Films shot in Prague
By Laura Blake
Mission Impossible
Mission Impossible, a box office hit with earnings of over $450,000,000, broke new ground in espionage-themed movies upon its release in 1996. This film had it all; a star-studded cast, explosions galore, and impeccable CGI (...at the time at least) and satisfied even the most ardent of action fans. For those who somehow managed to miss this blockbuster, the plot revolves around agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) as he framed for the death of his team and wrongly identified as a mole. Much of the sophistication of Mission Impossible is owed to the stylish locations in which it was shot. The opening scenes of the failed mission outside the ‘Embassy of Prague’ were actually shot outside the nation’s incredible Natural History Museum. Shortly after this gripping scene, the leader of the special ops team, Jim Phelps (Jon Voight) falls into the Vltava River from the iconic Charles Bridge.
Casino Royale
The 21st film of the legendary franchise sees Daniel Craig portraying a naive James Bond shortly after receiving ‘OO’ status, and sent on a mission to bankrupt a corrupt financer via the means of a high stakes poker game. As a spy, one would naturally assume that Bond travels the world, but of course, in the world of the silver screen, this isn’t always the case. Many places across the Czech Republic were used to portray worldwide locations, with Prague’s very own Strahov Monastery, Vitkov Park and the Natural History Museum all featuring prominently in Craig’s seminal outing as a Secret Service agent. Whilst all under the guise of other locations, the magic is still there; these locations are ornate, elegant and all boast a certain classiness that one has come to expect from a James Bond film.
Amadeus
Amadeus is without a doubt of the most iconic films to have ever been created. A dark story of success and betrayal, the1984 film tells the confession of Antonio Salieri, (F. Murray Abraham) a God-fearing composer sent insane by his jealousy and hatred for the musical prodigy, Mozart. Collecting a staggering total of 41 awards in total, the Oscar-sweeping film owes part of its success to the sumptuous cinematography. The beautiful Old Town of Prague is the substitute for 18th Century Vienna, whilst the opera performances of Seraglio, Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni were filmed in the city’s Estates Theatre. The scenes in the ‘Emperor’s Palace’ were actually filmed in the newly restored Archbishop’s Palace in Hradcany Square, currently the residence of Cardinal Tomasek. Access to this building is extremely rare; those without a film crew in tow can only gain access once a year on Maundy Thursday between 9am and 5pm.
The Bourne Identity
The first film of the cult trilogy, The Bourne Identity stars Matt Damon as an amnesiac who discovers that he is in fact a trained CIA assassin. The film is a tale intertwined with deceit, espionage and excellent action sequences, which uniquely strayed away from CGI and vehemently tried to keep an element of realism. This realistic effect was achieved largely through the film’s close attention to detail, as the city of Zurich was painstakingly recreated in Prague – the iconic scene, for example, in which Bourne discovers he is an expert in close contact martial arts was filmed in Kampa Park. However, Prague is nothing but versatile and throughout the course of the film also manages to emulate the French countryside; the scene in which Bourne encounters The Professor in a charming French farmhouse was actually shot in Suchdol, a village on the outskirts of Prague’s international airport.
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