Shot on location - Films and TV-series: Germany

Showing posts with label Germany - Hamburg. Show all posts

19 June 2021

Hamburg, Germany

In the film BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM, both Jesminder 'Jess' Kaur Bhamra (Parminder Nagra) and Juliette 'Jules' Paxton (Keira Knightley) both join a women's soccer team. They play for the Hounslow Harriers, Joe (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is their coach.

Bend it like Beckham, 0:13:46

The story is largely set in London. Filming began on 18 June 2001 and lasted nine weeks, on location as well as in the Shepperton Studios. The last three days of filming took place in Hamburg, where the team plays a match against a German team. Maybe the German city was chosen because the film was co-produced by Road Movies, the Berlin-based film company of director Wim Wenders. In Hamburg, the team stays at the Steigenberger Hotel at Heiligengeistbrücke 4.

After arriving, the team and staff take a boat trip on a lake within the city limits of Hamburg. The lake, connected to the river Alster, consists of two parts: Außenalster and the smaller Binnenalster, where the boat trip starts.

On the left is the town hall, located at Rathausmarkt (see also the blog post Tomorrow Never Dies), on the right the 'Denkmal für die Gefallenen beider Weltkriege'. This monument in the form of a pillar with a relief of a grieving mother with child was erected in 1931 in memory of the fallen of the First World War. In 1938, the Nazis declared it to be 'entartete Kunst' and removed it. After the Second World War, the pillar was reconstructed and now commemorates the victims of both World Wars.

Because we did not do a tour, the photos do not entirely match.

Bend it like Beckham, 0:44:06

Raadhuis, Hamburg, 27 June 2019

Bend it like Beckham, 0:44:07

Binnenalster, Hamburg, 27 June 2019

Bend it like Beckham, 0:44:08

Binnenalster, Hamburg, 27 June 2019

On the lake Außenalster the soccer team sees, amongst others, the Heinrich-Hertz-Turm, a television tower, and the Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten.

Bend it like Beckham, 0:44:12

Außenalster, Hamburg, 27 June 2019

Bend it like Beckham, 0:44:15

Außenalster, Hamburg, 27 June 2019

Screenshots © Kintop Pictures/Bend It Films/Road Movies/Roc Media

22 August 2020

Hamburg, Germany

The movie BACKBEAT focuses on the early years of The Beatles, especially their stay in Hamburg, Germany. The group then consisted of five members: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Pete Best and Stuart Sutcliffe.

Indra club, Hamburg, 27 June 2019

Allan Williams, owner of Jacaranda club in Liverpool where The Beatles played regularly, arranged a number of performances for the group in Hamburg. Via the Netherlands the group travelled in a van to Hamburg where they arrived on 17 August 1960. That same evening The Beatles played the Indra club at Große Freiheit 64, a side street of the infamous Reeperbahn. The club still exists but is not shown in the movie.

To the right of the entrance is a sign that memorates the first performance of The Beatles in Hamburg. In October 1960 they started playing in another club, Kaiserkeller, because Indra was closed after complaints about the noise. At the Kaiserkeller the group would meet Ringo Starr who was the drummer of The Hurricanes at that time.

Filming began on 16 April in Liverpool and ended on 11 June 1993 in Hamburg. In the film The Beatles arrive in Hamburg at night, in reality it was during daytime. Hamburg is introduced by the neon lighting of the Reeperbahn area. Café Zum Silbersack can also be seen in the film A Most Wanted Man.

Backbeat, 0:12:06

Corner Reeperbahn and Davidstraße, Hamburg, 27 June 2019

Backbeat, 0:12:10

Silbersackstraße 9, Hamburg, 27 June 2019

Backbeat, 0:12:40

Große Freiheit 24-28, Hamburg, 27 June 2019

The first performance in the film is in the Kaiserkeller. This club still exists, the address is Große Freiheit 36. Above the entrance there are now the names of artists who once performed here. Later in the film the Kaiserkeller can be seen again when Stuart Sutcliffe (Stephen Dorff) walks out. During the day, the street Große Freiheit makes a rundown impression.

Backbeat, 0:24:33

Große Freiheit 36, Hamburg, 27 June 2019

Backbeat, 0:38:35

Große Freiheit 36, Hamburg, 27 June 2019

In Hamburg Stuart Sutcliffe would meet photographer Astrid Kirchherr (1938-2020) with whom he had a relationship. He left the group in July 1961 to study at the Hochschule für bildende Künste (University of Fine Arts). On 10 April 1962 he died of a cerebral haemorrhage.

Astrid Kirchherr (Sheryl Lee) photographed The Beatles several times. In the film she portrays them at the Neuerwegsbrücke in the Speicherstadt district. The first picture shows, from left to right, Pete Best (Scot Williams), John Lennon (Ian Hart, just before he drops his pants), Paul McCartney (Gary Bakewell), Stuart Sutcliffe and George Harrison (Chris O'Neill).

Backbeat, 0:31:11

Neuerwegsbrücke, Hamburg, 26 June 2019

Backbeat, 0:31:28

Neuerwegsbrücke, Hamburg, 26 June 2019

Backbeat, 0:31:40

Neuerwegsbrücke, Hamburg, 26 June 2019

The second location of the photo shoot is St. Annenufer 3. It is only 100 meters (109 yards) from the Neuerwegsbrücke.

Backbeat, 0:31:42

St. Annenufer 3, Hamburg, 26 juni 2019

Stuart and Astrid spend the day in the port of Hamburg. This scene was shot at Dock 11 near the Altona Fischmarkt.

Backbeat, 0:44:05

Dock 11, Hamburg, 26 June 2019

Entrance of Jäger-Passage, Hamburg, 27 June 2019

Within walking distance of Große Freiheit is the Wohlwillstraße. At number 22 is the entrance to the Jäger-Passage. In the spring of 1961 Jürgen Vollmer, a photography student, had taken several pictures of The Beatles in this street. John Lennon is standing in a doorway while Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Stuart Sutcliffe (Pete Best was not present) are passing. By using a long shutter speed only Lennon is recognizable. He would use the photo as a cover for his album 'Rock 'n' Roll' from 1975. On the album are covers of songs from the 50s and 60s, he thought the photo would make good match.

When we arrived at the Jäger-Passage it was closed with a clear 'keep out' on the door. A friendly resident just came out and gave us permission to go inside and photograph the building. That was quite difficult because the narrow passage was full of cars. Apparently the residents of the building are not happy with visitors imitating the pose of John Lennon , while leaning against the doorpost they often press all doorbells. On Google Maps it is not possible to search for Jäger-Passage, instead look for John Lennon, Rock 'n' Roll Doorway.

The Beatles at the Jäger-Passage, 1961

Rock 'n' Roll album cover

Jäger-Passage, 27 June 2019

Since 2006, the corner of the Reeperbahn and Große Freiheit has a Beatles-Platz, a small square in the shape of a vinyl record. There are metal statues in the form of silhouettes representing The Beatles, with the statue of Stuart Sutcliffe standing a little further away from the others.

Beatles-Platz, Hamburg, 27 June 2019

Thanks to ReelStreets for providing several addresses.

Screenshots © PolyGram Filmed Entertainment/Scala Productions/Channel Four Films
Photo album cover © Jürgen Vollmer

19 December 2019

Hamburg, Germany

The third film directed by Anton Corbijn, A MOST WANTED MAN, is based on the book of the same name by John le Carré from 2008. The story is set in Hamburg, where the author worked as a British agent and consul. Warning: the text may give away details of the plot.

Anton Corbijn, Rachel McAdams and Willem Dafoe during
filming in the lobby of hotel Atlantic, as seen in
The Making of A Most Wanted Man, 0:06:58

Issa Karpov (Grigoriy Dobrygin), a Russian-Chechen refugee, illegally comes to Hamburg in the hope of receiving the fortune left to him by his deceased father. Immigration lawyer Annabel Richter (Rachel McAdams) brings him into contact with British banker Tommy Brue (Willem Dafoe). They are soon noticed by a German anti-terror unit led by Günther Bachmann (Philip Seymour Hoffman). The American security service, represented by diplomatic attaché Martha Sullivan (Robin Wright), has also taken an interest.

Filming took place between 21 September and 23 November 2012 at more than 30 locations in Hamburg. A few scenes were filmed in Berlin (see Berlin, Germany). In the movie, Hamburg appears gray and dark, which enhances the grim atmosphere of the story. During our visit the city did not make such a gloomy impression.

At the beginning of the film, Günther Bachmann meets The Admiral (Martin Wuttke) at the Zum Silbersack cafe. He is a shady figure who knows more about the whereabouts of Issa Karpov. The cafe really exists and is located on Silbersackstraße 9, a side street of the Reeperbahn. This area looked pretty beat up. Two scenes were filmed inside the cafe, but during our visit the place was closed.

A Most Wanted Man, 0:10:49

Cafe Zum Silbersack, Hamburg, 27 June 2019

In the evening Günther Bachmann and his assistant Irna Frey (Nina Hoss) are watching the Atlantic Kempinski hotel where Annabel Richter is meeting Tommy Brue. The hotel is also mentioned in the book and can be seen in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. The lobby was also used for filming, but the hotel does not allow photographing inside. For Philip Seymour Hoffman the Atlantic hotel was familiar territory, he stayed there years earlier when he appeared in a play in Hamburg.

A Most Wanted Man, 0:30:54

Holzdamm, Hamburg, 25 June 2019

A Most Wanted Man, 0:31:39

Atlantic Kempinski hotel, Hamburg, 25 June 2019

When Brue leaves the hotel, a blue ceramic portrait of Wilhelm II (1859-1941) can be seen through the revolving glass door. He was the kaiser of Germany when the hotel was opened in 1909. In the featurette Spymaster: John le Carré in Hamburg, which is on the dvd as a bonus, John le Carré visits the hotel and says that Wilhelm II hated the British Queen Victoria so much that he wanted to destroy the British navy.

A Most Wanted Man, 0:31:24

Atlantic Kempinski hotel, Hamburg, 25 June 2019

Spymaster: John le Carré in Hamburg, 0:06:16

Atlantic Kempinski hotel, Hamburg, 25 June 2019

The film ends with a confrontation involving all main characters. This scene was filmed on Johannes-Brahms-Platz, a square named after the Hamburg-born composer. Karpov and Richter, together with philanthropist Dr. Faisal Abdullah (Homayoun Ershadi), have just visited Brue's bank. The building is the Brahms Kontor which was under construction during our visit.

A Most Wanted Man, 1:42:40

Brahms Kontor, Johannes-Brahms-Platz, Hamburg, 27 June 2019

A Most Wanted Man, 1:43:11

Johannes-Brahms-Platz, Hamburg, 27 June 2019

When they leave the bank, Bachmann poses as a taxi driver, but it turns out that Sullivan and her German colleague Dieter Mohr (Rainer Bock, standing on the balcony) have lured them into ambush. Both Karpov and Abdullah are arrested, leaving the others defeated in the square.