Die Sieben Masken des Judoka - Heinz Drache (1967) - Castle Peak Bay, Tuen Mun

After a slightly long hiatus (I was in London for a month), I am now back in HK and can pick up where I left off with another location from Die Sieben Masken des Judoka. This time we are over on Kadoorie Pier as everyone gets ready to head over to the evil enemy base.

However, I am a bit stumped as to the identity of the house in the background of the last image. It must have been located where the Hoi Tin Garden Restaurant now stands at the other end of Castle Peak Beach, but its identity is currently eluding me. If anyone knows please leave a comment (no, it's not Boulder Lodge).

Die Sieben Masken des Judoka - Heinz Drache (1967) - Garden Road, Central

After the meeting at the US Consulate (which was actually the Hilton Hotel), the two cross Garden Road and pick up a cab. The consulate has had a complete external makeover since then including a large foreboding wall (it was also recently revealed that the land it is on has the longest lease in China - courtesy of the very awesome David Webb). Down the road the view was once very open. You can  see the old Govt HQ east wing on the left, but these days the whole road, and view, is crowded with skyscrapers.

Die Sieben Masken des Judoka - Heinz Drache (1967) - Hilton Hotel, Central

This location has popped up a few times now and it took a while before I worked out it was an inner courtyard at the Hilton Hotel. No one seems to have been able to confirm or deny it so far, but the fact that it keeps popping up confirms it was a real location and not any kind of studio set. We've already seen it previously in The Million Eyes of Sumuru but it was The Yin and Yang of Mr Go that helped actually place it properly.

Die Sieben Masken des Judoka - Heinz Drache (1967) - Kai Tak Airport, Kowloon

As well as the previous landing shot, we do also get some ground level views of the airport from the carpark as well as the runway apron.

Die Sieben Masken des Judoka - Heinz Drache (1967) - Kat Hing Wai, Kam Tin

The nefarious organisation's base is the Kat Hing Wai walled village in Kam Tin. pretty much the only recognisable thing about this place now is the wall, almost every building within has been redeveloped into modern style village houses.

This is the west wall and entrance of the village

Die Sieben Masken des Judoka - Heinz Drache (1967) - Kai Tak Approach, Kowloon

Another view of a plane landing from Checkerboard Hill. It's always great seeing these clips on film because it was a truly special thing to experience on board as well as to watch from the ground. In fact, one of the most popular posts on the blog is this one from Golgo 13:Assignment Kowloon which was basically the same sequence but shot ten years later. That post was only done a year ago but has already become the 2nd most read on the blog (the top post, in case you are wondering, is this one).

Die Sieben Masken des Judoka - Heinz Drache (1967) - Ap Lei Chau, Aberdeen Harbour

Ap Lei Chau is the small island on the opposite side of the harbour to Aberdeen. Now a combination of Govt housing estates and luxury residential developments it still has some boat yards centred on the eastern waterfront. However, as you can see from the following confrontation, the boat building industry on the island was once significantly larger. There are a few of familiar buildings to be seen in the following grabs such as the old Police Station (seen in the background of images 2 and 3), the construction of the original Shek Pai Wan estate (top right image 3). Aberdeen Seminary (image 1 and 4) and the Aberdeen Technical School (background of image 5). Apart from the original Shek Pai Wan estate, which had to be rebuilt, they are all still in use.

Die Sieben Masken des Judoka - Heinz Drache (1967) - Wanchai Gap, The Peak

Some more of the car chase as Marc Briand drives his car down Peak Road and into the famous junction where 6 (or perhaps 7?) roads all merge into one. It seems to be a blackspot for movie-related car mayhem as he almost hits the car that pulls out in front.

Die Sieben Masken des Judoka - Heinz Drache (1967) - Stubbs Road, The Peak

After having his new friend kidnapped from Tiger Balm Gardens, the hero gives chase in his car. The first spot we see is Stubbs Road next to the turn off for #47. Following that is the approach from the west towards the area now occupied by Stubbs Road Lookout, i.e. before we get top #47. I guess accuracy doesn't matter too much given how similar these places all look.

Did the "lookout" even exist then or was it just a handy empty spot to stop and admire the view?

Die Sieben Masken des Judoka - Heinz Drache (1967) - Tiger Balm Gardens, Tai Hang

This was a favourite location for filming during the 60's courtesy of the brightly coloured statues. It was demolished by Li Ka-shing circa 2003 in an effort to curry favour with the Communist Party of China. The reason is because of the large amount of pro-Nationalist imagery on display. The associated mansion was saved from demolition but is still empty as far as I know awaiting re-use. Of all the Nationalist symbolism in the park my favourite was always the "Double Tenth" archway.

The concrete archway was made up of two Chinese characters for the number 10 (十十). For those not aware of this bit of history, the 10th of October (i.e. 10/10) 1911 was the start of the "Wuchang Uprising" that basically kicked off the revolution that eventually overthrew the Qing Dynasty and established China as a republic. It's still celebrated as the National Day in Taiwan. This, and the abundance of other Republic of China references, including the famous Blue Sky/White Sun emblem, meant that eventually someone would take the initiative to show willingness to rid HK of these reminders of the other "China". 

I was lucky enough to see it pre-handover, and although well past its peak, it was a fun day afternoon wandering around the terraces. No post about this place can go without a plethora of other images so here they are.

True Light Middle School in the background (still there, unlike the garden)

Die Sieben Masken des Judoka - Heinz Drache (1967) - Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

Despite arriving in Central from Mongkok, the next scene was filmed back over on Kowloon side. The overhead signboard is for the Moulin Rouge nightclub which was on Peking Road. The far background building is, of course, a blurry Chungking Mansion. The rather large gap to the left is where the Holiday Inn now stands. On the left of the upper photo and background of the lower one is the Hyatt Hotel (now iSquare) not long after its opening (in 1963). I'm not sure if it was still branded as the President Hotel at the time.

Les Anges Gardiens - Gerard Depardieu (1995) - Shau Kei Wan, Hong Kong

Here's one I forgot to post before I disappeared to Taipei for three weeks last month. It's from Les Anges Gardiens and was fom the mid-film boat chase. The scene where the bad guys disemabrak their boat was shot in Shaukeiwan typhoon shelter, in almost the exact same position that I was looking at a few months before for Supermen Against the Orient.

Die Sieben Masken des Judoka - Heinz Drache (1967) - Central Ferry Piers, Hong Kong

After catching the ferry over at Mongkok Ferry Pier, the pair arrive at the ferry pier in Central. Not to be confused with the Star ferry pier but rather this was the set of piers around the vehicular ferry pier that were used by the Hong Kong and Yau Ma Tei Ferry Company (including the one from Mongkok).

Die Sieben Masken des Judoka - Heinz Drache (1967) - Mongkok Ferry Pier, Mongkok

Two years before this was filmed, Jean-Paul Belmondo was in the same location for
Les Tribulations d'un Chinois en Chine. Located at the west end of Shantung Street and now an intersection with the aptly named Ferry Street. In the Belmondo film they catch the ferry to the made-up-name place of "Sey Chang" despite the Chinese characters on the front clearly saying "to/from Hong Kong". In this film they use it for its real purpose and take the ferry to HK Island.