We know that great films, like all creative arts, can inspire. Here we bring you some of Spain’s stunning backdrops that you might have enjoyed on the silver screen. Some are obviously filmed in Spain but there are a few surprises in there you might not have expected!
Here are the 16 movies filmed in Spain we think you should check out:-
1. Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951)
Starring Ava Gardner and James Mason and directed by Albert Lewin, this is a story of a nightclub singer woman who falls in love with a Dutch ship’s captain. It was filmed mainly on the Costa Brava in Tossa del Mar where you’ll find a statute of the leading actress. The film is known for the relationship Gardener had with the bullfighter in the movie, played by Mario Cabre. Cabre wrote dozens of poems about the American actress and Gardner herself confessed in her memoirs that although this film was her least well known, it was certainly life-changing.
2. The Sun Also Rises (1957)
Based on the Hemingway book of the same name – this movie about the lost generation post WWI was shot in Paris, Biarritz, Pamplona and then Mexico. It was directed by Henry King and starred Tyrone Power, Ava Gardner and Errol Flynn, The scenes in Pamplona can be seen in the trailer below.
3. The Pride and the Passion (1957)
Directed by Stanley Kramer and starring Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, and Sophia Loren, this film is about the French occupation of Spain during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century. Although it is perhaps best known for the off-screen action which you can read about here. It was filmed at Cuenca, El Escorial, Segovia, Santiago de Compostela and Valdemoro in Spain. If you’ve ever wondered what Sophia Loren was like as a flamenco dancer, look no further 
4. Spartacus (1960)
Although many scenes were shot in Hollywood, director Stanley Kubrick insisted that all battle scenes be filmed on a vast plain outside Madrid. Starring Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier and Peter Ustinov, the film tells the story of a slave called Spartacus who leads a violent revolt against the decadent Roman Republic. Eight thousand trained soldiers from the Spanish infantry were used to double as the Roman army. All but one of the many gory battle scenes filmed were cut, due to negative audience reactions at preview screenings. Locations include Finca Navalahija at the Dehesa de Navalvillar at Colmenar Viejo and Alcalá de Henares in Madrid.
5. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Set during World War I in the Middle East, the film reveals the conflict of interest experienced by a British officer on duty. It was directed by David Lean and starred Peter O’Toole. The desert scenes were shot in Jordan, Morocco and Spain. The director had planned to film more in Jordan but had to move production to Spain, due to costs and outbreaks of illness among the cast and crew. The attack on Aqaba was reconstructed in a dried river bed by Carboneras in Almeria; it consisted of over 300 buildings and was meticulously based on the town’s appearance in 1917. The execution of Gasim, the train attacks and Deraa exteriors were filmed in the Almería region. The Sierra Nevada mountains were used to portray Azrak, Lawrence’s winter quarters. The city of Seville was used to represent Cairo, Jerusalem and Damascus, with the appearance of Casa de Pilatos, the Alcázar of Seville and the Plaza de España. All of the interiors were shot in Spain, including Lawrence’s first meeting with Faisal and the scene in Auda’s tent.
6. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
A Russian doctor and poet who is married falls in love with a political activist’s wife. The director was David Lean and starred Omar Sharif, Geraldine Chaplin and Julie Christie in its depiction of the First World War and the October Revolution. Since the book was banned in the Soviet Union, the movie was filmed largely in Spain, with additional scenes in Finland and Canada. 80% of the outdoor shots are said to be in Soria at locations such as El Moncayo, Ólvega and Gómara. The Varykino palace and estate and many scenes of Zhivago and Lara’s service in World War I were filmed in Soria. Madrid also appeared in the frame – the entire Moscow set was built from scratch outside of Madrid. The charge of the partisans across the frozen lake was filmed in Spain, too. Other locations include the Delicias train station in Madrid which is now home to the Rail Museum. The initial and final scenes were shot at the Aldeadávila Dam between Spain and Portugal in the region of Salamanca. Huesca and Granada were also used in the film. Rumour has it that Soria was offered a space station or a movie by the then US Ambassador in 1963 – and it chose the movie. Was it right? We think so
7. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
Directed by Sergio Leone. Starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach. This film, set in the American Civil War, is about three gunmen searching for a missing box of Confederate gold. After studio work in Italy (the movie was financed by Italians), the outdoor filming took place near Burgos in the north and Almería in the south. Several hundred Spanish soldiers were employed to build a cemetery near Carazo (Santo Domingo de Silos in the region of Burgos) with several thousand grave stones to resemble an ancient Roman circus.
8. Camelot (1967)
Directed by Joshua Logan. Starring Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave and Franco Nero. Two separate Medieval castles in Segovia, Spain, were used in this motion picture. Sir Lancelot’s Castle in France was actually the Alcazar in Segovia. The opening and closing scenes were also filmed on the grounds of this same castle which may be seen in the background in the light of the approaching dawn. For Camelot itself, the Coca Castle, also in Segovia, was used in long shots and background shots to depict the towers and battlements of Arthur’s legendary kingdom.
9. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Directed by Steven Spielberg, this blockbuster starred Harrison Ford and Sean Connery. This is the film where Indiana Jones and his father Dr. Henry Jones Sr. pair up to take on the Nazis. Filming took place in the Tabernas Desert in Almería and in the fine art museum in the city of Almeria which was the set for the Sultan of Hatay’s palace. Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park was also used and the beach sequence in which birds strike the plane happened at Monsul beach (which you can see below). Guadix train station in Granada also featured in the movie.
10. The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Directed by Michael Apted and starring Pierce Brosnan, Judi Dench and Sophie Marceau, the film’s pre-title sequence begins in Bilbao, Spain, featuring the Guggenheim Museum which had been opened just two years earlier. The delightful Puppy sculpture of course, features!
11. The Others (2001)
Directed by Alejandro Amenabar and starring Nichole Kidman. Filming took place at Kent and the Hornillos Palace in Las Fraguas, Cantabria (Spain) and in Madrid. The chilling tale is set in Jersey after WWII and revolves around a mother with two young children who suffer from photosensitivity. It was the first English-language movie to win a Best Film at the Spanish Goya film awards.
12. Die Another Day (2002)
Another James Bond with Pierce Brosnan as the lead, this time directed by Lee Tamahori, and starring Halle Berry. The scene below featuring Halle Berry in a bikini was shot in Cádiz. The scenes involving the Cuban locations of Havana and the fictional Isla Los Organos were filmed at La Caleta.
13. Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
Directed by George Lucas. Starring Ewan McGregor, Samuel L Jackson, Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen. Fans will recognize the Plaza de España in Seville immediately even though it only made 48 seconds of the film. You can see it below – apologies for the quality of the video. And you’ll find the deleted scenes online.
14. Volver (2006)
Pedro Almodovar has directed many great movies including Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, All About my Mother, High Heels, Bad Education, Volver. He is from Calzada de Calatrava in Castilla la Mancha and chose this region for many of the scenes in Volver which starring Penelope Cruz and Carmen Maura in a story about family relationships and what a mother will do to protect her daughter.
15. Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
As you’d expect from the film title, Barcelona is the main backdrop for this movie directed by Woody Allen and starring Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz and Scarlett Johansen about two American friends on vacation in Barcelona who meet a Spanish painter and his ex-girlfriend. Much of the footage is in Barcelona although the crew nip over to Aviles and Oviedo in the region of Asturias for a few days. The movie offers a box-ticking list of what to see in Barcelona including La Sagrada Família, Parc Güell, Casa Milà (La Pedrera), the Miro Museum, the Ramblas, the Barri Gòtic and the Olympic Port area.
16. The Way (2010)
We keep hearing from people on the Camino who have been inspired to walk the route after watching this movie directed by Emilio Estevez and starring Martin Sheen. It’s especially impressive when you read that some of the actors were hired just before filming started. Filming only lasted 40 days and took place on the pilgrimage route itself. In fact, most of the people in the film are pilgrims walking the route themselves.
Like What You See?
Have you been inspired by any of these movies filmed in Spain? Would you like a different type of holiday in Spain? We specialise in providing customised trips and can deliver a movie-themed tour of urban and rural Spain. We can also include visits to locations for more recent releases or yet to be released movies such as Antonio Banderas’s Altamira in Cantabria or George Clooney’s Tomorrowland in Valencia. And you shouldn’t miss out on Seville’s Plaza de Espana which has racked up quite a few appearances on the silver screen and more recently on HBO’s cult TV series Game of Thrones!
The Plaza de Espana in Seville has seen its fair share of film crews! Photo credit: _MG_6033 via photopin (license)
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