Visit the places where the 2020 Oscar-nominated movies were filmed
Movie fans re-create the hilarious moment at the table in New York’s Katz’s Deli where Sally (Meg Ryan) fakes the pleasure of passion in the 1989 movie “When Harry Met Sally.” They run up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and pump their fists à la Sylvester Stallone in 1976’s “Rocky.” What movie locations will film buffs flock to after the 2020 Oscars? If you don’t mind spoilers, check out these sites from the nine movies nominated for best picture.
“Little Women”
“Little Women” was filmed in and around Concord, Mass., where Louisa May Alcott wrote and set her novel. Many of the scenes take place in historic homes that are open to the public.
The ballroom scene where Jo (Saoirse Ronan) and Laurie (Timothée Chalamet) dance on the veranda? Fans can do their own jig at the Lyman Estate in Waltham, Mass. The sumptuous mansion where the March sisters visit uptight Aunt March (Meryl Streep)? Tour the Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate in Canton, Mass. The interiors of the estate where Laurie lives were filmed at the Bayard Thayer Estate in Lancaster, Mass. It’s not open to the public, but it’s currently for sale. The 47-bedroom, 24-bathroom house is listed at $2.5 million.
As for Orchard House, where the March family lived, director Greta Gerwig didn’t want to harm the historic property, which was home to the Alcotts. Gerwig shot interior scenes on a soundstage and built a replica for exterior shooting in Concord. Visitors can take a guided tour of the original Orchard House. It’s decorated with Alcott’s furnishings, which were replicated in the movie.
Info: You can download a digital locations map for “Little Women.” Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, 2468B Washington St. (Route 138), Canton, Mass.; (857) 302-4082. Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House, 399 Lexington Road, Concord, Mass.; (978) 369-4118. Lyman Estate, 185 Lyman St., Waltham, Mass.; (617) 994-5912. Bayard Thayer Estate, 679 George Hill Road, Lancaster, Mass.
“Parasite”
Ready to book a flight to South Korea to see the ultra-modern mansion where the wealthy Park family lived? Sorry, but it was constructed on a vacant lot in the city of Jeonju and demolished after filming.
As for the home of the struggling Kim family, you can’t see that either. The squalid basement abode and the surrounding neighborhood were built inside an enormous water tank so they could be flooded in the film’s horrendous rainstorm.
Disappointed? Find comfort in the Korean dish Mrs. Park orders her housekeeper, Mrs. Kim, to prepare for the family when their camping trip is washed out. Buy instant black bean–flavored Chapagetti ramen and spicy seafood-based Neoguri udon at an Asian market. Boil the noodles in water, top with seared sirloin steak, and enjoy what Mrs. Park calls ramdon. (See how-to videos of the recipe on You Tube.)
“Once Upon a Time in … Hollywood”
Director Quentin Tarantino was determined to re-create 1969 Los Angeles without using computer-generated imagery. Lucky for him, the three restaurants where he filmed scenes hadn’t changed much in 50 years.
Early in the movie Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) meet with Dalton’s crusty agent, Marvin Schwarz (Al Pacino), at Hollywood’s classic Musso & Frank Grill. (The staff brought out the original china plates for the shoot.)
Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) dines with her fellow murder victims at the colorful El Coyote Mexican Cafe. Because she’s 8½ months pregnant, she doesn’t indulge in a margarita. Meanwhile, Rick and Cliff are having margaritas at Casa Vega. The popular Sherman Oaks restaurant now serves a Tarantino margarita in the director’s honor.
The only original location Tarantino couldn’t use was the Spahn Movie Ranch, where the Manson family hid out. It was bulldozed after the murders. Tarantino re-created it on the site of the old Corriganville Movie Ranch, which, like Spahn Ranch, had an outdoor set for movie shoots. Now it’s a public park where you can enjoy a picnic.
Info: Musso & Frank Grill, 6667 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; (323) 467-7788. El Coyote Café, 7312 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles; (323) 939-2555. Casa Vega, 13301 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks; (818) 788-4868. Corriganville Park, 7001 Smith Road, Simi Valley; (805) 584-4400
“1917”
To re-create World War I’s western front in France, director Sam Mendes used the open fields of Salisbury Plain, a 300-square-mile site where the British military stages war games. It’s two miles from Stonehenge, England’s best-known prehistoric monument, about 85 miles southwest of London.
Before trenches could be dug, the production crew was required to geo-scan the fields to ensure they didn’t disturb Bronze Age archaeological remnants. Don’t bother to check out the trenches; they were filled in after filming wrapped.
But here’s what “1917” fans can do: Remember the nail-biter scene where Lance Cpl. Schofield (George MacKay) nearly drowns in the river that tosses him over an 18-foot waterfall? That was staged at the Tees Barrage International White Water Centre, about a 4½-hour drive north of London. There visitors can go whitewater rafting on an artificial whitewater course or try stand-up paddleboarding on the tranquil River Tees.
Info: Tees Barrage International White Water Centre, Tees Barrage Way; Stockton-on-Tees, England; 011-1642-678-000
“Marriage Story”
Director Noah Baumbach filmed most of the interior scenes at Warner Bros.’ Burbank studios. But several were shot in familiar public locations: the New York subway; a Century City high-rise swarming with lawyers’ offices; the hallway at L.A. County’s Stanley Mosk Courthouse, where Charlie (Adam Driver) and Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) finalize their divorce. Not very exciting backdrops for fan selfies.
But one “Marriage Story” location worth a visit is the Knickerbocker Bar & Grill in New York. The Greenwich Village haunt is where Charlie’s theater group hangs out and he mournfully sings “Being Alive.” Reserve a leather booth, order one of the Knickerbocker’s legendary 28-ounce T-bone steaks and take in a live jazz performance.
Info: Knickerbocker Bar & Grill, 33 University Place, New York; (212) 228-8490
“Jojo Rabbit”
The Czech Republic stands in for World War II Germany in this tragicomic satire about a 10-year-old boy with an imaginary Nazi friend. The interiors of the house where Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) lives with his mother (Scarlett Johansson) were shot in Prague’s Barrandov Studios.
Most of the exteriors were filmed in Czech towns that were occupied by the Germans during the war and never bombed, so the buildings retain their old-world storybook guise. The facade of Jojo’s house was constructed among a row of late Gothic townhouses in the village of Ustek. The colorful main square and adjoining streets were shot in the historical old town of Zatec, 50 miles northeast of Prague.
Travelers to Prague might consider making a detour to Zatec, especially if they love beer. The town is in the Czech hops-growing region and has been renowned for brewing beer for the last 700 years. Zatec’s next annual beer festival is Sept. 4 and 5.
Info: You can find Google maps of Jojo’s house in Ustek and the main square of Zatec, and tourist info on Zatec.
“The Irishman”
Martin Scorsese’s dark mobster tale was filmed mostly in and around New York and Philadelphia. After Frank Sheeran’s (Robert De Niro) first mob hit, he drives slowly across a bridge and tosses his gun into a river. “There’s a spot in the Schuylkill River everybody uses,” he says on the voice-over. “They ever send a diver down there, they’d be able to arm a small country.”
“Irishman” fans can visit Philly’s Schuylkill River for something more pleasant than dumping a murder weapon. The scenic 75-plus-mile Schuylkill River Trail in the Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area is ideal for walking, jogging and bike riding.
Scorsese wanted to film Sheeran’s hit on Mafia boss Joe Gallo in New York’s Little Italy at Umberto’s Clam House, where “Crazy Joe” was dining at 4:30 a.m. on April 7, 1972.
The restaurant moved to a new location after that, so Scorsese had a replica of the original façade built over a now-defunct boutique. Fans who want to have what Gallo was having — possibly pasta with Umberto’s signature hot clam sauce — can book a table at the current Umberto’s Clam House.
Info:
Schuylkill River Greenways National Historic Area, 140 College Drive, Pottstown, Pa.; (484) 945-0200
Umberto’s Clamhouse, 132 Mulberry St., New York; (212) 431-7545
“Ford v Ferrari”
This exciting race-car movie takes viewers to the Ford factory in Michigan, the Ferrari factory in Italy and the Le Mans racetrack in France. But it mostly was shot in Southern California.
Sets were built for every location, including the three-story complex of mechanic pits, hallways, VIP boxes and grandstands that once sat at the finish line of Le Mans and were torn down in the 1980s. The only scene in the movie that was filmed outside of the U.S. was Ken Miles (Christian Bale) walking through the town of Le Mans the night before his big race. Viewers who were enchanted by the French cafes and cobblestone streets might consider booking a trip there for the 88th 24 Hours of Le Mans race June 13 and 14. The camping, glamping and hotel accommodations may be sold out but fans can pull an all-nighter in a grandstand seat for about $143 and up.
Info: 24 Hours of Le Mans race
“Joker”
Of course they used New York City for the legendary Gotham in this dramatic take on how Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) transforms into the evil Joker of Marvel Comics fame.
Thousands of fans have already taken selfies where Fleck celebrates his conversion in the movie — the 132 steps of one of the Bronx’s more than 60 “step streets” (streets too steep for cars). No doubt the Joker Stairs, as they are now called, will go down in movie fandom history like the Rocky Steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Info: Joker Stairs, Anderson Avenue and West 167th Street, the Bronx
