Category: Once Upon a Time in Almería
Mini-Hollywood
Following the success of A Fistful of Dollars (1964), Sergio Leone commissioned Carlo Simi to construct an entire western town for the second title in the trilogy, For a Few Dollars More. Two rival bounty hunters, (Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef), both in pursuit of the fugitive El Indio, eye each other suspiciously from their hotel windows on opposite sides of the street. The building now labelled the “Yellow Rose” housed Van Cleef’s hotel and the town saloon. Once Upon a Time in Almería: The Legacy of Hollywood in Spain’ (Daylight Books 2017)
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The Saloon in ‘Straight to Hell’
“Nothing remains but a fragment of the back wall and some wooden beams. But thirty years ago, when we went STRAIGHT TO HELL, this was our saloon where Strummer snarled at Courtney Love, and Sy Richardson and Dick Rude gunned down the Weiner Kid, and Grace Jones barred Dennis Hopper from smoking.” From the Forward by Director Alex Cox. Once Upon a Time in Almería: The Legacy of Hollywood in Spain’ (Daylight Books 2017)
Read MoreComing Soon — ‘Once Upon a Time in Almeria: The Legacy of Hollywood in Spain’
ONCE UPON A TIME IN ALMERÍA: THE LEGACY OF HOLLYWOOD IN SPAIN PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK PARASCANDOLA ESSAY BY ALEX COX PUBLICATION DATE: DECEMBER 12, 2017 Fifty years ago, the province of Almería in the far southeastern corner of Spain, came to refer to itself as “The Movie Capitol of the World.” Cheap labor and a landscape that stood in perfectly for the American West, North Africa, and even the surface of the moon, became the locations for some of the most iconic movies of the time starring Hollywood legends, from Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren to Peter O’Toole and Clint Eastwood. But […]
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Coverage of “Once Upon a Time in Almería” in the Daily Mail
This week the Daily Mail published a feature article on my photo project documenting the legacy of Hollywood and international filmmaking in Almeria, Spain. Here is one excerpt from the interview published in the article: ‘The Western towns built by Sergio Leone and others were not meant to be accurate representations of the American West. Instead, they were constructed to meet filmmakers’ vision of what the American West was like. ‘The Spaghetti Western has been described as a myth of a myth, because it is one step further removed from the myth of the original Hollywood Westerns. ‘However, this myth […]
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Indiegogo campaign is live!
Participate in the creation of my forthcoming photobook ‘Once Upon a Time in Almeria: The Legacy of Hollywood in Spain.’ With your help the book will be published in Fall 2017 by Daylight Books! Visit my Indiegogo project page to see an introductory video and get more information about how you can help. Please consider purchasing an advance signed copy of the book — currently available only through the crowdfunding site. Prints from from the series are also available. The reality of photobook publishing these days is that photographers are expected to raise some portion of the funds for book […]
Read MoreMark Parascandola discusses his project ‘Once Upon a Time in Almeria’ with local experts during the Almería Western Film Festival
Excerpts from the press conference for the exhibit “Érase una vez en Almería: decorados, restos y paisajes del cine” are now posted online. The brief presentation includes statements from Francisco Alonso, head of the Instituto de Estudios Almerienses, Mar Verdejo, coordinator of the exhibition, and myself, talking about the content of the exhibition and Almería’s film history. The press conference was held October 8 in the Palacio Provincial de la Diputación. The exhibit opened the following day at the Salón Polivalente de Tabernas as part of the fifth edition of the Almería Western Film Festival. Click below to watch the […]
Read More65 cinema experts choose the best movies filmed in Almería
This summer “La Voz de Almería” conducted a survey to pick the best films shot in the area since 1961. Hundreds of films have been made in the region over the past half century and 65 local cinema experts such as film experts, actors, directors, historians, writers were asked to select their top ten best movies filmed in Almería. “Lawrence de Arabia”, “Indiana Jones and the last crusade” and “The Good, the Ugly and the Bad” occupied the top three positions of the list and were considered among the best ever made. “Vivir es fácil” was the first Spanish movie appearing […]
Read MoreExposición “Érase una vez en Almería: decorados, restos y paisajes del cine” en el Salón Polivalente de Tabernas en Almería
“Érase una vez en Almería: decorados, restos y paisajes del cine” Salón Polivalente de Tabernas. Dias 9, 10 y 11 de octubre de 2015 Diputación de Almería. Instituto de Estudios Almerienses Horario: 11.00 h.-13.00 h y 17.00 h – 20.00 h En los años 60 numerosos directores de cine europeo y americano descubrieron Almería, atraídos por su luz, el peculiar paisaje desértico, y una barata mano de obra. Decenas de películas como Cleopatra, Lawrence de Arabia, Patton, así como varios spaguetti westerns de Sergio Leone, con Clint Eastwood como protagonista, fueron grabados allí. Cuatro años más tarde, los decorados de […]
Read MoreÉrase una vez en Almería
La Capital del Cine Mundial Hace 50 años que la película de David Lean, Lawrence de Arabia se estrenó. Lean tenía la intención de filmar toda la película en Jordania, en la misma tierra donde Lawrence había llevado a cabo su campaña. Pero las dificultades por aquel entonces de trabajar 200 millas en el interior del desierto durante meses retrasaban la filmación y superaba con mucho su presupuesto. A todo ello se añadía también un daño psicológico porque el productor Sam Spiegel temía que Lean estuviera realmente obsesionado con el desierto. Por tanto, Spiegel ordenó que la producción al completo […]
Read MoreLa Chanca – Español
El Barrio de La Chanca La Alcazaba de Almería, un castillo morisco elevado sobre la ciudad, avista el barrio de La Chanca. Es una zona históricamente empobrecida creada con pequeñas viviendas construidas en las colinas a las afueras de la ciudad. Los habitantes pintaban sus casas utilizando cualquier ingrediente que estuviera disponible, dando como resultado un conjunto verdaderamente multicolor. Sus ruinas todavía recuerdan las operaciones mineras y de transporte realizadas durante el siglo XIX que se realizaban desde la montaña hasta el puerto más cercano. La Chanca ha sido el hogar de una población muy diversa, incluyendo pescadores y sus […]
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