Some of the most sensational film sets are found not in studios, but out there in the real world.
Words: Keeta Brennan
MAYA BAY, KRABI
THAILAND
IMAGE: CORBIS
Maya Bay in Krabi, Thailand, shot to fame when it was featured in The Beach, a drama-adventure film based on the 1996 best-selling novel by Alex Garland and directed by Academy Award winning director Danny Boyle. The film follows the protagonist, Richard (played by Leonardo DiCaprio), an average American in his 20s, on his search for the adventure of a lifetime in Thailand. Through strange twists, Richard is led to a utopia in the form of a self-sustaining community that lives on a secluded beach – Maya Bay. Located on Koh Phi Phi Leh in Krabi province, Maya Bay is breathtakingly beautiful, with an expanse of white sand, surrounded by limestone cliffs. In the mesmerising scene when DiCaprio first chances upon the deserted bay, with its clear green-blue waters, Maya Bay is at once captured in all its paradise-worthy glory. The film is credited for making Maya Bay world famous, and today, it is almost impossible to recreate the solitude of the area as was presented in the film, as scores upon scores of tourists flock to this bay every day to take in its natural beauty.
SHINJUKU, TOKYO
JAPAN
IMAGE: GETTY
The areas of Shinjuku and Shibuya, which are amongst Tokyo’s most vibrant, appeared in Lost in Translation, a film that won three Golden Globes and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture. In this film, which was shot entirely in Japan, Bill Murray plays Bob Harris, a has-been actor, who falls in love with young graduate Charlotte, played by Scarlett Johansson, when they meet in a hotel bar. A recurring location in the film is the New York Bar, located 52 storeys high on the topmost floor of the Park Hyatt Hotel and offering stunning views of Tokyo city. Another highlight in the film is Kabukicho, the entertainment district of Shinjuku, with its frenzied bursts of neon-lit signages. The film also makes full use of the iconic intersection in front of Shibuya Station’s Hachiko Exit, one of the busiest intersections in the world. Other famous Tokyo landmarks featured are the Tokyo Tower and Rainbow Bridge.
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BAYON TEMPLE, SIEM REAP
CAMBODIA
IMAGE: 123RF
The ancient temple ruins of Angkor provided the majestic backdrop for many pivotal scenes in the first film to be shot in Cambodia since 1964 – Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, an action-adventure film starring the stunning Angelina Jolie and based on the popular video game series. Among the film locations is the Bayon Temple, a 12th century Khmer temple with 54 towers, each with enigmatic and tranquil stone faces, and Ta Prohm Temple, with its massive intertwined trees prominently featured when Lara falls into a hidden tomb. The steep rental paid by the production studio to shoot at the temple complex was later used to fund conservation and restoration works and today, movie buffs flock to see the beauty of Angkor for themselves.
KOWLOON, HONG KONG
CHINA
IMAGE: 123RF
After long negotiations with the Chinese government, Hong Kong was chosen as the main location for Transformers: Age of Extinction, a film based on the popular toy and cartoon franchise, and the fourth in the series to be directed by Michael Bay. In this instalment, humans no longer trust the Autobots and are hunting them down, so the Autobots go into hiding. Notable highlights in the movie include the scene where Yueming (played by Li Bingbing), and Joshua (played by Stanley Tucci) are chased through the packed market around Ki Lung Street in Kowloon’s Sham Shui Po district, and when Galvatron and the Decepticons travel at high speeds down the Tsing Sha Highway across the Stonecutters Bridge. Another epic scene is the battle between the Autobots and Decepticons that happens behind the Fok Cheong Building on King’s Road in Quarry Bay.
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THE FORBIDDEN CITY, BEIJING
CHINA
IMAGE: GETTY
The Forbidden City features prominently in The Last Emperor, a biographical film based on the life of Henry Pu-yi, the last emperor of China and the last ruler of the Qing Dynasty. The film, which won four Golden Globes and nine Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, was directed by Bernardo Bertolucci and revolves around the life of Pu-yi, from the time he was crowned emperor at the tender age of two, to the time of his capture by the Red Army later in life. This was the first time a western filmmaker had been allowed full access within The Forbidden City and the result – a stunning movie that captures the alluring beauty of the Imperial Palace and its vast grounds. Two of the most memorable scenes in the movie are the elaborate coronation and when three-year old Pu-Yi rushes out of the palace to see hundreds of loyal subjects bow before him. Today, The Forbidden City is a major tourist attraction in Beijing and houses the Palace Museum, filled with historical artefacts, ceramics and art from the Qing Imperial collection.
UBUD, BALI
INDONESIA
IMAGE: CORBIS
Bali has always been a mystical place but Eat, Pray, Love, the soul-searching film based on the 2006 memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert has deepened its allure. In the film, Julia Roberts plays Liz, a successful American woman with a seemingly happy life until she finds herself divorced. Embarking on a new chapter in her life, Liz goes on a journey of self-discovery that leads her to Italy, India and finally to Bali, Indonesia, where she finds true love. Many scenes were shot at Gianyar, mainly in Ubud and Pecatu, with notable scenes showing Roberts cycling through picturesque paddy fields and visiting the Ubud market. Aside from making Bali even more famous, the film also shone the spotlight on many locals. Balinese healer, Ketut Liyer and Wayan, a single mother who Liz befriended and helped to build a home and restaurant, were portrayed by actors in the movie, but the real personalities have become favourites with visitors seeking them out for their own Eat, Pray, Love experiences.
GEORGE TOWN, PENANG
MALAYSIA
IMAGE: GETTY
Malaysia was selected as the perfect location to recreate the Siam of old for Anna and the King, a biographical drama loosely based on the life of Anna Leonowens (played by Jodie Foster), a governess to the royal children of King Mongkut (played by Chow Yuen-Fat), the fourth monarch of Siam. Ipoh, Perak, provided the landscape for the massive Palace that was built over seven acres of land. Most of the film’s iconic scenes take place here, like the scene when Anna is first summoned to appear before the King in the grand hall and also later, when sparks fly between Anna and King Mongkut as they share a romantic dance. Penang was also featured; its colonial shop houses along Armenian Street represented 19th century Bangkok, while the Swettenham Pier was portrayed as Bangkok Harbour.
PINNAWALA ELEPHANT ORPHANAGE, KANDY
SRI LANKA
IMAGE: GETTY
Kandy in Sri Lanka was transformed by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg into an imaginary India for the second instalment in the widely successful Indiana Jones franchise, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The second largest city after Colombo, Kandy was also where the elephant scenes were shot, at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage. In this prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indy, played by Harrison Ford, is an archeologist on a mission to reclaim a precious, mystical gem and save kidnapped children at the behest of distraught villagers from a remote East Indian village. For the iconic rope-bridge scene towards the climatic end of the movie, the film crew actually strung a dramatic bridge over a deep gorge situated near Victoria Dam, north of Kandy.
LIGHTS, CAMERA… ACTION!
MACAO
China
Although Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai’s film In The Mood For Love was set in 1960s Hong Kong, he found modern day Hong Kong no longer suitable to represent the city in the 60s. Instead, Wong chose among others, the streets of Macao, to recreate the imagery of a bygone era. His film was nominated for the highly coveted Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
MATAMATA
New Zealand
The awe-inspiring fantasy trilogy of The Lord Of The Rings was shot entirely in New Zealand, with its natural beauty making it the perfect setting to recreate JRR Tolkiens’ world known as Middle-earth. The town of Matamata was the filming location for The Shire and Hobbiton, with the Hobbit village now a permanent tourist attraction there. Other choice locations include Wellington’s Kaitoke Regional Park, depicted as Rivendell in the films.
MUMBAI
India
Bustling Mumbai was the primary shoot location for Slumdog Millionaire, winner of eight Oscars. One standout location of this critically-acclaimed film is the Dharavi slum, Asia’s biggest slum with over one million dwellers. Another is the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus train station where the film’s final dance scene was filmed. The film cast many local children from the slum as actors, a move that helped them and their families lead better lives.
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