Showing posts with label Marine Office. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marine Office. Show all posts
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Hong Kong (series) - Rod Taylor (1960) - Central Waterfront, Hong Kong
Jumping Dragon's aircraft themed plot means we are treated to a rather nice aerial sequence that takes in the waterfront from Central to Sheung Wan. It was a bit reminiscent of the opening credits of Love is a Many-Splendored Thing but viewed from the opposite direction. For a modern orientation you can look at the first image and spot the two-tone building centre screen. This was the Marine Dept HQ and stood on the site now occupied by Infinitus Plaza (previously known as Vicwood Plaza). The lower image gives a good view of the old Macau Ferry piers. I'm sure there is someone out there who can recognize which ferries were docked at the time, so if you know, please feel free to leave a comment.
Monday, February 13, 2017
Ein Sarg aus Hong Kong - Heinz Drache (1964) - Various Harbour views
I have a bunch of unidentified location still pending for this film (see my help page) so will finish this one for the time being with a variety of clips in and around the harbour area. If you look closely there are some familiar buildings to be found. For example in the top two pictures you can just make out the Marine Dept Building that was later demolished to make way for what was Vicwood Plaza but is now called Infinitus Plaza. It's on the far left in the lower picture.
In these next pictures we can see a tall building next to the old Central Fire Station. The building was originally the Hang Seng Building (which we saw the front of not so long ago) but was later renamed to the Nexxus Building, and is still around albeit in a vastly updated facade. The fire station was replaced a long time ago and strangely enough is now the site for the newer version of the Hang Seng HQ. Note in front of the fire station is the old vehicular ferry pier.
Monday, November 28, 2016
Les Tribulations d'un Chinois en Chine - Jean-Paul Belmondo (1965) - Central Skyline, Hong Kong
In a rather impressive mid-film chase sequence across some rooftops and involving scampering around, and falling off, large amounts of bamboo scaffolding (I'm sure Jackie Chan was influenced by this when he made Project A Part 2) we get to take in a fair amount of the skyline - low rise as it still was at the time - of Central.
As it is the rooftops that these guys are running around make it difficult to pinpoint the exact location but there are a couple of landmarks that give us the rough area. Here are a few of the screen grabs.
I did stitch a few pictures together and came up with the following panorama. The things to note are the Marine Department building with its small white tower almost dead centre (or far left if you look at the screen grab above). This building sat along Connaught Road and Rumsey Street. In fact you can see the gap in the buildings next to it that marks Rumsey Street. The building lasted until 1983 before being replaced by a mall that is now called Infinitus Plaza (formerly Vicwood Plaza). So given that information, and the angle on the street, I can only guess that we are somewhere around Shing Wong St area (give or take a few blocks).
Another interesting building that can be seen is the old Sun Company building at the far right of the panorama. It was a skinny building with a sort of tired rooftop and I believe was a local department store. The building ran along the length of Wing Wo Street and its modern replacement occupies that same skinny plot and is called "Sun House".
Anyway, I'm happy to accept any offers on the actual location (where the camera was) as I think my guess leaves a lot to be desired. By the way, if anyone knows what the large building was between the two I've just mentioned (it would've occupied the site of what is now Li Po Chun Chambers) then please leave a comment.
Before I forget (as I did the first time this was published), there was also a brief shot of another part of the skyline but further to the west over Sheung Wan. The picture below shows the building that Belmondo climbs out of before heading off on his rooftop jaunt. In the distance, fronting the harbour is (behind Belmondo's butt in the top picture) the Sun Kwong Hotel. If you look closely, to the left of it you can just make out one of the chimney stacks of Western Market - the gap between the two being Morrison Street.
I'm not sure what the building is in the bottom of both pictures but it's possible it is the King's College Old Boys Association Primary School (built 1958) on Bridges Street which would make the building we are on somewhere in the vicinity of today's Caravan Court/Kin Yuen Mansion on Caine Road. Corrections or guesses welcome.
As it is the rooftops that these guys are running around make it difficult to pinpoint the exact location but there are a couple of landmarks that give us the rough area. Here are a few of the screen grabs.
I did stitch a few pictures together and came up with the following panorama. The things to note are the Marine Department building with its small white tower almost dead centre (or far left if you look at the screen grab above). This building sat along Connaught Road and Rumsey Street. In fact you can see the gap in the buildings next to it that marks Rumsey Street. The building lasted until 1983 before being replaced by a mall that is now called Infinitus Plaza (formerly Vicwood Plaza). So given that information, and the angle on the street, I can only guess that we are somewhere around Shing Wong St area (give or take a few blocks).
Another interesting building that can be seen is the old Sun Company building at the far right of the panorama. It was a skinny building with a sort of tired rooftop and I believe was a local department store. The building ran along the length of Wing Wo Street and its modern replacement occupies that same skinny plot and is called "Sun House".
Anyway, I'm happy to accept any offers on the actual location (where the camera was) as I think my guess leaves a lot to be desired. By the way, if anyone knows what the large building was between the two I've just mentioned (it would've occupied the site of what is now Li Po Chun Chambers) then please leave a comment.
Before I forget (as I did the first time this was published), there was also a brief shot of another part of the skyline but further to the west over Sheung Wan. The picture below shows the building that Belmondo climbs out of before heading off on his rooftop jaunt. In the distance, fronting the harbour is (behind Belmondo's butt in the top picture) the Sun Kwong Hotel. If you look closely, to the left of it you can just make out one of the chimney stacks of Western Market - the gap between the two being Morrison Street.
I'm not sure what the building is in the bottom of both pictures but it's possible it is the King's College Old Boys Association Primary School (built 1958) on Bridges Street which would make the building we are on somewhere in the vicinity of today's Caravan Court/Kin Yuen Mansion on Caine Road. Corrections or guesses welcome.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Roaring Fire - Hiroyuki Sananda (1982) - Victoria Harbour
On his way to the gangster's hideout, Joji (Sanada) grabs a boat and goes speeding through the harbour. This was in the early 80's before much of the reclamation that is evident today and so we have a fairly unfettered view of Connaught Road, or at least the buildings that line its southern side.
This first screen capture above shows the white General Post Office in the background - at a time when its northern side still fronted the harbour. Behind it just peeking out is the circular windowed Jardine House (previously Connaught Centre). At the far right is a row of buildings ending in the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce. Most of these buildings are still around including the art-deco C.G.C.C.
As the camera pulls out we get a wide angled view of the same area. The low-rise cream-coloured building behind the ship's mast is the old fire station. This was demolished and replaced the the Hang Seng HQ.
For those with a keen eye, you might also notice the Marine Office with its small tower. We got a closer view of this place at the beginning of the film - another great looking building that has fallen victim to redevelopment. Now the site of Infinity Plaza.
These days there are several hundred metres worth of reclamation blocking the view.
This first screen capture above shows the white General Post Office in the background - at a time when its northern side still fronted the harbour. Behind it just peeking out is the circular windowed Jardine House (previously Connaught Centre). At the far right is a row of buildings ending in the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce. Most of these buildings are still around including the art-deco C.G.C.C.
As the camera pulls out we get a wide angled view of the same area. The low-rise cream-coloured building behind the ship's mast is the old fire station. This was demolished and replaced the the Hang Seng HQ.
For those with a keen eye, you might also notice the Marine Office with its small tower. We got a closer view of this place at the beginning of the film - another great looking building that has fallen victim to redevelopment. Now the site of Infinity Plaza.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Roaring Fire - Hiroyuki Sanada (1982) - Victoria Harbour
In the spirit of internationalism here is a Japanese offering starring the great Hiroyuki Sanada and (in a minor role) the equally superb Sonny Chiba. There are some interesting new angles (as well as old ones) to be seen in this film that was shot partially in HK.
We also get a brief glimpse of the harbour as seen from Kowloon-side. The interesting thing (for me, at least) here the fact that we can just make out the old Marine Office on Connaught Road at the junction with Rumsey Street. It was later replaced by what was Vicwood Plaza but has since been renamed Infinitus Plaza. If you want to see what the old building looked like in closeup, Andrew Tse has a fantastic picture over on FLICKR.
To get started here is the requisite shot of the harbour from on high, just to establish the fact that the beginning of the story starts here.
We also get a brief glimpse of the harbour as seen from Kowloon-side. The interesting thing (for me, at least) here the fact that we can just make out the old Marine Office on Connaught Road at the junction with Rumsey Street. It was later replaced by what was Vicwood Plaza but has since been renamed Infinitus Plaza. If you want to see what the old building looked like in closeup, Andrew Tse has a fantastic picture over on FLICKR.
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