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Cool films made around the UK
Category - Europe
While Hollywood may be the place you think of as the hub of the movie industry, some pretty cool films have been made right here on our home shores. Check out some of these great movies, they may have even been filmed in your local area!
This summer sees the return of British legend Robin Hood to the big screen, in a new adaptation starring Russell Crowe. The story is famously set in Nottingham and to celebrate we’re taking a journey around the UK and Ireland with FILMCLUB, the exciting after-school activity. Check out these films that make our home country the star – showcasing stunning landscapes, unusual characters and fantastic stories…
Local Hero – Scotland
It’s not always easy to know where you’re going to feel most at home in the world – just ask Mac MacIntyre who is sent from Texas to a tiny fishing village on the west coast of Scotland, which his bosses think may have oil reserves. Scenes for this film were shot all over Scotland, including Banffshire,
Ben Nevis and Fort William.
Helen – Dublin, Ireland
This film starts as a murder mystery, but then we follow Helen, a student who acts as the stand-in for a police reconstruction. Is Helen really trying to help, or just trying to slip into another person’s identity? Moving between locations across the UK and Ireland including Dublin, Birmingham and London, Helen has an unusual look and an exciting cast of young non-actors.
Nanny McPhee – Dorset
Cedric Brown cannot cope with his seven noisy kids, neither can the 17 nannies who have been and gone since his wife died. Then in comes the very odd Nanny McPhee. With a firm hand and a touch of magic she manages to turn the rowdy Brown children into a well-behaved bunch. A beach scene was filmed at Dorset’s beautiful Durdle Door.
Kes – South Yorkshire
Based on the famous novel by Barry Hines, Kes: A Kestrel for a Knave, the stunning yet bleak film version centres around Billy Casper. Billy is picked on by his teachers and classmates, he’s tormented by his older brother and he’s ignored by his mother. But then, all alone in the world, Billy finds a kestrel hawk and manages to befriend and tame it.
Skellig – Caerphilly, Wales
Filmed in Wales, this adaptation of the much-loved novel is the story of young Michael who finds friendship with a strange man called Skellig who lives at the end of his garden, while his parents’ time is taken up with his poorly baby sister. But who, or what, is Skellig? This film nicely weaves fantasy elements into an ordinary suburban setting.
Millions – Liverpool
In this film, by Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle, young Liverpool lads Damien and Anthony discover a bag containing £265,000. They’ve got just a few days to decide what to do with the cash before the British pound is replaced forever by the Euro. The boys’ thoughts and how they feel about their sudden fortune all make for a film full of laughter and unexpected twists and turns.
Whistle Down the Wind – Lancashire
When three children in a rural and rugged corner of Lancashire find a fugitive hiding in a barn on their family’s farm it sets them on a dramatic course of events. They aren’t aware this stranger is on the run from the police – in fact, they think he’s Jesus…
The Railway Children – West Yorkshire
In 1904, three London children move to the country where they’re forced to live in poverty in rural Yorkshire after their father is falsely imprisoned. But the children don’t wait for an adult to save the day – they try to free their father themselves! It may be set more than 100 years ago, but The Railway Children still offers plenty of charm and adventure.
Harry Potter – Northumberland
The blockbuster Harry Potter series has been filmed in different locations all over the UK, including Oxford, King’s Cross station (pictured) and even London Zoo! But perhaps the most iconic image from the Harry Potter films is Hogwarts itself and Hogwarts’ real-life equivalent is the stunning Alnwick Castle in Northumberland. Full of mythical creatures and wizardry, this series of films
is also a classic coming of age story.
Finding Neverland – London
This semi-fictional film stars Johnny Depp as JM Barrie, who finds inspiration for his book Peter Pan in a widowed mother and her four sons. Depp is extremely touching in the central role of Barrie, while Freddy Highmore excels as the “real” Peter, and the glamorous theatres and town houses of London’s West End provide a wonderful backdrop.
Sense and Sensibility – South West
This modern adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic novel is written by and stars Nanny McPhee actress, Emma Thompson. It was filmed on location all over the south west of England, from Plymouth to Somerset’s beautiful Montacute House. The story follows sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood who find that times are tough when their father dies and their half-brother gets most of the inheritance.