Since the nineteenth century to today and the Moroccan city of Ouarzazate kiss filmmakers. Transformed by its stunning natural center for photography studios are the largest on the African continent. Frequented by tens of directors annually, and the most popular films depicted major historical, and decamp to Alfred Hitchcock and Martin Scorsese and Ridley Scott, and others. What happens in Ouarzazate these days, and why it faded and Ahjhaa? Field investigation highlights.
Not far from the city of Marrakech, the Moroccan capital of tourism, there are «Ouarzazate» City Moroccan cinema .. «Hollywood Africa» as he called Americans, or «gate desert» as they are called French. City red color, attracted senior directors Americans and the French also attracted other Europeans and Arabs, which is now published «cinema culture» in Morocco.
Located south of the country, and looks at first glance city isolated and asleep amid the mountains and oases, but in fact the movement dates exceptional creativity. Here there is the largest film studios in the African continent. Ouarzazate attracts every year dozens of directors who come to shoot scenes for movies huge budgets amounting to millions of dollars, and the works of thousands of citizens of the city «extras» in these films, and that the property does not exist in any other city in the world. Ouarzazate City trims and acting, and other professions related to cinema and her world. City cinematic even though they do not exist Dar display one, but is a normal studio, watching and wishing to watch movies directly in front of them, a perception.
Constructed inside and outside the studios of Ouarzazate, and turned hundreds of hectares to the scene of representation, in an environment that is almost ideal for the work of Hollywood cinema that rely artistic expression. Studios in Ouarzazate there is everything related to film production: coefficient, Montage halls, shops, restaurants, hotels, and the center of the composition film. Most studios overlooking the vast space of the picturesque mountain views. There is also the factor of the film careers, carpentry and sewing and dyeing and makeup Gypsum and engraving, and sites for explosives, and hundreds of stables for horses and camels, which are trained on the representation offices and production management.
In «Studio Atlas» found «the temple of Abu Simbel», there is also a pharaonic statues stand silent. In this place was specifically conceived the film «Cleopatra» and several films are universal. Most famous of these movies filmed in «Atlas Studios» vast. The visitor finds upon the entry of these studios large yard and put the plane white, and a car «Ferrari» red are the remnants of the film «Jewel of the Nile» Michael Douglas, who filmed in Ouarzazate in 1984, as well as the film «Gladiator» and «King or Haven», directed by Ridley Scott.
Arena in front of a small door, and there is a back door of the building, where entry requires him bend a little. There we found Onevsa in front of a large statue of the tanks where the books without limitation .. It Temple «Buddha» The statue is great «Buddha». Everything in this studio is made of plaster and cardboard and cane, something really impressive. All of these decorations built by craftsmen from the sons of Ouarzazate. Most of the decorations in the studio of clay and plaster. Some trims collapsed, has not been restored.
Here also there is Cleopatra's palace and houses a small market, the guide told us that it was built during the filming of the movie «Prophet Yusuf». But not all photography is being in the studio, but there are areas depicted where movies do not exist simpler facilities, not even paved roads, such as the «Vint», and the same applies to the rod «Ait Haddou», which filmed the movie world, such as «Gladiator », and is one of the monuments classified as World Heritage.
At the end of the nineteenth century was filmed in 1897, the first foreign film in Ouarzazate, entitled «patron Moroccan goats», and was behind this achievement French cinema pioneer Louis Lumiere. He went beyond the work of other French ones «blood» of Lewites Mora and «God willing» to Franz Toussaint.
In the late twenties of the last century, Americans have discovered this wonderful place, to become their destination over the past century. In 1930, the conclusion reached by Joseph von Sternberg to portray «hearts burnt». You'll Ouarzazate great transformation in the second half of the twentieth century, where will be directed towards the heavily-month directors, actors and producers filmmakers in the world, including Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese, and Anthony Quinn, and Ridley Scott, and Moustapha Akkad, and Oliver Stone, Sergio Leone, and Leonardo DiCaprio, and Michael Douglas, and Jean-Paul Belmondo.
When roaming in Ouarzazate, a picturesque town that rises from the sea at about 1136 meters, and the hills are green and Uahadtha largest studio in the natural world, you'll find yourself in Hollywood again. Nature and picturesque palaces and towns and oases extended to hyperopia, churches and pyramids, snow and desert, here everything tempt senior directors.
In the city there are «oases valves» and «Palace Ait Haddou» and tubing «Tmort» and stubble «Taourirt» and the Draa Valley. A variety of places where you find yourself living past wars with the Romans, and the time of the great civilizations such as the Egyptian civilization, Romanian, Chinese, and there are also «Egyptian pyramids» and «Jerusalem» old. All this is embodied in Ouarzazate trims maintained by the city in all its studios.
Off «Kasbah Taourirt» Film Museum there. The museum seems normal from the outside. Statues of horses in front of him, and well, on the side of the entrance door and there is a long corridor after the first entrance, the guard queried about whether there is evidence Saarafna on the place, he replied, «you need not one, everything that exists in this paper». We entered a door that leads to the «throne room of King Solomon», so he wrote in the plate and put Central Square by the exceptional decor, strikethrough stately gilded chair. Everything here from Gypsum and cardboard and cane. If you hear the wall reverberate across the empty space.
Movies that were filmed here, mostly during the nineties, and images Italians. Films mostly talking about Christ and the Prophet Joseph. There alongside Hall «throne of Solomon» on the right temple and a small court and Parliament, then the long, dark corridor Dkhalnah prison and found the dark cells of plaster and wooden rods, chains and rusty iron. We came out of the «throne room» and entered the corridor of the second term, there was a huge building in the door there is a black cave, we asked one of the guards you are for representation, and he said it's just a decor of the place. We entered from the door next to a large cave, everything was incredible hairdresser and carts decorated with carvings and bright colors. It's vehicles, which was carrying over Cleopatra in a film that bears her name .
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