Have you ever left a movie and remembered more about the film's location than the actual plot? Film has long inspired viewers to get out there and experience the world and tourism operators recognize the value that a great film can have to its destination. Go it alone or take advantage of movie tours that have sprung up around the world, highlighting everything from epic blockbusters to indie/art flicks and cult classics.
Secret London Walks and Visits (tel. +44/20-8881-2933; www.secretlondonwalks.co.uk) arranges London tours taking into movie landmarks and settings from films like Closer, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bridget Jones' Diary and Shakespeare in Love. London guide Diane Burstein will lead you in the footsteps of Jude Law, Hugh Grant, Ralph Fiennes, Renée Zellweger and other stars of the big screen to discover some of London's best known and hidden locations. This tour is available in either a full-day, early evening or half-day versions. If you have transportation at your disposal, a full-day tour can include further sites associated with films like Notting Hill, The Elephant Man and the recent James Bond movies.
The Lord of the Rings series of films was possibly the best unpaid advertising for New Zealand, which served as the location for all three movies. Middle Earth was beautifully represented by the stunning mountains and landscapes of New Zealand's north and south islands. Wellington Rover Tours (www.wellingtonrover.co.nz) runs a one-day tour that visits the locations used to represent the outskirts of the Shire, the Village of Bree, Rivendell, Fords of Isen, Gardens of Isengard, River Anduin, Minas Tirith and Helms Deep. The tour includes an orc-sized picnic lunch, scene shots to relive the movies, transport and pick-up from Wellington hotels, free souvenir map, short walks and a friendly informative storytelling guide for NZ$150.
I am a huge fan of the 2004 cult classic Napoleon Dynamite set in Preston, Idaho, and it seems that the people of Preston are proud of their favorite home town hero, too. Each summer (well for the last two years at least) they hold a Napoleon Dynamite festival featuring dance contests, happy hands competitions and tetherball games in homage to key movie scenes. Consider heading to Preston next July for the third annual celebration. The town's website also sells T-shirts and tote bags, and commends local filmmakers Jared and Jerusha Hess for showcasing the positive aspects of Idaho's youth, rural culture, education system, athletics, economic prosperity, and diversity. Visit www.seidaho.org/napoleon_dynamite.html for more information and fun photos of this year's event.
A film that inspired me to travel was the 1988 Italian classic, Cinema Paradiso. (If you haven't seen it -- please do -- you'll thank me.) Set in the fictional Sicilian town of Giancaldo, the film depicts Sicilian village life, even though it was actually filmed in a number of different areas, including the towns of Palazzo Adriano, Bagheria and Cefalu. A few years after watching the movie, I set off to uncover Sicily and was in awe of the beauty and sheer rustic nature of the island that I had seen portrayed so imaginatively and passionately in the film. Although there are no formal Cinema Paradiso tours, you too can visit Palazzo Adriano, located about 60 miles from the Palermo Airport. Stay at the nearby Abbazia di Santa Maria del Bosco, a 13th-century Benedictine abbey on the edge of a forest in the Sicani Hills. It features twelve bedrooms converted from monks' cells and a chapel. Contact ThinkSicily (+44/20 7377-8518; www.thinksicily.com) for 2007 prices which are not yet available on the website.
Films can also inspire when the location is not so appealing. In the 2002 Brazilian classic City of God, cinematographers cruelly but accurately bring to the screen a portrayal of Rio's infamous Vidigal Favela on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. This is not the beautiful Ipanema or Copacabana that most tourists visiting Rio experience. This is an ugly, violent and poverty-stricken area but the film has raised awareness of the favela and others like it located in and around Rio (any other parts of Brazil), often in areas with scenic views over the Atlantic and Rio's famed beaches. The film has also led to an increased demand for tours. Visit www.gringoguides.com/favelas.shtml for more information. Favela tours can be arranged through most local travel agencies and hotels.
One recent film that caused a tourism frenzy was Sofia Coppola's 2003 critically acclaimed Lost in Translation set almost entirely inside the Park Hyatt Tokyo (tel. 03/5322-1288; www.parkhyatttokyo.com), which occupies the 14 top floors of a 52-storey skyscraper. The film also highlighted two of Tokyo's most colorful and neon-saturated areas -- Shinjuku and Shibuya. The main character, played by Bill Murray, spends most of his nights in the New York Bar on the hotel's top floor but if you'd like to follow in his footsteps, be aware that although it boasts amazing views of the city, the cheapest beer will set you back over $8 and there is a cover charge of double that after 8pm. If you'd like to stay here, twin room rates start at approximately $320 per night. The director and the crew stayed at the Oakwood Residence Aoyama (tel. 03/5786-7800; www.oakwood.com) located in Tokyo's creative hub, Aoyama, the heart of Tokyo's fashion, music and art world. Rates for a studio apartment at Oakwood Residence Aoyama start at approximately $140 per night (although the website quotes for stays of a minimum of one month). Two years ago, Japanese tour companies were scrambling all over each other to put together Lost in Translation packages that featured stays at the Park Hyatt, bullet train rides to Kyoto plus miscellaneous guide books and maps that retraced the steps of the film's main characters. Unfortunately a quick phone around of seven travel companies revealed that these packages no longer exist so you may need to recreate the locations on your own.
2004's Sideways not only got people interested in wine (Merlot aside), it got people traveling into the Santa Barbara wine country in the http://www.frommers.com/destinations/santaynezvalley/ Santa Ynez Valley, California to have a Sideways weekend of their own. Miles and Jack's wine maps, recreating the route and vineyards they visited, are available at from the Santa Barbara Conference and Visitors Bureau at www.santabarbaraca.com/docs/sideways-map.pdf. A free do-it- yourself wine tour following the route and including information about scenes in the film is available by clicking here. The Wine Valley Inn (tel. 805/688-2111; www.winevalleyinn.com) located in Solvang offers a Sideways package for stays from Sundays to Thursdays ($120 per night) or two-night weekend packages priced at $440 for a Friday and Saturday night stay. Receive an official Sideways movie location map upon arrival to help you explore. Your choice of accommodations includes either a Chateau Loft Suite or a Fireplace Deluxe room. Two Wine Valley Inn signature wine glasses and corkscrew are part of the deal. Begin the morning with the Inn's continental breakfast buffet. Then, just like Miles and Jack, savor authentic Danish fare at the nearby Solvang Restaurant with a $25 gift certificate plus get two movie ticket passes valid at any AMC Theater across the country.
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