The Fairytale Of Fethiye & James Bond

Long ago, in a faraway corner of Southwest Turkey, the folks of Fethiye became so excited when they heard that the new James Bond film Skyfall was going to be filmed in Turkey…

Just the day before, residents of Fethiye were going about their daily business as usual.

Then, all of a sudden, from out of the blue, some startling news appeared before them…

Not only was it being filmed in Turkey, part of it was set to be shot on Fethiye’s very own Çalış Beach!

Mutterings started around Fethiye.

Craig. Daniel Craig

Let’s face it, Hollywood doesn’t come to your town every day.

And it’s not every day, James Bond star, Daniel Craig graces that very town with his presence.

Where was he going to stay when he arrived to do the filming? Would the locals catch a glimpse of him?

A unique buzz filled the atmosphere around the town and James Bond took over as the main topic of conversation.

Months passed…

Then, as if the filming news wasn’t thrilling enough, word spread through the town…

Producers were holding auditions for extras to appear in the Çalış Beach scene.

Oh wow!

Now was the chance to actually appear in a James Bond film, if the Fethiye folks so wished.

Messages flew across social media as eager locals scrambled to get involved.

Auditions, rejections, acceptance, costume fittings.

James Bond Fever

The winters are usually relatively quiet in Fethiye. But last winter everyone was completely consumed with James Bond fever…

By and by, spring came along…

And with its arrival came the marquees, camper vans, walkie-talkies, film sets, film crew, security guards.

Curious onlookers were given the classic, “There’s nothing to see here,” as they tried to peer through to catch a glimpse of something, anything, that might be to do with a James Bond film.

And one of our regular haunts, Güven’s Bar & Restaurant, proudly announced to all who were listening that people from the set had been to borrow some of their tables and chairs.

Bad Timing

Right about this time, with their usual impeccably bad timing, Barry and Julia took themselves off to Italy for a few days.

And, as such, missed the arrival of the lovely James Bond star, Daniel Craig. Along with his Bond Girl co-star, Bérénice Marlohe.

They were staying at one of Barry and Julia’s favourite haunts, the Yacht Classic Hotel.

But this was the era of modern technology. So they continued to follow events in Fethiye from their rural base in Italy.

When they arrived back to Fethiye ten days later, the marquees were gone. Filming was complete and it was as if nothing had ever happened.

Bar the odd clue, that is…

The residents of Fethiye settled back into the their daily routines. They enjoyed the summer and waited until November for the film to come out…

Skyfall Release

November finally arrived and Fethiye’s local cinema, Hayal, proudly displayed the Skyfall banner.

Once more, excitement filled the town!

Residents filed in and out of the cinema in shifts to watch the film that showed Fethiye…and maybe spot someone they knew.

Barry and Julia chose an afternoon sitting.

The lights went down in the salon. And, once the piercingly loud adverts and film trailers had finished, the long-awaited Skyfall began…

Scenes from Istanbul flashed before them in a whirlwind of the ridiculous far-fetched action that James Bond films do best.

Then came the Çalış scene. “Oh look, there’s such and such, oh and such and such. Where? There, just to Bond’s left. Is that it? Is Turkey done now?”

Months of Fethiye excitement were over in a matter of minutes.

But there was no damp squib because everyone then settled into enjoying one of the best James Bond films in a long time.

And hopefully, in true fairytale fashion, everyone lived happily ever after…

The Fethiye & James Bond After-Story

• Istanbul looked like the amazing overcrowded mass of historic and modern that it is – although Shanghai maybe steals the how-to-look-stylish-in-a-film award.
• Fethiye residents got to see their Çalış Beach with Fethiye in the distance.
• Fethiye residents got to see, if only for a split second, familiar faces – and they got to whisper excitedly about the fact in the cinema.
• The people at Güven’s were very pleased to spot their borrowed chairs and tables in one of the scenes.
• The people at Yacht Classic Hotel were very pleased James Bond stayed there because they can now boast a 007 suite – and no doubt guarantee themselves a good few bookings.
• Film buffs might be interested in this bit of behind-the-scenes info about the deserted island in Skyfall.
• Barry & Julia now want to watch the film again, minus their Turkey goggles. AND they might need to update their Fethiye Must Sees page – there’s a James Bond Çalış Beach scene to re-enact!

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