The Revenant, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is a gripping tale of survival set in the wilderness of North America. The movie was inspired by the real-life story of Hugh Glass, a frontiersman who survived a brutal bear attack and traversed the unforgiving terrain to seek revenge against those who left him for dead.
Given that the story takes place in harsh, desolate surroundings with unpredictable weather conditions, the location where it was filmed had to be just as rugged and daunting. So where was The Revenant filmed? Let’s explore.
The production team scouted locations around North America before settling on various spots in Canada and Argentina. Here are some key filming locations used in The Revenant:
1. Alberta, Canada:
Located in Western Canada near Banff National Park, this region served as the primary setting for most exterior scenes. With its snowy peaks and dense forests made up predominantly of coniferous trees such as spruce and pine , it provided an ideal backdrop to showcase nature at its rawest form – fierce windswept cliffs overlooking crystal clear glacial lakes; towering mountain peaks contrasted sharply with dark valleys pummelled by heavy snows or pelting rains- all adding to create an almost surreal atmospheric feel.
Filming began during winter when sunlight through alpine windows casts an otherworldly glow that adds even more dramatic effect on screen.
2. British Columbia:
Located further west along Vancouver Island’s coastal area was another favourite spot ; Clayoquot Sound Provincial Park which neighbours Pacific Rim Park Reserve is among many other sites serving up quintessential visuals depicting untamed Westcoast scenery at its natural best.
3.Argentina
The Southern Hemisphere offers different climate seasons compared to Northern regions . For South American localities offering perfect settings guaranteed extreme cold took them into new territory .Large parts of filming production were actually shot here in Argentina, particularly about 70 kilometers/44 miles north of Ushuaia, which is the southernmost city on Earth. This was a strategic pick as it features one of South America’s few functioning glaciers, which served as the stunning backdrop for several scenes.
4. Calgary:
Some interior scenes were filmed at Movie Studio facility located in this Canadian city . The scene where the tent/make-shift shelter gets attacked by several angry wild animals provided authenticity that a studio could generate .
Choosing so many filming locations meant to transport enormous resources and manpower including moving equipment and transporting crew members from location to location, taking into consideration remoteness or difficulty accessing certain areas with limited facilities around having rough topography.
Filming took over nine months and significant challenges encountered were snows falling too late significantly causing delays in production stages but yet creating such an authentic look on screen evidence its worthiness placed even more pressure than anticipated with budgeting concerns highly topping list of production teams’ worries before filming commenced,.
Overall, choice of primeval wilderness area settings perfectly set intense tones enhancing film viscerality combining them with excellent performance brought out by actors giving us nothing short of an epic experience thrilling to watch.
In conclusion, The Revenant found itself shooting across various isolated remote regions that stretched across Western Canada’s rocky mountain crests through startlingly beautiful unspoilt terrain westward along Southern Pacific coastlines until arriving at frozen Patagonian tundra regions – all strategically chosen spots; ultimately setting off major award-winning buzzes after finally hitting screens globally.- A perfect example that indeed ‘Life imitates art’.
The Revenant, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is a cinematic masterpiece that tells the story of Hugh Glass – a frontiersman who survived a brutal bear attack and sought revenge against those who left him for dead. This epic tale of survival was filmed across various remote locations in Canada and Argentina, with each filming location bringing its unique set of challenges.
One of the most prominent filming locations used in The Revenant was Alberta, Canada. Western Canada’s Banff National Park served as the primary setting for most exterior scenes in the film. Boasting snow-capped peaks and dense forests made up predominantly of coniferous trees such as spruce and pine, it provided an ideal backdrop to showcase nature at its rawest form. The stark contrast between towering mountain peaks and dark valleys pummelled by heavy snows or pelting rains added to create an almost surreal atmospheric feel.
Further west along Vancouver Island’s coastal area lay British Columbia’s Clayoquot Sound Provincial Park – another site utilized during production photo shoots. With land neighboring Pacific Rim Park Reserve amongst many other awe-inspiring displays around untamed Westcoast scenery natural beauty came alive on screen.
In addition to these Canadian locations, The Revenant also filmed extensively in Argentina due to its southern hemisphere climate seasons providing extreme cold settings not found elsewhere within North America’s ranges like but rather only within select South American territories’ isolated spots offering scattered functioning glaciers having wild settings surrounded with desolate tundra terrain which brought striking visual enhancements seen on camera throughout several key scenes filmed here.
About 70 kilometers/44 miles north of Ushuaia lies one such intrinsic spot chosen during production; featuring one of South America’s few functioning glaciers that formed temperatures likely simulating that felt by their real-life counterparts Gritty western flair fully realized on screen
Indoor interior scenes were shot at Movie Studio facility located in Calgary, Canada. The scene where the tent/make-shift shelter gets attacked by several angry wild animals provided authenticity truly captured on film.
With such a wide variety of locations used during production, transporting numerous crews and equipment was no mean feat. To move material between these remote spots with limited accessibility proved difficult requiring significant resource allocation across extensive stretches to ensure completion of filming stages within stipulated time barring excessive budget overruns.
Despite the challenges encountered during production, one cannot deny that the choice of primeval wilderness area settings perfectly set intense tones enhancing film viscerality combining them with excellent performance brought out by actors that riveted audiences worldwide creating not only an epic cinematic experience but winning several prestigious awards deservedly so nothing short of a great accomplishment for everyone involved in its making from start till finish altogether being worth every penny invested.- This is living proof that Life certainly imitates Art.”