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Phil Connors Hotel
I’m a god. I’m not the God, I don’t think. (…) I have been stabbed, shot, poisoned, frozen, hung, electrocuted and burned. Every morning I wake up fine, not a dent in the fender. I am an immortal.
Phil Connors (Bill Murray)
If the plot of Groundhog Day takes place in Pennsylvania, in the small town of Punxsutawney, the shooting took place in Woodstock, Illinois. The scriptwriter Danny Rubin wished from the start to immerse his characters in the atmosphere of this village whose inhabitants feverishly wait for the date of February 2nd to celebrate the Groundhog Day, a real popular festival placed at the center of the dynamics of his script. From the beginning, Harold Ramis wanted to shoot in a typical American small town. Of course, there is talk of exploiting the real Punxsutawney, but the production is hardly seduced by the available sites. However, it is in this village that the real marmot resides, capable, according to legend, of predicting the arrival of spring. Finally, it is in Woodstock that the first cranking is given, on March 16, 1992. The weather is freezing. Bill Murray in particular, always quick to make himself heard, complains about the extreme weather conditions. The tension is often palpable between the latter and the director. The Cherry Tree Inn is the nerve centre of the story and shines brightly on the screen. Nevertheless, all the interior scenes, and thus the famous awakening sequences, are shot in the studio. The team uses other places in the city. Later, the city will even have a plaque placed on the sidewalk in the exact spot where Phil Connors stepped into a puddle of ice water. A memory of the eventful shooting of an iconic film that has been quoted and parodied many times. An endless cult.
Strangely inspired by Anne Rice’s novel Lestat the Vampire and the idea of immortality, Groundhog Day was released in American cinemas on February 12, 1993. It was an immediate success and the critics were enthusiastic. Nevertheless, over the years, the film has acquired its cult status, to the point of being included in the prestigious National Film Registry in 2006.
In the bonus DVD of the film, Harold Ramis said that Phil Connors was stuck in time for ten years.
The Cherry Tree Inn Bed and Breakfast
If this superb Victorian building of The Cherry Tree Inn is forever associated with Groundhog Day, it has long been a symbol of old-fashioned living in the heart of Woodstock.
The Cherry Tree Inn Bed & Breakfast has been welcoming visitors for many years and has become one of the most popular resorts in the area. In summer and winter alike, nature enhances the noble curves of this house, which hides several cozy and comfortable rooms. Recently restored, the establishment also knows how to exploit its fame due to the film, as evidenced by the plaque affixed to the gate, reminding us that it is indeed here that Phil Connors once found himself stuck.
The Fantrippers Buying Board
Cult! movies: 100 mythical places of cinema [French Edition]
Since the dawn of cinema, films have invaded the world and highlighted sometimes unexpected places. Every film location has its secrets. The latter are sometimes as exciting as the feature films themselves.
Did you know that the cemetery where the final duel of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly was built from scratch and that no body lies there? Or that the bus ofInto The Wild has been moved to discourage fans from spending the night there? From the story of the construction of The Bridge on the River Kwai to the incredible encounter during the shooting of the last scene ofIndiana Jones and the Last Crusadeembark on an exciting world tour with the greatest stars of the seventh art. Shiver in the real haunted house ofAmityville and discover the terrifying anecdotes of the making ofApocalypse Now in the Philippines. Visit the building of Blade Runner before stopping at Hogwarts and finally landing in Jurassic Parkin the middle of the Hawaiian archipelago. What if we also took you behind the scenes of the making of the Hobbits’ village of Lord of the Rings ?
Produced by a team of pop-culture specialists and enhanced by numerous anecdotes, Cult! movies tells the secrets of the places that made the history of cinema.
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Discover all the places Groundhog Day on our map
By Gilles Rolland
Passionné de cinéma, de rock and roll, de séries TV et de littérature. Rédacteur de presse et auteur des livres Le Heavy Metal au cinéma, Paroles de fans Guns N' Roses, Paroles de fans Rammstein et Welcome to my Jungle : 100 albums rock et autres anecdotes dépareillées. Adore également voyager à la recherche des lieux les plus emblématiques de la pop culture.