Le grand bleu (1988)
Starring Rosanna Arquette and Jean Reno, 'Le grand bleu' was the most financially successful French film of the 1980s. Telling the story of a rivalry between two free divers, played by Jean-Marc Barr and Reno, and marks director Luc Besson's first shoot on the Riviera (he also shot 'The Transporter' here, read below for details).

Many of the shots for the movie were filmed around Antibes, specifically the aquariam scenes which were filmed in Marineland, an animal exhibition park in Antibes.

'Le grand bleu' won France's National Academy of Cinema's Academy Award in 1989.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
This hilarious film, starring two comedy greats - Michael Caine and Steve Martin (lead photo) - as conmen Lawrence Jamieson and Freddy Benson, who find themselves in the same town on the Mediterranean coast but find the town isn't big enough for both of them.

Locations in the film include the Villa Hier in Antibes, which was used as Lawrence's luxurious residence, Rotonde in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, used as the Beaumont-sur-Mer Casino, the Grand Hôtel in Cap-Ferrat, which was used as the Beaumont-sur-Mer Grand Hotel, and the Aéroport International in Cannes, as the Beaumont-sur-Mer Airport.

GoldenEye (1995)
The third Bond film to be shot around this area, 'GoldenEye' saw Pierce Brosnan in his first outing as British spy James Bond. The story saw Bond teaming up with the only survivor of a destroyed Russian research center in a bid to stop the hijacking of a nuclear weapon by a fellow agent who was believed to be dead.
As well as filming locations in Russia and England, the casino scenes were shot at the Casino de Monte Carlo in Monaco, and in Casino Square, as well as the car chase Bond has with Xenia Onatopp, which goes through Grasse, Gréolières-Les-Neiges (above) and Bouches-du-Rhône. There were also scenes shot around Monte Carlo harbour and Port d'Hercule, La Condamine, Monaco, where Xenia stole the famous Tiger helicopter.

French Kiss (1995)
Romcom favourite Meg Ryan stars alongside Kevin Kline in this film about a woman called Kate who flies to France to confront her fiance after he calls off their wedding, but ends up sitting next to French thief Luc Teyssier who hides a stolen necklace in her bag. When the bag is stolen, Kate and Luc head to Cannes together - Luc to get back the necklace and Kate to get back her fiance. But, as with these films, the pair develop feelings for each other along the course of their journey.

While the majority of the film was shot in Paris, the pair do make their way to both Valbonne and Cannes by the end of this charming movie.

Lolita (1997)
A remake of the 1962 movie of the same name, this film stars Jeremy Irons and Melanie Griffith, with Dominique Swain appearing as Dolores 'Lolita' Haze. The controversial story revolves around a man who marries his landlady to take full advantage of her teenage daughter. It has been criticised by some people who say the story promotes paedophilia.

The majority of the film was shot in America, in Texas, New Mexico and California although some of the scenes were filmed in in Saint-Raphaël in the Var.

Ronin (1998)
John Frankenheimer's film sees Jean Reno (a French favourite) team up with Robert De Niro as their characters try to track down a mysterious package that is wanted by both the Irish and the Russians. Unlike other films we have explored in our list, 'Ronin' was filmed virtually entirely in France.

Filming locations include various places in Paris (Pont Alexandre III and Rue Drevet are two examples) but the crew also shot sequences in Villefranche-sur-Mer, Nice, Cannes and Arles.

Swordfish (2001)
Hollywood heavyweights John Travolta, Hugh Jackman and Halle Berry star in Dominic Sena's movie about a counter-terrorist who convinces the world's greatest computer hacker to steal billions of dollars from the US government.

The end of the film was shot in Monte Carlo, as Halle and John's characters are seen transferring $9.5billion into various bank accounts. Other scenes in the film were shot in Nice.

The Transporter (2002)
Luc Besson returns to the Riviera for 'The Transporter' - the first film in his franchise, starring British actor Jason Statham in the lead role, as a transporter, who moves objects for criminals. Despite his policy of never looking inside the boxes he is given to transport, Jason's character Frank Martin, finds himself in the middle of a real-life crime drama when he looks inside his boot and finds he is transporting a woman.

Frank's home in the film is actually in Cassis, in Bouches-du-Rhône, while the film's opening car chase was shot in Nice and Paris. The bus terminal scene was filmed in Marseille, Frank's neighbour's house is in St Tropez, and another house featured is actually located on the Avenue de Saissy in Cannes.

Ocean's Twelve (2004)
The sequel to 'Ocean's Eleven', actors Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Julia Roberts Matt Damon and Don Cheadle reunited in this film, which includes new characters played by Andy Garcia and Catherine Zeta-Jones. In the film, Daniel Ocean (played by Clooney) reunites his team in a bid to complete three more European heists. And some of the scenes in this film were shot in both Paris and Monaco. During their time in Monaco, the stars of the film took some time out to go and tour the Monaco Grand Prix with the film's producer Jerry Weintraub.

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)
The film, based on the 1985 book written by Patrick Süskind, tells the story of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (played by Ben Grimshaw), who creates the world's finest perfume, but finds his life takes a dark turn as he continues to search for the ultimate scent.
The movie was shot in European countries include Spain and Germany, but some scenes were filmed in Grasse and Moustiers-Sainte-Marie.

Thanks to some of the best films having been shot on the Riviera, film directors are clamouring to film their movies here, and it seems we have many to look forward to. Nicole Kidman is rumoured to be starring in and producing a new romantic comedy called 'Monte Carlo' (which is currently in development), while Julia Roberts has also been tipped to appear in the film. 'Iron Man 2' which will also be filming some scenes in Monte Carlo, as will Bollywood film 'Agent Vinod', starring Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan.

So, remember to keep checking FR2DAY for details of which stars will be shooting movies in your local area!

You can check out part one of this great feature here

Truly Scrumptious films set on the French Riviera With sparkling blue seas, prestigious locations, and breathtaking views, it is no wonder film directors flock to the French Riviera to shoot their movies. READ MORE

Michael Caine's Greatest Love Affair Oscar winning actor Michael Caine has been telling the London Times about his long running love affair with the Cote d'Azur. READ MORE