Exploding oil pipelines in the Caucasian Mountains, a nuclear submarine in the Bosporus: “The World Is Not Enough” offers a rich thriller plot combining beautiful movie locations in both East and West. This is how to find them!
Pierce Brosnan‘s probably most spythrilleresk entry as James Bond: Terrorist kill a british oil tycoon and friend of M, 007 is up to pursue them. They had kidnapped the tycoons daughter Electra beforehand. All has to do with rival oil companies, sabotage and geostrategic mischief. But in the end, it’s more personal than it seemed. The oil and anger plot brings Bond from Kazakhstan over Azerbaijan and the Bosporus – with filming in Spain and the United Kingdom.
Here are all The World Is Not Enough movie locations in Spain, Azerbaijan, France and the United Kingdom:
SPAIN
The pre-title sequenz opens within view of the magnificent titanium-plated Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, designes by architect Frank Gehry. The bank, Bond visits, it in the corner building at the junction of Mazarredo Zumarkalea and Lersundi street.
The oil pipeline site that is supposed to be in Azerbaidjan was filmed at Callejones de las Majadas near Cuenca in central Spain – with the little chapel as a set build on location. Spain also doubles for the Kazakhstan site, where Bond meets Dr. Richards. It’s Bardenas Reales near Tudela.
UNITED KINGDOM
The MI6 headquarter is the real deal – the striking building at Vauxhall Cross. The river chase ensues along Thames and numerous canals. The “rollover” stunt is at the Royal Victoria Dock – right across the later climax at the Millennium Dome in Greenwich. In between, Bond crosses the Java Wharf, dives underneath Glengall Bridge on the Isle of Dogs and rushes along Ornamental Canal and the Tobacco Dock at Wapping Lane.
Kings funeral is at the chapel at Stowe School in Buckinghamshire and the temporary MI6 Headquarter in Scotland is Eilean Donan Castle. The interior of Elektra’s Baku home is in reality the Luton Hoo in Bedfordshire. And Valentin’s casino in Baku is acutally Halton House at RAF Halton. Additional scenes for the pipeline were gathered at Black Park near to the Pinewood Studios, Hankley Common, the Motorola Building at Swindon and the Cwm Dyli Pipeline at Snowdonia.
AZERBAIJAN
Though most pipeline action scenes had been filmed in Spain or the UK, the vast oil fields from Baku are the real deal. The crew filmed at Neft Daslari in the east of the Azerbaijan capital at the Caspian Sea.
FRANCE
The French Alpes near Chamonix are doubling for the “Caucasus Mountains”. Scenes of the paraglider attack were filmed at Glacier du Tour, Refuges de Mayères and Rochers de Leschaux.
TURKEY
Electra’s palace in Baku is actually in Turkey: It is Küçüksu Palace on the Bosphorus. The climax later on is at the Bosporus in Istanbul with M imprisoned in Kiz Kulesi, the “Maiden’s Tower”. The beautiful tower is an 11th century lighthouse on a small island in the Istanbul bay. Read about our trip to the Maiden’s Tower here.
For the The World Is Not Enough movie locations and all other locations of James Bond films, also check our location map right here!
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