Exterior view of the casino.
Le Casino L'Or Noir (French for: 'The casino of black gold', a reference to oil) was a fictional casino owned by Valentin Zukovsky in The World Is Not Enough.
History[]
Some time after the events of GoldenEye, Zukovsky looked for other 'legitimate' business interests in a different place, and moved from St. Petersburg to Baku. His casino is a meeting place for the local and international high society, the most prominent regular visitor was Sir Robert King.
Description[]
Entrance[]
The casino is located inside an old estate, with two porters welcoming guests. Above the archway leading to the entrance is a large yellow stylised head of Valentin Zukovsky, surrounded by light bulbs. The casino is most probably located on a hill, since guests arriving there are always seen walking down some stairs before entering the casino area itself.
Casino[]
Interior view of the casino.
As mentioned above, a large stairway leads down to the casino area. At the foot of the stairs, the visitor will get into a smaller room, from where a large archway leads into the main casino area. A wheel of fortune is located in the smaller room, most notably seen when Bond tests his X-ray glasses on two women playing at the wheel.
The wheel of fortune.
In the main area, there are about six gambling tables with blue surfaces. Two of them are roulette (the American variant) tables, others contain Baccarat and Blackjack.
American Roulette (left) and Baccarat (right).
Just right of the archway, between two gambling tables, a doorway - hidden by a curtain - leads to a hallway leading to Zukovsky's office. Next to the doorway is a small bar, where a bartender serves some fine liquors, including:
- Champagne Bollinger
- Gordon's Gin
- Smirnoff Black Label
- Smirnoff Red Label
On the other side, just opposite the stairway, is the door leading to the Salon Privée.
Salon Privée[]
Interior of the salon privée.
The VIP area, closed to the other casino guests is a smaller room with a Blackjack table inside. The furniture in this room is slightly more exclusive than in the main area.
Zukovsky's Office[]
Interior of Zukovsky's office.
As the owner of the casino, Valentin Zukovsky has a private area there. Zukovsky mainly sits behind his desk in a throne-like chair. There is a bookcase, containing both books and CDs, several boxes of Smirnoff vodka, and a vintage Las Vegas cowboy-themed slot machine.
The office bar.
Zukovsky also keeps a small bar in his office, which also has a variety of drinks, including:
- Baileys
- Champagne Bollinger
- Galliano
- Gordon's Gin
- Smirnoff Black Label
- Smirnoff Red Label
Behind the Scenes[]
The location, where the casino scenes (both interior and exterior) were filmed, is actually Halton House in Buckinghamshire. Built between 1880 and 1883, it belongs to the Royal Air Force since 1918, which uses it as an officer's mess for nearby RAF Halton.
Scenes in Zukovsky's office were filmed at Luton Hoo Estate in Bedfordshire. The same building also was used for the interior of Elektra's estate.
Gallery[]
