The Champions - Stuart Damon (1967) - Yee Wo Street, Causeway Bay

After Stirling gets in his rickshaw, we are treated to some passenger point of view shots of the rickshaw journey. The first image shows the rickshaw travelling up Yee Wo Street from the east, close to the junction with Pennington Street.

The next sequence from the rickshaw ride shows us being pulled around the end of Yee Wo Street close to the Causeway Bay tram terminus. You can just see the yellow walls of the old St. Paul's Convent School down Tung Lo Wan Road on the far right in the lower image.

Forced Vengeance - Chuck Norris (1982) - Olympic Bridge, Causeway Bay

Prompted by the recent news of Chuck Norris' passing, long time supporter of the blog, AP, asked me if I had ever managed to locate the place where the neon sign backlit fight scene took place during Forced Vengeance. The scene is played over the opening credits but is also part of the main story later in the film as Josh (Norris) and his two female companions are desperately trying to escape the bad guys.

I must admit I hadn't actually given it any thought at the time (back in 2014 when I first covered the film, I just assumed it was a studio set up), but a brief look at the scene has made it quite clear to me that it was filmed on what is known locally as "Olympic Bridge" in Causeway Bay. The footbridge spans Irving Street and Leighton Road and has, on the face of each step, a Summer Olympic games location followed by the year it was held. If you want to know why this was done you can read this Govt press release from 2002.

Anyway back in 1981, we see Norris and co running down Yee Wo Street towards the bridge, and then, as they walk up the bridge they are obstructed by one of the bad guys and the following fight scene is silhouetted by the bright neon Vitasoy advert on the building behind.

The neon sign was hanging on the building that used to stand right on the corner where the Causeway Bay Tram terminus loops around. It looks like the sign covered the front of #90 Yee Wo Street which has long since been replaced by the Regal Hong Kong Hotel. I haven't been able to find any 80s era images of the Vitasoy signage, but earlier versions appear to have existed since (at least) the 1960s. You can see an earlier version on this Gwulo image - it's behind the tram on the left.

Anyway, RIP to Chuck Norris.

The bridge seen from Yee Wo Street

Hacker - Callan McAuliffe (2016) - Yee Wo Street, Causeway Bay

The next shot shows the taxi making its way past SOGO where Hennessy Road turns into Yee Wo Street.

The Dragon from Russia - Sam Hui (1990) - Yee Wo Street, Causeway Bay

Yao is first introduced to his assisstant, Teddy (also Yuen Tak) when he is attacked by the latter as some sort of skills test. Teddy breaks into Yao's apartment, which is supposedly located in the building at 60-62 Yee Wo Street (not sure if it has a name). They jump out of the apartment window and continue their fight along the top of the famous circular pedestrian bridge that straddles Yee Wo Street. This is the same walkway that was facsimiled and used for the finale of the live action version of Ghost in the Shell. They then run into Paliburg Plaza next door and this is supposedly where the 800 Dragon's have a base.

Jumping down from 60-62 Yee Wo Street

International Prostitution: Brigade criminelle - Jean-Louis Broust (1980) - Hoover Theatre, Causeway Bay

One of the more regularly-appearing cinemas on this blog is the old Hoover Theatre that used to stand on the corner of Pennington Street and Yee Wo Street in Causeway Bay. In this film, it's where Dega finally loses sight of Marcone as the latter slips inside the cinema and blends with the crowd. Note the marquee showing the film Thirst (怪血), released in Hong Kong in 1979. In a nice coincidence for the blog, this was a movie that starred Henry Silva (Foxbat) and David Hemmings (The Heroin Busters, Harry's Hong Kong and Spy Game).

The Killer - Chow Yun Fat (1989) - Yee Wo Street, Causeway Bay

The establishing shot for the police sting sequence is looking west along Yee Wo Street with SOGO in the distance and the junction with Paterson Street on the lower right. This shot was most likely captured from the circular walkway that connects Pennington Street with Sugar Street.

I Come With The Rain - Josh Hartnett (2009) - Yee Wo Street, Causeway Bay

Kline has been told that Shitao is most likely part of the large homeless community that lives in Hong Kong, so we have a variety of locations across the city where he goes to take pictures to see if he can spot the person he's looking for. In the images below, Hartnett and the camera are located on the circular walkway that crosses Yee Wo Street in Causeway Bay. Paterson Street is on the right and you can just make out the SOGO sign in the distant background.

Felicity - Glory Annen (1978) - The Hoover Theatre, Causeway Bay

I mentioned in a previous post about advert displaying Let's Make a Dirty Movie at the Hoover, Majestic and Prince cinemas. Well, later on (or perhaps earlier, I can't remember) there is a brief glimpse of the Hoover Theatre (to give it its proper English name) with that movie being advertised on the exterior hoarding. Before it was demolished in 1981, the cinema used to stand on the corner of Yee Wo Street and Pennington Street where Paliburg Plaza now stands.

Black Cobra Woman - Laura Gemser (1976) - Yee Wo Street, Causeway Bay

The first street shot from this film is a view looking east along Yee Wo Street. It's unrecognisable compared to today but look carefully in the far left background and you can see a building with horizontal ledges along its front. This is the "V Causeway Bay" building long before it was modernised. In fact you can see the same building in this post from That Man Bolt, it's the one in the top image there.

Anyway, our tough exotic dancer friend gets out of that cab and heads into the restaurant next to Maria's Cake House.

Ghost in the Shell - Scarlett Johansson (2017) - Yee Wo Street Circular Walkway Set

In the second location that isn't a location we go to the finale where Major discovers her past and takes on the HANKA spider tank. In this scene the set is based on the very unique and instantly recognisable circular walkway that straddles Yee Wo Street in Causeway Bay.

The film makers created a replica of the walkway in the studio and then proceeded to blow it to kingdom come. The main set looks like a full size replica, so people watching the film might be fooled into thinking the movie was actually shot here, but sadly no. The road is a fairly major thoroughfare for cars, buses and trams and I don't think it would've been possible the close the place down for hours at a time - even during the night - without cause *ahem* "Major" disruption.

So, for now this is my last Ghost in the Shell post, but many of the locations are easy to get to so I may venture out with a my camera at some point and try to get some replica angles.

Die Jungen Tiger von Hongkong - Robert Woods (1969) - Yee Wo Street, Causeway Bay

A similar trip down Yee Wo Street as seen in Heisser Hafen Hongkong, although this time the camera angle is steeper as we pass by various buildings including the Hop Kwan Building, Great George Building (where Daimaru was located) and also a never-before-seen glimpse of the top of the Dairy Farm building that Thomas mentioned in this post.

Heisser Hafen Hongkong - Horst Frank (1962) - Yee Wo Street, Causeway Bay

Whoops! I missed this one when I was looking at Yee Wo Street just a few posts ago. The reason is because it is in the same sequence, just seen, as the car leaves the ferry pier and drives back up Jordan Road. The giveaway in this sequence of shots is the unmistakable presence of the Great George Building with its old Daimaru signs at the top. True fact: There are still red minibuses in HK that use "Daimaru" as a destination on their front sign boards, even though the pace closed many years ago.

So it looks as though the film posters were perhaps attached to scaffolding that was shielding the site of the -yet-to-be-constructed Hong Kong Mansion building on the corner of Gt. George Street, East Point Road and Yee Wo St. This means that funky curved building is the precursor to the modern day Island Beverley and the smaller buildings on the left are on the opposite side of East Point Road and were replaced by the old wing of the East Point Centre - which, of course, has hosted SOGO for many years.

Does anyone remember what was in that nice curved building? It's a really nice looking building and far more stylish with the big gold box that replaced it.

Heisser Hafen Hongkong - Horst Frank (1962) - Yee Wo Street, Causeway Bay

One of many in-car scenes where identification can be difficult and not always worth it due to the very small amount of the location that can be seen, but anyway, this one was easy because of the Paterson Street sign in the background. This means the car was travelling eastbound on Yee Wo Street.

I wonder if the cream- coloured building with the street sign on it is the same one Thomas identified in this post from Shirley's World. He mentioned is was the Dairy Farm depot. That location is about 50 yards down the street from this junction so it might be the same building.

Shirley's World (TV Series) - Shirley MacLaine (1972) - Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay

Back to Hennessy Road, but this time down in Causeway Bay in that single strip of road that has been popping up quite recently (I posted about the same area a few weeks ago for Emmanuelle 2 and Ein Sarg aus Hongkong). This time we are looking eastbound just where the road becomes Yee Wo Street. The two triangular shaped buildings are Hong Kong Mansion (on the left) and Ying Kong Mansion on the right. Yee Wo Street runs between the two of them, and the yellow truck (on the right) is pulling onto Jardine's Bazaar.

Push - Chris Evans (2009) - Yee Wo Street, Causeway Bay

I think this is the final post on Push for a while until I can track down some of the more incidental places that crop up throughout the film. It's just a brief glimpse of Yee Wo Street looking towards the SOGO department store. You can just about make out the blue SOGO emblem on the right hand side of the second picture. 

Detonator II: Night Watch - Pierce Brosnan (1995) - Causeway Road, Causeway Bay

Okay, not strictly all Causeway Road, but at least both ends of it as the motorbike chase unfolds. After starting just around the corner in Cannon Street the next scene is from the bike's point of view as it chases after the car at the corner where Gloucester Road and Causeway Road merge. Actually, the bike is on Yee Wo Street in the first shot as it joins the aforementioned corner.

It doesn't look like the place has changed too much other than the appearance of the Rosedale Hotel, as you can see from the Streetview.

The next shot is, surprisingly (because these things rarely follow real geography), at the far end of Causeway Road at the corner with Hing Fat Street on the other side of Victoria Park with Park Towers (a residential development) in view on the corner.

Hong Kong 97 - Robert Patrick (1994) - Yee Wo Street, Causeway Bay

An easy place to spot here thanks to the SOGO sign at the back. Of all the Japanese department stores that were once in HK, SOGO still survives in two locations. This one is the longer established and more famous because it's right slap bang in the middle of the Causeway Bay shopping district.

That Man Bolt - Fred Williamson (1973) - Yee Wo Street, Causeway Bay

A quick jump back to the opening of the film and one of the many seemingly anonymous streets featured as Bolt gets driven around. This one is not so anonymous though because it's Yee Wo Street in Causeway Bay around where Sugar Street joins it.

The top picture shows us what used to be at the junction with Sugar Street. The latter, or at least the western end of it, can be seen behind the tram. The old building, with its interesting (to me, at least) horizontal ledges seems to still be the same building today but with a massive facelift removing all the interesting bits. The building is called "V Causeway Bay" and looks as though it had a bank in it when this film was made, these days its looks as though it has been converted into serviced apartments. Anyway, its nice to know it's still around, albeit in a much altered form.

The second picture gives us a view of Hong Kong Mansion - pretty much about the only building around here that doesn't seem to have changed much. Paterson Street leads off to the right here. But the biggest change for me is the empty space where we can see cloud at the end in the bottom picture. This nice bit of venting has now been filled in by the East Point Centre. As you'll see from the Streetview grab below, I don't think it's improved the area much.