London, city of movies by Marta Luengo Cabanillas

It would be an insult to talk about London and don’t quote “Notting Hill” (1999). Both the film and the neighborhood. It’s stuck in the eyes of all those young dreamers the walks of Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant through Portobello Road or an impossible love hidden for a few days in Kensington and Chelsea. We can remember the Coronet Cinema, where Will used the goggles to see the movie, or even Rosmead Road and the garden where Anna and Will sneak to spend the night together. Without moving from Kensington and Chelsea,there’s somewhere important to visit. Michael Caine, in his role in “Alfie” (1966) had his apartment in the small street of Stephen’s Gardens, where the visitor will fall in love with the facades of the street. And with Michael Caine himself.

The antithesis of the seducer Alfie is “Bridget Jones” (2001), starring Renée Zellweger. London, his hometown, doesn’t play fair with continuous rain ruining her dresses and makeup. You can find her home in Southwark, above a pub Borough Market. Maybe Bridget would have needed the help of Lionel Logue to face the embarrassing situations that she has to bear every day. Lionel Logue, speech therapist of King George VI of England, was the protagonist of the film “The King’s Speech” (2010). It was played by Geoffrey Rush, and Colin Firth like the monarch himself. The consult where they were working to improve the King’s diction is located in the City, in Portland Place number 33. It’s in the famous Regent’s Park where, walking and talking, both therapist and patient made a good friendship between them.

Also, it’s in Regent’s Park where the followers of Alfred Hitchcock can recognize the semicircular colonnade in the south of Marylebone Road. This is where the main character of “The thirty-nine steps” (1935), Richard Hannay (played by Robert Donat), leaves the stolen milk truck after the mysterious murder of the secret agent Annabella Smith (played by Lucie Mannheim). If you fancy doing some stylish shopping, you can go to Savile Row and see if any “Kingsman” (2014) like Harry Hart (played by Colin Firth) or Eggsy (played by Taron Egerton) is willing to make you a suit or persuade you to enter in an international detective agency.

The house of the Admiral Boom, which was used for Disney to the making off of the movie “Mary Poppins” (1964) starring Julie Andrews, was built in 1791 and is located in Admiral’s Walk, in Camden. A unique building with a roof that simulates the deck of a boat. His author, the lieutenant Fountain North, used to shoot the cannon to celebrate his birthday, what happens the same in the film. Don’t fall asleep like Jim (played by Cillian Murphy) who wakes up “28 Days Later” (2002) in the hospital without knowing that a virus has swept in city. It’s in one of the most impressive scenes where the main character goes from Westminster Bridge to the deserted streets of the West End.

In the City, with the traffic of business men crossing to Bankside, is the Millennium Bridge. You can’t forget the destruction suffered in “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (2009), when the Death Eaters attack the bridge causing panic among the ‘muggles’. The Millennium Bridge across the river Thames linking the City with Lambeth. Here, in the sixth district of the british capital, are the most important takes of “Closer” (2004). Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Natalie Portman and Jude Law used this district as a foreplay board who carried out the characters of the film. Here you can visit the Royal National Theatre, where Anna Cameron (played by Julia Roberts) dazzles with her elegance. Nearby you can visit the Sea Life London Aquarium where Anna dated Larry Gray (played by Clive Owen). On the other hand Daniel Wool (played by Jude Law), fell madly in love with Alice Ayres (played by Natalie Portman) in Postman’s Park.

You only have to look across the Thames in the Sea Life London Aquarium to have the beautiful view of the Houses of Parliament and the worldwide famous Elizabeth Tower (previously

known as The Clock Tower) and the sounds of the bell Big Ben, but… be careful! Maybe a terrorist masked with a smile (played by Hugo Weaving) and a companion (played by Natalie Portman) is planning an explosion like what happened in “V de Vendetta” (2005)

Located in Westminster is the Old War Office (now used by the Ministry of Defense). Here is the place in which James Bond returns in many of his films to inform of his secret missions. We can see the secret agent enter in this building in “Octopussy” (1983) and “License to Kill” (1989). If you want, you can stop by the 135 Portland Road, where Chris (played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and his lover Nola (played by Scarlett Johansson) have lunch at this stylish restaurant hidden in Holland Park in “Match Point” (2005). The Russian mafia to which Viggo Mortensen belongs rampant on a dark London and a crime occurs in Brompton Cemetery after a match of the Chelsea in the plot of the thriller “Eastern Promises” (2007).

Now is the turn of one of my favorite movies, full of details and places to visit. In “Love Actually” (2003) Oxford Street is one of the most iconics film scenarios: at number 400 are the Selfridge’s stores, a place where Harry (played by Alan Rickman) buy the pendant for his lover. Another of the most legendary scenes from the movie is when Sam (played by Thomas Sangster) confesses to his stepfather (Liam Neeson) his love for her classmate in a bank, which is located just opposite the Riviera restaurant, just in front of Millenium Bridge and St Paul. At numer 10 of Downing Street, the residence of the British Prime Minister, we can see how Hugh Grant occupies the house, although their access is prohibited so you only can see and take photos from a fence guarded by security guards. 2 Blenheim Road, Turnham Green, live Jamie (played by Colin Firth), where he meet his future wife (played by Lucia Moniz) before going to Portugal to propose to her. The restaurant scene, however, was recorded in Marseilles and 27 St Luke’s Mewsm, returning to Notting Hill, live Peter (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Juliet (played by Keira Knightley), and here Mark (played by Andrew Lincoln) declares his love for Juliet through cards, one of the most beautiful scenes of the film. The studies where Billy Mack (played by Bill Nighy) recorded his LP Christmas are the Westway Studios, Ladbroke Grove, also in Notting Hill. Peter and Juliet marry at Grosvenor Chapel, South Audley Street, Mayfair, at the beginning of the film.

If you are curious to visit the most used place in London to film and also enjoy a boat ride across the Thames down to the city, you must go to the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich. Surely it’s familiar to you if you have seen “Amazing Grace” (2006) and the struggle of William Wilberforce (played by Ioan Gruffudd) against slavery and might even remember that there take part some of the adventures of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes (played by Robert Downey Jr.) and his assistant Dr. John Watson (played by Jude Law) in “Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows” (2011) or remember a pirate ship docked at the port when Captain Jack Sparrow (played by Johnny Depp) sneak from justice in “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” (2011). Do you hear the people Sing? Perhaps it’s because here there were the barricades at “Les Miserables” (2012). And finally, maybe you have to squeeze your brain to imagine how the place was completely destroyed when Malekith fought Thor in “Thor: The Dark World” (2013).

It’s time to go home. Maybe you need to catch a train at Waterloo station, Lambeth. Go away carefully, maybe Matt Damon this out there carrying out a mission, as he did in “The Bourne Ultimatum” (2007), or you can even head out to “Paddington” (2014) station and see if a teddy bear with a blue coat and a red cap wants you to take him home. But if you have to catch a train at King’s Cross, in Camden, do not forget trying to cross the Platform 93⁄4, located between platforms 9 and 10. This is where each year the british magicians, including Harry Potter (played by Daniel Radcliffe), catch the train to go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Who knows if you will succeed and can go across it to live really magical adventures.