feature film

The Mummy (1999)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
The Mummy Movie Poster- montage of images from the film, the main characters stands with a gun against an ancient wooden box.The Mummy written in gold

The Mummy Movie Poster © Universal Pictures

Directed by: Stephen Sommers

Starring: Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz and John Hannah.

Production Company: Universal Pictures, Alphaville Films

Kent Filming Locations Used: The Historic Dockyard Chatham

The Mummy is an action-adventure film which is about a team serving in the French Foreign Legion on an archaeological dig at the ancient city of Hamunaptra who accidentally awakens a mummy. As it calls up the ten plagues in revenge for the desecration of his tomb, the team face a race against time to stop the and put an end to the centuries-long curse.

The film is directed by Stephen Sommers (Van Helsing,  The Jungle Book) and stars Brendan Fraser (Inkheart, The Affair), Rachel Weisz (The Bourne Legacy, About a Boy) and John Hannah (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Sliding Doors).

Viewers may be surprised to learn that our very own The Historic Dockyard Chatham made a cameo appearance in the film. Hollywood transformed the popular location into Giza Port using CGI and an impressive 600 ft long set. Complete with steam ship and hundreds of extras, it truly looks authentic as the 1920’s Egyptian port.

One of the most popular filming locations in Kent, The Historic Dockyard Chatham has been used in various productions Features to TV programmes. With its cobbled streets, Georgian and Victorian architecture and period features spread across 80 acres, it has been the perfect location for films such as Les Miserables (2013) Sherlock

The Historic Dockyard Chatham is set over 80 acres and contains over 100 Georgian and Victorian buildings as well as cobbled streets and dock spaces. Projects that have previously filmed at The Historic Dockyard Chatham include  Downton Abbey (2013) and The Golden Compass (2007) among others.

The Mummy was released in cinemas in June 1999 and is now available on DVD.

 

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

I Want You (1998)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Dungeness estate houses with fields in front

I Want You Screenshot © Polygram Filmed Entertainment/Revolution Films

Director: Michael Winterbottom

Starring: Rachel Weisz, Alessandro Nivola, Luka Petrusic

Production Company: Polygram Filmed Entertainment, Revolution Films

Kent location used: Dungeness, Folkestone Harbour arm

I Want You is a film noir about a young boy, Honda (Luka Petrusic) and his sister Smokey (Labina Mitevska) who get drawn into the relentless pursuit of Helen (Rachel Weisz) by her former lover, Martin (Alessandro Nivola) after he is released from prison.

Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People, A Mighty Heart, The Killer Inside Me) directs and Oscar winning actress Rachel Weisz (The Mummy, About A Boy, Enemy at the Gates) stars alongside Alessandro Nivola (Face/Off, American Hustle, Jurassic Park III) and Luka Petrusic (Bumerang, Sorry for Kung Fu).

The production chose Dungeness as the coastal town in the film.  The Folkestone Harbour arm is the location for Martin’s (Alessandro Nivola) argument with his colleague. Nearby Hastings was also used as a film location.

Folkestone Harbour Arm at night

I Want You Screenshot © Polygram Filmed Entertainment/Revolution Films

Dungeness is a large nature reserve in the Shepway district of Kent with a beautiful shingle beach, a mixture of old and modern homes, two lighthouses, a historic railway station and a Power Station. Dungeness is a popular film location previously been used by productions such as Ginger and Rosa (2012), The Inspector Lynley Mysteries – Natural Causes (2006) and The Garden (1990).

The town of Folkestone is in the Shepway district of Kent and has a harbour, beach, quaint streets and the Creative Quarter boasts many studios and galleries. The area has previously been used as a location for filming by productions such as The Tunnel (2013) and Is Anybody There? (2009).

I Want You was released in cinemas on 30th October 1998 and is now available to buy on DVD.

 

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

 

The Saint (1997)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
The Saint movie poster- head shot of main character staring at the camera with blue mist behind him, Saint is written in white.

The Saint movie poster © Paramount Pictures

Director: Phillip Noyce

Starring: Val Kilmer, Elizabeth Shue, Henry Goodman, Rade Šerbedžija, Alun Armstrong 

Production Company: Paramount Pictures, Rysher Entertainment, Mace Neufeld Productions, Robert Evans Company

Kent Filming Location: Fort Amherst, Chatham

Inspired by the 1928 novels and following in the footsteps of the 1960’s TV series, starring Roger Moore, The Saint is about Simon Templar (Val Kilmer – Batman Forever, Heat), a suave and sophisticated international thief who has one last job before he can comfortably retire. Known as a master of disguise, he assumes the names of saints for his false identities.  When he is tasked by the Russian Mafia with stealing the cold fusion formula created by the stunning Dr Emma Russell (Elizabeth Shue – Hollow Man, Back to the Future II) love proves to be a dangerous distraction.

The Saint is directed by Phillip Noyce (Salt, The Bone Collector, Patriot Games) and stars Val Kilmer (Heat, Batman Forever, Top Gun) and Elizabeth Shue (Back to the Future Part II, Hollow Man, Leaving Las Vegas), Rade Šerbedžija (Snatch, Batman Begins), Henry Goodman (Notting Hill, Avengers: Age of Ultron) and Alun Armstrong (Braveheart, Sleepy Hollow).

The atmospheric Georgian fortress of Fort Amherst, Chatham, provided the perfect location to film the scene in the sewers of Moscow where Templar and Russell hide.

Fort Amherst is a Georgian Fortress over 17 acres, including a tunnel complex, park like setting, woodland, WW2 gun battery and sloping grassland and is known as one of the most haunted forts in Britain. Fort Amherst has also been used as a filming location by Jekyll and Hyde (2015), Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) and The Mission (1987).

The Saint was released in cinemas in April 1997 and is now available to buy on DVD.

 

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

Jude (1996)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Jude film poster- faint image of Kate Winslet and Christopher Eccleston's faces as a backdrop- underneath the two characters are dancing the the sand. JUDE written in yellow

Jude film poster © BBC Films, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Revolution Films

Director: Michael Winterbottom

Writer: Hossein Amini (screenplay), Thomas Hardy (novel)

Starring: Christopher Eccleston, Kate Winslet, Liam Cunningham, Rachel Griffiths

Production Company: BBC Films, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Revolution Films

Kent Locations Used: Kent and East Sussex Railway

Jude is a 1996 British period drama film about a self-educated stonemason who enters into an illicit affair with his cousin, despite them both being married to other partners. The pair is condemned to the margins of society which results in a horrific tragedy.

Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People, Code 46) directs the film which is adapted by Hossein Amini (Drive, Snow White and the Huntsman) based on Thomas Hardy’s novel “Jude the Obscure”.

Jude stars Christopher Eccleston (Fortitude, Doctor Who), Kate Winslet (Titanic, Divergent), Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones, Safe House) and Rachel Griffiths (Blow, Saving, Mr. Banks).

Jude (Christopher Eccleston) and Sue (Kate Winslet) on the train. Sue has her head on Jude's shoulder.

Jude (Christopher Eccleston) and Sue (Kate Winslet) on the train © BBC Films, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Revolution Films

Jude filmed at Kent and East Sussex Railway where they filmed scenes of Jude (Christopher Eccleston) and Sue (Kate Winslet) on a train which was intercut with scenery from the North of England.

Kent & East Sussex Railway is a ten and a half mile rural light period railway which runs between Tenterden and East Sussex. The railway has also been used for filming by productions such as Richard E. Grant on Ealing Comedies (2016) and Last Passenger (2013).

Jude was released in October 1996 and is now available for DVD purchase.

 

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

The Wind in the Willows – Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride (1996)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
The Wind in the Willows movie poster- Cartoon image of a toad with glasses on jumping over a black car, a man is holding on to his shoulders behind. Mr Toad's Wild Ride is written in white

The Wind in the Willows © Walt Disney

Director: Terry Jones

Writer: Terry Jones (Screenplay), Kenneth Grahame (Novel)

Starring: Steve Coogan, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Antony Sher, Nicol Williamson, John Cleese, Stephen Fry, Bernard Hill, Michael Palin, Nigel Planer, Julia Sawalha, Robert Bathurst, Richard James

Production Company: Allied Filmmakers

Kent locations: Dover Castle, Chiddingstone

The Wind in The Willows – Mr Toad’s Wild Ride is a feature film loosely based on the classic novel by Kenneth Grahame, sometimes referred to as ‘the Monty Python version’.

The story follows Mole whose home is bought up and marked for development by the evil Weasels. Working with his friends, Mole attempts to win back his home.

Directed by Terry Jones (Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Life of Brian), the film has an ensemble cast including Steve Coogan (I’m Alan Partridge, Philomena), Eric Idle (Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Nuns on the Run), John Cleese (Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Fawlty Towers), Stephen Fry (Gosford Park, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows) Bernard Hill (Titanic, The Lord of the Rings) Michael Palin (Monty Python and the Holy Grail, A Fish Called Wanda) and Robert Bathurst (Cold Feet, Emma).

The production filmed at Dover Castle, which doubled as the Gaol as well as The Old School in Chiddingstone (now the post office) which features as the Welcome Inn where Toad dines before stealing and crashing a motorcar.

Dover Castle is a stunning medieval castle situated on the White Cliffs of Dover, overlooking the English Channel. Dover Castle is a popular film location having featured in Into the Woods (2015), Poirot “The Clocks” (2009) and Hamlet (1990).

Chiddingstone is a beautiful one-street Tudor village with over 70% of the buildings in more than 200 years old. In 1939, the National Trust bought the village in order to preserve it. The village has previously been used as a film location by productions such as Terry and Mason’s Great Food Trip (2015), A Room With A View (1986) and Elizabeth R (1971).

The Wind in the Willows – Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride is available to purchase on DVD.

 

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

Cold Comfort Farm (1995)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Cold Comfort Farm poster- 6 characters standing facing the camera in a frame. Cold Comfort Farm is written in white on top

Cold Comfort Farm poster © BBC, Thames Television

Director: John Schlesinger

Writer: Malcolm Bradbury (screenplay), Stella Gibbons (novel)

Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Eileen Atkins, Sheila Burrell, Stephen Fry, Freddie Jones, Joanna Lumley, Ian McKellen

Production Company: BBC, Thames Television

Kent Locations Used: Kent and East Sussex Railway, Royal Military Canal

Cold Comfort Farm is a BBC adaption of Stella Gibbons’ novel of the same name. Set in early 1930’s England, the story focuses on young Flora Poste (Kate Beckinsale) who is left penniless when her parents die and goes to stay with distant relatives on Cold Comfort Farm. Flora makes it her mission to improve the lives of the miserable inhabitants.

The TV movie parodies the romanticised, sometimes doom-laden accounts of rural life and is directed John Schlesinger (Marathon Man, The Next Best Thing) and written by Malcolm Bradbury (The Gravy Train, In the Red).

Kate Beckinsale (The Aviator, Underworld) takes the leading role of Flora alongside Eileen Atkins (Cold Mountain, Robin Hood), Sheila Burrell (Jane Eyre, Perfect Strangers), Stephen Fry (Alice in Wonderland, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows), Freddie Jones (The Elephant Man, Dune), Joanna Lumley (Corpse Bride, Absolutely Fabulous) and Ian McKellen (The Hobbit Series, Vicious).

The production filmed on location in Kent at Kent & East Sussex Railway which provided the trains for Flora’s journey from London to her relatives at Cold Comfort Farm and Northiam station which is the fictional railway station of Beershorne.

The Royal Military Canal was also used for scenes where Flora and Amos (Ian McKellen) walk and chat.

Kent & East Sussex Railway is a ten and a half mile rural light period railway which runs between Tenterden and East Sussex. The railway has also been used for filming by productions such as Richard E. Grant on Ealing Comedies (2016) and Last Passenger (2013).

The Royal Military Canal runs for 28 miles between Seabrook near Folkestone and end at Cliff End near Hastings. The canal passes the iconic Romney Marsh, tranquil countryside and quiet villages and has a footpath for the entire stretch.

Cold Comfort Farm was broadcast on 1 January 1995 and is now available for DVD purchase.

 

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1993)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
The Mystery of Edwin Drood movieposter 1993- close up reflection of a blurry face in the water, the figure of a man stood facing it. The Mystery of Edwin Drood movieposter written in red

The Mystery of Edwin Drood movieposter 1993 © A&E Home Video

Directed By: Timothy Forder

Written By: Charles Dickens (Novel) and Timothy Forder (Adaptation)

Starring:  Robert Powell, Gareth Arnold, Gemma Craven & Michelle Evans.

Production Company: First Standard Media

Kent Locations Used: Rochester Cathedral, Rochester

Famed as Dickens’ unfinished novel, the acclaimed author died in 1870 leaving the ending of the book a mystery forever.  Although both story and film are named for Edwin Drood, the narrative focuses on Drood’s uncle, choirmaster John Jasper, who is in love with his pupil Rosa Bud. Miss Bud is Edwin Drood’s fiancé, but she has also caught the eye of the hot tempered Neville Landless who arrives with his sister Helena. Landless and Drood take an instant dislike to one another just before Drood disappears under mysterious circumstances.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood was scheduled to be published in twelve monthly instalments, each costing one shilling. However Dickens’ died after the publication of the sixth instalment, leaving the story approximately half complete.

Much of the film is set in the fictional city of “Cloisterham”. Dickens was inspired by Rochester when writing many of his novels, including The Mystery of Edwin Drood, so it was only fitting for Director Timothy Forder to shoot the film in the great city itself.

Familiar Rochester sites will include Rochester Cathedral which doubled as Cloisterham Cathedral as well as Rochester Castle, which can be seen in the background of many shots. A row of Edwardian houses near the Cathedral called Minor Canon Row also appears in the film as Cloisterham streets. Famous actress Dame Sybil Thorndike lived at number 2 Minor Canon Row after growing up in Rochester City. Her final TV appearance was 6 years before her death in The Great Inimitable Mr Dickens, a story of the life of the author starring Anthony Hopkins.

Rochester Cathedral is of special significance regarding Charles Dickens. The author expressed a wish to be buried opposite the west front in the Castle moat which then formed part of the graveyard of St Nicholas Church. The spot is marked with a commemorative plaque and Dickens’s ghost is said to haunt the area. Inside the Cathedral, to the right of the Presbytery, by the magnificent Chapter room door, is another brass plaque memorial to Dickens. At 3pm on the last Sunday of the Summer during the Dickens festival held in early June each year, a garland of scarlet geraniums (his favourite flowers) are laid here during a service commemorating his life.

The city of Rochester is the home to many locations that feature in the classic Dickens novels. Chertsey’s Gate on Rochester High Street was the inspiration for Mr Jasper’s home in The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Topes Restaurant for the house of Mr Tope, the verger in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, where the character of Mr Datchery also stayed when visiting “Cloisterham”.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood also features in the Kent Film Office Dickens Trail which lauched in 2012: https://kentfilmoffice.co.uk/kent-movie-map/dickens-movie-trail/ 

The film was released in cinemas in 1993 and is now available to buy on DVD.

 

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

Waterland (1992)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Waterland Movie Poster- top image of a man standing in front of marshes facing the camera, bottom image of man and women embracing as a boy in a boat sits in the water behind them. Waterland is written in the middle of the images.

Waterland Movie Poster © Fine Line Features

Directed by: Stephen Gyllenhaal

Starring: Jeremy Irons, Ethan Hawke, Sinéad Cusack,  Maggie Gyllenhaal

Production Company: British Screen Productions, Channel Four Films, Palace Pictures, Pandora Cinema

Kent Filming Locations Used: Doddington Place Gardens

Based on the 1983 novel of the same name, Waterland, by Graham Swift, discusses how the events in our youth can leave a damaging mark on our future.

Jeremy Irons  plays English born History teacher, Tom Crick whose family life begins to fall apart when his wife suffers a mental breakdown. Unable to connect with both his students and his wife, he faces the possibility of being fired. In a desperate attempt to forge a bond with his students, he begins to recount the history of his own extraordinary life. When one challenging student Matthew – played by Ethan Hawke forces him to face shocking revelations about his youth, he realises that his buried past still has a grip on his present day life, threatening all he holds dear.

Stephen Gyllenhaal (Homegrown, Losing Isaiah) directs the film which stars Jeremy Irons (Die Hard with a Vengeance, The Man in the Iron Mask), Ethan Hawke (Training Day, Total Recall), Sinéad Cusack (V for Vendetta, Wrath of the Titans) and Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Dark Knight, Donnie Dark).

The beautiful Doddington Place, near Faversham was used as the ancestral home to Tom Crick (Jeremy Irons). Surrounded by wooded countryside in an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the imposing Victorian Manor was built around 1860. With landscaped gardens that are recognised as being of historical importance by English Heritage, Doddington place grounds spread to nearly 10 acres.

The nearest town is the historic market town of Faversham which lies nestled between the North Downs and the Kent Coast. The town is home to the Shepherd Neame Brewery which is not only famous for their ales but is also the oldest brewery in England. A popular filming location, the brewery doubled as Bristow’s brewery in The Darling Buds of May.

Waterland was released in cinemas in August 1992 and is now available on DVD.

 

 

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

Hamlet (1990)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Hamlet Movie Poster- Hamlet holding a sword up to his face, other characters stand behind him looking away from the camera. Hamlet is written in orange.

Hamlet Movie Poster © Warner Bros. Pictures

Directed by: Franco Zeffirelli

Starring: Mel Gibson, Glenn Close, Alan Bates & Helena Bonham Carter.

Production Company:  Canal+, Carolco Pictures, Icon Entertainment International, Icon Productions, Marquis Nelson Entertainment, Sovereign Pictures, Warner Bros.

Kent Filming Location: Dover Castle

When Prince Hamlet returns to Denmark following the death of his father, he discovers his mother has already married his uncle Claudius who has now been crowned King.  They encourage Hamlet to marry his only love, the young Ophelia, but Hamlet remains troubled over his mother’s new husband. When the ghost of his father appears before him and reveals that he was murdered, Hamlet becomes dangerous to those around him.

Zeffirelli’s adaptation of the famous Shakespearean tragedy stars Mel Gibson as the Dark Prince, Glenn Close as his mother Gertrude and Alan Bates as Claudius. Helena Bonham Carter also makes an appearance as Ophelia.

Local Resident Tina Easterby experienced filming on a Hollywood film set when she worked as an extra in the film. She had this to say “In 1990 while I was studying for A levels, myself and my fellow Theatre Studies students were invited to tour the set of Hamlet at Dover Castle. As you can imagine at the age of 17 we were beside ourselves with excitement. However it only got better when we were all offered extras parts for 3 days. Hey, we were only servants but just to be on the same set as Glenn Close, Mel Gibson and Franco Zefferrelli was worth it. The castle looked stunning, in what would have been original costumes, with knights on horseback and misty, murky weather. We had a wonderful time!”

Dover Castle makes its first appearance in the title credits for the film. Used to portray the Danish Castle of Elsinore, the castle battlements feature in one of the most dramatic scenes of the film:  Hamlet speaking with the ghost of his dead father.  Built in the 13th Century, the Castle is situated above the White Cliffs of Dover and has guarded our shores for 20 centuries. At the heart of the site stands the Great Tower of the castle which stands at a height of 83 ft. It is here that many of the scenes for Hamlet were shot.

Dover Castle has featured in many films throughout its history. It appeared as the Tower of London in both Lady Jane (1986) and The Other Boleyn Girl (2008). A popular tourist attraction, Dover Castle invites visitors to experience life in Henry II’s court and visit the secret WWII tunnels, the HQ of Operation Dynamo. With its striking position within the landscape and medieval architecture it is an ideal location for any film production.

Hamlet is now available to buy on DVD.

 

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

 

The Garden (1990)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
The Garden screenshot - a boy putting washing out in Dungeness estate

The Garden screenshot © Artificial Eye

Directed by: Derek Jarman

Starring: Tilda Swinton, Pete Lee-Wilson, Michael Gough

Production Company: Basilisk Communications, Channel 4, British Screen Productions, Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen, Uplink, Sohbi Kikaku, Space Shower TV

Kent locations: Dungeness

The Garden is one of avant-garde director Derek Jarman’s final films, and intertwines an almost wordless story about two gay lovers who are arrested, severely humiliated, tortured and killed with religious imagery.

Tilda Swinton (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe) stars with narration by Michael Gough (Batman Returns, Sleepy Hollow).

The Garden screenshot - Dungeness beach and sea

The Garden screenshot © Artificial Eye

The film is set against the backdrop of Dungeness, which had been Jarman’s home since the late 1980s.

Dungeness in the Shepway district of Kent is one of the largest shingle landscapes in the world. It boasts sound mirrors, two lighthouses and power station and is a popular film location having previously been seen on screen in The Poison Tree (2012), Parade’s End (2012) and The Inspector Lynley Mysteries – Natural Causes (2006).

The Garden was released in 1990 and is now available to buy on DVD.

 

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map.