Beyoğlu

Explore Beyoğlu, it is to discover one of the most living neighborhoods ofIstanbul, located on the northwest bank of the Gold horn. Long regarded as the most Europeanized district of the city, it hosted embassies, foreign traders and large schools. Nowadays very touristic, Beyoğlu retains a unique atmosphere, born from the contrast between its 19th century facades and its constantly lively streets. For several years, the neighbourhood has experienced a strong gentrification : luxury hotels, trendy shops and new tables are still alongside historic shops, offering a face full of contrasts.

Follow traces of James Bond in Beyoğlu, it is obviously through the most emblematic places of the neighborhood: Taksim Square, Galata Tower, Dolmabahçe Mosque, but also get lost to find the former Soviet consulate seen in From Russia with Love..

The Consulate Building, located at 161 Halaskargazi, corresponds to the old Beyaz Köşk — « the white castle » — acquired for the Exarchat in 1907, and still used today by the Foundation of the Bulgarian Orthodox Exarchate of Istanbul. This Bulgarian religious and community institution manages several properties of the Bulgarian Church in Turkey.

Most of the shots of the film are shot from the street, on the entrance side of the park — precisely the one used on the screen. This place has been identified for a long time by the shooting hunting community, but we particularly enjoyed being able to find it on site. The shots are mainly made from the main sidewalk and, although it has been considerably reduced since 1963, the atmosphere of the film remains surprisingly easy to find.

The street is now extremely passing, and many buildings opposite have been transformed. The mosque şişli Camii, visible in the film's plans, was hidden behind the trees.

Access to Beyaz Köşk and its park is now on a parallel street... and under very high surveillance. In spite of prior telephone contact, it was necessary to negotiate with a Bulgarian colossus of more than 1,90 m, speaking neither English nor French, to hope to enter the enclosure and to make some unpublished photographs.

But James Bond ended up deriding it, and we finally got ten precious minutes in a beautifully maintained park.

We then put ourselves in the lead of photographing the Beyaz Köşk from one of the buildings opposite... exactly as in the scene where firefighters intervene to control the fire caused by the bomb laid by Kerim.

The anecdote says that, for this sequence, Harry Saltzman ensures that its teams have all the necessary authorizations to simulate a fire. As the fumigants begin to produce their effect, police, firefighters and armed militia burst in. Harry didn't actually get any permission... but had perfectly anticipated the result. Fire trucks, ambulances, police officers: everything is real, and everything will be kept at the assembly.On site, several historic buildings are no longer accessible or are now dilapidated, and the one from which the scene seems to have been shot was completely covered with a safety net.

So we improvised: head to a clothing store. On the second floor, after bypassing a few portals, we were able to open a window and reproduce almost the same frame as in the film. A real moment of pleasure.

No doubt the most emblematic place in the city, Place Taksim is one of the main hotspots of todayIstanbul. Public transport, tourists, locals... and, at the end of the afternoon, an impressive flow of supporters of Galatasaray in constant agitation. It was here that a short insert was filmed of the first journey of James Bond from the airport in From Russia with Love.

For the little story, I had fun finding this plan thanks to the Monument of the Republic (Cumhuriyet Anıtı), visible on the screen, as well as a sign « Komili » appearing stealthily in the frame.

After finding a postcard showing the same sign, and crossing some buildings still existing, I was able to accurately reconstruct the position of the Rolls-Royce of Bond, led by the son of Kerim.

I was even quite proud of myself... before I found out that my friend Thomas Gleitsmann had done exactly the same identification a few months earlier... with the same postcard.

On the spot, the place has much more to do with the 1963 one. Today, it is largely pedestrianized, as car traffic has been moved to the basement. On the surface, only the tram still crosses the space, almost in the same place as on the old postcards. Huge Taksim Mosque has since replaced one of the buildings visible in the film.

I have adopted the same research strategy for another car insertion plan, in the sequence where Grant is recovered after having cleared the Bulgarian executed in front of the consulate on order of Rosa Klebb. This time, the plan was shot with the Dolmabahçe Mosque In the background.

Again, many things have changed since 1963, and part of the current road probably did not exist at the time. On the other hand, no doubt possible: the building visible in the background is one of the facades of the mosque.

It's also the same mosque that one sees in a cut scene, from which there are superb pictures of the plateau showing Bond, camera by hand, alongside Kerim.

Built between 1853 and 1855The mosque is located at the seafront, on the European bank of the Bosphorus, close to Dolmabahçe Palace, which one sees elsewhere in the background of the scene between Bond and Tania on board the ferry in the movie.

The Galata Tower is, with Kız Kulesi (Leander Tower), one of the absolute symbols ofIstanbul. Between the spectacular view... and tourist scams, we had a little trouble deciding. But you had to spend well 30 € per person for James Bond.

Dominating the entire city, the tower is one of Istanbul's most iconic visual landmarks. Edited in 1348 by the Genoese, it originally bore the name of Christea Turris — the « Tower of Christ ». With his 67 metres In turn, it served as a watchtower, a fire surveillance post, an observatory, and then a prison under the Ottoman Empire. Today, it still offers one of the most beautiful views on the Gold horn, Bosphorus and the old town.

Fortunately, the many stambouliote rooftops which bloom all around now allow you to enjoy equally spectacular views... much cheaper. We were advised to arrive early. So we went up to 9:00, after a little climb on Galata hill since the last stop of the tram, and we had the chance to enjoy a still reasonable visit to find the last one establishing shotof the The World Is Not Enough, filmed towards the western shore of the Golden Horn.

A particularly satisfying moment... Despite a slight feeling of vertigo (thanks François), especially when the framing ends up matching, almost to the pixel near.

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)

Sources

• Bond n°31 – March 2013

• Googlemaps
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/onthetracksof007