Some films are so good that you want to be one of the cast. You want to live the drama or at least walk around and enjoy the neon-lit, almost surreal backdrop of Lost in Translation, the sweeping panoramas of Lord of the Rings, or the architectural wizardry of Harry Potter.
Unless you want to relive 2001: A Space Odyssey or Avatar, most film locations are accessible. All you need is a flight ticket and somewhere to stay.
Harry Potter films
A lot of the locations for the Harry Potter films are in London. Take a train from London’s King’s Cross Station to see the platform from where the Hogwarts Express departs while the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron is at the Victorian Leadenhall Market. For other locations, you will have to travel outside London. To see Hogwarts, you will have to go to Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, while Durham Cathedral is up north in Durham.
Pride and Prejudice
Joe Wright’s 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, starring Keira Kneightley, is especially memorable because of its lavish setting. Most of the film is set in Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Kent. Stamford, a town near the Peak District, doubles up as Meryton Village in the film while Chatsworth House in Derbyshire is Mr Darcy’s home. Knock at the door – he might invite you in.
Brief Encounter
David Lean’s 1945 film Brief Encounter is a classic. For those wanting to relive the encounter between Laura Jesson and Alec Harve, you can take a train to Carnforth Station in Lancashire and stop for a cup of tea at the station cafe. Who knows? Maybe you’ll have a chance encounter.
Braveheart
This historical drama starring Mel Gibson and Sophie Marceau is memorable not only for its plot but also for its location. To cry “Freedom” on Braveheart’s trail, grab a pair of sturdy hiking boots and head out to Glencoe, Glen Nevis, and Loch Leven in the Scottish Highlands.
Notting Hill
In Notting Hill, the life of a bookshop owner (Hugh Grant) changes when he meets the most famous film star in the world (Julia Roberts). Your life probably changed a little bit when you first watched the film, so it’s only fair that you pay tribute to it by visiting the famous blue door of William Thacker’s flat. It’s at 280, Westbourne Park Road, Notting Hill, London.
Forrest Gump
Winner of six Academy Awards, this year Forrest Gump celebrates 20 years since it first showed. Directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks, the film was a celebration of simple values and unexpected courage. Most of Forrest Gump was filmed in a small area of South Carolina around Beaufort. The famous bench, where you can sit down and ponder how life is like a box of chocolates, is in Chippewa Square, Savannah, Georgia.
Lord of the Rings
Watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy, you would think that most of the locations look so magical and surreal because of clever camera work and editing trickery. And yet, when you visit New Zealand, you will realise that most of the country actually looks like that.
The village of Hobbiton in Middle Earth was built in Matamata, a lush dairy farming landscape about two hours from Auckland. Mount Victoria in Wellington has a concentration of Lord of the Rings locations. The forested areas of the town were used to double up as Hobbiton Woods while Hutt River starred as the River Anduin. For the film, Harcourt Park was transformed into the Gardens of Isengard while Wellington’s Kaitoke Regional Park was used to film scenes set in Rivendell.
If you want some battle action, drive up the west coast to Queen Elizabeth Park, which was used for filming the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. Over the hills are the Putangirua Pinnacles, where the Paths of the Dead lie.
Downton Abbey
The costumes, the drama, the plot, the snide comments courtesy of the Dowager Countess of Grantham – we love everything about Downton Abbey. And nothing encapsulates the television drama better than Downton Abbey itself.
In real life, the seat of the Grantham family’s power is Highclere Castle in Hampshire, the UK. Set in 1,000 acres of spectacular parkland, Highclere Castle has been home to the Carnarvon family since 1679. The castle itself stands on the site of an earlier house, which in turn was built on the foundations of a medieval palace owned by the Bishops of Winchester for eight centuries.
Jaws
It was the film that launched a fear of sharks and the career of Steven Spielberg. Jaws was filmed in Martha’s Vineyard, off the coast of Massachusetts in the US, where the fictitious Amity Island was built. Look at the ocean and fear the depths.