Crossing Hennessy - Jacky Cheung (2010) - Flagstaff House, Hong Kong Park

Post ceremony photos at Flagstaff House.Formerly the living quarters of the British Garrison head honcho,and now a museum dedicated to the item behind the colonisation of Hong Kong all those years ago: tea. It's appeared on the blog a few times over the years. I think that's our lot for this particular film, there are a couple of locations I couldn't identify (such as the graevyard) but you never know, they might reveal themselves to me in the future. Until then.

Royal Warriors - Michelle Yeoh (1986) - Flagstaff House, Hong Kong Park

In reality this was where the Hong Kong Garrison Commander lived, later to be turned into the Museum of Tea Ware. Well worth a visit if you are ever here. In the film it's the Japanese Consulate where Yamamoto has been put under house arrest with his families ashes/bones following the rather OTT shootout at the California bar.

Shadow of China - John Lone (1989) - Flagstaff House, Hong Kong Park

We've seen this place a couple of times on this blog now, first was as the residence of Emmanuelle and her husband in Emmanuelle 2, then not so long ago Vivian Wu was doing a photo shoot here for The Pillow Book. Well, it turns out that The Pillow Book wasn't the first time Vivian had made a film here because she turns up with Akira to witness her old refugee buddy throwing a large garden party in the groundsof the rather splendid old house.

The Pillow Book - Vivian Wu (1996) - Hong Kong Park, Central

Sometimes I have to go beyond the call of duty for this blog and view films that are a bit, well...pants! Case in point: The Pillow Book directed by Peter Greenaway. Thankfully it has some interesting bits of Hong Kong - some we've seen before, some we haven't.

Sadly, for this blog at least, Greenaway's habit of sticking insets in the middle of the screen mean some of the locations are obscured, but I think there is enough available for a quick look. Anyway, for starters we get some shots taken from within the bounds of Hong Kong Park.

 We also catch a brief glimpse of Flagstaff House a bit later on. The lights behind it are from the Lippo Centre.

Emmanuelle 2 - Sylvia Kristel (1975) - Flagstaff House, Central

Here's one that hasn't been used before, and the fact that it was in what was, at the time, still part of the Victoria Barracks in Central (since turned largely into Hong Kong Park). Flagstaff House is now the Museum of Tea Ware and well worth a visit, even if you aren't too interested in tea - but it's worthwhile remembering that Hong Kong was pretty much founded on the British quest for tea and the subsequent means of funding it...(by trading opium - in case you are historically challenged)

In the film it's the house where Emmanuelle lives with her husband and their entourage of servants and hangers-on. I can't vouch for the interior rooms but it's quite possible they were used for filming as well - either that or there was a very convincing studio set.

So, I did eventually make it back to Hong Kong Park over the summer (2016) and took a few comparative pictures. One thing I did notice is that in the second screen shot with the car, the building had extra columns extending beyond the front entrance. It was a small portico that has since been removed. Why? I have no idea because I don't think its position interfered with anything there currently. What a shame.