We all wonder about the spectacle of film and fame. Could you have been standing where famous filmmakers and actors once stood? Amazingly, the answer is potentially ‘yes’ as there are several examples of feature length films that have used a Portsmouth (or close by Hampshire area) as a key part of their blockbuster movie. Today I’m going to break down two of them.
No Time To Die, Cary Joji Fukunaga (2021)
The final instalment of Daniel Craig’s Bond journey, No Time To Die, finds him after leaving active service, searching for a tranquil life. However, after an old friend shows up, he ends up on the trail of a mysterious villain who’s armed with a dangerous new technology.
Despite the unimaginable scale of a Bond film, Portsmouth still found a place in it. Film crews were spotted in the waters between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight in 2019 filming boats and helicopters. HMS Dragon, a Type 45 warship based in Portsmouth, was also used in scenes filmed in secret pre-pandemic. HMS Dragon can be seen in the final trailer at around 1m50s.
Tommy, Ken Russell (1975)
One of the most famous examples is Ken Russell’s Tommy filmed all over 70s Portsmouth. The film follows deaf, mute and blind Tommy. As a teenager, he stumbles upon a pinball machine and as he becomes a pinball champion and later the messiah of a religious cult.
Apart from Tommy’s birth, the rest of the movie was shot around Portsmouth and nearby Hayling Island. Fort Purbrook and the King’s Theatre also feature but the film’s most famous location is South Parade Pier. During filming it burned for the third time since its construction and the film included the event in the movie’s climax (which can be seen at the top of this post!).
You can find more in this series by clicking here. Thanks for stopping by!
