“I have been there!” is something most of us have thought while watching a film, and often the real setting is somewhere you would never guess. The SPRACHCAFFE team has gathered some of the most famous film locations near our language schools, city by city, so you can walk straight onto the set on your next study trip.
Famous Filming Locations Near SPRACHCAFFE Schools
1. MALTA
Troy
Golden Bay is one of Malta's longest sandy beaches. This heavenly bay provides the perfect movie set. This was obvious to director Wolfgang Petersen, who filmed a few scenes for the blockbuster Troy there. Of course, the actual remnants of the city of Troy are in Turkey and are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is why shooting the film mainly took place in Malta and Mexico.
The scene with the ship at the beginning of the film was shot in Malta, as were the scenes showing the inside of Troy. The beach at Mellieħa Bay and the small town of Mellieħa were also filming locations. Part of the beach at Mellieħa Bay can be seen when Odysseus (Sean Bean) appeals to the hero Achilles (Brad Pitt) for support in battle against the Trojans.
Gladiator and much more
Gladiator, released in 2000, was not only shot in Rome, as some may expect. Large parts of ancient Rome were shot at Fort Ricasoli in Malta. The producers even had a replica of the Roman Colosseum built in Malta, about a third of the size of the original structure. I could go on listing films that were shot in Malta, the most recent of which is probably the Assassin's Creed film, released in 2016. However, the list would be too long. If you want to discover more you can join a Malta Film Tour and find out which districts have served as movie sets.
Game of Thrones
Lastly, we would be foolish to ignore the fact that it is not only films that are seduced by Malta's allure. Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogos' wedding scene in the beloved Game of Thrones series was filmed on the Maltese island of Gozo in front of the famous Azure Window.
The renowned natural arch sadly broke apart during a storm in March 2017. More filming locations for the fantasy series can be found in Malta though, such as Verdala Palace, residence of the merchant Illyrio in the series, who establishes the alliance between the Targaryen brother and sister and the Dothraki in the first season.
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2. FLORENCE
Hannibal
After detective Starling in the film Hannibal receives a handwritten note from Hannibal Lecter, which emits a strange fragrance, she discovers from a perfume expert that the ingredients for the skin cream from which the smell comes can only be bought from a few shops in the world, and eventually travels to Florence. We see the setting of Florence in the 2001 film as Dr. Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) walks across Ponte Vecchio. Since Lecter is also portrayed as a music and art lover despite his feral urges, even the Uffizi Gallery features in the film.
Inferno
The film adaptation of Dan Brown's novel, Inferno, was also produced in close cooperation with the city of Florence, through which Robert Langdon scurries to prevent the outbreak of an epidemic. As the symbologist gets his clues from works of art, the film also gives you a taste of the magnificent art that awaits you in Florence.
3. FRANKFURT
What a Man
Most German films are shot in Berlin, but Frankfurt has become a popular location in recent years.
The best-known example is Matthias Schweighöfer's What a Man (2011), which follows a Frankfurt primary-school teacher trying to work out what makes a man a man. The opening scene, as he cycles over the Eiserner Steg with its fine view of the skyline, is especially memorable, and the Palmengarten, the Opernplatz in front of the Alte Oper, the Eissporthalle and the Schillerschule in Sachsenhausen all feature. Singer Philipp Poisel recorded the ballad Eiserner Steg for the film.
Other titles shot in the city include the comedies Schlussmacher and Männerhort.
4. LONDON
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Any Harry Potter fan knows the series is full of London settings, the most memorable being platform nine and three-quarters at King's Cross, where a sign and half a luggage trolley now protrude from the wall of the main concourse.
Harry's first encounter with a snake, a Burmese python, was filmed at London Zoo, where a plaque marks the spot, and the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron sits at 42 Bull's Head Passage, just around the corner from Leadenhall Market, which stood in for Diagon Alley.
A Clockwork Orange
On a very different note, Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange (1971) was so controversial it was withdrawn in Britain until 2000; it is set in a dystopian London, filmed largely around Brutalist landmarks such as the Thamesmead Estate near Woolwich, with other scenes shot near Wandsworth Bridge and by the grand Albert Bridge.
5. NEW YORK
Taxi Driver Considered by many to be the best film set in New York, Taxi Driver perfectly captured the murky underworld of New York in the 1970s. Robert De Niro plays main character, Travis Bickle, a young Vietnam veteran working the night shift in his yellow cab.
Bickle's lack of human interaction and sleep, and his observance of the seedy reality of night-time New York, combine until his disgust drives him to do something about the crime and corruption around him.
Much of the movie shows Bickle navigating his way through the Greenwich Village and Hell's Kitchen neighborhoods of New York, although director Martin Scorsese mostly avoided widely recognizable locations. One discernible location, however, is Columbus Circle, where Bickle nearly goes through with his plan to shoot a politician.
The ugliest scenes, including when Bickle shoots a pimp (Harvey Keitel) in a doorway, were shot on East 13th Street, now a much cleaner district than in the 70s. Aside from specific locations, the constant flicker of neon lights masterfully visualizes the insomnia of the city that never sleeps.
6. PARIS
Amélie (2001) is one of the most adored films set in the French capital, and most of it unfolds in the hilltop district of Montmartre, which feels like a village despite sitting close to the centre. The Sacré-Cœur Basilica appears repeatedly, and the café where Amélie works, the Café des Deux Moulins, is a real place at 15 rue Lepic that still serves a crème brûlée named after the film. Fans also seek out the Lamarck-Caulaincourt Metro station and the wooden Pont des Arts by the Louvre, where Amélie is overcome with a sudden urge to help the world.
Summary
Some of cinema's most famous film locations sit within reach of SPRACHCAFFE's schools: Troy, Gladiator and Game of Thrones in Malta, Hannibal and Inferno in Florence, What a Man in Frankfurt, Harry Potter and A Clockwork Orange in London, Taxi Driver in New York and Amélie in Paris. Study in any of these cities and you can tour the sets between lessons, and perhaps spot a few we missed.
FAQ
Malta has doubled for many productions; Golden Bay and Mellieħa Bay, for instance, stood in for scenes in the epic Troy, since the real site of Troy is in Turkey.
Its varied coastline, historic towns and reliable sunshine make it a flexible, cost-effective stand-in for many different settings, from ancient cities to open sea.
Yes. Many famous locations sit close to SPRACHCAFFE schools, so a study trip lets you walk straight onto real film sets in your free time.
Many are public beaches, streets or squares that anyone can visit freely, though some historic sites and attractions charge an entry fee.
Language schools in these cities put the locations on your doorstep.
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