Moonraker (1979)
- Documented locations
- 59
- Year
- 1979
- Directed by
- Lewis GILBERT
- Cities
- Paris, Maincy, Guermantes, Roissy-en-France, Epinay-sur-Seine, Boulogne-Billancourt, Livry-Gargan, Venise, Rio de Janeiro, Mariana, Manaus, Puerto Iguazú, Flores, Los Angeles, Palmdale, Titusville, Ocala, Port St. Lucie, Lompoc, Pope Valley, Rancho Palos Verdes, Iver Heath
Paris, France
The scene : The glass and steel walkways of the art center serve as the aerospace factory of Drax in California: Bond meets Dr. Holly Goodhead there, whose office is on the fifth floor.
Paris, France
The scene : Opening sequence: under the big top set up at the racetrack, Requin crashes at the end of his free fall, amidst the tightrope walkers.
Maincy, France
Baroque castle from the 17th century built for Nicolas Fouquet by Le Vau, Le Brun, and Le Nôtre; its splendor directly inspired the construction of Versailles.
The scene : The castle and its grounds comprise the Californian estate of Hugo Drax: Bond arrives there by helicopter, converses with the billionaire in the Grand Salon, and then escapes the sniper during the pheasant hunt.
Guermantes, France
Seventeenth-Eighteenth century Château of Guermantes, in Seine-et-Marne, whose name inspired Marcel Proust; today a seminar domain Châteauform'. It is classified as a historical monument by two decrees, in 1944 and then in 1970.
The scene : The ballroom of the castle serves as the interior of Drax's residence, where he hosts Bond before handing him over to his henchman, Chang.
Roissy-en-France, France
Inaugurated on March 8, 1974, the airport covers 3,257 hectares and six municipalities spread across Val-d'Oise, Seine-Saint-Denis, and Seine-et-Marne. Its Terminal 1, designed by architect Paul Andreu, is a circular building surrounded by seven satellites, nicknamed "the camembert" and labeled 20th-century Heritage.
The scene : A hangar at the airport resembles that of the Drax Industries factory.
Epinay-sur-Seine, France
The Épinay Studios are a complex of film studios located in Épinay-sur-Seine, in Seine-Saint-Denis, and are among the oldest in France. Their origins date back to 1907, when industrialist Charles Jourjon founded the company Éclair, which became the third French firm behind Pathé and Gaumont in the 1910s. The studio itself was set up in 1913 and was then acquired by Éclair in 1914. By the end of the 1920s, the German company Tobis established one of the first sound studios in France at the same address, utilizing the Tobis-Klangfilm process; these neighboring facilities were absorbed by Éclair in 1938. The site long housed film sets and significant development and post-production laboratories, with its studios being taken over by the TSF group in 2009, before the opening of the nearby Cité du cinéma reduced their activity from 2012.
The scene : The setting of the Drax space station, across three levels, has been constructed, as well as the Great Hall.
Boulogne-Billancourt, France
Canal Factory, formerly known as the Studios de Boulogne, is a complex of filming studios located in Boulogne-Billancourt, between Avenue Jean-Baptiste-Clément and Rue de Silly, and is one of the historic landmarks of French cinema. Founded in 1941 and long operated by the Société française de production (SFP), it has hosted countless film and television shoots. Acquired by the Canal+ group, it was renovated and renamed "Canal Factory" in 2016. The site now includes five filming stages and remains an active production complex.
The scene : The former studios of Boulogne house the set of Drax's control room, as well as the interior of the Venetian glass museum, of which only the facade was filmed on location.
Livry-Gargan, France
Former gypsum quarry in the northeastern part of Paris, now closed to the public.
The scene : The galleries of the old quarry become the underground labyrinth that Bond traverses in a jeep beneath Drax's lair.
Paris, France
The scene : The Parisian bridge appears in the connecting shots filmed along the Seine.
Venise, Italy
Venetian glass-making house founded in 1921, with its historic shop bordering the Piazzetta dei Leoncini.
The scene : The facade of the glassworks, a stone's throw from the basilica, serves as the entrance to the Drax Glass Museum: it is here that Bond enters, and then confronts Chang amidst the blown glass pieces.
Venise, Italy
The scene : The workshop on the island of Murano provides the plans for the glass factory where the blowers work.
Venise, Italy
The scene : Bond disembarks from his gondola on the promenade of St. Mark's Basin; later, one of his pursuers falls into the water before the eyes of onlookers.
Venise, Italy
Venice Music Conservatory, established in 1876 in the Pisani Palace, at San Stefano.
The scene : Bond follows a young woman into the courtyard of the palace that houses the conservatory, a secret exit from Drax's museum.
Venise, Italy
The scene : Bond's gondola glides under the bridge, the last moment of calm before the attack.
Venise, Italy
The scene : The passage under the bridge of the Rio dei Carmini opens the gondola chase.
Venise, Italy
The scene : The funeral boat carrying the killer has just crossed this bridge when it encounters Bond's gondola.
Venise, Italy
The scene : Along the canal, a false funeral procession approaches: the killer hidden in the coffin rises up and stabs Bond's gondolier.
Venise, Italy
The scene : The bridge spanning the Rio de San Trovaso is riddled with bullets during Bond's escape.
Venise, Italy
One of the last traditional shipyards in Venice, where gondolas have been built and maintained since the 17th century.
The scene : The workshop where the gondolas are repaired lines the canal that the chase takes.
Venise, Italy
The scene : The gondola turns sharply along the gondola construction site to shake off its pursuers.
Venise, Italy
The scene : The rigged gondola transforms into a hovercraft and crosses the square amidst astonished passersby, along the Doge's Palace under the incredulous gaze of a bystander with a bottle and a pigeon.
Venise, Italy
The Clock Tower built at the end of the 15th century in Saint Mark's Square, whose astronomical dial is topped by two bronze Moors that strike the hours.
The scene : Bond hurls Chang across the enameled dial of the tower, from where the killer tumbles onto the square.
Venise, Italy
The scene : A couple embraces on a gondola in front of the old abbey while the chase fades away.
Venise, Italy
Large lay brotherhood from the 16th century built according to designs by Jacopo Sansovino, located in the sestiere of Cannaregio.
The scene : Bond feigns a chance meeting with Holly Goodhead in front of the building before jumping into the gondola that starts the chase.
Venise, Italy
The scene : After a pursuer falls into the water, his accomplice heads for the island that closes off the basin.
Venise, Italy
The scene : Night scene: Bond, wearing a red ribbon boater hat, docks in the neighboring courtyard of the palace.
Venise, Italy
Venetian Palace located in the Palazzo Dandolo, a Gothic dwelling from the 14th century overlooking the St. Mark's basin.
The scene : Holly Goodhead is staying at the palace: she leans over the balcony, then shares a bottle with Bond before he sneaks into her place.
Venise, Italy
The scene : On the dock behind the theater, Bond reports on his mission to M and the Minister of Defense, who informs him of his suspension.
Venise, Italy
Baroque palace on the Grand Canal begun by Baldassare Longhena in the 17th century, today a museum of 18th century Venetian art.
The scene : The salons of the palace represent Drax's Venetian office.
Venise, Italy
Church and Benedictine monastery founded in 1043 at the northern tip of the Lido, guarding the entrance to the port of Venice; this is where the doge would come to celebrate the Marriage of the Sea.
The scene : The Lido Monastery serves as the Brazilian headquarters of MI6 and Drax's training camp.
Venise, Italy
The scene : The largest square in Venice after Saint Mark's emerges along Bond's Venetian journey.
Venise, Italy
The scene : Disguised as a gondolier, Bond returns at night towards the glass factory; the dome of the Salute stands out behind him.
Venise, Italy
The scene : The steeple dominates the wide shots of the square during the hovercraft race.
Venise, Italy
The scene : The alley connects the courtyard of the conservatory to the back of the Drax museum, a path that Bond takes following Goodhead.
Venise, Italy
The scene : The Grand Canal Palace is among the Venetian addresses chosen by the production.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Rocky peak of 396 meters at the entrance of Guanabara Bay, served by a historic cable car, a symbol of Rio de Janeiro.
The scene : Bond confronts Shark on the roof of the cable car suspended above the bay before the cabin crashes at the lower station.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Granite hill of two hundred and twenty meters overlooking Guanabara Bay, classified as a natural heritage site by IPHAN; it forms the first stage of the cable car leading to Sugarloaf.
The scene : First platform of the cable car: the fake paramedics arrive there to take away Bond and Goodhead.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The scene : Bond descends from the Concorde and discovers Rio, greeted by Drax's security.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The scene : Along the Copacabana waterfront, Manuela photographs Bond from her convertible while driving her limousine.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
A vast coastal park reclaimed from Guanabara Bay in the 1960s, designed by landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx.
The scene : Along the embankment bordering the bay, the fake ambulance takes Bond and Goodhead to Drax's trap.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Small square lined with colonial houses from the 19th century, located in the Cosme Velho neighborhood at the foot of Corcovado.
The scene : The colorful facades of the small square at the foot of Corcovado serve as the exterior for the monastery that houses the command post of the secret services.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The scene : The path alongside the bottom station of the cable car frames the ambulance removal.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The scene : After the cable car falls, Bond and Goodhead catch their breath on the grass that borders the beach.
Mariana, Brazil
The scene : A alleyway from the old mining town appears in the Brazilian shots of the film.
Manaus, Brazil
The scene : The Amazonian city provides the jungle shots that precede the discovery of Drax's lair.
Puerto Iguazú, Argentina
A set of nearly three hundred waterfalls layered over nearly three kilometers, at the border of Argentina and Brazil, in the heart of two national parks.
The scene : The speedboat chase ends at the edge of the abyss: Bond ejects in a hang glider over the falls while the boat flips into the void.
Flores, Guatemala
Mayan city in ruins in the heart of the Petén jungle, in northern Guatemala, one of the largest archaeological sites in Central America.
The scene : The Maya pyramids that pierce the canopy signal the entrance to Drax's secret lair, where Bond follows a woman in white.
Los Angeles, United States
Main airport of Los Angeles and the west coast of the United States.
The scene : Bond arrives in California to investigate the missing shuttle and boards the helicopter piloted by Corinne Dufour.
Palmdale, United States
The scene : The hangars of the aerospace factory comprise the exteriors of the Drax aerospace complex.
Titusville, United States
NASA's launcher assembly building, built in 1966 on Merritt Island; one of the largest structures in the world by volume.
The scene : The immense assembly building of NASA lends its silhouette to the hangar where the Moonraker shuttles are prepared.
Ocala, United States
Set of artesian springs in central Florida, whose clear water has made it a sought-after underwater filming location since the 1930s.
The scene : In the crystal-clear waters of the spring, Bond struggles against the python unleashed by Drax.
Port St. Lucie, United States
The scene : The Floridian river doubles as the Amazon for the speedboat chase between Bond and Drax's men.
Lompoc, United States
The scene : The California base provides the launch plans for the shuttles.
Pope Valley, United States
The scene : The aerial shots of the free fall sequence that opens the film were filmed above the valley.
United States
The scene : A view of the desert serves as the backdrop for the opening shot of Drax's residence, on which the façade of Vaux-le-Vicomte has been embedded.
Rancho Palos Verdes, United States
The scene : The Californian peninsula is among the filming locations noted for the film.
Iver Heath, United Kingdom
Large British film studio founded in 1936 in Iver Heath, birthplace of the James Bond saga.
The scene : The special effects teams create the models there, including the space station and the circus tent crushed by Shark.
Paris, France
Artificial waterfall constructed in the Bois de Boulogne during the Second Empire, originally fed by the waters of the Ourcq and built with rocky materials by the engineers of Alphand.
The scene : The opening shot of the journey through the Amazon jungle — Bond following a woman in white to Drax's lair — was filmed in front of this Parisian waterfall, before the editing transitions to Iguazú and Tikal.
Boulogne-Billancourt, France
Boulogne-Billancourt film studios, located on the Quai du Point-du-Jour. Founded in 1922 under the name Studio-usine Eclipse, they became Paris-Studios-Cinéma in 1926 and then Billancourt Studios in 1933. Closed in 1992, they were demolished in 1995.
The scene : The set of the astronauts' training centrifuge, where Drax tries to eliminate Bond by wrapping the machine, was built on one of the three Parisian stages requisitioned by the production.