Spain is culture

Did you know that films like 'Star Wars', 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade' and 'Doctor Zhivago' were filmed in Spain? Come and experience the 'seventh art' and discover all the locations seen in these famous films.

Thanks to the magic of film, there are places in Spain that have been transformed into far-off worlds, the wild west or the Siberian steppe. On other occasions, the scenes are more easily recognisable. Spain's cities, monuments and countryside have often been used as 'sets' for major international productions, including some that have become part of film history. Come and discover them and you'll be amazed –and you'll enjoy the films all the more when you see them again.

Scenes from yesteryear...

Spain's incredible wealth of monuments is a real goldmine for filmmakers. The city of Soria and its surrounding countryside served to recreate the world of Doctor Zhivago. The filmmaking genius Orson Welles also chose the province of Soria to shoot Chimes at Midnight in the village streets of Calatañazor. What's more, some of the battle scenes were filmed inside the city walls of Avila, whose historic centre has the UNESCO World Heritage designation.

Charlton Heston and Sofia Loren starred in the story of El Cid, the famous medieval Spanish knight, which was shot in places such as Belmonte Castle in the province of Cuenca, the castle of Manzanares el Real in the province of Madrid, and the Mediterranean beaches of Peñíscola in Castellón, among others. Another castle, Loarre in Huesca, was chosen by Ridley Scott for some scenes in his film Kingdom of Heaven. Cabo de Gata Nature Reserve in Almería, and Plaza de España square in Seville were used in the classic film Lawrence of Arabia. Clint Eastwood took his first steps in the famous spaghetti western genre in Almería: films such as For a fistful of dollars, For a few dollars more and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly were shot in the Tabernas desert. Some of the sets and western towns that were built back then can still be visited today.

And the film sets of today...

Some of the biggest box-office hits of recent times have also found ideal locations in Spain. It was in Cabo de Gata, on Mónsul Beach, in fact, that Steven Spielberg shot the scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where Sean Connery frightens some seagulls with an umbrella to bring down a German plane.

In Attack of the clones, the second episode of Star Wars, Plaza de España square in Seville serves as the palace of queen Amidala on the planet Naboo. The James Bond films have also found a place here too: the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum and its surroundings were the setting for the opening sequence of The world is not enough, while in Die another day, the famous spy can be seen strolling through the streets of Cadiz. In Cantabria, meanwhile, in the village of Las Fraguas you'll find Los Hornillos Palace, where Nicole Kidman had a few frights in The Others.

The landscapes of Almería and Fuerteventura were also chosen by Ridley Scott for his film Exodus.

What's more, two major Spanish cities, Madrid and Barcelona, are often the setting for film shoots. In Barcelona, the streets of the Gothic Quarter, Plaza Real square, the Pueblo Español attraction and Horta Maze park provide settings for the film adaptation of the novel Perfume. The most emblematic places in Madrid such as the Plaza Mayor square, the Gran Vía, the Fine Arts Academy and the Paseo del Prado avenue have all also been chosen for productions such as Deception, with Ewan McGregor and Hugh Jackman, or The Bourne Ultimatum, with Matt Damon.
They also appear frequently in the films of Pedro Almodóvar, one of Spain's most international directors. If you visit Castile-La Mancha, the Spanish region Almodóvar comes from, you can go on a route that takes in the different settings of the film Volver.
In Andalusia you can also follow an itinerary based on El camino de los ingleses, directed by the well-known Spanish actor Antonio Banderas.

These are just some of the places in Spain to have been touched by the magic of Hollywood.

Don't forget, furthermore, that you can enjoy the best cinema at the international film festivals that take place every year in Spain, including San Sebastián, Sitges and the Seminci de Valladolid.

In Spain, film will open the door to a host of emotions: come and see for yourself.