Impossible to evoke Istanbul without talking about the Gold horn, this famous estuary which sinks into the European part of Istanbul since the Bosphorus. A real spine of the city for more than two millennia, it naturally served as a setting for the teams of EON Productions during their various shoots in the former Ottoman capital.
Essential to the power of Byzantiumand Constantinople, before becoming one of the main shopping centers of the Ottoman Empire, the Horn of Gold of Istanbul owes its name to the riches that once passed through its waters. The local legend also tells that its surface offers golden reflections at sunset... For my part, that night, I saw nothing like it, but it was very beautiful.
The Gold horn is historically crossed by two iconic bridges, both visible in the James Bond saga: the Galata Bridge and Atatürk Bridge. With the development of urban transport, a third book has come to intersect between the two: Haliç Metro Köprüsü, inaugurated in 2014 for the M2 line of Istanbul metro. Located at the mouth of the Golden Horn, the Galata Bridge connects the historic district of Fatih to Karaköy and Galata, worldwide known for their unique atmosphere, their architectural heritage... and of course the famous Galata Tower.
Since 1845, there have been no fewer than five bridges to this site. The one visible in From Russia with Love was the fourth: a floating bridge mixing wood and metal, today considered as the Galata Historic Bridge. After a fire in 1992, it was replaced two years later by the current structure.
Galata Bridge – Istanbul – Golden Horn
Loyalty: ★★☆☆ – Access: ★☆☆
It is on this bridge that we see Tania Romanova heading towards Holy Sophie in From Russia with Love. The visible staircase on the screen was a part of the historic bridge, and it was kept on the current structure. It is therefore still possible today to reproduce an extremely close framing to the original plane. The Galata Bridge is also a tilting bridge, allowing the passage of some ships in the Golden Horn. It welcomes cars, pedestrians, the T1 tram... and of course the famous fishermen aligned along its entire length, an image that has become totally inseparable fromIstanbul.
As the current bridge is slightly different from its predecessor, exactly replicating the film's plan requires some adjustments. To find the best angle, we finally climbed up from the fourth floor of one of the many restaurants on the docks.
It is also from this sector that, thirty-three years later, the The World Is Not Enough realized two plans for future studio inserts: the arrival of a James Bond captive on the dock of Renard's den, then his escape after the explosion of the base Zukovsky.
Atatürk Bridge – Istanbul – Golden Horn
Loyalty: ★★★☆ – Access: ★☆☆
Second large historic bridge crossing the Golden Horn in Istanbul, Atatürk Bridge today connects Unkapanı, in the district of Fatih, to Azapkapı, side Beyoğlu. It is named after Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey.
It is here that the transition plan of From Russia with Love, linking the scene of the bridal suite to that where Tania appears walking on the docks of Galata Bridge. As on the Galata Bridge, it is impossible not to notice the impressive number of fishermen still occupying the ramparts of the bridge: a tradition typically stambouliot.
However, the numerous urban developments on the West Bank have considerably transformed the site, gradually removing the popular and industrial atmosphere still captured by Terence Young's camera in 1963.
Finally, it should be noted that in the margins of the filming, the EON team also realized on the Atatürk Bridge an elegant photo shoot.
Kasımpaşa – Istanbul – Golden Horn
Loyalty: ★★★★ – Access: ★☆☆
Located on the north shore of the Gold hornIn the Beyoğlu district, Kasımpaşa was for centuries one of the city's major maritime districts. Closely linked to the Ottoman navy, shipyards, docks and port activities, Kasımpaşa has long embodied the industrial face ofIstanbulfar from traditional tourist routes.
It is in this sector that the The World Is Not Enough came to shoot two new plans for studio inserts: the arrival of Zukovsky coming to the rescue of Bond in Renard's den, then the exit of James Bond and Christmas Jones After their spectacular escape from the submarine.
The site remains relatively easy to access, especially from the small marina located near the restaurant İBB Kasımpaşa Sosyal Tesisi. This place was initially identified by Thomas Gleistmann ; with a little time, perseverance, time... and using Google Maps, I finally found the exact framing before we left.
Long industrialised, then heavily polluted during much of the 20th century, the entire area of the Gold horn has been the subject of an extensive rehabilitation programme since the 1980s. Today, the Gold horn has become again a pleasant area of the city, with its renovated walks, spectacular panoramas and some of the most luxurious hotels in the city.
Finally, John Barry's fans remember without a hold that the soundtrack contains a song entitled Golden Horn... a theme that is never heard on the screen.
This blog shares my travel experiences, from unavoidable destinations to the most original and exclusive places. Each article is the result of careful work and a real time investment. If you use this information elsewhere or for your own adventures, consider citing your sources and thanking – that's what I do myself, and it's always fun.
Julien Abauzit (JaBoz)
• Googlemaps
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/onthetracksof007
