See the movie, visit the Bay State filming location
Up for some great local adventure? How about a day trip that packs reading, cinema and nearby destinations into one fun bundle?
Here in Massachusetts, we are rich with film locations. Some are obscure (New York-based “American Hustle” was filmed in Worcester and other Bay State spots) and others are obvious. (Where else could “Little Women” film but here?)
Here’s the plan: Read the book first, see the film next and then head out for a day trip to visit the film sites.
The choices are nearly endless in the Bay State. Even without the crime classics filmed here (“The Departed,” “Mystic River,”) there are so many choices, you could fill your free days for months. Consider these.
“Love Story”: Love never means having to say you’re sorry. It also means you can head to Cambridge to meander the Harvard campus and spot classic locations from the film.
One special spot: Tercentenary Theatre, where key scenes were shot.
That famed “say you’re sorry” scene was filmed in Cambridge as well, at 119 Oxford St.
Interesting fact: “Love Story” is one of the very few films featuring Harvard that was actually filmed there. “Good Will Hunting” was, for the most part, filmed in Toronto, and “Legally Blonde” in Pasadena.
“The Witches of Eastwick”: Back in the day, Cohasset and Scituate residents were excited when Jack Nicholson, Cher and the rest of the cast descended on the little towns to film.
That was 1987, and aside from a few cosmetic changes, the settings remain the same.
Read John Updike’s book first, then re-watch the not kid-friendly movie. The two best spots to visit, I think, are Cohasset Common, where you can see the church setting from the opening sequence, and what was then The Quarterdeck on Scituate harbor but is now Lucky Finn Cafe, a coffee shop you simply must visit.
A meandering drive through Cohasset along Atlantic Avenue and Jerusalem Road tops it off. (Bonus viewing: Check out the former Cox Estate there, the main setting for the obscure film “Thoroughbreds.”)
Fun fact: The then-owners of The Quarterdeck were paid to feed seagulls daily at the same time for an extended time so the film crew could be sure to get the flying bird scene.
“Little Women”: There’s never a time when a re-reading of Louisa May Alcott’s famed book is a bad idea. There are junior editions for families with younger kids, but the classic is a great family read for most ages.
Then, you have a choice of versions of the film to watch, each as lovely as the other. The most recent, though, features lots of Bay State sites, particularly in Concord.
You can pass by (and meander the grounds of) Orchard House, where Alcott actually grew up (and where much of the book is set), the Old Manse (which was Nathaniel Hawthorne’s home and is used as background in the film) and Minute Man National Historical Park, where you will recognize spots from outdoor scenes.
You can also visit Author’s Ridge in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord to pay your respects to Alcott.
There are more: The bench from “Good Will Hunting” in Boston Common is a great spot to sit and ponder the film’s meaning. In Salem, you can see the very home “Hocus Pocus” centered around. Chatham Coast Guard Station features prominently in “The Finest Hours.” Murphy’s Law, a classic Southie bar, is central to “Gone Baby Gone.”
Should you catch the Massachusetts film bug, consider this: The Massachusetts film office is often — even in a pandemic — looking for movie extras.
You can find details at mafilm.org/casting-calls/. Find a film that fits you, get a spot and some day, someone may visit a Bay State film site thinking of you.
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2ZAZo9k
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