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Top 10 films shot in Barcelona
Barcelona and the movies
Founded by the Romans, Barcelona has architectural curiosities such as the Sagrada Familia and the Güell Park, but it is also the city with the largest metropolitan park in the world, the Coliserola Park, larger than New York’s Central Park. This astonishing metropolis seduces directors.
The Spanish Apartment
Franco-Hispanic film, The Spanish Apartment speaks to all Erasmus students. Xavier (Romain Duris) is coming to live in Spain for a year to encourage future employment. A change of scenery, culture shock, language difficulties, the daily worries of an expatriate, the feature film is funny, touching and very realistic. The Sagrada Familia is part of the landscape, as are the Plaça Reial, the Güell Park and the Maremagnum shopping centre.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Two American women who have come to Barcelona for the summer will embark on a love affair with a divorced man whose wife is known for her excessive violence. Woody Allen signs here his third collaboration with Scarlett Johansson after Match Point and Scoop in this very sulphurous film. On the filming side, the Sagrada Familia is of course present, as is the rooftop of Casa Milà, a building erected by the famous architect Gaudi, and Els Quatre Gats, a bar known to be the first exhibition space of a certain Pablo Picasso.
All about my mother
Having left the Catalan city pregnant and alone 17 years earlier, Manuela returns to Barcelona to find the father of her deceased son. A sad story, but one that allows you to discover Barcelona from a completely different angle. Places to visit include the Columbus Column, the Palace of Catalan Music and the Teatre Tivoli.
Rec
A low-budget horror film, Rec has made more than one viewer pale. Some sequences are chilling, and this was even the case for the actors during the shooting! They were thus not informed of the scene of the firefighter’s fall down the stairwell. So the terror in their eyes is very real and palpable. The building at 34 Rambla de Catalunya and the barracks located at Carrer de Provença, 147 are the main filming locations.
The Perfume
From a simple desire to create perfume to a murderer’s destiny devoured by the crowds, there is only one nose. Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (Ben Whishaw) knows this now. The action is supposed to be set in 18th century France, however it is Barcelona that appears on the screen. As far as filming locations are concerned, the Plaça de Mercè, the rue Ferran and the Plaça Reial are all part of the project.
Biutiful
A marginalized person living on the fringe of the organization of trafficking and immigrant labour, who has only a few months to live, will do everything to ensure the future of his children by redoubling his efforts and trying to reconnect with their mother, who suffers from bipolar disorder. Oscar for Best Actor for Javier Bardem, the film includes the Sagrada Familia, the street of Sant Pau and the place where Reial was filmed, as well as the cemetery of Sants. While filming in the latter location, the team allegedly vandalized the grave of the father of a 36-year-old woman. The producers were ordered to pay him €20,000 for this non-material damage.
The Passenger
A well-known but drifting reporter takes on the identity of an arms dealer completely by chance with the attendant problems. Munich, London and Barcelona are featured in this dramatic film by Michelangelo Antonioni. Catalan filming locations include Parc de la Ciutadella, Hotel Oriente and Palacio Güell.
Land and Freedom
Liverpool, 1994. A young woman finds elements of her participation in the Spanish Social Revolution of 1936 in the belongings of her grandfather, David. In a flashback, David is seen on his way to Barcelona to join the anti-Francoists. The La Ribera district is mainly in the spotlight in this film.
Un papillon sur l’épaule
A simple week-long stopover in Barcelona turns into a nightmare for Roland Fériaud (Lino Ventura), interned on a briefcase he has no memory of. A French film by Jacques Deray, Barcelona is visible from many angles in this production. A surprising anecdote, in the last scene of the film – attention spoilers -, Roland Fériaud, dies by collapsing on the ground while walking in the street. No extras were planned for this scene and the real passers-by showed total indifference to the lying man’s body. The Barcelona-França train station, the Sagrada Familia and the Hotel Colon are part of the scenery.
Unloading of a wheat ship in the port of Barcelona
One of the first films shot in Barcelona? Unloading a wheat ship in the port of Barcelona, a blockbuster by the famous Lumière brothers in 1896. As its name suggests, the video of a few seconds shows porters unloading heavy bags on the quays of the port of Barcelona.
The Fantrippers Buying Board
BARCELONA map of the 100 most famous places (French edition)
The Barcelona Fantrippers map, an original way to discover the city of Gaudí! Through 100 places of pop culture, walk its streets from another angle. Movies, TV shows, music, comics and novels, will allow you to spend a pleasant moment in the capital of Catalonia. With a folded format of 10 x 18 cm and an unfolded format of 60 x 54 cm, it can easily be put in your pocket or bag for consultation.
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By Damien Duarte
Passionné par la culture pop depuis son enfance, ses références vont de Donald Duck à Batman en passant par Marty McFly. Fantripper dans l'âme, voyager sur les traces de Ghostbusters, James Bond ou des héros de romans comme Cotton Malone fait partie d'un séjour idéal et réussi !