It has been nothing but lights, camera, action for Glasgow in the last few years, and it does not look like the city's time on the big screen is to stop anytime soon.
Known affectionately as “cinema city” in the 1930s, Glasgow had more cinemas per person than anywhere else in the United Kingdom. These days it regularly tops box office attendance figures outside of London.
The city centre has recently been the backdrop to major blockbusters, namely zombie thriller World War Z and more recently the latest instalment in the Fast and Furious franchise.
For the movie fanatics among us, here are nine movies filmed within 90 minutes of Glasgow:
World War Z
The 2013 zombie thriller, starring Brad Pitt, was partially shot in Glasgow, with the city centre getting a clever makeover to stand in for Philadelphia. Glasgow’s very own George Square took a starring role in one of the most dramatic and memorable scenes in the movie, the zombie invasion, which saw hundreds of extras run screaming through the square, which was all dressed up with Philadelphian street signs and American cars for authenticity.
READ MORE: World War Z trailer reveals incredible footage of Glasgow
While filming in Glasgow, architecture buff Pitt spent time visiting Charles Rennie Mackintosh buildings with his then-wife Angelina Jolie and their children, including a trip to Hill House in Helensburgh. The actor is a huge fan of Glasgow’s most famous architect and designer, having visited the city on a number of occasions to see his work.
House of Mirth
Glasgow was transformed into New York for this 1999 film version of Edith Wharton’s 1905 novel, which stars Gillian Anderson and Dan Ackroyd.
Much of the movie was filmed in Glasgow, with city landmarks such as Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, the City Chambers, Kelvingrove Park, Devonshire Terrace and the Theatre Royal perfectly recreating opulent early 20th century New York.
Cloud Atlas
Glasgow stood in for yet another U.S. city in this 2012 production: San Francisco.
READ MORE: Marty's happy to be in Glasgow for Cloud Atlas premiere
Both cities are known for their steep hills and location managers made good use of Montrose Street in Merchant City, Glasgow’s cultural quarters, and Douglas Street in the west of the city centre, dressing them with period cars and signs to create a distinct 1970s vibe.
The Fast and the Furious
The long, wide streets around George Square doubled for London and were used for a number of stunt sequences in the latest spin-off of the globally popular The Fast and the Furious franchise, called Hobbs and Shaw, which is due for release later this year.
The Wife
Much of this quietly powerful movie, which stars Glenn Close — nominated for an Oscar for her role — and Jonathan Price, was filmed in Scotland.
Glasgow’s grand Hutcheson Hall, in the Merchant City, takes on the role of Stockholm in one of the film’s key scenes, while the in-flight storyline was shot aboard the Concorde that is exhibited at National Museum of Flight in East Lothian.
Beautiful Dumfries and Galloway is also featured prominently in this story of a woman who takes control of her life and re-assets her worth after her husband is awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Outlander
Leading man Heughan was spot on when he said Scotland was the real star of the historical time travel drama. The location managers have clearly scoured every inch of the country to find the best castles, harbors, mountains, lochs, hills and heather, and all of these assets are used to stunning effect throughout. Doune Castle — Castle Leoch in the show and also Winterfell in Game of Thrones — is just 45 minutes from Glasgow, while a host of other key locations, including Hopetoun House, Drummond Castle and the Fife village of Culross, are all within an hour of the city.
READ MORE: Glasgow church features in Outlander filming locations map
Beautiful Dunure Harbour, just 10 minutes from Ayr and an hour from Glasgow, featured in the last two seasons of the series. Heughan, who says he spends as much of his spare as possible time cycling, hiking and climbing across Scotland, spoke evocatively last year of filming in the village of Dunure and “looking across to the snow-capped peaks of Arran at sunrise.”
Outlaw King
Glasgow features significantly in David Mackenzie’s brutal film about the rise to power of Robert the Bruce. Glasgow University’s gothic cloisters (no stranger to the silver screen, they’re also featured in Outlander and Cloud Atlas) put in an appearance, while the main building briefly doubles as Westminster. Glasgow Cathedral can also be seen in the film, as can Linthligow Palace, birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots, just 40 minutes along the M8 highway.
READ MORE: Bishopton venue hosted cast and crew of Outlaw King
The beach scene at the end of the film, where Bruce is seen bring reunited with his wife, was shot at beautiful Seacliff sands in East Lothian, 90 minutes from Glasgow. Stunning Tantallon Castle is perched above and offers some of the most stunning views on the east coast.
Mary Queen of Scots
Seacliff beach also features in Josie Rourke’s recent film, which stars Saoirse Ronan as Mary Stuart, and Scot Jack Lowden as Lord Darnley. Blackness Castle in West Lothian stands in for Holyrood Palace (still the current Queen’s official residence in Edinburgh), and both royal residences are just an hour’s drive from Glasgow.
Loch Leven Castle, the fascinating and scenic island ruin where Mary was imprisoned and escaped from in 1568, is also just an hour away.
The Da Vinci Code
Ron Howard’s hugely popular film version of Dan Brown’s bestselling thriller was shot in locations across Europe, but the movie comes to a climax in Scotland, at beautiful Rosslyn Chapel in Midlothian. In interviews, Brown said he always knew his book’s finale would take place at Rosslyn, which he describes as “the most mysterious and magical chapel on earth.”
The film’s star, Tom Hanks, flew into Scotland in September 2005 to shoot extensive scenes at the 15th century site, which is just an hour’s drive from Glasgow. He wrote afterwards: “Few locations on a film are more delightful and few destinations live up to their billing, so to speak, but Rosslyn was all that one could imagine or hope for.”
The chapel, which is overflowing with strange, interesting and unexplained symbols and carvings, has been flummoxing historians and visitors alike for centuries. Due to its connections with the mysterious Knights Templar, some believe the Holy Grail is buried underneath the chapel (much of the plot of the film revolves around this theory). Whether that is true, it remains one of the most beautiful, bizarre and evocative places in Scotland.
Finally, in true blockbuster style…coming soon! Filming for a new Hollywood World War I blockbuster has started in Glasgow, with Steven Spielberg and Skyfall director Sam Mendes spotted at Govan Graving Docks. The former shipbuilding site has been transformed into a film set for historic drama 1917, set during the First World War.
This article first appeared in USA Today. Read the original HERE.
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel