Cure for Wellness, A

On his way to the spa resort Lockhart (Dane DeHaan) travels by train through mountainous Switzerland. This shot was made with the massive use of Computer Generated Imagery because the only real thing is the Landwasser Viaduct (length 136 m, height 65 m) on the (in fact electrified) metre-gauge Rhaetian Railway near Filisur, which crosses the river Landwasser here before it plunges into the Landwasser tunnel (length 216 m) directly after the famous six-arched bridge. In reality all passenger trains of the standard-gauge Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) end in Chur, main town of the Canton of Graubünden, where the famous Albula line to St. Moritz begins.

While the train is passing the tunnel, our hero remembers the events before his departure. Looking from the 27th floor over Lockhart's shoulder down to the always busy Financial District, Lower Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.

After moving into the corner office of his predecessor who died of a heart attack during work, he pensively looks down into the street canyon.

While two employees show up to celebrate his promotion, Lockhart is called to the 70th floor for a executive board meeting.

Executive Hank Green (David Bishins) forces Lockhart to accept the mission because of his allegedly illicit stock trading tricks. The view from the meeting room proves that the film was not shot on location around Wall Street, because obviously filmed from the top floor of the Langone Medical Center, 550 1st Avenue, Midtown Manhattan. Looking northwest the following skyscrapers can be recognised on first sight from left to right: Empire State Building, 3 Park Avenue, Murray Hill Marquis (former Affina Dumont Hotel), 600 Third Avenue, Verizon Building, Chrysler Building (partially) and Paramount Tower.

The train pulls into the remote railway station somewhere in the Swiss Alps. In fact we see the ICE TD 605 007 "Århus" of German Railway (DB) in a fictional SBB livery at Oberhof station, situated at the west portal of the Brandleite Tunnel (length 3039 m), which leads the Erfurt–Schweinfurt railway under the Thuringian Forest. While Lockhart gets out of the train, the logo of the DSB (Danske Statsbaner) can be seen, because at that time the DB rented out part of the diesel multiple unit Class 605 for Eurocity services between Germany and Denmark.

The private shuttle service that will take Lockhart to the health resort has to pass a deep and narrow gorge. Actually shot in Switzerland too, the limousine can be seen on the old road trough the Viamala gorge along the river Hinterrhein, situated between Zillis and Thusis, Canton of Graubünden.

Still driving along the impressive canyon, driver Enrico (Ivo Nandi) tells Lockhart the strange legend around Baron von Reichmerl. After crossing the Hinterrhein the German limousine reaches the rockfall protection gallery before the Trögli Tunnel (length 540 m).

Despite the risk due to the right-hand traffic, with the able support of his son Gabriel, Manuel captured this shot for us taken onto the Italienische Strasse (Italian Road), crossing the gorge by the so-called Hinterrheinbrücke Trögli in direction of Thusis village. Manuel tells us that in the ten years since filming, the portal to the rockfall protection gallery has been reinforced with concrete and the stony parapet of the bridge extended.

While driving trough the village beneath the spa resort, a half-full beer can is thrown at Enrico's car by one of the young thugs. Actually shot at the corner of Bäckerstrasse and Marktstrasse in the rural town of Schraplau, located in the Saalekreis district, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The railing above the wall belongs to the street named Kirchberg.

A confused Lockhart looks back through the rear window towards the other rowdies, while in the background Herrenstrasse can be seen. His driver explains to him that the villagers harbour a grudge against the spa resort and his wealthy guests since the dramatic events 200 years ago.

The car takes the curvy access lane towards the castle-like sanatorium. Because filming was taking place at and next to the Zeller Mill area on the outskirts of Schraplau, Zellerstrasse was closed in 2015 from June 26th to July 7th. One of the most famous castles in Germany, Burg Hohenzollern near Hechingen, Baden-Württemberg, served as model for the health resort. Of course everything visible beyond the back building is computer-generated Matte Painting.

The 1990 Mercedes-Benz SEL reaches the gateway of the approach road to the resort above. While the fortified tower on the left edge actually exists, called Wasserturm (Water tower), the wrought iron gate turns out to be a movie prop, because the public parking lot with a shuttle-service for visitors to Hohenzollern Castle is just around the corner. The castle, enthroned on the Zoller mountain, with its impressive fortress belt, was only completed in its current form in 1867.

The car is driving up the Wilhelmsturm (William's tower), whereupon the walls and casemates of the so-called Niederes Vorwerk can be seen on the right.

Facing into the Wilhelmsturm (William's tower) shows the casemate under the roadway.

Looking down from the Schnarrwacht bastion, the car can be seen entering the ramp of the Niederes Vorwerk, secured by a drawbridge. The unique concept of the extravagant driveway system was created by Friedrich August Stüler.

Still driving up the Rampenturm (Ramp tower) the car approaches the Schnarrwacht bastion, in the bottom right corner the entrance to the Michaelsbastei (Michael's bastion) can be recognised.

Finally the large inner courtyard of the health resort is reached. In reality, we see just a minor part of the Beelitz-Heilstätten, originally an immense military hospital complex of the Imperial German Army, located 18 km south of Potsdam, Brandenburg. However, all the scenes on the site were combined with notable architectural elements from Hohenzollern Castle by using digital Matte Painting.

Lockhart's view to the left side shows the original main administration building of the former military hospital complex.

The sedan reaches the main building, while in the background the Torturm (Gate tower) rises.

The view across the extensive lawn with goldfish pond towards the main house, with the Kaiserturm (Emperor's tower) glimpsing behind in the left corner above. In fact this is the former Central Bathing Establishment of Beelitz-Heilstätten. The covered terrace on both sides of the main tract was specially created for the filming.

Lockhart gets out of the car in front of the main entrance. In the background on the left the side facade of the original Men's sanatorium can be recognised. Due to the, by the way inaccurate, license plate, the health resort is located somewhere in the Canton of the Grisons, probably in the Upper Engadin region. In this case the events around Freiherr (German for Baron) von Reichmerl must have happened more than 200 years ago, because in 1798 the then so-called Three Leagues became part of the Helvetic Republic, as canton Raetia, so the local aristocrats lost their power, their lands and their privileges.

Only short time later the car with Lockhart is on its way back to the village and has just leaved the Rampenturm (Ramp tower).

While driving down the Wilhelmsturm (William's tower) the Adlertor (Eagle's gate) can be seen.

Looking back for the last time, Lockhart sees a mysterious female person standing on top of the parapet of the Rampenturm (Ramp tower), while behind it the Torturm (Gate tower) rises.

The first thing Lockhart sees from his bed after regaining consciousness is the Bischofsturm (Bishop's tower) behind the building complex opposite. Clinic director Dr. Heinrich Volmer (Jason Isaacs) explains to him that he broke his right leg because of the spectacular car accident.

In search of Pembroke (Harry Groener), Lockhart ends up in the indoor swimming pool, but actually, we see the Johannisbad, located at Zwickau, Saxony, built in Art Nouveau style and inaugurated in 1904. The facility was closed in 1991 due to its desolate overall condition. After two years of renovation work, the Johannisbad was reopened to the public in 2000.

Lockhart later meets young Hannah (Mia Goth) for the first time, who is feeding "something that's in the water". The two turrets of the Schnarrwacht bastion can be recognised in the background.

Hannah and Lockhart at the New Bastion. But neither the artificial pond nor the pointed roof of the turret nor the mountains in the distance are real, but another stunning special effect using Computer-Generated Imagery.

Lockhart is taken by Hannah on her bike to the next pub, where he tries to get a line to New York. This location no longer exudes any Swissness at all, but rather reminds of the GDR in the 1970s, which the town of Schraplau was part of until 1990. Filmed in the courtyard of the Zeller Mill, the pub would have to be named either "Zur Krone" or "Zum Hirschen". Unfortunately the German set designer does not seem to be really familiar with Swiss ambiance, as the following interior shots prove too.

It does not take long before Dr. Volmer picks Hannah up and brings her back to the resort. The male nurse in the background is waiting for Lockhart to get into the second 1985 Bentley Turbo R. Still shot in the courtyard of the Zeller-Mühle, the opposite view towards the inn shows the so-called Taubenturm (dove turret) next to the apparently improvised pub.

Meanwhile Lockhart has learned that his father was a former business partner of Pembroke. The flashback during the watertank experience shows him as nine-year-old boy standing in with his father in a traffic jam onto one of New York's bridges across the East River.

Suddenly, his father pulls the SAAB 900 to the side, gets out without a word and throws himself off the bridge, holding his briefcase. Also filmed in Germany, here on Hamburg's Freihafenelbbrücke, which was not completed until 1926 due to WW 1. Spanning the river Elbe, the two-storey bridge with a length of 471 m has, in addition to three lanes, a separate track for the Hamburg port railway. However, the second floor for the subway was never used.