October 23, 2013

WESTERNS - SHOT IN SPAIN ...


Drive a few miles north of Almería here in Spain and things start to look oddly familiar. 

The Tabernas Desert (below) is genuine cowboy country: dusty with barren hills:


Remember how hot and dusty Lee van Cleef and Clint Eastwood looked in A Fistful of Dollars: 

and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly?

These movies were filmed here, along with many others. This was where Sergio Leone shot his Spaghetti Westerns.


As you approach the area, you suddenly see a "real" Far-West town, like those in the movies. There's an old wooden church, a saloon, a barber’s, a blacksmith’s, even Indian teepees outside of town. It's one of the theme parks in Tabernas, less than an hour's drive from Almería.





Dear readers, this week, ‘W’ IS FOR *W*ESTERNS ... shot in Spain (and elsewhere!)

The "Spaghetti" Westerns listed above and these below are reckoned to be among the all-time greats – do you agree?

Unforgiven (1992)

Heaven’s Gate (1980)

Ride with the Devil (1999)

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

Ride the High Country (1962)

The Man from Laramie (1955)

Red River (1948)

High Noon (1952)

Stagecoach (1939)

3.10 to Yuma (1957)

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE WESTERN OF ALL TIME?

And, finally, thank you to all my dear readers who visited or commented.
Enjoy!

XOXO NORA & LOLA:)

25 comments:

Rocky Mountain Woman said...

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is my favorite western type movie of all time...

Eden House News and views said...

I was reminded why I used to love westerns so much thank you

Susan Anderson said...

My hubby and I used to go to those Clint Eastwood movies all the time when we were first dating...at the drive-in. ;)

Great view in that second photo of the desert!

=)

Unknown said...

These are flashbacks of those movies my mum and dad used to watch! Love all the photos too.

Hugs to you and Lola.
Melody xx

Unknown said...

We watched a Clint Eastwood western in the hospital the night after having JDaniel.

lissa said...

when someone mentions western movies, I begin to imagine buildings that were flat cardboards being held up by a pole.

I remember like True Grit, and some James Stewart westerns.

have a great day.

Annesphamily said...

Oh gosh, hard to decide, I really love Rio Bravo and Mclintock! Then there is the very best of them all Purgatory! Goodness, now I need to watch a western. Great post. Thanks for sharing and happy weekend to you!

Dominique Goh said...

I loved to watch clint Eastwood movies.. a pity they no longer produce such Westerns.

Draffin Bears said...

Hi Nora and Lola,

I have heard this and I think some may have been shot in Italy too.
I really loved Clint Eastwood in Fistful of Dollars and the Good, the bad and the Ugly.
Lately they have been showing many great Westerns on a Wednesday night here, which we have enjoyed watching again.
Hope you are having a great week
hugs
Carolyn

Jackie McGuinness said...

Great selection!! We've driven through that part of Spain and it really is like the old West.

Birgit said...

Hi there,

Great post -- and just perfect for me, as I am definitely into the Old West and western movies. :)

Since you are from Spain, you may know the old Karl May movies. I have grown up with them.

One of my favorite western movies is "Bad Girls" from 1994. I even wrote a term paper about the movie during my studies. The soundtrack is wonderful, too. In case, you haven't seen the movie yet, be sure to watch it and let me know how you liked it!

Sunny greetings from Germany,
Birgit

fredamans said...

LOVE Unforgiven!

Anonymous said...

I'm not a huge fan of Westerns, but you've certainly shared some beautiful scenery.

Pearl Maple said...

wow that is interesting, it is beautiful countryside so can see why they would choose the region.

Laura said...

Gorgeous cactus flowers Lola! Thanks for sharing the love up-close with I Heart Macro:-)

Anonymous said...

Oh love cacti flowers ~ Beautiful macro shots ~ thanks,
carol

Hannah said...

How great to feel hot and dry when it is cold and wet. I didn't realize so many westerns were shot in Spain, or that they were so interested in our Wild West. I guess I like The Three Amigos!

Ralph said...

The spaghetti western is not high art - yet, we continue to watch in awe as the protagonists look for the civil war gold (or whatever). The backdrop in the desert of Spain (looking really like Arizona, dust and all) is perfect for the western genre. My favorite of all on this list is High Noon, the sheriff left all alone as the cowardly townsfolk slink out of sight - as the director turns repeatedly to the clock as it ticks toward 12:00. And after the sheriff silently leaving town with nary a word to the cowardly citizens. And B&W really makes is a stark movie.

Great subject!

Splendid Little Stars said...

interesting history and photos! When I was a kid my family watched High Noon on TV every year.
lovely cactus flowers!

Jenny said...

Clint Eastwood!

Wow.

Although have you noticed he's getting a bit old.

Hmmm...

I'm certainly that's not happening to me.

This was a wonderful link for the letter "W".

Thank you for sharing.

A+

Magical Mystical Teacher said...

The cactus flowers could have been shot in my Sonoran Desert backyard!

Red Cactus Close-up

Jim said...

The cactus flowers are so beautiful.

Indrani said...

Such cool shots! An ideal place for photo shoot and movies.
Those cacti flowers are colorful and beautiful.

Arija said...

Hi Lola, thanks for your comment.
What's up with your orange tree> I grow citrus as well, I might be able to help.

Arija said...

hey ho, me again. If your tree has leaf miner, it must be stressed in some other way. Mainly trees that are stressed usually suffer insect attack so it is best to also address whatever is stressing at the tree. Is it lack of water, nutrients or iron? Iron is the easiest to fix, just take a handful of rusty, thin , about 1" nails and drive them into the length of the trunk. They virtually work like a blood transfusion. It really is like a miracle cure. If it is nutrients give it a bi-weekly spray of a very weak solution of fish emulsion and seaweed extract. Hope this is helpful, if not, disregard.