Blockbusters Sherlock Holmes, Nine and St Trinian’s 2: Legend of Fritton’s Gold, all of which filmed on location in the East of England, are released nationwide from Friday 18th December
The much-anticipated Sherlock Holmes is released on Boxing Day and follows the pursuits of Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and his faithful partner Watson (Jude Law) in a battle of wits and brawn against nemesis Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) who poses a threat to all of England. Warner Bros.’ Sherlock Holmes filmed on location at the stunning Hertfordshire stately home, Hatfield House, where scenes were filmed in the Long Gallery. Leavesden Studios was also used for scenes at Sherlock Holmes’s house.
With its Oscar winning cast including Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman and Judi Dench, Nine shimmies onto the big screen on December 18th. The musical romance tells the tale of film director, Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis) who struggles to find harmony in his professional and personal life, whilst balancing the relationships he has with his wife (Marion Cotillard), his mistress (Penelope Cruz), his muse (Nicola Kidman), his confident and costume designer (Judi Dench), an American fashion journalist (Kate Hudson), the prostitute from his youth (Stacy Ferguson) and his mother (Sophia Loren). Nine filmed on location at Wansford station on the Nene Valley Railway in Cambridgeshire where it formed the backdrop to a romantic reunion between onscreen lovers, Penelope Cruz and Daniel Day-Lewis. The platform was transformed into a scene from 1960s Italy, for which a short sequence is shown on the film’s trailer.
St Trinian’s 2: Legend of Fritton’s Gold filmed on location at Knebworth House and Balls Park in Hertfordshire and is also released on December 18th. The spectacular gothic Knebworth House became the backdrop of St Trinian’s with scenes for the first day of term mainly being filmed here. Interior scenes of the school were largely filmed on location at former University campus, Balls Park. St Trinian’s 2: Legend of Fritton’s Gold is the sequel to ‘St Trinian’s’ and the new term stars Talulah Riley, Colin Firth, Rupert Everett, David Tennant and Sarah Harding. The comedy adventure follows the girls on their hunt for buried treasure after discovering headmistress, Miss Fritton (Rupert Everett), is related to a famous pirate.
The release of all three films coincides with the recent launch of Scene on Screen - www.sceneonscreen.co.uk - an interactive movie map promoting accessible locations that have appeared in popular film and television programmes. From the early silent and first ‘talkies’ produced by Directors such as Hitchcock to well know war time classics such as 633 Squadron and the Battle of Britain, leading attractions in the East of England have appeared on both big and small screens around the globe. Blockbusters such as George Lucas’ Indiana Jones trilogy and the first four Star Wars movies have all been filmed here. As a result, leading locations, such as the Hatfield House, Knebworth House and Nene Valley Railway, have played host to some of the world’s best known screen characters including Batman, Lara Croft, Miss Marple and James Bond. All three new releases already feature on the site.
Head of Locations & Inward Investment for Screen East, the regional screen agency, Kerry Ixer, said: “Popular film and television programmes provide an unparalleled opportunity to showcase filming locations around the globe. Production companies pay the location owners a fee to use the location after which they can experience free, and potentially worldwide, advertising for their location if they are accessible to the public. The Scene on Screen website aims to show visitors where filming occurred enabling them to follow in the footsteps of popular screen characters.” Visit www.sceneonscreen.co.uk to discover more on the East of England star-studded showreel.
If you would like to see your property appearing on the big or small screen, please contact Screen East for a free entry onto the Location Library by calling 01923 495051, emailing locations@screeneast.co.uk or by visiting www.screeneast.co.uk. They’d also like to hear from companies that could supply services such as those offered by dry cleaners, florists, wood suppliers and cleaning companies as well as crew who reside in the region.