Animals were harmed in these films
Some of the scenes for 'Apocalypse Now' (1979) were filmed along the Bumbungan River. Besides mosquitoes and other blood-sucking bugs to deal with, the actors and crew had to endure a powerful typhoon.
The inhospitable Namib Desert—more specifically the remote Dorob National Park—served as a post-apocalyptic wasteland for 'Mad Max: Fury Road' (2015).
The distinctive geological rock formation in central Victoria known as Hanging Rock was used as location by the producers of 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' (1975). A former volcano, it lies 718 m (2,355 ft) above sea level in the middle of nowhere.
The hot semi-arid Tabernas Desert in Spain's southeastern province of Almeria doubled up as a desert in the Southwestern United States for several scenes shot for 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly' (1966).
Monuriki, a small uninhabited island in the South Pacific Ocean, was used as the location for the anonymous island in 'Castaway' (2000). Monuriki actually lies off the coast of Viti Levu, the largest island in the republic of Fiji.
Jordan's Wadi Rum, a spectacular but parched valley wilderness of sandstone and granite 60 km (37 mi) east of Aqaba, accommodated the cast and crew of 'Lawrence of Arabia' (1962) for several scenes.
The immense Hardangerjøkulen glacier near Finse in Norway was used for scenes of the ice planet Hoth in 'Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back' (1980). Filming coincided with the area's worst snowstorm in half a century, with temperatures hovering between -32 °C (-26 °F) and -39 °C (-38 °F).
While some scenes of 'The Revenant' (2015) were shot in Montana and South Dakota, as well as in Alberta, Canada, the dramatic ending was filmed at locations near the Río Olivia, in the frigid and isolated Tierra del Fuego province of Argentina.
The hot, humid, and bug-infested jungles of Palenque in the Mexican state of Chiapas provided a suitably challenging backdrop for 'Predator' (1987).
'The Thing' (1982) was made under heavy show in freezing conditions in Juneau, Alaska, and in Stewart, in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Temperatures were so low that camera lenses would often freeze and break.
'Fargo' (1996) was made in a freezing mid-winter at various locations in Minnesota and North Dakota. The infamous dismembered body disposal scene was filmed on the shore of Square Lake near May, Minnesota.
The 1924 silent picture 'Greed' was one of the few movies of its time to be shot entirely on location, with cast and crew spending two baking hot months filming in Badwater Basin in Death Valley, California.
Pongo de Mainique in Peru, together with equally humid and inaccessible jungle locations in Amazonas state in Brazil, set the scenes for 'Fitzcarraldo' (1982).
Australia's harsh and intimidating outback surrounding Alice Springs in Northern Territory set the stage for the 1971 survival film 'Walkabout.'
Death Valley National Park in California and the equally uninviting Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah provided a scorching stage for the hiking drama 'Gerry' (2002).
The boiling rapids swirling through the Tallulah Gorge in Georgia and the equally menacing Chattooga River in North Carolina were used for the canoe scenes in 'Deliverance' (1972).
'Platoon' (1988) was filmed on the island of Luzon in the Philippines, doubling up for Vietnam where the movie is set. The jungle scenes were shot in Mount Makiling, an area known for its inactive volcano. It's a muggy and oppressive place at the best of times, and it perfectly complemented the intense drama that characterizes the film.
'The Bridge of the River Kwai' (1957) was made in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). The bridge in the film was constructed near Kitulgala and spanned the Kelani River. The river proved hazardous at times, with strong currents fueled by local flooding threatening cast, crew, and props.
The filming locations used in making the biographical drama 'Into the Wild' (2007) included those along the desolate, primitive, and sometimes dangerous Stampede Trail in Alaska.
The biographical drama 'Wild' (2014) was largely filmed on the Pacific Crest Trail, a long-distance trail that snakes through three US states and also edges into British Columbia, in Canada. It's one of the most challenging footpaths in the world.
Special permission was granted by the Nepalese authorities allowing filming at Everest Base Camp during the making of 'Everest' (2015). In April 2014, while a second unit crew was wrapping up filming at Base Camp II, an avalanche struck, claiming 16 Sherpa guides.
While 'Jaws' (1975) was mostly shot on location at Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, the filming of scenes out at sea proved a technical nightmare, with camera platforms capsizing and expensive equipment going overboard. 'Jaws' incidentally was the first major motion picture to be shot on the ocean.
'Quantum of Solace' (2008) was shot in six countries. But it's in the Atacama Desert in Chile—the driest non-polar desert in the world—where some of the most dramatic action sequences take place.
The ancient Putangirua Pinnacles geological formation in the Aorangi Ranges on North Island provided a dramatic backdrop for the Paths of the Dead scene in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' (2003).
Filmed mostly in South Australia, some scenes from 'Gallipoli' (1981) were shot at Lake Torrens, a dry salt lake set in a stark wilderness nearly 300 km (186 mi) north of Adelaide. The lake has only been filled with water once in the past 150 years.
The Purcell Mountains, a mountain range in British Columbia where most of the peaks are near or above 3,048 m (10,000 ft) in elevation, served as the location for 'Alive' (1993), a biographic drama about the survivors of a plane crash in the Andes and their struggle to stay alive in sub-zero temperatures.
'127 Hours' (2010) was filmed in Canyonlands National Park, Utah, where the real events depicted in this biographic drama took place, and in the same confined and claustrophobic conditions.
The first half of the conflict drama 'Monos' (2019) takes place in Colombia's beautiful but remote and untamed Chingaza National Natural Park.
'Bitter Victory' (1957) is a British war film made in the unforgiving environment of the Libyan Desert, which was apt in that it was one of the main theaters in the North African campaign during the Second World War.
The mysterious twin-pinnacled crag anchored in the sea off Ireland's Iveragh Penisula known as Skellig Michael was home in the 8th century to a community of monks. The deserted islet was used as a filming location for 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' (2015).
Parts of 'The Mosquito Coast' (1988) were filmed in and around Belize City, specifically Haulover Creek, a coastal stream that runs through the center of Belize City and discharges into the Caribbean Sea. The waterway is a magnet for mosquitoes–swarms of them!
A Russian film crew shot scenes in space for a movie called 'The Challenge.' Director Klim Shipenko and lead actress Yulia Peresild filmed on the International Space Station for 12 days in October 2021. While they were there, the station suffered an unexpected glitch in its thrusters that halted filming, according to the BBC. Their arrival back on Earth, in Kazakhstan to be specific, was also filmed for a real touchdown scene.
The French Alps were the setting for much of the Oscar-nominated drama 'Anatomy of a Fall' (2023). The central family live in a remote chalet on a snowy mountain, filmed in the Savoie region of France. The stark, freezing landscape highlighted the contrast between nature's simplicity and humankind's complexity.
Sources: (National Geographic) (GamesRadar) (Entertainment Voice) (BBC)
See also: Discover 60 extreme points of Earth
Intense drama calls for dramatic scenes, and that often means filming in extreme locations. Movies have been shot in humid, bug-invested jungles, hot, arid deserts, and on remote and freezing glaciers. Near-inaccessible islands, wild untamed rivers, and isolated snow-capped mountains have also served as realistic and often perilous backdrops.
From classics like 'Apocalypse Now' (1979) to recent Oscars picks like 'Anatomy of a Fall' (2023), we'll take you on a tour of some of the toughest filming locations in cinema history. Click through to get started.
Cinema's toughest filming locations
Intense drama calls for extreme locations!
MOVIES Films
Intense drama calls for dramatic scenes, and that often means filming in extreme locations. Movies have been shot in humid, bug-invested jungles, hot, arid deserts, and on remote and freezing glaciers. Near-inaccessible islands, wild untamed rivers, and isolated snow-capped mountains have also served as realistic and often perilous backdrops.
From classics like 'Apocalypse Now' (1979) to recent Oscars picks like 'Anatomy of a Fall' (2023), we'll take you on a tour of some of the toughest filming locations in cinema history. Click through to get started.