The Vin de Vie Restaurant in Carmel: Where was All the Old Knives filmed?
Posted by Ra Moon
Paranoia, terrorist attacks, and old love affairs are the ingredients of this spy movie about two CIA operatives, based on a novel by American writer Olen Steinhauer.
All the Old Knives was primarily filmed in London, but also features several locations in California.
All the Old Knives was primarily filmed in London, but also features several locations in California.
The story revolves around agents Henry Pelham (played by Chris Pine, known for his roles in the new Star Trek films and the Wonder Woman movies) and Celia Harrison (Thandiwe Newton, Maeve in the HBO series Westworld).
The former lovers will meet in an opulent restaurant, called Vin de Vie in Carmel-by-the-Sea, to talk about the hijacking of a plane that went badly wrong several years before.
Here is our (almost) spoiler-free guide to all the filming locations of All the Old Knives.
Many scenes of the movie are set at the Embassy of the United States in Vienna. Both the interior and the exterior were filmed at the Senate House of the University of London in Bloomsbury.
Not all of its 19 floors appear on the screen. As you can see, the upper part of the facade was cut via CGI.
Also, the shape of the top recalls the Shell Mex House without the clock, which is also an Art Deco London skyscraper built in the 1930s.
(You can open all the locations on Google Maps by clicking on the links below in the captions ↴)
Image courtesy of Amazon Studio and Google Maps
Image courtesy of Amazon Studio and Google Maps
The famous Bixby Creek Bridge on California's Pacific Coast Highway is featured in the driving scene of the opening credits.
Image courtesy of Amazon Studios - Map
When Henry arrives at Carmel-by-the-Sea, there are a few shots filmed on location in the city where Celia, now retired, lives with her husband and children.
Before going to the restaurant, which seems to be somewhere at Carmel Point, there is a scene filmed at Carmel Beach, pictured.
Image courtesy of Amazon Studios - Map
The Vin de Vie Restaurant
If you are looking for the elegant Vin de Vie Restaurant at 26 Beach Road in Carmel, you may be a bit disappointed.
As Screen Daily revealed, the glass-walled restaurant with ocean views where the couple hash out the old days was built on a soundstage in England during the pandemic lockdown, using a LED backdrop.
The interior of the Art Nouveau apartment in Vienna was probably also a studio set.
However, both the interior and the restaurant's scenic location seem to be inspired by the Sunset Lounge at the four-star hotel Hyatt Carmel Highlands.
Overlooking the Point Lobos State Reserve, this romantic lounge features panoramic views of the sun setting over the rugged Big Sur coast.
Image courtesy of Amazon Studios - Map
The bar where Henry meets his mentor, Bill Compton (played by Jonathan Pryce) is The Seven Stars in Holborn.
This small historic pub, established in 1602, is located behind the Royal Courts of Justice at 53 Carey Street.
Image courtesy of Amazon Studios and Google Maps
The filmmakers transformed the London cityscape to look like Vienna.
In this scene, when Celia is walking to the embassy, some buildings in the background of Lothbury Street, behind the central headquarters of the Bank of England, were digitally replaced to insert the dome of the Natural History Museum in Vienna.
Also, the local outlet London SE1, reported that the scenes with market stalls in Vienna were filmed under a railway bridge in Ewer Street in Bankside.
Image courtesy of Amazon Studios and Google Maps
The scene where Celia meets Austrian intelligence agent Karl Stein was recorded at Del Monte Shopping Center in Monterey.
Monterey is the town where the hit HBO series Big Little Lies was set.
Image courtesy of Amazon Studios - Map
The glasshouse was filmed at the early 19th-century Syon House Great Conservatory in Brentford, a suburban town in West London.
Featuring a spectacular high dome, the exterior of the structure was CGI'd to make it look more Viennese.
Image courtesy of Amazon Studios and Penny Hamer - Map
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4 comments:
1- Anonymous - Jun 21, 2022, 6:27 PM
Great movie and sets. I got married in Carmel and lived nearby. One of the truly most beautiful cities in the world. Too bad Carmel is in that state that I'm glad to have left.
2- Anonymous - Sep 14, 2022, 12:49 PM
Henry is driving away from Carmel towards Big Sur, but then magically arrives in Carmel. Seems like it would have been just as easy to film him going north and get it right.
3- Anonymous - Sep 19, 2022, 6:53 PM
So disappointed that the restaurant doesn’t exist. They did a great job creating a believable Carmel establishment. The area and state are beautiful!
Reply
4- Anonymous - Jan 20, 2023, 6:58 PM
The restaurant looks like the one at Highland Inn at Carmel. I stayed there one night, the most beautiful place. Go there if you can.
1- Anonymous - Jun 21, 2022, 6:27 PM
Great movie and sets. I got married in Carmel and lived nearby. One of the truly most beautiful cities in the world. Too bad Carmel is in that state that I'm glad to have left.
2- Anonymous - Sep 14, 2022, 12:49 PM
Henry is driving away from Carmel towards Big Sur, but then magically arrives in Carmel. Seems like it would have been just as easy to film him going north and get it right.
3- Anonymous - Sep 19, 2022, 6:53 PM
So disappointed that the restaurant doesn’t exist. They did a great job creating a believable Carmel establishment. The area and state are beautiful!
Reply
4- Anonymous - Jan 20, 2023, 6:58 PM
The restaurant looks like the one at Highland Inn at Carmel. I stayed there one night, the most beautiful place. Go there if you can.
Ra Moon
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