Queen's Road East - Now and Then

This attempt at a now/then comparison is using a still from Visa to Canton (1960) starring Richard Baseheart in one of several Hammer films featuring Hong Kong over the years (the others being Shatter and The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires).

For a wider version of the 1960 image - it's a stitch of several screen grabs from a panning shot - you can see my original post here.

Old Wanchai Post Office - Now and Then

No new films in the run up to Xmas as I wind down the posts for the year and head off for a holiday, but here are some Now/Then images that I have had on the pile for a while.

This one isn't such an old image because the film the still is taken from, Crossing Hennessy, was only released in 2010. Despite that, there has been some change to the background. This is the old Post Office (built 1913) on Queen's Road East. Crossing Hennessy isn't the first time it appeared on film, there is a brief, rather restricted, view of a sliver of the building during a scene in Soldier of Fortune . That view is a bit hard for me to recreate though so instead, underneath, is a recent picture from a brief trip there.

Crossing Hennessy - Jacky Cheung (2010) - Environmental Resource Centre, Wanchai

Another brief shot along Queen's Road East shows what was the old Wanchai Post Office but is now the Environmental Resources Centre. This same spot along Queen's Road East (but from the other direction) was featured way back in 1955 for Soldier of Fortune.

Crossing Hennessy - Jacky Cheung (2010) - Queen's Road East, Wanchai

Many of the locations in this film are in and around Wanchai, simply because this is where the two main characters work in their respective shops: Loy in his mum's white goods store and Oi Lin in her uncle and aunty's bathroom shop. We'll get to those respective locations later, but in the meantime there are lots of transition type shots, like this one of Queen's Road East. The portico on the left is the Hopewell Centre.

Crossing Hennessy - Jacky Cheung (2010) - View from Wu Chung House

Back to more recent times now and a Hong Kong that is recognisable to me because I had already been living here for around 3 years when this next one was filmed - shot in early 2009. Crossing Hennessy was written and directed by Ivy Ho and stars Jacky Cheung (as Loy) and Tang Wei (Oi Lin) as a couple thrust together by their scheming elders, determined to marry them off, despite them both carrying a significant amount of emotional baggage. Oi Lin has a boyfriend currently in prison and Loy just seems to be coasting through life since the death of his father.

The film features many (recent) scenes of Hong Kong and starts off with a rather vertiginous view over Wanchai from the top of Wu Chung House on Queen's Road East.

The lower two images were taken from the same spot but show a zoomed in view and were used a few scenes later. You can see Southorn Playground through the gaps.

Flight to Hong Kong - Rory Calhoun (1956) - Hennessy Road, Wanchai

Whilst Jean and Tony are trying to give the bad guys the slip, Tony heads over to a phone booth located at the junction of Hennessy Road and Queen's Road East to make a phone call to Mama Lin.

   

Visa to Canton - Richard Basehart (1960) - Queen's Road East, Wanchai

I think the final image for this film will have to be this nice colour footage of Queen's Road East. The camera pans from left to right at the junction with Wanchai Road. If you look carefully you can just about see one of the streamline moderne "fins" of the Art Deco Wanchai Market building at the very right of the last frame. The market area, surrounded by those glorious painted wall adverts, is where block 2 of "The Zenith" now stands.

For those who would prefer a nicely stitched panorama of these three images, here is one for your viewing pleasure (click on it for a better view).

Hong Kong (series) - Rod Taylor (1960) - Queen's Road East, Wanchai

So, back to the black and white 1960's to continue with Rod Taylor's Hong Kong series. Next up is episode 4, Freebooter. The plot revolves around an old US air pilot who does "freebooter" work for whoever pays him money. One of his jobs has made him an enemy of a nearby country who are trying to get him back to answer for his past.

Like most other episodes, the actual on-location filming is minimal but there are some nice glimpses, including this brief shot up Queen's Road East from the direction of Hennessy Road/Queensway. You can make out the retaining wall on the right where the ARP portals are and Gwulo.com has an excellent colour picture of the old building (on the left) that sat on the corner plot now occupied by Generali Tower (formerly known as the Sincere Insurance Building before it was revamped). Although that colour image was shot in 1953 you can see that it looked more or less the same for the 1960 TV show.

Strangers - John Simm (2018) - Queen's Road East, Wanchai

A brief shot of Queen's Road East opens episode 4. In this view we are looking east from what is probably the pedestrian bridge near the junction with Hennessy Road. The purple painted building in the background is the Po Wah Building on the corner of Anton Street.

China Rose - George C. Scott (1983) - Ruttonjee Sanatorium, Wanchai

Following up a lead, the two main characters head to the hospital where the son is supposed to have passed away. The location is actually the former version of the Ruttonjee Hospital. According to notes on Gwulo.com, the sanatorium stood until 1991 when it was then redeveloped (and renamed) into the hospital that still stands on the site today.

Judging by some of the surroundings the location of the old sanatorium was more towards the Queen's Road East side of the plot - where the current multi-function building stands

We also get a slightly closer view of the old entrance when the two later exit the building.

Chinese Box - Jeremy Irons (1997) - Hung Shing Temple, Queen's Road East

Conveniently, the next scene was filmed almost directly opposite Tai Wong Street West. It features the Hung Shing Temple that sits along Queen's Road East. Gong Li goes there to make some offerings in the outside furnace.

You can see the brown placards (second picture right hand side), the furnace and pillars in the Streetview picture below.

Yellowthread Street (TV Series) - Bruce Payne (1990) - Wanchai Aerial View, Hong Kong

Another excellent identification by Arthur, who has told me this is an aerial view of the streets and buildings surrounding Queen's Road East in Wanchai. Here's what it looks like in a shot from the third episode - Key Witness.

So, Queen's Road East is the main road that we can see running from centre left to lower right. The prominent brown coloured building is the - only in Hong Kong - "Greatmany Centre", and as Arthur mentioned in his comment the smaller building to it's right is the low rise building of 117 Queen's Rd East on the corner of Ship Street.

Many of the low rise buildings in this area have been replaced and more upheaval has been ongoing for the past few years as Hopewell Holdings flattens the area around Ship Street to make way for its new so-called Megatower project.

Anyway, here is Arthur's comment as he includes a bit more detail:

For the...aerial photo, my guess is the crossroad in the lower center of the pic is Queen's Road East x Ship St. The twin brown buildings and apartment building with 4 windows in a row to its right are still there.

For the crossroad at the top right corner, it is probably Johnston Road x Lugard Road (google map: 22.276470, 114.171511) You can compare the interestingly oriented facade of the build where the Boston Restaurant now is in both pics.

Another possible evidences are those buildings with large roofs - may be able to match the movie theaters once dotted this area of Wanchai.

Soldier of Fortune - Clark Gable (1955) - Queen's Road East, Hong Kong

Whilst being driven by Hank's chauffeur up to his house, we get to see the car being driven along the 1955 version of Queens Road East. It's identifiable by the small road on the right which is actually Wanchai Gap Road - a slim thoroughfare that hits a steep incline and takes you up to Bowen Road, Stubbs Road and beyond.

Here are the screencaps, the first two showing the entrance to Wanchai Gap Road, the last one showing the area of Queen's Road East a bit further along towards where Stone Nullah Lane and Kennedy St join on the right. Note the "Asahi" advert on the side wall.

Just out of frame on the top picture is one of only two or three buildings that remain from this time: the old Wanchai Post office. I've taken the liberty of taking a modern day shot from Streetview for comparison, but this one shows the Post Office today. It's no longer a post office of course but is used by the Govt Environmental Protection Dept (not doing their jobs properly if you ask me).