Amaya - Kaori Momoi (2010) - Various views around Central

Quite a few of the opening scenes were shot in and around Statue Square in Central. But there are also afew shots along Des Vouex Road Central, such as the reflection of Alexandra House in the windows of Chater House (image 3) and a view looking west towards the Yat Fat Stationers sign (image 5). The latter is still there as far as I know, despite all the recent sign removals carried out by the Govt.

Hong Kong (series) - Rod Taylor (1960) - Alexandra House, Central

Another major building in the central area, this time the original Alexandra House that stood at the junction between Chater Road and Des Voeux Road Central. This art deco style version was built in the 1950s and lasted until the mid-70's before being demolished and rebuilt into the current version. I prefer the older one.

In the background on the left you can see the end of the old Prince's Building which was demolished a few years after this for another modern, less inspiring, replacement. The same can be said for the other side of the background. The Chartered Bank building lasted slightly longer (in to the 1980s) before being redeveloped.

Hong Kong (series) - Rod Taylor (1960) - Statue Square, Central

One of my favourite shots from the Freebooter episode is this one of Evans (Rod Taylor) parking his car in Statue Square and crossing Des Voeux Road Central. As you can see from the images below, this was a time when there were parking spaces to be had and Prince's Building was still around.

Das Mädchen von Hongkong - Joachim Fuchsberger (1973) - Connaught Road, Central

A rather nice colourful shot from Connaught Road giving us views of the old Standard Chartered Bank (formerly Chartered Bank) building, Princes Building, Mandarin Oriental as well as a distant view of the old GPO building at the corner of Pedder St, here's a close up I posted previously.

L'Inconnue de Hong Kong - Dalida (1963) - City Hall, Central

Well, not really a view of City Hall but rather a view from City Hall. In one of my favourite scenes, one of the actors walks from Edinburgh Place along the open space directly under City Hall before heading out onto Connaught Road.

This passageway under City Hall remains virtually unchanged but there have been big changes around it since including the removal of the Star Ferry terminal with its iconic clock (background of top picture), the redevelopment of both the Standard Chartered and HSBC bank buildings (picture 3) and finally the Hong Kong Club (across the road in the lowest picture). Note the empty space on the right of picture 3 - this is the area that was getting ready to have Prince's Building built on it. It opened 2 years later in 1965.

Flatfoot in Hong Kong - Bud Spencer (1975) - The Cenotaph, Hong Kong

Just a brief shot here as Rizzo walks across the Cenotaph garden. Of course these days it's off-limits to the public but at least we get a nice view of the previously mentioned HSBC building and Standard Chartered Bank HQ and the current version of Prince's Building (and just a glimpse of the corner of the Supreme Court/ex-LegCo building peeking out behind the Cenotaph).

Flatfoot in Hong Kong - Bud Spencer (1975) - Des Voeux Road Central, Hong Kong

Some scene setting takes place - as it does in any film that wants to show its viewers that they really did go to HK - and we get a few shots of a 1975 Central including the following view down the tramlines along Des Voeux Road Central.

The spire-like construction was the old Bank of East Asia building - sadly demolished in 1980 to make way for their current HQ. Sadly, we can't blame the current HK Govt for the loss of so many great buildings in Central because most of them disappeared under the Colonial Administration - however, the current Govt seems to be increasingly willing in continuing that short-sighted policy.

As the camera pulls back we can see some old favourites - including rather oblique views of the old Chartered Bank Building and of course the previous incarnation of the HSBC HQ - both now gone. On the right you can see the current version of Prince's Building, and at extreme right in the lower shot we can see the edge of the former Supreme Court/former LegCo building - also still around.

The World of Suzie Wong - William Holden (1960) - The Chartered Bank, Hong Kong

The south side of Statue Square was - and still is - fronted by the various major banks. There is a point in the film when Lomax (Holden) realises he needs a bit of cash - strapped as he is as a freelance artist - so off he heads to try and get a loan. Where does he go? The Chartered Bank. Formerly known as The Chartered Bank of India Australia and China (it went on to become Standard Chartered circa 1970).

The first shot shows Holden standing on a very familiar spot (familiar to anyone in HK at least because the building in the background is the former Supreme Court building, subsequently the former Legislative Council Building and soon to reappear as a law court when the Final Court of Appeal moves there from the former French Mission building at the top of nearby Battery Path.

Both the Chartered Bank building and HSBC behind it have since been rebuilt but the Bank of China building at the far end of the row is still standing. The BOC created their new HQ on a different site (the site of the Murray Building that now - or at least a 70% new version of it - stands in Stanley).

The World of Suzie Wong - William Holden (1960) - Statue Square, Hong Kong

Actually, this area was and still is dissected by Chater Road and the part featured below is really the area next to the Cenotaph (though we don't see this on film), I've used Statue Square in the title because it's perhaps more familiar and we still get to some see the buildings that encircle(d) it anyway.

Well, immediately after crossing Connaught Road from Edinburgh Place, Holden (as Robert Lomax) walks to ask directions to the Nam Kok Hotel. Unfortunately the filmmakers at this point thought it would be more interesting to have a rickshaw blocking the foreground whilst the fantastic old Queen's and Prince's buildings get largely obscured in the background and as such we get only glimpses of how impressive these buildings were.

Queen's Building was of course replaced by the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in 1963, not long after this film was made (the COOKS sign above can be spotted on almost any old photo of the place) and the Prince's Building still exists - albeit in name only.

Interestingly, on this last shot above we can see the former versions of both the Standard Chartered Bank Building (then just known as "The Chartered Bank") and part of the previous (and much more pleasing to me) HSBC building.