spiritual movie are a creative world of imagination and wonder. And does anything evoke this feeling of wonder more than castles? They represent power, wealth, mystery and many other things so they make a perfect setting for movies not just about knights but movies about many other things.
Castles and Movies – A history intertwined
Medieval castles have been used in movies since the earliest movies were made. The silent horror movie Nosferatu that was made in 1922 was filmed in Oratu castle. This beautiful and very ominous castle was built on the Orava River in Slovakia around the fourteenth century. The use of medieval castles continues to this day with many scenes from contemporary movies including the Harry Potter movies being filmed in castles.
Scottish Castles in the Movies
Scottish castles are a very popular setting for movies that take place in the middle ages or require a really old and medieval feeling. One of the most popular castles for this is castle Eilian Donan which has been used in many movies such as Highlander, Highlander End Game, and the James Bond movie The World is not Enough where it was the northern base for the British Secret Service. Another popular Scottish castle for filmmaking is Doune Castle, which was used extensively in the making of the cult classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Eastern European Castles
Eastern Europe has many castles that have found their way into movies and one of the most famous, and oldest, is Spis Castle in Slovakia. It was built in the twelfth century and has been the setting for movies such as Dragon Heart, Phoenix, Kull the Conquerer, The Lion in Winter and The Last Legion.
British Castles in the Movies
There are many British castles, and there are many movies that feature British castles. These movies tend to be more about the later middle ages and the Victorian era where the castles serve as a lush setting for the political and social intricacies of the times. Two excellent examples of this are the movie Shakespeare in Love, which was filmed in Broughton Castle and Remains of the Day, which was filmed in Powderham Castle. This Victorian era use of British castles wasn’t exclusive though. There are many English castles that have a feel of the middle ages and Old Wordour castle was used as the ancestral home of Robin Hood in Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.
