The Fall (2008) filming locations

Piketberg, South Africa

The scene : 1 min — The opening sequence of the film takes place on the Moravia bridge, near Piketberg, from the second minute.

Valkenberg Hospital

Cape Town, South Africa

Psychiatric hospital founded in 1890 in the Observatory area of Cape Town, considered one of the oldest institutions of its kind in South Africa.

The scene : 3 min — All the hospital scenes were shot in this psychiatric facility in Cape Town, which serves as the 1920s Los Angeles hospital where Roy, a bedridden stuntman, invents his stories for little Alexandria.

Tivoli, Italy

Roman villa converted into an archaeological park and Italian national museum, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The scene : 7 min — Lost in the desert, Alexander the Great finds himself among the ruins of Hadrian's villa, around the seventh minute.

Namibia

A dried-up basin that gave its name to the region, surrounded by colossal dunes; "vlei" means lake or marsh in Afrikaans, but the bottom remains dry for most of the year.

The scene : 10 min — Several wide shots of desert were filmed on the vast red dunes of Sossusvlei, starting from the tenth minute of the film.

Jaipur, India

Residence of the sovereigns of Jaipur designed by the architect Vidyadhar Bhattacharya; its construction, begun in 1729, continued over several generations, and the palace now houses a museum.

The scene : 19 min — The Maharajas' palace in Jaipur occupies two successive shots, around the nineteenth minute.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Art Deco style theater, which has also served as a cinema. Opened in 1872, it was rebuilt in 1889 and again in 1936. Since 2010, it has taken on the name of its successive sponsors, but a law from 2012 protects its historical name of Teatro Ópera.

The scene : 19 min — The Teatro Opera room in Buenos Aires appears around the nineteenth minute.

Jaipur, India

Seven-storey palace within the City Palace of Jaipur, blending Rajput and Mughal styles.

The scene : 20 min — In the heart of the Jaipur palace, the Chandra Mahal appears around the twentieth minute.

Jantar Mantar (Jaipur)

Jaipur, India

Astronomical observatory listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The scene : 20 min — The giant instruments of the astronomical observatory create, around the twentieth minute, the labyrinth of the story.

Rome, Italy

The most important of the seven hills of Rome, a sacred place in antiquity where the temple of Jupiter stood.

The scene : 21 min — The Capitoline Hill, in the heart of Rome, appears on screen around the twenty-first minute.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Botanical garden of the Palermo neighborhood in Buenos Aires.

The scene : 21 min — The botanical garden of Palermo serves as the setting around the twenty-first minute.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Opened in 1888 as the city's zoological garden, it closed in 2016 and reopened the same year under the name Ecoparque.

The scene : 21 min — The former Buenos Aires Zoo, now known as the Ecoparque, appears around the twenty-first minute, a few seconds before the botanical garden.

Fiji

Coral reef hidden near Mana Island, to the west of Fiji, difficult to spot even on a map; it is said to derive its name from its butterfly shape or the beauty of its fauna, and it could disappear within a century due to rising sea levels.

The scene : 22 min — In a dreamlike underwater sequence, a hero swims among the corals and colorful fish of this reef, around the twenty-second minute.

Prague, Czechia

Medieval stone bridge in Prague (14th century) spanning the Vltava River, lined with Baroque statues.

The scene : 24 min — The heroes cross the old stone bridge lined with Baroque statues; it is also from this bridge that the Blue Bandit jumps, around the twenty-fourth minute.

India

The scene : 25 min — In the waters of the Andaman Islands, elephants swim in the open sea.

India

The scene : 26 min — On the shores of the lake, the bandits carried by elephants discover the Mystic in a tree.

Fatehpur Sikri, India

The scene : 28 min — The giant gate of Fatehpur Sikri stands on screen around the twenty-ninth minute.

Agra, India

The scene : 31 min — The mausoleum of Emperor Akbar, in Sikandra, lends its architecture to the story around the thirty-first minute.

Hagia Sophia

Istanbul, Türkiye

Former Byzantine basilica (537), which became a mosque, then a museum, and then a mosque again, in the heart of Sultanahmet. Built in 532 by Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus, it is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The scene : 33 min — Around the thirty-third minute, the immense dome, the golden reflections, and the marble floors of Hagia Sophia create a pivotal moment in the story.

Leh, India

The scene : 39 min — The road to Magnetic Hill, near Leh, appears around the thirty-ninth minute.

Tegallalang, Indonesia

The scene : 41 min — The rice terraces of Tegallalang, north of Ubud, are one of the stops on the heroes' journey, around the forty-first minute.

Rome, Italy

Amphitheater built in the 1st century under the emperors Vespasian and Titus, capable of hosting more than 50,000 spectators; it is the most famous of those left by the Roman Empire.

The scene : 43 min — Around the forty-third minute, the silhouette of the Colosseum emerges for a moment and takes the story to the heart of ancient Rome.

Jaisalmer, India

The scene : 43 min — The fort of Jaisalmer appears on screen for a moment, around the forty-third minute.

India

The scene : 43 min — The Matho monastery appears for a moment during a shot, around the forty-third minute.

India

The scene : 43 min — A close-up shot of the Spituk Monastery in Ladakh, around the forty-third minute.

India

The scene : 43 min — The Stakna Monastery briefly appears around the forty-third minute.

Gizeh, Egypt

The scene : 43 min — The pyramids of Giza are among the hero's journey stops, around the forty-third minute.

China

The scene : 43 min — The Great Wall, in its section at Jinshanling, marks the journey of the heroes around the forty-third minute.

Guilin, China

The scene : 43 min — The heroes' journey passes through the Li River, in Guangxi, around the forty-third minute.

Siem Reap, Cambodia

Central temple of the fortified city of Angkor Thom, whose 54 towers each bear four stone faces with enigmatic smiles.

The scene : 43 min — The Bayon temple appears as a step in the journey of the story, around the forty-third minute.

Bolivia

The scene : 43 min — Incahuasi Island, in the middle of the Salar de Uyuni, appears on screen around the forty-third minute.

Bolivia

The scene : 43 min — The salt mounds of the Uyuni salt flat appear for a moment, around the forty-third minute.

Tupiza, Bolivia

The scene : 43 min — A track towards San Vicente, near Tupiza, is said to have been used for a shot around the forty-third minute, an identification that the blog author himself indicates is unconfirmed.

Paris 7e, France

The Eiffel Tower, a 330 m iron lady erected by Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 Exposition, on the Champ-de-Mars. Designed by Stéphen Sauvestre, this lattice and observation tower is classified as a historic monument.

The scene : 43 min — The Eiffel Tower is one of the stops on the heroes' journey, around the forty-third minute.

Paris, France

The scene : 43 min — The Parisian replica of the Statue of Liberty, located at the tip of the Île aux Cygnes, appears around the forty-third minute.

Tampaksiring, Indonesia

The scene : 44 min — The sacred site of Gunung Kawi, in Tampaksiring, appears around the forty-fourth minute.

Bolivia

The scene : 44 min — The Salar de Uyuni stretches across the screen at the forty-fourth minute.

Consuegra, Spain

The scene : 44 min — The heroes ride among the windmills of Consuegra, around the forty-fourth minute.

Udaipur, India

Palace built around 1740 on an island in Lake Pichola, now transformed into a hotel.

The scene : 55 min — Around the fifty-fifth minute, the palace appears to float in the middle of Lake Pichola.

Jodhpur, India

15th-century Hindu fort perched on a sheer cliff, more than 120 meters above the city of Jodhpur.

The scene : 1 hr 3 min — The Mehrangarh Fort, overlooking Jodhpur, appears around the sixty-third minute.

Agra, India

The scene : 1 hr 4 min — The public audience hall of the Agra fort serves as a backdrop shortly after the sixty-fourth minute.

Agra, India

The scene : 1 hr 8 min — From the private audience room of the Agra Fort, the camera frames the Taj Mahal in the distance, around the sixty-eighth minute.

Agra, India

Mausoleum commissioned in the 1630s by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal; its white marble dome, corner minarets, and geometric garden unite Islamic and Indian traditions. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The scene : 1 hr 9 min — At one of the peaks of the story, around the sixty-ninth minute, the Taj Mahal silhouetted against the horizon like a distant palace, for the span of a brief shot.

Jodhpur, India

Palace of Jodhpur completed in 1943.

The scene : 1 hr 10 min — The hall of Umaid Bhawan Palace serves as the backdrop around the seventieth minute.

India

The scene : 1 hr 12 min — In one of the most famous shots of the film, the priest's face blends into a desert of rocks: a bench and platform were built on site, in Ladakh, and the landscape matched the character's hue.

Abhaneri, India

Well with degrees from the 9th century, one of the largest and deepest in the world, with about 3,500 steps.

The scene : 1 hr 31 min — Towards the end of the film, the heroes stand facing the dizzying stepwell, whose steps plunge deep into the earth.

Rome, Italy

Piazza del Campidoglio designed by Michelangelo in the 16th century, at the summit of the hill of the same name, the symbolic heart of Rome.

The scene : Marble statues, wide stairs, and classical facades: the Capitol Square lends an imperial scale to the kingdom of the tale.

Roma, Italy

The scene : When Luigi returns to his village, it is in this church that the priest who avoids him is located.

Namibia

Dried oasis with white clay soil: cut off from its river by the advance of the dunes around a thousand years ago, it still holds the skeletons of thirsty dead acacias, aged 600 to 700 years and blackened by the sun, at the foot of some of the tallest dunes in the world.

The scene : On this white clay plain dotted with dead trees, a mysterious figure emerges from a hollow trunk to join the heroes.

Namibia

The scene : Lost in Roy's first tale, Alexander the Great stands before a wall of orange sand as tall as a mountain.

Agra, India

The scene : Agra Fort is among the Mughal monuments chosen as Indian backdrops for the film.

Fatehpur Sikri, India

The scene : The Mughal imperial city of Fatehpur Sikri, near Agra, is part of the Indian locations of the film.

Jodhpur

Jodhpur, India

The scene : The alleys with blue houses of Jodhpur become the "blue city" of the tale.

India

The scene : The Lamayuru monastery is one of the filming locations chosen in Ladakh.

India

The scene : The lunar landscapes surrounding the Lamayuru monastery served as the backdrop for the film.

Nepal

The scene : The film's IMDb page lists the Nepalese Himalayas among its filming locations.

Chennai, India

The scene : Chennai appears in the IMDb list of Indian filming locations for the film.

Delhi, India

The scene : The Red Fort in Delhi is cited among the Indian monuments where the crew filmed.

Ubud, Indonesia

The scene : The village of Teges, near Ubud, is mentioned among the Balinese filming locations of the film.

Indonesia

The scene : The IMDb page for the film mentions Sumatra among its Indonesian filming locations.

Paris 6e, France

Large French garden in the 6th arrondissement, surrounding the Luxembourg Palace (seat of the Senate).

The scene : The Luxembourg garden is one of the Parisian locations in the film.

Cranleigh, United Kingdom

Aerodrome built in 1942 for the Royal Canadian Air Force and later taken over by the RAF; it now houses the Top Gear test track.

The scene : A model of Fatehpur Sikri was built to film the explosion sequence using visual effects.