Movies So Obviously Not Shot Where They're Set

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

inspired by S Lutsky on the Richard Donner thread.

Most obvious to me is Rumble in the Bronx, with all of those gorgeous mountains of BC's lower mainland in the background.

― Huckleberry Mann (Horace Mann), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:51 (twenty-one years ago)

I curse George Lucas for not ACTUALLY GOING TO BESPIN AND TATOOINE

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:54 (twenty-one years ago)

"At the Earth's Core".

― MarkH (MarkH), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:55 (twenty-one years ago)

I could so tell it was New Zealand all through The Two Towers.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:55 (twenty-one years ago)

there was a TV movie made in my old home town many years ago, where the Univ of Sask. agric. buildings (barns with green roofs) subbed for Ireland.

― Huckleberry Mann (Horace Mann), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Middle Earth is just shopping malls now

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:56 (twenty-one years ago)

you guys are losers. I'm taking my thread and going home.

― Huckleberry Mann (Horace Mann), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Fantastic Voyage!

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Full Metal Jacket.

I'm watching htis for the first time and my dad comes into the room and says "Oh, did you know this was filmed in a demolished power station in Battersea?"

I did not know this.

Now it looks like it was filmed in a demolished power station in Battersea and I HAVEN'T EVEN FINISHED WATCHING IT FOR THE FIRST TIME.

Film ruined.

[He did say the funniest thing he has ever said as a play on this incident a few years after though, something to do with the war in Afghanistan. You had to be there but it was incredible. Honest. No, really].

― neil simpson (neil simpson), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Dammit, this happened recently, as well ... I can't remember what the film was, though. It was filmed somewhere I knew quite well, too. Damn.

Heh, Posession was funny for *actually* being filmed where it was supposed to be set. i.e. all around my house!

― Citizen Kate (kate), Thursday, 27 November 2003 16:59 (twenty-one years ago)

rumble in the bronx so wins!

my friend was a punker in that movie

― s1utsky (slutsky), Thursday, 27 November 2003 17:00 (twenty-one years ago)

'rome: open city' -- yeah right!

― enrique (Enrique), Thursday, 27 November 2003 17:00 (twenty-one years ago)

― s1utsky (slutsky), Thursday, 27 November 2003 17:01 (twenty-one years ago)

haha if poor neil ever goes to vietnam i bet he will stand around shaking his head and muttering "demolished power station in battersea..." much to the amusement of the locals.

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Thursday, 27 November 2003 17:02 (twenty-one years ago)

the first two Donner/Lester Superman films had Calgary subbing for Metropolis and High River for Smallville...which led to speculation that if-you-blink-you'll-miss-him-Prime Minister Joe Clark (who's from High River) was actually from Krypton.

― Huckleberry Mann (Horace Mann), Thursday, 27 November 2003 17:06 (twenty-one years ago)

he's also, uh, mild mannered. and named Clark.

― Huckleberry Mann (Horace Mann), Thursday, 27 November 2003 17:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Middle Earth is just shopping malls now

Just take a look at the Gap of Rohan.

(rimshot!)

― Miggie (Miggie), Thursday, 27 November 2003 17:25 (twenty-one years ago)

How High was obv. not at Harvard.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Thursday, 27 November 2003 19:11 (twenty-one years ago)

I thought How High was a documentary. Thanks for shattering the illusion. :(

― NA (Nick A.), Thursday, 27 November 2003 20:25 (twenty-one years ago)

I thought it was set at Yale!

― Huckleberry Mann (Horace Mann), Thursday, 27 November 2003 20:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Bronx even manages to fit in every chartered bank and Canada Post in it.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Friday, 28 November 2003 02:40 (twenty-one years ago)

The Matrix, duh. Its supposed to be what.. somewhere in America? But it reeks Sydney.

― Trayce (trayce), Friday, 28 November 2003 02:59 (twenty-one years ago)

anything set on the moon

― the surface noise (electricsound), Friday, 28 November 2003 03:02 (twenty-one years ago)

trayce how do you know they didn't make the movie in the matrix itself?

― s1utsky (slutsky), Friday, 28 November 2003 03:04 (twenty-one years ago)

I curse George Lucas for not ACTUALLY GOING TO BESPIN AND TATOOINE

He did. Tataouine, Tunisia though

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Friday, 28 November 2003 03:18 (twenty-one years ago)

They made the movie IN THE MATRIX!? B b but... *head explodes*

― Trayce (trayce), Friday, 28 November 2003 03:22 (twenty-one years ago)

'velvet goldmine.' london had to double for nyc, and it seems like those involved were so dispirited by the lack of funds for location shooting that they didn't even bother to try to disguise things.

― lauren (laurenp), Friday, 28 November 2003 03:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Er? The only NYC part of the whole thing was the interior of a nightclub!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 28 November 2003 06:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Before I saw the original X-Men movie, I found it it was primarily shot in Toronto. And for some reason, when I was finally in the seat, the only thing I could think of was "This movie was shot in Toronto."
It didn't particularly look like T.O., but just knowing threw me off.
Didn't have the same problem with number two.

― Christian Rawk (Christian Rawk), Friday, 28 November 2003 08:00 (twenty-one years ago)

a large number of brit films are shot in the isle of man. don't ask for examples, just believe. oh, okay, 'the heart of me' wiv helena bonham carter and paul bettany.

― enrique (Enrique), Friday, 28 November 2003 08:58 (twenty-one years ago)

not only were the Harry Potter films not shot at Hogwarts, but they travlled all over the country to film different bits of what was supposedly Hogwarts, e.g. Christ Church College here in Oxford and Alnwick Castle in Northumberland.

― MarkH (MarkH), Friday, 28 November 2003 09:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Hey! A great deal of Hogwarts was set in Fox-Talbert's house, Laycock Abbey in Wiltshire which was very odd cause I hadn't seen it when HSA, his mum and I visited it, and I couldn't understand all the annoying Potter Paraphanalia everywhere.

And then I saw the films, and it REALLY bothered me, that one minute they'd be wandering around Laycock Abbey's cloister, and then the next, they'd be inside Oxford.

― Citizen Kate (kate), Friday, 28 November 2003 10:26 (twenty-one years ago)

the Quidditch (sp?) match was definitely Alnwick.

― MarkH (MarkH), Friday, 28 November 2003 10:28 (twenty-one years ago)

That Alphaville place sure looks like Paris to me

― Andrew L (Andrew L), Friday, 28 November 2003 10:29 (twenty-one years ago)

... and the rad cam. i saw em milling around their trailers one rainy day in november 2000 lloking very pissd off... and dressed as elves (or whatever).

oxford films frequently use a number of diff colleges to create one (eg 'accident'). actually there's a period film being shot right now here, outside frevd and the lamb and flag. dunno what tho.

― enrique (Enrique), Friday, 28 November 2003 10:30 (twenty-one years ago)

The Matrix is supposed to be Chicago. There's an exit at State and Balbo (I don't think those two streets actually intersect...) and that Heart o' the City motel is obviously Heart o' Chicago motel, except the o' is a big heart (awwww) and it's on Peterson and Sheridan, not in the loop.
I'll stop now.

― Catty (Catty), Friday, 28 November 2003 10:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Having grown up in Milton Keynes (should I also post this on today's (un) acceptable boasting thread?), I recall the local press coverage of the fact that the final scene of the reputedly execrable (but unseen by me) Superman IV was shot outside Milton Keynes railway station. Apparently this scene features Superman giving a speech heralding a new utopian age, and the setting was chosen to reflect this utopianism.

I mean, really...

― M Carty (mj_c), Friday, 28 November 2003 11:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Was the reason nobody's mentioned the sunset over the beach scene at the end of the execrable 'Green Berets' (what part of Nam's coast faces west, fellas?) the fact that it was too well-known?

― Fred Nerk (Fred Nerk), Friday, 28 November 2003 12:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Also, what about Austin Powers' immortal line about how 'It's funny the way that the English countryside IN NO WAY resembles Southern California'?

― M Carty (mj_c), Friday, 28 November 2003 14:58 (twenty-one years ago)

C-Rawk, the first X-Men was shot in Montreal.

― Huckleberry Mann (Horace Mann), Friday, 28 November 2003 15:03 (twenty-one years ago)

DAMN YOU STERLING FOR STEALING MY ANSWER.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 28 November 2003 15:40 (twenty-one years ago)

"The Hurricane" where the bad cop is all like "You meddling kids aren't in TORONTO anymore!" and you can see King St W in the background

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Friday, 28 November 2003 15:43 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.alien-ufos.com/images/govmilapollohoax/lighting1.jpg

― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Friday, 28 November 2003 15:45 (twenty-one years ago)

'Dancer in the Dark', although I think it's supposed to be part of the fun. I haven't seen 'Dogville' but I think it's the same only more so.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Friday, 28 November 2003 21:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Er? The only NYC part of the whole thing was the interior of a nightclub

No, there are scenes set where Arthur is walking around in what is supposed to be New York. It is in fact Croydon.

― tokyo rosemary (rosemary), Friday, 28 November 2003 21:48 (twenty-one years ago)

*thinks* Oh you mean the 1984 sequences. I dunno, just seemed like it was supposed to be generic everylocation, a la Brazil.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 28 November 2003 22:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Forbidden Planet

― jel -- (jel), Friday, 28 November 2003 22:46 (twenty-one years ago)

movies shot in toronto all look the same

― s1utsky (slutsky), Friday, 28 November 2003 23:11 (twenty-one years ago)

C-Rawk, the first X-Men was shot in Montreal.

Parts were filmed in the Toronto area. In particular the fight between Sabertooth and Wolverine happened near the Seaton Hiking trail in Pickering (eastern suburb).

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Saturday, 29 November 2003 03:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Almost no movies supposedly taking place in Detroit bear even a passing resemblance to the city. Even eight mile created fake places that don't really exist; while there really is a club called 'the shelter' in the basement of an old church, the one you see in the movie is actually a false facade set in front of an abandoned dry cleaner's. The rest of eight mile is shot out in the decrepit neighborhoods; Detroit actually does have a downtown and financial district.

― webcrack (music=crack), Saturday, 29 November 2003 03:54 (twenty-one years ago)

the last samurai is definitely taranaki. Especially the pine plantation and the tree ferns. and the mountain.

― isadora (isadora), Saturday, 29 November 2003 23:32 (twenty-one years ago)

eyes wide shut.

ny ? ah, no that'll be a blindingly obvious london mock up.

― piscesboy, Sunday, 30 November 2003 09:31 (twenty-one years ago)

i never got how superman was able to walk to the fortress of solitude in superman ii

― cinniblount (James Blount), Sunday, 30 November 2003 09:37 (twenty-one years ago)

seriously

― s1utsky (slutsky), Sunday, 30 November 2003 17:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Fact: "Escape from New York" by John Carpenter was shot in St.Louis.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 30 November 2003 19:09 (twenty-one years ago)

really?

― s1utsky (slutsky), Sunday, 30 November 2003 19:36 (twenty-one years ago)

also, the parts of Goldfinger that take part in and around Fort Knox in Kentucky were actually shot in Switzerland, I'm pretty sure.

― hstencil, Sunday, 30 November 2003 19:39 (twenty-one years ago)

In the second "Die Hard" ("Die Harder"? "Die Hard 2"?), there's a scene wherein Willis is supposed to be on the phone in a Washington D.C. airport, despite the fact that the phone in the booth clearly reads PACIFIC BELL.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 30 November 2003 20:06 (twenty-one years ago)

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

― s1utsky (slutsky), Sunday, 30 November 2003 20:34 (twenty-one years ago)

actually, I think I remember that one... I think it appeared in premiere magazine's vaunted "gaffe squad" column back in the day

(the gaffe squad has since been disbanded, I hear, and work as ronin-style continuity mercenaries)

― s1utsky (slutsky), Sunday, 30 November 2003 20:36 (twenty-one years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.