The Last Time I Saw Macao - João Rui Guerra da Mata (2012) - Rua da Escola Náutica, Macau

As Da Mata continues his search for Cindy, he wanders down to the waterfront and we see a few brief shots of Rua da Escola Náutica.

The Last Time I Saw Macao - João Rui Guerra da Mata (2012) - Calçada de Santo Agostinho, Macau

A brief night time shot of Calçada de Santo Agostinho featuring the (still operating?) "She Feng Tenement" real estate letting agency. Actually, the address of this business says Rua Central, but actually this is a very narrow street that leads off from there close to the Teatro Dom Pedro V.

The Last Time I Saw Macao - João Rui Guerra da Mata (2012) - Hotel Casino Golden Dragon, Macau

One of several casinos that gets featured in a night time sequence as Da Mata tries in vain to find his friend Cindy before the bad guys get to her. This one is located on Rua de Malaca.

The Last Time I Saw Macao - João Rui Guerra da Mata (2012) - former Bela Vista Hotel, Macau

So even though Da Mata is supposed to be at the Club Militar, the film makers have bamboozled me a bit by intermingling the club footage with the interior from the Portuguese Consul's residence - the former Bela Vista Hotel.

The reason I recognised the staircase in the following shots was because the same one appeared in Pierce Brosnan's Around the World in 80 Days, which I covered several years ago. I have no knowledge of the production of this film, but I get the feeling the club was not up for anyone filming inside and the Consul probably welcomed his fellow compatriots with open arms, but I'm just guessing.

The initial image is of the road up to the building. The camera is located on one of the hairpin bends on Calçada do Bom Parto where we can see up to the former hotel and down to the main road. This is one of the establishing shots used for the Club Militar footage.

After the external shots of the Club Militar, and then the cheeky through-the-window shots, we are given these images of what most people would assume to be a staircase inside the club, but obviously now you know differently. If you click on the Around the World in 80 Days link above, you'll see the same columns and banister (as well as entrance stairs).

The Last Time I Saw Macao - João Rui Guerra da Mata (2012) - Club Militar, Macau

Da Mata is told he might find Cindy at the Club Militar where she normally goes for dinner, so he heads over there. We are given a few shots of the club interior, shot through a netted window because I reckon the club didn't let the film crew in. This would also explain why this scene also includes interior footage from another venue completely and tries to pass it off (as far as I can tell) as the same place. I'll include that location in the next post.

The Last Time I Saw Macao - João Rui Guerra da Mata (2012) - Jardim Municipal Dr. Sun Yat Sen, Macau

Right next door to the border crossing between Macau and neighouring Zhuhai is the Jardim Municipal Dr. Sun Yat Sen, or Dr Sun Yat Sen Park. The film includes a few shots from inside the park looking across the border towards the development going on in Zhuhai on the other side. In fact most of the development was most likely for the newly built Zhuhai railway station that now obscures much of the view in front of the buildings in image 3 below.

The Last Time I Saw Macao - João Rui Guerra da Mata (2012) - Portas do Cerco, Macau

The Portas do Cerco, or "Barrier Gate" marks the former entry point between Portuguese Macau and Mainland China. These days the border area is located in a large purpose-built modern structure that looks more like an airport terminal building - you can see it in the background of the two screencaps. The film treats us to a much older image of the barrier gate at the time of da Mata's childhood for comparison. 

For a bit of a bonus though I recently found some old photos of the border area from my own trip in December 1996. Sadly, I neglected to take any pictures of the Macau-side of things but took some facing back towards Macau from across the border in Zhuhai. In 1996, the crossing was stll fairly rudimentary and consisted of a long open-sided passage way with a corrugated iron roof.

The Last Time I Saw Macao - João Rui Guerra da Mata (2012) - Quartel dos Mouros, Macau

Da Mata goes to the Moorish Barracks to visit his old stomping grounds and says he grew up here when he was young.

Visa to Canton - Richard Basehart (1960) - China Merchants Steam Navigation Company Offices, Hong Kong

We interrupt normal broadcasting to post a location from a film that I initially covered during my last stint in the UK, Visa to Canton. I still have a few relatively anonymous street scenes outstanding in terms of indentification but last night managed to pinpoint the location of one after some full on, face-to-computer-screen looking at minute details on old photos.

The key to this one was the building in image 4 (among others). The blurry sign on the front appears to say China Merchants S.N. Cmp Ltd, or something along those lines, but the double columned facade makes it stand out from its neighbours and allowed me to pinpoint it on an old photograph on gwulo (see here). This was enough to confirm the business name and locate it as the current #16 Connaught Road Central. The plot is still owned by one of the China Merchants group companys and currently houses the newly built CM+ Hotel and Serviced apartments (it's one of the current Designated Quarantine Hotels).

What I hadn't realised is that next door (to the right from our point of view) is a building that was still around until quite recently. It's #17, and housed the "Hoi On Cafe" (海安咖啡室). You can see it in image 3 below. Sadly, it looks like I might be too late and if I had managed to identify this lcation laste year, I might have been able to grab a snap. However, I think the site might be getting redeveloped as the cafe has closed and there is a new footprint on Google maps.

Anyway, this seqeunce appears to begin somewhere around #22 and then tracks east (to the left) passing all the shop fronts to around #12. All of these buildings have all been redeveloped and #17 was the final hold out.

Hoi On Cafe (海安咖啡室), replete with vitasoy sign

China Merchants S.N Company Ltd

The Last Time I Saw Macao - João Rui Guerra da Mata (2012) - Casino Jai Alai, Macau

If, like me, you are of a certain vintage and remember watching Miami Vice in the 1980s, you may have been curious as to what game features in the opening titles with dudes using funny shaped baskets to chuck a ball around. That game is called "Jai Alai" and is quite popular in Spanish-influenced countries and regions. The Casino Jai Alai was originally built to showcase the sport in the mid-70s and it seems as though some success was achieved as the venue held matches into the 1990s. I suspect as the casino clientele became more and more focussed on one demographic, interest in the sport waned and the casino decided to focus on more traditional means of drawing crowds.

In this film, the Casino Jai Alai is supposedly the venue where da Mata's elusive friend, Cindy, works and he goes there to try and track down her whereabouts. I can't vouch for the interior shots in the film, but we do get a view of the casino exterior.