OHMSS Scene Reenactment: Palacio Arrival

Nov 9, 2014

On Sunday, November 9, 2014, five very special cars lined up in front of the world famous Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, doubling as the Palacio Hotel in Estoril, and reenacted the iconic arrival scene in OHMSS.
Paying homage to Peter Hunt’s masterpiece, we assembled a cast and crew, and with the gracious cooperation of the Fairmont Hotel, we were able to pull off the arrival of the Aston Martin DBS, coordinate the red velvet suited valet, the Concierge, and even recruited some local extras as hotel guests, everyone in period costume!
Getting the street and driveways clear on a busy Sunday in November was a nightmare, but after several takes, and the bravery of the crew to stand in the middle of the road and stop angry SF cabbies, we finally got a clear shot.
Peter Navin’s interpretation of the Dimi Major cream linen suit added to the authenticity of the scene.
Magnioli’s cream slip-ons with a monk strap completed the outfit.

Link to the live action reencactment will be up soon.
Although a Thank You is really not enough for all of the effort, enthusiasm, and downright heroism to the cast and crew, you all have my sincerest thanks:

Mel Owen: Bentley
Bernie Stein: Jaguar Mark III
Derick Teeking: MBZ 600 Limo
Mark Smith: Mercury Cougar
Crew: Amanda Darnell, Mark Johnston, Richard Montero, and as the Valet: Dragon Dave.

Please enjoy the photos, video, and memories of a wonderful event.

Here are photos of the frame by frame breakdown of the scene.
We had to coordinate not only the Aston arriving, but the exit of the MBZ, the valet and concierge, and the “hotel guest” extras. Please enjoy the sequence. Note the flags on the Fairmont facade, which is why I chose this location to double as the Palacio. I wish that we could have had a completely clear hotel front, however, that would have meant shutting down one of the busiest hotels in San Francisco just after a World Series title by the San Francisco Giants.
Our lovely and wonderful PR Director of the Fairmont, Melissa Farrar, had to pull strings to change the flags back to the international livery, as they had been flying all orange and black Giants flags during the World Series.
As a lifelong Giants fan, I was also torn between honouring the Giants, or completing the scene that day, to Bond specification….OHMSS won out!

Special thanks to Rod Dahlgren of Rods of the Valley, for transporting the Aston Martin from the Charles Krug benefit the previous evening to San Francisco very early on a Sunday morning.

Here are some production shots that bring back such wonderful memories of that day….

Last but certainly not least is the video. Enjoy!