The Riviera on film: the back story

About The Riviera on film: the back story

By the ULTIMATE the French Riviera Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Few coastlines have been filmed as often. Nice had its own studios, the Victorine, where Les Enfants du paradis, La Nuit américaine and Le Testament d’Orphée were made; Cannes has hosted its festival since 1946; and Saint-Tropez became world-famous with Brigitte Bardot.

Hitchcock and Grace Kelly

In 1954 Hitchcock filmed La Main au collet (To Catch a Thief) on the Riviera; the Carlton in Cannes hosted the crew (CNC), and the car chase with Grace Kelly at the wheel was shot in June on the Grande Corniche between Èze and La Turbie (Côte d’Azur France tourism).

Bardot’s Saint-Tropez

Et Dieu… créa la femme was filmed in Saint-Tropez, with interiors at the Victorine (regional tourism board). Brigitte Bardot bought La Madrague in 1958, founded the Fondation Brigitte Bardot in 1986 and gave it the house in 1992. She died on 28 December 2025, aged 91 (Ville de Saint-Tropez). Her golden statue, unveiled in 2017, stands on Place Blanqui, and the Gendarme films with Louis de Funès are remembered at the Musée de la Gendarmerie et du Cinéma.

Many locations are private hotels and villas: enjoy them from a terrace table or the sea.

Bond and beyond

Diamonds Are Forever (1971) and Never Say Never Again (1983) used the beach of the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc; Ronin and Femme fatale filmed at Le Majestic in Cannes (Atout France). GoldenEye raced along the Grande Corniche, and Ronin’s chase ran through Vieux Nice (regional tourism board).

Our advice: watch To Catch a Thief before you go, then drive the Grande Corniche early in the morning.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with The Riviera on film: the back story before you go.