row, all in a similar style and colour.

Amor e Dedinhos de Pé - Joaquim de Almeida (1993) - Coloane Coast, Macau

I think there is time for one more film before this year ends. This next film is a Portuguese/Spanish/French co-production starring one of Portugal's most famous actors, Joaquim de Almeida. Based on a book by Henrique de Senna Fernandes, it was filmed in 1991 (according to the copyright mark in the credits) in Macau but not released until 1993.

The story follows Francisco Frontaria (Almeida) who is a rather reckless playboy from a well-to-do family. One day he turns up to a wealthy socialite wedding and insults the bride, causing him to be shunned by his friends and beaten to within an inch of his life by the groom's hired thugs. Now a pariah, he slowly slips into vagrancy before being rescued by the daughter (Ana Torrent) of a local doctor who recognises him under all the facial hair and skanky clothing. The film name comes from a scene where she treats his badly infected feet.

Someone has uploaded it toYoutube: https://youtu.be/6xtTO_4YXZM?si=vibBdsnPW4WdPd0t

I'm quite impressed by the set designers of this film, not just the period costumes but also the built sets including the main one below. This seemingly colonial-era house - replete with a rather nice exterior verandha overlooking the sea - appears to have been constructed specially for the movie, because its location, on the very southern tip of Coloane, is just a rocky beach. The only hint of it being fake is what seems to be a concrete base it sits on which is more visible in the last image. The land in the background is Mainland China because we are at Coloane's southern coastline here.

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story - Jason Scott Lee (1993) - Dragon German Lobby Cards

AP was also kind enough to send over a couple of German Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story lobby cards.

The first one shows the childhood scene that were filmed over at Yau Kung Tong in Yuen Long. The second one of course is from the near final scenes of the Enter the Dragon set that was reconstructed over at Joss House Bay in front of the locally famous Tin Hau Temple. You can see all the Dragon posts here.

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story - Jason Scott Lee (1993) - Shaw Brothers Movietown, Sai Kung

Okay, this one is my last one until I get some more identified after posting them on my Budding Sleuths page. This one shops a brief glimpse of the (now completely defunct) Movietown back lot.

Even though the studios had essentially stopped making films in the mid-80's when TVB became the main focus for Sir Run Run, the back-lot was still available for lease to whoever needed it - for example Jackie Chan built a massive period set here in 1988 for use in Miracles. Anyway, the Dragon crew also used the place for a very brief scene showing the filming off a kung fu film.

Shaws fans (at least genuinely geeky ones) will immediately recognise the giant wooden pai-lau (archway) that occupies centre screen. It has been a regular landmark in many a Shaw-produced movie.

This shows to me that some of the back lot was still intact even after the nearby University of Science and Technology (HKUST) was built in 1991 - it had taken up some of the Movietown land for development. Of course, now the studio premises are a complete wreck awaiting redevelopment. They have recently been given a Heritage grading but this means very little in HK and certainly doesn't prevent demolition  and redevelopment. However, I would hope that any new building here could incorporate the iconic Shaw House as part of the development and perhaps even turn it into a Shaws museum (I know a few people who would kill their grannies to get involved in something like that).

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story - Jason Scott Lee (1993) - Joss House Bay, Sai Kung

Okay, so I was a bit premature when I said the previous post was my last because I just found another one worth including. It's actually from the final scene when Lee walks to the top of a wall, supposedly during the filming of Enter the Dragon, and the white suited karate dudes all turn around and salute him.

This scene was actually filmed in front of the famous Tin Hau Temple in Joss House Bay. The large courtyard in front of the temple was the area where the extras were lined up and it looks as though a temporary wall was built for Lee to walk up. The Tin Hau Temple itself is just off-screen to the left.

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story - Jason Scott Lee (1993) - Sai Kung, New Territories

Our final shot for this film is a nice look out over the northern part of Port Shelter in Sai Kung. Initially I thought it may have been taken from the garden of the Nam Shan Village house used in place of 41 Cumberland Road, but realised it was a little way north of there, slightly outside of the village boundaries - most likely from a smaller village marked as 朗尾 (Long Mei) on my maps - not to be confused with the nearby Lung Mei (龍尾) where the real-life Bruce Lee shot footage and stills for Game of Death.

In case you are curious, the small islands are Yeung Chau on the right, Cham Tau Chau (behind it and to the left) and the smaller one on the left of the shot is called Lap Sap Chau (lit: rubbish island).

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story - Jason Scott Lee (1993) - Kennedy Town, Hong Kong

A nice angle of Kennedy Town at the far west of Hong Kong Island taken from the harbour as a fishing junk sails by.

Some of the buildings we can see along what is Kennedy Town Praya are still around, but some have also been replaced since the film was made - to be replaced by even taller residential blocks.

One thing has has disappeared for good is the sight of these traditional fishing junks, however, our good friend wikipedia assures me that the one we can see above is in fact the Duk Ling, so you can still come here and actually get on board. Unlike its rather fake looking counterpart - the Aqua Luna - the Duk Ling does have an authentic history as a fishing junk before restoration.

I'm told (but can't confirm) that before the HK Tourist Board chartered the boat for actual cruises around the harbour, the Govt paid the owner a massive fee just to have the thing sail up and down the harbour front all week.

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story - Jason Scott Lee (1993) - Mong Kok Kai Fong Association Chan Hing Social Service Centre, Tai Kok Tsui

One I almost missed because it involves an indoor location rather than the usual exterior shots. This didn't really take much identification because it is mentioned on the production notes that came with the DVD. It's the 陳慶社會服務中心, or for those that don't read Chinese it's the Chan Hing Social Service Centre at 45 Fuk Tsun Street in the Tai Kok Tsui area of Mongkok. Of course, this is also confirmed by looking at some of the Chinese on display in some of the screencaps.

Anyway, this is the scene where we are introduced to the grown up Bruce as he takes on some rowdy obnoxious British sailors (one played by Mark King - a fairly prolific gweilo actor in HK during the 80's and 90's).

 

In case you're wondering what the building looks like on the outside, here is the Streetview.

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story - Jason Scott Lee (1993) - Tao Fung Shan, Shatin

The stand-in for Golden Harvest studios comes from Tao Fung Shan in the hills above Shatin. We see it a few times on film with the name "Pearl of the Orient" Studios.

By sheer coincidence...I have just re-posted an old blog post from my other site with a few more pictures of the place. You can see the post here and it mentions a real-world Bruce Lee connection to the location. Don't forget we have also seen this location previously courtesy of the Noble House mini-series where it stood in for Beijing.

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story - Jason Scott Lee (1993) - 180 Nam Shan San Tsuen Road, Sai Kung

Hmm, that address sounds familiar...well it should do because we have seen it before on this blog: it was the house owned by Chuck Norris' casino owning boss in Forced Vengeance.

In Dragon: The Bruce Lee (made-up) Story, the house is supposed to be Lee's real address at 41 Cumberland Road. The filmmakers even went as far as to put a #41 on the main gate. Actually, it looks like the front gate had a whole new concrete wall built - but this have just been a prop for the film seeing as the property currently just has a chicken wire and metal gate.

If you want to know where this place is then just click on the link to the Forced Vengeance post, this saves me repeating myself but does beggar the question: who actually owns this place? I would hazard a guess and say that perhaps someone at Salon Films owns (or owned) the place or at least someone who knew Charles Wang, the boss at Salon.