Holiday Barcelona Blog

Barcelona is often used as a film set by many moviemakers. One of the most famous Spanish directors is Pedro Almodovar. I'd like to present you some areas in Barcelona portrayed in several movies. Popular places in Barcelona are the Columbus Monument in Plaza del Portal de la Pau, the Gothic Quarter and Palau de la Música. If you watch the movies "All About My Mother","L'Auberge Espagnole" and "Scent of a Murderess" you'll notice that all those movie scenes were used in a complete different way.

Barcelona is often used as a film set by many moviemakers. One of the most famous Spanish directors is Pedro Almodovar. I'd like to present you some areas in Barcelona portrayed in several movies. Popular places in Barcelona are the Columbus Monument in Plaza del Portal de la Pau, the Gothic Quarter and Palau de la Música. If you watch the movies "All About My Mother","L'Auberge Espagnole" and "Scent of a Murderess" you'll notice that all those movie scenes were used in a complete different way. A less touristic place, but a very popular movie scene, is Plaza de Duc de Medinacelli. Maybe you remember this place from "All About My Mother" where Rosa (Penelope Cruz) told she played when she was a child.

Barcelona, more than Vicky Cristina

Vicky Cristina, a movie by Woody Allen, has many scenes in Barcelona. The Shopping center Maremagnum, the Cathedral Santa Maria del Mar, The Picasso Museum and the Sagrada Familia were used as a movie scene. All of those place were carefully chosen by Woody allen. In the movie "The Machinist" you can find a scene in the Tibidabo amusement park. Also there are many movies that do not arrive in our cinemas, but with scenes in Barcelona. For example "El Embrujo de Shanghai" by Fernando Trueba. One of the scenes in this movie was shot on the Moll de Fuste, a long wooden pier. The cemetery of Montjuïc and the prison of Modelo are oftenly used for more tragic scenes.

Even more movies in Barcelona

I'd like to present you a short list of the most famous movies and theire actors with scenes in Barcelona:

• The Passenger (1975): A movie with Jack Nicholson. It was the first movie that gave a nice view of the city of Barcelona. You'll find scenes on the terrace of Pedrera and several streets in Barcelona.
• All About My Mother (1999): The movie that put Barcelona in style. It marked the first time the director filmed in Barcelona, capturing the city's natural essence. The movie stars Penelope Cruz and Cecilia Roth. After this movie was made the film industrie began to look much more often to Barcelona as a film set.
• Uncovered (1994): A cinematic adaptation of the novel of the same name. The movie stars Kate Beckinsale and artfully features the architectue in the Ciudad Condal, particularly, that of Gaudí.
• Auberge Espangole (2002): One of the most popular French movies of the recent years. The movies was filmed in Paris and Barcelona. It tells the story of an exchange student in the Erasmus Program. It captures the Rambla, Parc Güell, the Sagrada Familia, the beaches of Barcelona and other sites of this youthful open-minded and dynamic city.
• The Machinist (2004): The movie features gorgeous sets from the city of Barcelona, including exterior shots of the Port and the Tibidabo Amusement Park.

There are too many movies with movie scenes in Barcelona to mention them all. Some other not mentioned movies are "Fragile", "Manuale d'Amore" and "Salvador". For movie addicts Barcelona is great place to visit. Stand in the footstep of the most famous actors. You can try to find the places used in several movies and see the scenes in different perspectives.