With its narrow streets, squares, avenues, charming parks and emblematic places that stand out for its beauty and architectural uniqueness, Barcelona has become a source of inspiration for directors from all over the world in recent decades. Filmmakers like Woody Allen, Pedro Almodóvar or two-time Oscar winner Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu found in the Catalan capital an ideal set to tell their stories.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Woody Allen, 2008)
Following the success of Match Point and Scoop (filmed in Britain), Woody Allen chose Barcelona for his second European adventure, after a lifetime proclaiming his love for the city of New York. Barcelona airport, Parc Güell, Parc de la Ciutadella, Sagrada Familia, La Pedrera or the Ramblas are the scenario of the fight between the always sexy Penelope Cruz and Scarlett Johanson for the heart of Javier Bardem.A comedy full of the caustic and intelligent sense of humor that characterizes the New Yorker genius, who took over a month to choose the locations and rented an apartment in the Port Olimpic, where he lived during filming (Bardem chose the Born district).Allen was able to capture with magnificent scenes the most emblematic places of Barcelona, among them, a magnificent view from Tibidabo showing the entire city.
All about my mother (Pedro Almodóvar, 1999)
Almodóvar uses some of the most iconic places to shoot this melodrama with touches of comedy in which he offers his particular vision of the female universe.Set mostly around the Palau de la Música (an innovative building of the Catalan modernism), the final scene shot in the cemetery of Montjuïc put the perfect ending to a film that launched the international career of Almodóvar, after winning the Golden Globe, the Golden Lion at Cannes and the Oscar for the Best Foreign Language Film.
Biutiful (Alejandro González de Iñárritu, 2010)
The popular director, winner of two consecutive Oscars for The Revenant and Birdman, caught in Biutiful a very different Barcelona than the one described in the other movies in this list.If Woody Allen set Bardem in a beautiful and radiant city, Iñárritu shows a marginal neighborhood and the miseries of an almost unrecognizable Barcelona.In line with the theme of the social criticism of the film, the Mexican filmmaker uses a claustrophobic picture to show a dark, forlorn and away from the spotlight Barcelona.
Perfume: the story of a murderer (Tom Tykwer, 2006)
Although the film is set in the Paris of the eighteenth century, much of the film was actually shot in Barcelona. The adaptation of Patrick Suskind’s novel takes place in locations like the Plaça de la Merce, Sant Felip Neri, Poble Espanyol (a museum of architecture that reproduces the most iconic small-scale buildings, squares and streets from Spain), the Cathedral and the famous scene shot in Laberint d’Horta
The Passenger (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1975)
This film by the Italian director is a magnificent picture of the Barcelona prior to the Olympic Games in Barcelona 92.
REC (Jaume Balagueró, 2007)
One of the most pleasant surprises of Spanish cinema in recent decades is this original and powerful horror “Found Footage” film. This Blockbuster takes place in a building at number 34 of the Rambla de Catalunya (the same street in which is located the Hotel Arc La Rambla).
Barcelona (Whit Stillman, 1994)
The title speaks for itself. Stillman portrays with humor and intelligence the Barcelona from the 80s.
Other relevant movies
Movies like Salvador (Puig Antich), Pa negre, Mientras duermes or En la Ciudad, along with the other films in the list, also contributed to expand the international popularity of the city and its scenarios make a perfect guide to get lost through the streets of Barcelona.
