Travel Destinations Based on the 40 Greatest Movies
“Sunset Boulevard” — Los Angeles
This 1950 film noir is regarded by some to be one of the best movies ever made about Hollywood life. Gloria Swanson played a fading silent film star who living in delusion that she will soon make a triumphant return to the screen. Her mansion (where she lived secluded) was the former Getty Mansion, which is now demolished. However film buffs can still visit Sunset Boulevard to see the elaborate gate which played the driveway up to the house.
“The Godfather” — New York City
“Citizen Kane“ — Long Island
Considered by some to be one of the greatest movies of all time, “Citizen Kane” is difficult to pin to just one location. Much of the filming was done out in California, whether in RKO Studios in Hollywood or out in Pasadena or San Diego. It’s reported that Hearst Castle in California was Welles’s inspiration for the Xanadu mansion — although the actual filming was done at Oheka Castle in Huntington, New York.
“Mad Max: Fury Road” — Namibia
“Casablanca” — Morocco
Film lovers can head to Casablanca, Morocco with the intention of experiencing some of the movie’s locations, however they will most likely leave disappointed. Most of the movie was shot in a studio in Los Angeles. For the more exotic-looking shots, film crews ventured to the sands of Arizona, near Yuma and Flagstaff.
But diehard fans can still venture to Casablanca and still find some mementos from the film: There’s a replica of Rick’s Cafe set up in the city.
“Boyhood” — Texas
“Moonlight” — Miami
This movie that made Oscar history opens its lens on a side of Miami rarely visited by tourists. Much of the film centers around the community in Liberty City, but they also ventured to the coastline, filming on Miami and Virginia Key beaches. Diehard fans of the film can also visit Jimmy’s Eastside Diner, the location of the film’s emotional ending reunion scene.
“Get Out” — Alabama
This year’s biggest psychological horror hit features a town off the beaten path. In the movie, a young couple goes back to Fairhope, Alabama to meet the parents. The only caveat is that the parents’ house — which you can visit on Heathcroft Lane — is haunted. The rest of the town is renowned for its laidback Southern coastal lifestyle, especially the scenic bluffs that overlook Mobile Bay.
“All About Eve” — New York City
Filmed in New York City in 1950, “All About Eve” is a scenic look back at mid-20th century Manhattan, particularly its booming theatre scene. Travelers who want to step back in time can still visit some of the locations where Bette Davis, Anne Baxter and Marilyn Monroe filmed, including the John Golden Theatre on West 45th Street and the 21 Club on West 52nd Street.
“E.T. the Extra Terrestrial” — Los Angeles
The suburbs of Los Angeles became a portal to an out-of-this-world adventure in Steven Spielberg’s 1982 classic. The neighborhoods of Tujunga, Porter Ranch and Granada Hills were used to film the scenes in Elliot’s neighborhood, including the iconic Reese’s Pieces trail. Tourists can head to Culver City High School to see where the movie’s classroom scenes were shot or head to the intersection of White Oak Boulevard and Tulsa Street in Granada Hills to see the exact spot where Elliot’s bike starts to take off into the sky with E.T. in the basket.
“Singin’ in the Rain” — Los Angeles
“A Hard Day’s Night” — London
This 1964 madcap cemented The Beatles’ status as celebrities with staying power. In the film, the mischievous foursome must venture down from Liverpool to London for a gig — however things don’t stop going awry. The movie showcased swinging London in the ‘60s, including hotspots like Les Ambassadeurs Club. They ran up and down the Thames to places like La Scala theatre, Marylebone Station and through the gates of Notting Hill.
“The Maltese Falcon” — San Francisco
The fog of San Francisco was a perfect backdrop for this 1941 mystery, often considered one of the best examples of film noir. Although many of the interior shots were made down in Los Angeles, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, Ferry Building and Bush Street gave an eerie, suspenseful feel to the unpredictable crime story.
“12 Years a Slave” — Louisiana
“Rear Window” — New York City
While some New Yorkers may never get to know their neighbors, the characters in this classic Hitchcock film get to know the people across the street very, very intimately. Unfortunately the movie was shot entirely at Los Angeles studios, but rumor has it that Hitchcock was inspired by a very real house on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village, New York City. Visitors will notice that the building (and its neighbors) are near-identical to Hitchcock’s set.
“Psycho” — Phoenix
“Taxi Driver” — New York City
After coming home from the Vietnam War, Travis Bickle (as played by Robert de Niro) ends up in the seedier parts of 1970s New York City. The movie features many shots of Times Square and its XXX theaters at the time — most of which were revamped and taken out during Mayor Giuliani’s infamous city clean-up.
“Spotlight” — Boston
“Selma” — Selma, Alabama
Not all of “Selma” was shot in Selma, Alabama — although much of the movie was. The filming locations stayed fairly true to the history they were depicting. Scenes that would have taken place at the Georgia State Capitol were done on location in Atlanta while the end of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s historic march actually did take place (and filmed) in Montgomery, Alabama.
“Argo” — Istanbul
When depicting a classified and covert CIA mission about the Iranian Hostage Crisis, it’s highly unlikely that film crews are going to be able to shoot in the exact locations — although “Argo” was fairly accurate. While they did not actually film in Tehran, they journeyed to Istanbul to film at the Hagia Sophia. The crew also shot in and around Washington, D.C. for the government scenes.
“The Philadelphia Story” — Philadelphia
“Seven Samurai” — Japan
Akira Kurosawa’s best-known film, “Seven Samurai,” was set in a small mountain village attacked by bandits. Kurosawa filmed on Japan’s Izu Peninsula — although it wasn’t a real place. Film crews built an entire isolated set to bring the village to life. The location is now part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park.
“The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” — Tampico, Mexico
This 1948 adventure movie starring Humphrey Bogart was done almost completely on location. While hunting for the wealths hidden in the Sierra Madre mountains, the film crosses plenty of terrain in Mexico, including Tampico, Acapulco and the famous mountains themselves. For shots that couldn’t be done down in Mexico, film crews shot in Arizona and California.
“Bicycle Thieves” — Rome
“The 400 Blows” — Paris
Francois Truffaut's directorial debut followed a young boy as he descends into a life of crime, mainly on Paris’s right bank. Antoine (as the main character is called) is supposed to attend school and live in Paris’s 9th arrondissement. Throughout the film, Antoine runs around the sites of Paris, visiting Sacre Coeur, the Grands Boulevards and even the Champs-Elysees.
“A Streetcar Named Desire” — New Orleans
“Rosemary’s Baby” — New York City
“La La Land” — Los Angeles
Whether dining at Grand Central Market or riding the Angel’s Flight funicular, “La La Land” gives viewers a whirlwind tour of everything Los Angeles — even right down to being stuck in traffic on the freeway.
“Vertigo” — San Francisco
“The Babadook” — Adelaide, Australia
“Gone With The Wind” — California
For a movie so deeply rooted in the South, all of “Gone With the Wind” was actually shot out West, mostly in a Hollywood studio. However there were a few location scenes. The barbeque at Twelve Oaks was shot at the Busch Gardens estate in Pasadena while the outdoor scenes at Tara were shot in Northern California in Chico, about 90 miles north of Sacramento. The scene where Scarlett decries that she’ll “never be hungry again” was shot early in the morning at Lasky Mesa in Northwest L.A.
“L.A. Confidential” — Los Angeles
“The Good, the Bad & the Ugly” — Andalucia, Spain
Spaghetti Westerns were renowned for the international production. Directed by Italian Sergio Leone and shot mainly in Spain, “The Good, the Bad & the Ugly” transformed the landscapes of Andalucia into the wild west. Most of the battle scenes were shot in Castilla y León, but film crews did also venture out to Granada and Madrid to shoot some of the more urban scenes.
“Lawrence of Arabia” — Morocco
“Jaws” — Martha’s Vineyard
“The Grapes of Wrath” — American Southwest
“Tokyo Story” — Tokyo
“The Hurt Locker” — Jordan
Kathryn Bigelow’s 2008 film about the Iraq War was actually shot mostly in Jordan. Although scouts had considered filming the desert scenes in Morocco, Bigelow wanted the film to be as authentic as possible. Amman stood in for Baghdad while some of the other scenes were shot elsewhere in Jordan, just a few miles from the Iraqi border.
“The Wrestler” — New Jersey
The story of a wrestler who is too old for his job was shot across New Jersey in several authentic locations. The strip club where Marisa Tomei’s character works is a real club in Linden called Cheeques — complete with the cheeky logo that appears in the film. When Mickey Rourke’s character ends up in the hospital, it was the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Rahway. Filming also took place in Asbury Park, Dover and Elizabeth, New Jersey.
“Army of Shadows” — France
Jean-Pierre Melville’s 1969 film about the underground resistance movie in Nazi-occupied France was shot on location as often as possible. The characters meet up secretly down in Marseilles, venture up to the Free French headquarters in London, escape prison in Lyon and go on covert missions in Paris’s eighth arrondissement.
Lights, camera, boarding pass.