Location Is Everything
Choosing a great location for a film is not only important to establish believability for the storyline, but set the mood for the action as it unfolds. Some directors are willing to go to great lengths to achieve this, overcoming weather, logistical problems, and even political crises in the process. Here, we look at the movies with the toughest filming locations in cinema history.
The Atlantic Ocean
Jaws (1975)
Steven Spielberg opted to shoot his shark blockbuster with boats on the ocean off Martha’s Vineyard, making it the first film to be shot on water. Though it added realism to the film, Jaws was a nightmare to shoot. From annoyances like wet cameras and sailboats drifting into the frame, to serious mishaps such as a boat sinking with the actors on board, Jaws pushed the cast and crew to the limit.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaws_(film)#Filming
Finse, Norway
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
This location near a glacier in Norway was a great backdrop for the icy planet Hoth in the Star Wars follow-up. The worst snowstorm in 50 years drained batteries, clogged camera lenses, and caused several incidents of frostbite. The difficult weather also caused major delays and cost overruns.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Empire_Strikes_Back#Commencement_in_Norway
Smtunli, Svein-Magne Tunli, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Inside A Nuclear Reactor
The Abyss (1989)
For this adventure film set at the bottom of the ocean, director James Cameron created a set inside the containment tanks of a nuclear reactor site under construction in South Carolina. The long periods underwater required the actors to decompress before coming to the surface. Actor Ed Harris nearly drowned, and would not speak publicly about the notoriously tough shoot until decades later.
https://ew.com/article/2016/11/29/ed-harris-movies/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zpqcvwx
Twentieth Century, The Abyss (1989)
Everest Base Camp
Everest (2015)
For this recounting of the famous 1996 climbing disaster on Mount Everest, director Baltasar Kormakur and his production team received permission to shoot on the mountain for two weeks. Crew members were plagued by altitude sickness, and there were several avalanches, one of which claimed the lives of 16 Sherpas.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zpqcvwx
Working Title Films, Everest (2015)
The Jungles Of Peru
Fitzcarraldo (1982)
Director Werner Herzog put his cast and crew through one of the toughest shoots ever in this film that featured a 320-ton riverboat steamer being dragged over a hill. Actors were struck down by dysentery, a crew member from the local area amputated his own foot after being bitten by a poisonous snake, and members of the local Aguaruna people burned down the entire set in anger at the terrible working conditions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitzcarraldo#Deaths,_injuries_and_accusations_of_exploitation
Filmverlag der Autoren, Fitzcarraldo (1982)
Canyonlands National Park, Utah
127 Hours (2010)
The story of a hiker who gets pinned under a rock in a remote canyon in Utah was the subject of this film directed by Danny Boyle near its original location in beautiful but rugged Canyonlands National Park. Though there were no major incidents during filming, the notoriously narrow box canyons in the area meant that this film was no walk in the park to create.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/127_Hours#Production
Searchlight Pictures,127 Hours (2010)
Wadi Rum, Jordan
The Martian (2015)
This foreboding location in the Jordanian desert, also known as the Valley of the Moon, provided a convincing landscape for the Martian surface in this Ridley Scott-directed feature. Numerous other desert-oriented films have been shot in the location over the years, including Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Dune (2021).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadi_Rum#Filming_location
Twentieth Century, The Martian (2015)
Stampede Trail, Alaska
Into the Wild (2007)
The story of Chris McCandless’ sojourn in the Alaskan wilderness is shot near the tiny settlement of Cantwell, Alaska, the terminus of the Denali Highway. Though director Sean Penn decided filming on the exact location of McCandless’ camp was impractical, this remote location nearby captures the extreme isolation of central Alaska.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_the_Wild_(film)#Production
Paramount, Into the Wild (2007)
Chiapas, Mexico
The Predator (1987)
Director John McTiernan made full use of the dense isolated jungles of the southern Mexican state of Chiapas for its unforgettable action sequences. Hardships included surprisingly cold conditions, incredibly steep terrain, and foul water filled with leeches.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predator_(film)#Filming
Twentieth Century, Predator (1987)
Chingaza National Natural Park, Colombia
Monos (2019)
This beautiful but very remote national park in the mountains of Colombia provided the backdrop of this film about child soldiers in armed conflict. Director Alejandro Landes’ production camp had to be established by the Colombian national kayaking team. Because of Colombia’s own guerilla conflict, the area had only recently been reopened to the public.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monos_(film)#Production
Caracol Televisión, Monos (2019)
The Philippine Jungle
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Francis Ford Coppola’s Vietnam War masterpiece was so difficult to produce, he made a whole separate movie about the experience. As if sweltering heat, insects, and tropical parasites weren’t enough, a typhoon demolished the set in 1976, setting back the production for several months.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocalypse_Now#Production
American Zoetrope, Apocalypse Now (1979)
The Namib Desert
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
This desert in southern Africa is renowned for its extremes of daytime heat and nighttime cold. Director George Miller found it the perfect backdrop for this installment of the Mad Max series, but the conditions also pushed the physical boundaries for the cast and crew.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_Max:_Fury_Road#Filming
Warner Bros., Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Kootenai Falls, Montana
The Revenant (2015)
The ice-cold waters of the Kootenai River were the biggest challenge for the production of this intense survival film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. Leonardo DiCaprio later said that the film featured “30 or 40 of the most difficult things (he’d) ever had to do”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Revenant_(2015_film)#Filming
New Regency Productions, The Revenant (2015)
The Bottom Of The Atlantic Ocean
Titanic (1997)
Director James Cameron performed 12 dives to the ghostly wreck of the Titanic aboard the Deepsea Challenger submersible. The footage obtained was used in the opening sequences of his fictional blockbuster Titanic. Cameron returned to the site to film his 2003 documentary Ghosts of the Abyss.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zpqcvwx
Walden Media, Ghosts of the Abyss (1997)
Sibun River, Belize
The Mosquito Coast (1986)
This saga of a madman trying to create an ice factory in the middle of the Central American jungle was filmed in a spot that was initially no more than a bend in the remote Sibun River of Belize. Director Peter Weir and his production company had to build roads into the location and support a small hospital in the area for possible emergencies.
http://www.peterweircave.com/articles/articlee.html
The Saul Zaentz Company, The Mosquito Coast (1986)
Monuriki Island, Fiji
Cast Away (2000)
This remote island in Fiji was only one complication in a film that was recognized as a logistical nightmare to film. In addition to the far-flung location and Tom Hanks’ extreme dieting to simulate being stranded on a desert island, Hanks had to be rushed into surgery when he suffered a cut on his leg that got badly infected.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cast_Away#Filming
Twentieth Century, Cast Away (2000)
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda
Black Panther (2018)
This refuge for gorillas and other primates is accessible only by foot. The incredible nature park was a backdrop for some of the scenes set in Wakanda, though the city itself was generated digitally.
https://www.atlasofwonders.com/2018/01/black-panther-filming-locations.html
Putangirua Pinnacles, New Zealand
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
These forbidding rock formations on New Zealand’s North Island were only one of many natural features used by director Peter Jackson in his adaptations of the famous Tolkien novel. The stark otherworldly landscape provides a great backdrop for some of the most memorable scenes in The Return of the King.
New Line Cinema, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Nome, Alaska
Never Cry Wolf (1983)
Nome, Alaska was only one of several remote locations used in this Disney adventure film directed by Carol Ballard and based on a novel by Farley Mowat. Other locations included the Yukon Territory and Atlin, British Columbia in Canada. Lead actor Charles Martin Smith called it the “loneliest film I’ve ever worked on”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_Cry_Wolf_(film)#Filming_locations
Walt Disney, Never Cry Wolf (1983)
Juneau, Alaska
The Thing (1982)
The snowy terrain around Juneau, Alaska provided a convincing version of frozen Antarctic wastes in John Carpenter’s horror/sci-fi thriller. Getting to the filming location involved traversing the steep terrain in the area; in one nerve-racking incident a crew bus nearly slid off an icy mountain road into a canyon.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thing_(1982_film)#Filming
The Coast Mountains, British Columbia
First Blood (1982)
The steep, heavily forested terrain of Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park and Capilano Canyon were the setting of the pursuit scenes that made this first installment of the Rambo series unforgettable. Production was marked by heavy snowfall and injuries to stunt performers including Sylvester Stallone, who injured his back and broke two ribs jumping off a cliff into a tree.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Blood#Filming
Anabasis N.V., First Blood (1982)
Kelani River, Sri Lanka
The Bridge On the River Kwai (1957)
Director David Lean is renowned as one of the most ambitious filmmakers of all time, and The Bridge On the River Kwai is one of the biggest reasons why. The crew and cast of the movie were plagued by insects and leeches throughout the production, while a stuntman fell off the bridge and nearly drowned.
https://nofilmschool.com/2013/11/david-lean-to-be-a-dedicated-maniac-for-film
Horizon Pictures, The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Marfa, Texas
Giant (1956)
Giant was filmed on ranchland near the small West Texas town of Marfa. Mercedes McCambridge received a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role in the George Stevens-directed classic. But she was no fan of the shooting location, later writing that it was “part of the ugliest landscape on the face of the earth with creepie-crawlies and dive-bombing bugs…a region of the damned”.
https://torontofilmsociety.com/film-notes/giant-1956/
George Stevens Productions, Giant (1956)
Eiger Nordwand, Switzerland
The Eiger Sanction (1975)
Clint Eastwood directed and starred in this mountaineering thriller set on the famous North Face of the Eiger. Eastwood also performed his own climbing and stunts for the feature against the advice of professional climbers. The production was as dangerous as you can imagine: climber David Knowles perished while filming a rock fall sequence.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eiger_Sanction_(film)#Production
The Malpaso Company, The Eiger Sanction (1975)
Alice Springs, Australia
Walkabout (1971)
This Nicolas Roeg-directed film is about two children trying to survive in the Australian outback with the help of Aborigines. The unforgiving heat and landscape of the Alice Springs area provides the perfect setting for nature’s indifference to humanity.
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-walkabout-1971
Max L. Raab Productions, Walkabout
Cape Forchu, Nova Scotia
The Lighthouse (2019)
Director Robert Eggers and crew actually constructed a 70-foot-tall lighthouse on this lonely rock on the Atlantic coast. The production’s biggest challenge? The relentless wind often forced crew members and cast to shout at each other just to be heard.
https://collider.com/the-lighthouse-making-of/
New Regency Productions, The Lighthouse (2019)
Lake Torrens, Australia
Gallipoli (1981)
The breakthrough film for Mel Gibson, this retelling of the famous WWI battle was mostly filmed around South Australia. The most difficult scenes were shot at Lake Torrens, about 200 miles north of Adelaide. Lake Torrens is not really a lake most of the time—it’s a salt flat that has been filled with water only once in the past 150 years!
https://www.starsinsider.com/movies/481833/cinemas-toughest-filming-locations
Death Valley
Greed (1924)
For this silent film’s desert scenes, director Erich von Stroheim insisted on a remote campsite among the tarantulas and scorpions rather than a hotel 100 miles away. Filming was done through July and August (!) when the temperature soared to over 120 degrees. Heatstroke was a daily occurrence among the crew, eventually claiming the life of a cook for the production.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greed_(1924_film)#Filming
Skellig Michael, Ireland
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
This beautiful but rugged island off the south coast of Ireland proved a challenge for filmmakers. Shooting for the final scene featuring Luke Skywalker was postponed until September 2015 due to the poor weather conditions there most of the year. Rough seas caused further delays.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_The_Last_Jedi#Filming
Lucasfilm, Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
Atacama Desert, Chile
Quantum of Solace (2008)
Officially known as the driest place on Earth, northern Chile’s Atacama Desert is not a place to take lightly, even if you’re James Bond. Complicating the issue was the protest by a local mayor who insisted the production couldn’t go ahead without his permission.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_of_Solace#Filming
Petra, Jordan
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
The incredible monuments carved into sheer canyon walls are part of the unforgettable visuals of this late 80s chapter in the Indiana Jones series. This was the first awareness of these structures for many filmgoers at that time, but the structures have reappeared in several films since then.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petra#Popular_culture
Paramount, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989
Nuclear Testing Site, Utah
The Conqueror (1956)
People were already becoming aware of the serious dangers of radiation poisoning by the time of this Howard Hughes production in the desert scrubland of Utah. Shot at a location downwind of the Yucca Flats above-ground nuclear test site, several of the film’s actors and crew later succumbed to cancer. While the site itself has never been directly proven to be the cause of the deaths, the film won’t shake its dark legacy any time soon.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Conqueror_(1956_film)#Nuclear_incident_and_cancer_controversy
Pacific Crest Trail, USA
Wild (2014)
Reese Witherspoon directed and starred in this story of hiking the famous backpacking trail that winds from southern California up to Canada. Involving weeks of hiking with a 45-pound backpack, Witherspoon later described the on-location shoot as the most difficult of her career.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_(2014_film)#Production
Tallulah Gorge, Georgia
Deliverance (1972)
One of the great survival stories, Deliverance was filmed in the remote and rugged canyons of northeastern Georgia. The film’s producers compelled the cast to perform their own stunts; the stark nature of the environment led to a cracked tailbone for Burt Reynolds, while co-star Ned Beatty nearly drowned.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deliverance#Filming
Warner Bros., Deliverance (1972)
Square Lake, Minnesota
Fargo (1996)
The bleak winter landscape of North Dakota and Minnesota sets the mood of this memorable Coen Brothers film. Square Lake is the setting of the infamous woodchipper scene. Did we mention it was a bleak, forbidding place?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fargo_(1996_film)#Filming
Polygram Filmed Entertainment, Fargo (1996)
Burgos and Andalucia Spain
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
The rugged terrain of the plateau of northern Spain around Burgos and the southern region of Andalucía provided a perfect Wild West background for Sergio Leone’s ultimate spaghetti Western. Leone wasn’t overly concerned with safety on the set. Eli Wallach was carried a couple of miles on horseback with his hands tied behind his back, while in another scene he risked serious injury severing a chain on some train tracks.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Good,_the_Bad_and_the_Ugly#Filming
Constantin Film, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
Burj Khalifa, Dubai
Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol (2011)
The world’s tallest building is the location of one of the series’ most incredible scenes. Tom Cruise was safely suspended off the side of the tower by cables at all times, after which the cables were digitally erased from the film, making it look like he was free climbing the side of the glass structure.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission:_Impossible_%E2%80%93_Ghost_Protocol#Production
Paramount, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)
Mount Asgard, Nunavut
The Spy Who Loved Me (1976)
The scene of James Bond skiing and BASE jumping off the enormous rock pillar in the Canadian north was done by stuntman Rick Sylvester. The stunt cost $500,000 to produce, of which Sylvester made $30,000.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Spy_Who_Loved_Me_(film)#Filming
Eon Productions, The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Location, Location, Location
Whether a film location provides the essential background of the film, or it’s just a prop for a stunt, it can pose daunting challenges. As we’ve seen, many performers have lost their lives in the process. It just goes to show the extremes that filmmakers are willing to go in pursuit of success.
Eon Productions, The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
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