The United States, the cradle of Hollywood studios, has a lot to offer to cinema and Arizona, with its mythical sites, has always been the setting for big American productions. From legendary westerns to breathtaking thrillers and science fiction films, Arizona has more than once burst onto the screen by hosting the shooting of more than 2,000 films across this must-see state in the American West. Le Petit Futé has therefore tried to select ten films shot in Arizona that have surely caught your eye. This is an opportunity to create the desire to watch them again and again for the great moviegoers.
John Ford's "The Infernal Pursuit" (1946)
Who has never dreamed of playing cowboys and Indians in front of the three famous ochre rock mounds at Monument Valley? John Ford made it his playground in this film where in 1882, the Earp brothers, driving their cattle west, take a break near Tombstone for the night. As the elders leave for a distraction in town, the younger one is murdered and the cattle are stolen. The elder then becomes sheriff of the town and sets out with his other brothers to avenge the death of their younger brother
"Mars Attack" by Tim Burton (1996)
Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close and Pierce Brossant are among the main characters in this film. And it is the town of Kingman, home to Arizona's Route 66 Museum, which hosted the filming of "Mars Attack". Flying saucers arrive from the planet Mars all over the Earth, flying over the largest cities. In a humorous feature film, the Martians decide, following a misunderstanding, to decimate the inhabitants with laser guns, but several citizens will organize themselves to face the small greenish creatures from elsewhere.
"Rio Bravo" by Howard Hawks (1959)
In southern Arizona, Old Tucson Studios has been the backdrop for more than 300 movies, including several great classics starring John Wayne, such as "Rio Bravo". For a brief summary of the film, a sheriff arrests the brother of what turns out to be the most powerful man in the region. But with only a kid, a drunkard, an old man with a limp, a Mexican hotelier and a poker player as allies, the conditions for fighting against the army of killers who want him dead
"Psychosis" by Alfred Hitchcock (1960)
It was in downtown Phoenix, the capital of Arizona, that the frightening film "Psycho", by the king of suspense Alfred Hitchcock, took place. When she is no longer interested in her work and her lover doesn't want to marry her, Marion Crane runs away with the 40,000 dollars her boss asks her to deposit in the bank. In pouring rain, the young woman decides to stop at a motel run by Norman Bates, a man living with a possessive mother. As she relaxes in a shower after hiding the money, a scenario she certainly didn't expect happens?
"The Fantastic Ride" by John Ford (1939)
This western centered around John Wayne and a stagecoach helped to make the site of Monument Valley popular. There is even a spot called "John Ford"
Period". It is in this unmissable Arizona setting that a stagecoach travels to Lordsburg with a generous prostitute, a gambler, a not very honest banker, a pregnant woman, a doctor with a serious problem with alcohol, a sheriff accompanied by his prisoner and a whisky merchant. A long journey during which each one will reveal his personality to the general public, but be careful, under the threat of the Indians.
"Arizona Dream " by Emir Kusturica (1993)
This Franco-American film directed by a Serb debuts in New York. But soon after the death of his parents, the character played by Johnny Depp will return to his uncle's land, in Douglas, Arizona. The man is about to get married and indeed wishes to have him at his side as his best man and also hopes that he will be his successor. But once there, in a desert setting that inevitably invites travel and daydreaming, the man will have to deal with the dreams of two women, those of his uncle, but also his own.
"Easy Rider" by Denis Hopper (1969)
This road movie, which has become an emblem of the hippie generation of the 60s and 70s, takes us on the journey of two young bikers, Wyatt and Billy, drug dealers on the run from Los Angeles. Heading west! The marginalized find themselves confronted with traditional America. The shooting of the feature film took place in very basic technical conditions, and the director got angry with almost the entire film crew. Nevertheless, the film was listed in 1998 at the National Film Registry for having contributed a lot to American cinema and culture.
"Once upon a time in the West" by Sergio Leone (1968)
More than a must-see for those who love westerns, this film is considered the masterpiece of the spaghetti western! The story is that of Bet McBain, murdered with his three children while preparing a party for his wife, Jill. It is she who will inherit land from the deceased man, plots coveted by Morton, because of their value since the railway will pass through them. Morton is the mastermind of the crime, but suspicion will turn on Cheyenne, an adventurer... Although the film did not meet with the expected glory in the United States, it was a great success when it was released in Europe
John Carpenter's "Starman" (1984)
The final scene of the film takes place on the site of Meteor Crater, the best preserved meteorite crater in the world and the most inspiring for the action of science fiction films. The film tells the story of an alien stranded on Earth who finds himself pursued by the U.S. military. To escape him, he takes on the appearance of the husband of a young widow. The young woman, hesitant at first, finally decides not only to take him in, but also to accompany him on his escape to the Meteor Crater, where his fellow creatures have to come and get him to return home.
"Arac Attack" by Ellory Elkayem (2001)
Lake Powell, the second largest man-made lake in the United States, created on the Colorado River by the Glen Canyon Dam, offers an exceptional setting for many masterpieces of the seventh art and others, a little less good... Arac Attack depicts the inhabitants of a small mining town who have to face a formidable army of giant eight-legged spiders who are visibly eager to eat fresh meat. But an engineer and his ex-girlfriend are about to join forces to defeat the bugs that have appeared as a result of toxic waste dumping.
