There could have been no better way to celebrate the 40th anniversary of A View to a Kill than being at Chantilly itself, the presence of the film’s stars and cars.
This is the first time the Bond clubs from France, Germany, Switzerland and Britain have co-hosted an event and it was a delight for more than 250 members to get to know each other in such a special setting.
Members mingled with stars including Carole Ashby (who plays ‘the enchanting Papillion’ in the Eiffel Tower sequence); Papillon Soo Soo (Pan Ho, one of Zorin’s three female henchpeople); Lucien Jerome (the taxi driver – “my car, my car!”) and production manager Serge Touboul (who also worked on GoldenEye). None other than director John Glen himself, on his finest raconteur form, regaled fans with tales of this production and his adventures behind the scenes on the seven other Bonds he worked on.
Making her first ever appearance at any club event, the fabulously glamorous Alison Doody was made to feel incredibly welcome. Fans could not get enough of her stories of working on not only A View to a Kill but also Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (with Harrison Ford and Sean Connery) and Taffin (alongside Pierce Brosnan). Has any other Bond Girl worked with that many Bond actors?
The sumptuous five course lunch was served in the gigantic West Nave of the stables, which are the site of Zorin’s horse auction in the film. There were moving and inspiring speeches from the club presidents, recognising how momentous it was to bring together so many Bond fans from so many different countries.
Finally, there were tours of the A View to a Kill locations and opportunities to have photographs with film accurate vehicles, including the infamous Renault 11 taxi which Bond steals in order to pursue May Day across Paris.
Last modified: 13 January 2026
