Shot on location - Films and TV-series: The World is not Enough

17 January 2016

Eilean Donan Castle, Scotland

In THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH a banker, Sir Robert King (David Calder), is killed by a bomb at the MI6 Headquarters in London. After his funeral a meeting is being set up at MI6 Scotland in a small castle attended by James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) and M (Judi Dench), amongst others.

Eilean Donan Castle, 5 August 2011

The castle is the Eilean Donan Castle in the Scottish Highlands. It is located on an island (hence the name ‘Eilean’) in Loch Duich and was named after the Irish Saint Donan. The original castle was built in the thirteenth century. During the Jacobite rising in 1719, the castle was destructed by hundreds of barrels with gunpowder and remained a ruin for almost two hundred years.

After the remains of the building were bought in 1913 by lieutenant colonel John MacRae-Gilstrap the castle was restored and an arched bridge was constructed which connects the island with the main land. Since 1928 the castle is open to the public, see for more information the website of Eilean Donan Castle.

In the film the castle is only seen for a few moments, with cell towers and satellite dishes being added. The scenes inside the building were filmed at the studio. During our visit it was not permitted to take photographs inside, but one of the guides knew a lot about the castle as a movie location. An overview of all film productions can be found on the website of the castle.

The World is not Enough, 0:17:46

Eilean Donan Castle, 5 August 2011

Screenshot © EON Productions

25 September 2014

Bilbao, Spain

The first four minutes of THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH are set in Bilbao, the largest city of the Spanish Basque Country. James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) visits a Swiss bank, not quite by accident located across from the Guggenheim Museum, the city’s eye catcher. The museum was designed by Frank Gehry and is situated on the banks of the river Nervión.

Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, 30 May 2014

The building is a construction made out of titanium, glass and limestone. It was opened by king Juan Carlos on 18 October 1997. A few days earlier an assault was prevented when members of ETA disguised as gardeners tried to place a bomb inside ‘Puppy’, a 12 meter high sculpture by Jeff Koons. This piece of art, a terrier made out of living flowers, is in front of the museum’s entrance.

In the first scene James Bond walks on the Calle Iparraguirre towards the Guggenheim Museum and Puppy is also visible. Filming took place between 16 and 18 February 1999 and attracted large crowds of people, note the spectators behind fences in the background. The weather did not help either, Bilbao has a sea climate and it often rains, also when we were visiting.

The World is not Enough, 0:00:30

Calle Iparraguirre, Bilbao, 28 May 2014

The World is not Enough, 0:00:37

Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, 28 May 2014

'Puppy', Jeff Koons, Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, 28 May 2014

During the meeting in the bank on the sixth floor (in real life it is a law firm) James Bond is being attacked but he manages to escape in a spectacular way by jumping from the balcony with the help of a curtain cord and one the bank employees. When he walks on the bridge Puente de la Salve the museum is seen again from a different angle. Since the movie was shot another work of art by Jeff Koons was added (bottom right on the photo). ‘Tulips’ consists of seven giant, shiny tulips. On the occasion of the museum’s tenth anniversary the bridge was also given a work of art, ‘L’arc rouge’ by French artist Daniel Buren. At night a light show can be seen on the red arch.