Of Unknown Origin (1983) is a modern spin on Moby Dick, featuring a man (Peter Weller) and a rat squaring off in a New York City brownstone. In the movie, Montreal, Quebec fills in for New York City.
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| Place Ville Marie |
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| Place Ville Marie |
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| Place Ville Marie |
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| Place Ville Marie |
According to the book They Came From Within, the office building where Peter Weller's character works was the Alcan Aluminum company office. Since it was a functioning business, the Of Unknown Origin crew were only allowed to film there on Sundays. The current Alcan Aluminum office in Montreal is located at 1188 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest, just around the corner from the brownstone featured in the movie. However, the exterior featured in the movie appears to be the Place Ville Marie, formerly the Royal Bank Tower.
Location: Montreal, QC, Canada
Coordinates: 45.501128, -73.568303 (Office Exterior)
Visible on Street View: Yes
Links:
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| Drummond mansion |
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| Drummond mansion |
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| Drummond mansion |
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| Drummond mansion |
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| Drummond mansion |
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| Drummond mansion |
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| Drummond mansion replica |
It was difficult for the crew to find a brownstone location for filming in Montreal. They ended up finding the beautiful Drummond mansion, a red sandstone Victorian mansion built in 1891. In the early 1900s, it was the family home of Huntley Redpath Drummond. Shortly prior to the filming of Of Unknown Origin, it had been an ex-drug rehab house. The house had fallen into disrepair, and by 1990 was considered uninhabitable. Around 2007, the house was fully restored, and appears to be on the market for $3.3 million. In the film, Peter Weller's character has a miniature replica of the house in his basement, which gets destroyed during the big finale.
Location: Montreal, QC, Canada
Coordinates: 45.500675, -73.578825
Visible on Street View: Yes
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