Sea Wife

Coming from Boulogne TS 'Dinard' approaches the English coast. The ferry was originally built in 1924 by Denny shipyard at Dumbarton, Scotland, for the Southern Railway's Southampton-St. Malo service. This must be shot before October 1956, when the vessel collided with the quayside at Boulogne. The stern damage was repaired at Southampton. In 1958 TS 'Dinard' was replaced by the newly built 'Maid of Kent III' and later sold to Finland.

As a comparison is unlikely, here is a stock shot of T. S. Dinard

After five years in South-East Asia, Michael Cannon (Richard Burton) returns home. On the starboard upper deck, he listens to the announcement that "the ship will birth at Dover in 30 minutes".

A London establishing shot, taken from the roof top of Grand Buildings on the corner of Strand and Northumberland Avenue WC2, shows first Admiralty Arch and Uganda House and panning over Cockspur Street ...

... to Trafalgar Square. Also seen in 'The Mackintosh Man', 'Yield to the Night', 'Front Page Story', 'Foreign Correspondent' and many others.

This was taken from the top of a bus for some height but not nearly enough! SJ

Cannon checks the newspaper for his advert in the personal columns, which he had placed already on the ferry. The same spot, with the National Gallery visible in the background, appears in 'The Living Daylights'.

Taken from the southwest side. But too close! SJ

A less grey aspect to this update giving a chance to improve the ratio. SJ

With St. Paul's Cathedral visible in the background, Cannon walks down Fleet Street which also features in 'The Spy Who Came In From The Cold' (by the way also starring Richard Burton), 'The Primitives', 'Brothers in Law', 'Children of Men', 'Inquest', 'The Day the Earth Caught Fire', 'Who Done It?' and 'Strange Bedfellows' amongst many other productions.

Fleet Street now, with a hazy St. Paul's in the background with the scaffolding not helping. Nice to see the postbox though. SJ

Oh dear the scaffolding continues to plague this view 17 years later. But the postbox is still there! SJ

Cannon in front of the old Daily Telegraph office on Fleet Street EC4. The location appears in 'Strange Bedfellows', 'The Third Visitor', 'Dead Lucky' and 'The Day the Earth Caught Fire', among others.

Panning left a little. SJ

The exterior of the former Daily Telegraph offices still survives. SJ

While Cannon continues to place personal adverts under the nickname 'Biscuit' hoping for the feedback by a certain 'Sea Wife', the Daily Telegraph's delivery vans swarm out to distribute the newspapers in the city streets ...

... where they are received by the resellers. Looking southwest down The Strand WC2 from the pavement outside Charing Cross Station. (SR)

This replaces my April '26 view which was a poor angle, looked into the sun and was over-crowded. Such are the hazards of our endeavours. SJ

But nothing happens until Cannon receives a letter. Ah-ha, a little clue or perhaps a red herring to deny ReelStreeters: there's no West Drive in Wandsworth, but there is a West Hill.

Steve beat me to it (see the next comparison) by matter of days or hours, but I thought I'd post my effort given that there'll never be a comparison for this capture. SJ

Cannon then has himself taken from Mayfair to Wandsworth. The view is eastwards along Holborn Viaduct towards St Sepulchre-without-Newgate, with The Viaduct Tavern in the distance. (SR)

Now with much construction work underway and the Walkie-Talkie in the distance. (SR)

Coming from Chelsea Embankment in SW3, the car turns onto Albert Bridge across the river Thames.

Albert Bridge, as seen from Oakley Street, is framed by considerable tree growth now. SJ

In the Putney district of Wandsworth, driving along West Hill SW15, the cab turns into the access way for the 'Ely Retreat and Home.'

John Harwood chose the only entrance with the high brick gatepost. (SJ)

In fact the car enters the gateway to the grounds of the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability, at the time called the Home for Incurables, as Tracy-Jane Onofrio explains.

There Cannon encounters again 'Bulldog', a former acquaintance from WW2, who is now ill and in a wheelchair. The further action is shown in a flashback sequence that begins during the Battle of Singapore in February 1942. While the port is under heavy fire from the Japanese, Cannon boards the vessel 'San Felix' shortly before it sets sail. Allegedly filmed at Kingston Harbour, Jamaica, but not confirmed so far.

Later the refugee ship is torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. Cannon, nicknamed 'Biscuit', 'Bulldog', who turns out to be prejudiced, the black purser, nicknamed 'Number-Four', and the nun Sister Therese, later nicknamed 'Sea Wife', are able to rescue to a deserted island in the Indian Ocean in a small life-raft. But only Number Four knows that Sea Wife is a nun, so she asks him to keep that secret. And we know that this sequence was actually shot on the Caribbean island of Jamaica at Laughing Waters Beach, located in the parish of Saint Ann near the then fishing village of Ocho Rios.

And 5 years before 'Dr No', the very same beach called Laughing Waters west of Ocho Rios, Jamaica. SJ

While Number Four (Cy Grant) refreshes himself in the waterfall, Bulldog (Basil Sydney) and Biscuit discuss their situation and what to do next. Shot by the Laughing Waters waterfall, nr. Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

The Laughing Waters themselves, not to be confused with the more famous Dunn's River Falls, round the next bay. SJ

Neither Basil Sydney nor Richard Burton can know that the beach in the background will one day become famous as Crab Key island in 'Dr. No', the first Bond film starring Sean Connery.

Looking east along this somewhat exclusive beach. SJ

Number Four finds a machete in the jungle, which the four uses to build a bamboo raft. After the successful launch, Sea Wife a.k.a. Sister Therese (Joan Collins), as we know, asks for God's blessing.

Off-angle but this does show a little of the development (on the left) since. SJ

Back to the present, after Cannon has learned from Bulldog that Sea Wife did not survive the hardships at sea, he leaves the fictional Ely Retreat dejected. Is this Wandsworth? Of course, as we see the entrance to the later Royal Hospital For Neuro-disability.

The entrance has undergone changes with an incongruous corridor leading out to an extension. SJ

At the gateway, Cannon encounters two nuns, whereupon he lifts his hat and continues towards the bus stop. One of the nuns, however, stops and turns around, revealing herself to be Sister Therese a.k.a. Sea Wife Cannon has looking for all the time. Certainly looks like London, as Richard Burton heads for the bus-stop, outside the home ... and yes these are the "in" gates, looking onto West Hill, Putney, Wandsworth SW15, of The Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability.

An added barrier and a new building hiding behind the trees but the house opposite remains intact. SJ

Finally, Sister Therese says that "no one ever looks at the face of a nun", and then looks meaningfully towards Heaven before the two continue their walk to the nursing home. By the way, Joan Collins is the one on the left.

The south side of the hospital, with the extension partly seen above to left. SJ