London Should Be On Your Bucket List!
Have you ever watched a movie
and fallen in love with where it took place? I remember the first time I saw
Notting Hill with Julia Roberts and deciding for sure that I was going to live
in London one day, right there in Notting Hill. And hopefully, meet my version
of Hugh Grant in a bookstore. And then when I saw Under The Tuscan Sun, I
decided for sure that I'd like to one day buy a farmhouse in Tuscany and
convert it to a bed and breakfast.
Movies have such a powerful effect on our imagination,
and no doubt, they have influenced many people by inspiring them to travel to
their favorite movie or television locations.
If London is on your travel bucket list, be sure to
check out these movies to get you and your travel companion in the mood. Are
you trying to convince a group of friends to go with you? These movies will
help!
What's your favorite movie set
in London? Comment below.
Pst. Mine is a toss-up between
James Bond and Bridget Jones Diary - so similar, I know!
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Floppy-haired Charles (Hugh Grant) is looking for The
One in Richard Curtis's sweet, soppy movie. The capital provides a
picture-perfect backdrop as Grant and his band of twenty-something aristo
Londoners date, flirt, and consider settling for sub-standard partners in an
effort to get down the aisle. Proof that spending every sunny Saturday at a
friend's wedding is not a modern affliction.
London location Charles lives (and has that romantic,
rainy reunion) on Highbury Terrace in Highbury Fields, the lucky sod. He also
wanders along the South Bank and has a matrimonial meltdown at Smithfield's St
Bartholomew the Great.
A Fish Called Wanda
John Cleese hauled Ealing comedy legend Charles
Crichton out of retirement to co-write and direct this acid-tongued shout-out
to the classic comedy crime caper. Cleese plays a barrister swept up in a
robbery plot; Michael Palin outraged stutterers worldwide as an animal-loving
getaway driver; and two Yanks, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Kevin Kline offer scathing
observations on British life.
London location The iconic scene where Kline dangles
Cleese out of a window was shot at New Concordia Wharf in Bermondsey. TH
Sherlock Holmes
Sir Conan Doyle's sleuth gets a post-modern update,
with Robert Downey Jr playing a beefed-up version of Holmes.
London location Shot in and around London (as well as
Liverpool and Manchester), Ritchie's London of yesteryear is a romantic place
of heaving bosoms and ridiculously cool heroes.
Notting Hill
It's from the same makers as out Love Actually, but
Notting Hill is a funny, light-hearted fantasy romance that has its tongue
pressed enough into its cheek just about enough.
Only In London: Notting Hill is one of London's most
multicultural hot spots, which means it's odd that Curtis' film doesn't reflect
that. Still, the area looks the best it ever has – though Portobello Road is
where you'll find Grant's bookshop.
Bridget Jones Diary
Renée Zellweger stars as the perpetually-single Bridget
in this canny update of Pride & Prejudice.
Only In London: Visit Borough Market and you'll easily
spot Bridget's little flat near the pub, not to mention the restaurant that's
the setting for Firth and Grant's hilarious dust-up.
Bend It Like Beckham
Two 18-year-old girls aspire to become professional
football players in Gurinder Chadha's gentle comedy.
Only In London: Chadha captures the city's cultural
diversity beautifully as Parminder Nagra rebels against her orthodox Sikh
upbringing – with Hounslow providing the perfect suburban backdrop.
Oliver!
Carol Reed's classic musical in which young orphan
Oliver (Mark Lester) falls in with a gang of street urchins who've been trained
as pickpockets.
Only In London: The city's a smoggy place filled with
danger in this movie adaptation of Dickens' novel – you believe somebody like
Fagin could live here.
28 Days Later
Sci-fi horror from Danny Boyle in which an incurable
virus sweeps the UK, transforming people into ravenous zombies.
Only In London: Trust us, it's never this empty in
London – not even at 4 am when the clubbers are all tucked up in bed. Which
makes the sight of a deserted central London all the creepier…
The Bourne Ultimatum
Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) continues his hunt for answers
while dodging the CIA.
Only In London: Waterloo Station is a battlefield at
the best of times. Still, it becomes a hustle-bustle setting for a
fantastically tense action scene in Damon's last Bourne film, as he attempts to
protect Paddy Considine's journalist.
Mary Poppins (1964)
Joyous musical romp starring Julie Andrews as the
titular nanny, who's hired to look after two very unhappy children.
Only In London: This is London as envisioned by Walt
Disney Pictures, where everybody's smartly dressed, the townhouses are towering
and gorgeous, and there's not so much as a single turd in the parks. Dare to
dream, Disney…
Brick Lane
A Bangladeshi woman arrives in London, leaving behind
her family and friends.
Only In London: Cultural diversity is all part of
London's charm, and here we get a look at the East End's Bangladeshi community,
where the aftershock of 9/11 is strongly felt.
Harry Potter
Eight films adapted from JK Rowling's bestselling book
series, with Daniel Radcliffe as the lightning-scarred boy wizard.
Only In London: Sad to say, Diagon Alley doesn't exist
in our beloved capital. That doesn't stop Columbus, Yates et al. from lavishing
the city with adoring screen time, whether it's the Millennium Bridge getting
destroyed in Half-Blood Prince or those gorgeous over-city shots in Phoenix.
And, of course, there's King's Cross station…
The King's Speech
Oscar-nabbing historical drama starring Colin Firth as
King George VI, who struggles with a debilitating stammer.
Only In London: Rush's Harley Street practice should
look familiar – it's a Georgian townhouse 33 Portland Place, a popular location
used in everything from Amy Winehouse's 'Rehab' video to some less-well-known
gay porn films…
Sliding Doors
A 1998 British-American romantic drama film written and
directed by Peter Howitt and starring Gwyneth Paltrow and John Hannah, while
also featuring John Lynch, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Virginia McKenna. The film
alternates between two parallel universes, based on the two paths the central
character's life could take depending on whether she catches a train and
causing different outcomes in her life.
Only In London: The bridge featured is the Albert
Bridge between Battersea and Chelsea. The late-night scene when Paltrow and
Hannah walk down the street was filmed in Primrose Gardens (formerly Stanley
Gardens) in Belsize Park.
Ready to head to London? I'd love to help you plan that
trip for you and the people you care most about. Reach out and contact me
today.
Call (909) 990-1124 today to book your London Vacation!
