Cinema captures the magic of certain cities, and Barcelona is the setting for a few great movies. “If you love Barcelona you should see The Passenger”. I was given this advice many years ago. The movie stars a young Jack Nicholson and Maria Schneider, and captures something of how the city was in the 1970s, before Barcelona was on the list of places to go.
Leading the list:
Movies filmed in Barcelona
The opening part of The Passenger is set in Barcelona. Jack Nicholson is an American journalist who has been sent to cover a conflict in northern Africa, but he makes little progress with the story. When he discovers the body of a stranger who looks similar to him, Locke assumes the dead man’s identity.
However, he soon finds out that the man was an arms dealer, leading Locke into dangerous situations. Aided by a beautiful woman (Maria Schneider), Locke attempts to avoid both the police and criminals out to get him. Maria Schneider is an architecture student in Barcelona and some of the scenes are shot in La Pedrera, the famous Gaudi building on Passeig de Gracia.
The Passenger – Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni
Movies filmed in Barcelona
All about my mother / Todo sobre mi Madre – Pedro Almodovar
Films that showcase the city:
Vicky Cristina Barcelona – Dir. Woody Allen 2008
L’Auberge Espagnole – The Spanish Apartment 2002
Barcelona – Dir. Walt Stillman 1994
Movies filmed in Barcelona
The opening part of The Passenger is set in Barcelona. Jack Nicholson is an American journalist who has been sent to cover a conflict in northern Africa, but he makes little progress with the story. When he discovers the body of a stranger who looks similar to him, Locke assumes the dead man’s identity.
However, he soon finds out that the man was an arms dealer, leading Locke into dangerous situations. Aided by a beautiful woman (Maria Schneider), Locke attempts to avoid both the police and criminals out to get him. Maria Schneider is an architecture student in Barcelona and some of the scenes are shot in La Pedrera, the famous Gaudi building on Passeig de Gracia.
The Passenger – Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni
For more on Movies filmed in Barcelona, I recommend this article from the Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2011/jun/21/top-10-films-on-barcelona
There are other movies that capture another side of the city.
From Ken Loach’s Tierra y Libertad, about the Spanish Civil War, to En Construcción – which explores the impact of urban transformation on people living in the Raval, or Biutiful – starring Javier Bardem.
Emily in Barcelona
There is nothing that matches Emily in Paris as far as i know, but maybe she will decide to move to Barcelona for the next season. There are off course local series that bring the city to life through their characters, but few have had the international exposure of a series like the Money Heist.
Two Movie series filmed in Barcelona come to mind:
Merli – about a high school philosophy teacher and his students.
Polseras vermelles – The Red Band Society about the day-to-day lives of teenagers in a cancer ward.
