In the beginning of the first episode of The Persuaders!, starring Tony Curtis and Roger Moore from the early seventies, the two playboys are racing each other between Nice airport and Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo. One of the more notable locations that featured prominently during this iconic car chase is the viaduct of Èze close to one of the most beautiful villages on the Rivera.
This viaduct featured in the episode is the 'Corniche Viaduct' and is located along the Moyenne Corniche, when driving into Èze from the Nice direction. The viaduct can be found just before you drive into this small village beautifully situated high up in the mountains with a stunning view over the Mediterranean. From L'église d'Èze and the adjacent cemetery you have a nice view over the beautiful construction spanning over a deep ravine.
Lord Brett Sinclair (Sir Roger) is driving a Bahama yellow Aston Martin DBS and Danny Wilde (Curtis) is driving a red Ferrari Dino across the coastal roads of the Riviera. As Brett is dropping off three girls at Nice Côte d'Azur Airport and Wilde is arriving from the States, the two protagonists encounter each other at a stop light just outside the airport. The easygoing tone of the series is set just as they are speeding off and the brilliant song by Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent begins.
The surrounding landscape has obviously not changed notably since 1971.
Eze is definitely the most spectacular village along the Nice-Monaco route and probably one of the most beautifully situated villages on the French Riviera. It is renowned for the view of the sea from its hill top. The Èze commune, extends from the Mediterranean Sea (Èze-sur-Mer) to the hilltop and its medieval village (Èze-Village).
In a previous scene, we actually see the two cars speeding through a curve outside of Èze. This curve is actually located outside of the village, on the opposite side from the viaduct of Èze. This means that the cars first would have had to drive across the bridge, before driving into this curve. The car chase actually has a few of these bloopers, but I do not find it particularly disturbing since the car chase nonetheless is one of the most enjoyable scenes in the entire series.
The song played in during the car chase is the masterpiece by Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent called "Gotta get away".
In GoldenEye, Bond is holidaying on the French Riviera, driving around his Aston Martin DB5 when Xenia is driving up behind him in her Ferrari 355. They are racing around the mountain roads above Monaco in a car chase that particularly resembles the Persuaders car chase. It is obvious that The Persuaders! has influenced director Campbell for the car chase in GoldenEye. Sadly, the GoldenEye car chase is partly ruined by the composer Eric Serra, who has made the worst soundtrack in the entire Bond series. As an example I have edited the car chase from GoldenEye slightly, and if you are a Persuades fan you will not be disappointed!
Once again the pleasure is all mine.
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