For over 80 years, Pinewood Studios has served England as its biggest, most legendary motion picture facility. Located in the little village of Iver Heath, in the area of England known as Buckinghamshire, Pinewood is best known for its world-renowned Albert R. Broccoli/007 Stage, which stands as a constant reminder of the countless number of features --- some American-made, some British-made --- that were shot here.
The Broccoli Stage honors the memory of the producer whose Eon Productions Limited was, and still is, the homebase of all 007 features, all of which are available on DVD and Blu-ray --- including the two most recent 007 epics: the classic Bond saga Casino Royale, which introduced Daniel Craig as Bond, and was the first Bond movie under the current partnership between Danjaq LLC, MGM and Columbia Pictures; and its action-packed follow-up, Quantum of Solace.
Anyway, it was here on the Broccoli Stage in 1978 that cinematic history was made when Alexander and Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler chose Pinewood to serve as production homebase for the first Superman movie. Team Salkind returned to Pinewood faithfully year in and year out from then on, filming two additional features with the Last Son of Krypton ..... and then, in August 1984, having completed their historic adventures with Kal-El's cousin Kara of Argo --- better known as Supergirl --- the folks who made the world believe that people could fly turned their attention to that other flight-capable, red-suit wearing permanent resident of the North Pole: the Man of Steel's next-door neighbor himself, Santa Claus!
Today, Pinewood and its longtime rival, Shepperton Studios at Middlesex, continue to take on the filmmaking challenges of a brand-new century, under the leadership of a team whose members include Sir Ridley Scott and his brother Tony --- both filmmaking powerhouses in the UK and the USA --- and which remains committed to serving the filmmaking communities in both nations with a renewed strength unprecendented in cinema history!
And though some may still question the 007 Stage's ability to function, its fans continue to marvel at its incredible usefulness and inventive modernism!
This portion of KringleQuest.com Beyond examines the massive sets developed for Santa Claus: The Movie by its Production Designer, two-time Academy Award nominee Anthony Pratt, and takes a further look at Pinewood's Christmas history. For additional info on Pinewood Studios, click as shown above, or check out Yahoo! Britain & Ireland!