Natalie Skyfall released in 2012 (directed by Sam Mendes and starring Daniel Craig) was the twenty-third James Bond film. An action film needs a good backdrop, and Turkey has many picturesque locations. They filmed scenes for the film in various locations in Turkey over a three month period in 2012.
Istanbul (the ancient capital city of Turkey and in the North-West of the country) was the location for the opening scene of Skyfall, with locations such as Eminonu Square, the Grand Bazaar, and the New Mosque all prominent. Adana (in the south of Turkey) stands in for the suburbs of Istanbul in the film.
Istanbul is arguably the quintessential Bond city as the meeting place of Eastern and Western cultures. The clash of historic and modern in the city’s architecture also resonates with the character of Bond and the storylines.
The Bond film producer Barbara Broccoli claims Istanbul was Bond author Ian Fleming’s favourite city. In the previous Bond films ‘From Russia With Love’ and ‘The World Is Not Enough’, locations including the Basilica Cistern, Golden Horn, Hagia Sophia mosque and the ‘sunken palace’ in Sultanahmet Square of Istanbul were prominent.
Another scene in Skyfall was filmed on Çalış Beach in Fethiye with its spectacular views of the Aegean Sea . Fethiye is a city and district of Muğla Province in the South-West of Turkey. Craig and his co-star Berenice Marlohe reportedly stayed at the Yacht Classic Hotel on the beach and there’s now a James Bond suite at the hotel. Props were borrowed from Güven’s, a local bar.
If Bond likes Turkey so much why hasn’t he settled down there yet? Or is it sadly always business, never pleasure for him on his visits. Maybe he should get a holiday home? Could be a nice supplement for his MI6 pension in later life.
