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16 December 2024
Movies featuring spectacular natural landscapes
|For soul-stirring natural vistas in full technicolour, these movies with beautiful scenery are a feast for the eyes. From the gilded deserts of Jordan to the summer fields of Provence or the icy clutches of winter in the Canadian Rockies, with these movies set in nature, you’ll be touring the world from your armchair – and they could inspire your next great adventure.
Lawrence of Arabia: Morocco, Jordan and Spain
The remote desert landscapes that captivated Lawrence of Arabia have remained largely unchanged since he penned his famous World War I memoirs. Timeless and vast, the arid realms of Jordan’s Wadi Rum feature highly in the movie. Released in the early 1960s, the dramatic film scenery had a resounding impact on audiences – not least the magical Rose City of Petra. Those lucky enough to visit will feel they are following in the great explorer’s footsteps, gazing up at the imposing sandstone facade of the Treasury, stepping into fortified desert castles or lying back under sparkling night skies in a Wadi Rum Bedouin camp.
Beyond Jordan, Morocco played another starring role in the movie’s natural landscapes. Aït Benhaddou, a striking fortified desert town and UNESCO World Heritage Site was built in red clay, blending with the red of the surrounding landscape. On the fringes of the Sahara, it was an important stop on the desert caravan route to Marrakech and has featured in several other movies, including Gladiator. Moving across to Spain, several atmospheric corners of the Arabic-influenced southern city of Sevilla stood in for Cairo, Damascus, and Jerusalem.
At Eternity’s Gate: France
Next on our list of movies with beautiful scenery is At Eternity’s Gate: mostly shot on location in Arles, Bouches-du-Rhône and Auvers-sur-Oise in the South of France, it transports the viewer into the landscapes that inspired Van Gogh’s greatest works. He revelled in the beauty of nature, but famously struggled with his mental health and his poor reception as an artist. In tune with the mood of Van Gogh in the movie, the pastoral landscapes of Provence are tinted sometimes yellow, sometimes blue. To get a taste for the subject matter of his paintings – those vivid sunflower blooms, luscious dappled light and bright, star-filled night skies – a visit to rural Provence in summer is a must.
A Passage to India: India
A Passage to India is set in the 1920s, in a very different country from the India of today. Much of the film was shot indoors at Bangalore Palace and Pinewood Studios, London. But it’s the natural landscapes that loom largest in the memory of the viewer, most notably when the party take a trip to the Marabar Caves. To follow in their footsteps, you’ll need to travel to Karnataka in southwestern India and hike around the striking monolithic hills of Savandurga.
Death on the Nile (1978): Egypt
Although the 2022 movie, Death on the Nile, was mostly filmed in the UK, the 1978 movie was made on location in Egypt, and its iconic landscapes make it a chart-topper in our selection of movies with beautiful scenery. Set sail for the sumptuous world of the movie on a cruise along the River Nile, call in for cocktails at the Old Cataract Hotel, and wander the age-old sights of Aswan, Luxor and Cairo.
The Revenant: Canada and Argentina
The wild landscapes of The Revenant are both terrifying and achingly beautiful. Vast snowfields, rushing rivers, endless snow-covered pine forests and foreboding skies combine to create a unique atmosphere. Within the world of the movie, these are harsh and hostile landscapes – but rising above the human drama, the film scenery is elemental and awe-inspiring.
Although the story was set in the US, it was mostly filmed in Kananaskis Country, Alberta, in the wintery Canadian Rockies. This wilderness area of protected reserves is much kinder in the summer months and ideal for hiking. The final scenes of the movie were shot around the Olivia River near Ushuaia, on Argentina’s icy southern tip, Tierra del Fuego.
Seven Years in Tibet: Tibet
Shooting the gorgeous mountain film scenery of Seven Years in Tibet was actually a globetrotting affair. Scenes were shot in Argentina, Canada, Nepal and Austria with just a handful of shots recorded in Tibet. But for those looking for a glimpse of the essence of the film, it’s the beauty of the Tibetan people and the hallowed atmosphere of Tibet’s mountain monasteries that will evoke it.
Out of Africa: Kenya
The romance of Out of Africa’s love story goes hand in hand with the dazzling landscapes of Kenya. Picnics overlooking vast savannah, wild river shampoos (if you know, you know) and shared sunsets over the Maasai Mara, all had audiences swooning over the beauty of Kenya. With many of the movie locations now designated national parks, exploring these arresting landscapes today is easy.
The Maasai Mara lies on the border with Tanzania and is a vast natural landscape famous for wildlife safaris. Elsewhere, the iconic Ngong Hills are instantly recognisable from the movie, and are where the real-life protagonists once lived.
Hero: China
When it comes to movies with beautiful scenery, you may find no better than Hero, a 2002 release which spectacularly incorporates China‘s nature and landscape into its film scenery. Waterfalls, lakes, golden leaves and forested mountains form a serene backdrop to the film’s signature ballet-like fight scenes. The stunning Arrow Bamboo Lake in Jiuzhaigou National Park, northern Sichuan was one such location. Here, the mirrored surface of the lake reflects the surrounding forested mountains. Travellers can seek it out by taking a high-speed train journey from Chengdu.
The Lord of the Rings: New Zealand
The epic trilogy of the Lord of the Rings demanded some truly epic film scenery, and New Zealand more than stepped up to the mark. The combined running time of the films is over 11 hours shot at 150 locations across New Zealand’s two islands. In terms of natural landscapes, these have to be some of the most varied and beautiful movies of the 21st century.
Fans of the trilogy can easily tour the locations of the Shire, Middle Earth and beyond. Step into the Gardens of Isengard, roam Rivendell or walk the Paths of the Dead around Wellington on North Island. Then, continue your quest to the South Island and the Southern Lakes for mountain-top views of Middle Earth and hikes through the Fangorn Forest, in New Zealand’s Fiordland.
Make it happen
Feeling inspired by these movies with beautiful scenery to plan a cinematic escape of your own? Relive epic moments from the big screen with help from our local experts, who will tailor-make a vacation you won’t soon forget.
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