Sir Roger filmed at my castle near Bordeaux
Franco-British castle owner Sébastien de Baritault told Connexion his memories of a filming visit from Roger Moore, who died recently
“There were some bedroom scenes and we had to take my unmarried great, great aunt, who was 100, into town so she didn’t get shocked,” said Count Sébastien de Baritault, whose family has lived at Château de Roquetaillade near Bordeaux for 700 years.
“It was a bit risqué for someone who grew up in the 19th century!” he said.
The count, whose mother is English and who was sent to school in England at seven, contacted usfollowing the death of Sir Roger Moore on May 23, in Switzerland, to tell of the time when he filmed at the castle.
He said the director of Sunday Lovers (Les Séducteurs), made in 1980, picked it as it resembled a British castle and Sir Roger, who was living in Switzerland, could not spend more than six months a year in the UK for tax reasons.
Count Sébastien said one of the popular Fantômas crime thrillers had been filmed there in the 1960s and he was used to seeing stars. “It was supposed to be a Scottish castle in that one. It is Anglo-Gascon built. Bordeaux was English and the castle was built [in the early 14th century] with permission of King Edward I. The architects built Bodiam Castle in Sussex afterwards.”
The film is in four parts, though a New York Times review said the first, An Englishman’s Home, was the only good one. It called it a “breezy farce about a chauffeur who spends his weekends seducing unsuspecting airline hostesses in the castle of his absent employer”.
Filming spread over three weeks, also featuring other well-known faces such as Lynn Redgrave and Denholm Elliott.
Count Sébastien, now in his 50s but a teenager at the time, said the small cast and crew gave the proceedings a ‘family-like’ feel. “By the end of the day, they would hang out, eat and drink wine until early morning.
“Some of them stayed at the castle sometimes because the hotels were too far away. Roger Moore didn’t always end up in his hotel – sometimes he stayed at Roquetaillade and sometimes other people’s hotels.”
He was fond of Armagnac and a cigar, he said, and enjoyed the south-west food. In the evenings they would act out sketches until 4am. “He was charming and funny, but never vulgar. He was always joking about girls and asking me how my love life was.”
Sir Roger spent part of his later years in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Alpes-Maritimes, and latterly divided his time between Switzerland and Monaco.
The castle is open every afternoon.
