Movies Made In Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California is a beautiful and popular filming location for movies and TV shows. Located about 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara offers a diverse range of settings, from sandy beaches to rolling hills and mountains. The area's Mediterranean climate and scenic beauty make it a perfect location for outdoor scenes. Some of the most notable films shot in Santa Barbara include "Scarface," "It's Complicated," "Big Wednesday," "Of Mice and Men," and "Sideways."
"Scarface," the classic crime drama directed by Brian De Palma and starring Al Pacino, was shot on location in Montecito. The two estates in the movie, supposedly in Bolivia and Florida, are actually both located in Montecito, California. Sosa's South American estate, where Omar is ousted, is Casa Bienvenida on Park Lane and East Valley Road, a rococo Italianate villa designed by Addison Mizner.
Montana's estate, known as Coral Gables, is El Fureidis on Para Grande Lane, a Mediterranean villa set on 10 acres of land and built for Waldron Gillespie by Bertram Goodhue.
"It's Complicated," the romantic comedy directed by Nancy Meyers and starring Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, and Steve Martin, was also shot on location in Santa Barbara. The majority of the film is set in Santa Barbara, California, with exterior shots filmed in Montecito and Santa Barbara. Additional scenes were shot in front of several prominent landmarks in downtown Santa Barbara, such as the Santa Barbara County Courthouse and the El Paseo section. The picturesque town of Santa Barbara and its beautiful surroundings provide the perfect backdrop for the film's charming story.
"Big Wednesday" the classic surf movie, which was released in 1978, follows the lives of three friends who grew up surfing together in the 1960s. A good portion of the movie was filmed at the Bixby Ranch in Santa Barbara, where a replica of the famous Malibu wall was built.
The waves at Bixby Ranch were remarkably similar to those at Malibu, providing the perfect setting for the film's surfing sequences. Both actors and real surfers worked together on the beach and movie set to recreate the surfing styles of the 1960s and early 1970s.
When Of Mice and Men was adapted into a film in 1992, the filmmakers sought a location that could capture the expansive landscape described in John Steinbeck's novel. The Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara provided the perfect setting, and the movie was filmed at Gainey Ranch. For the film, the owners of the ranch planted and grew wheat to provide the sweeping fields seen in the movie. The beauty of the fields in Santa Ynez is truly breathtaking.
Sideways is perhaps the most famous film to feature Santa Barbara, and where you can visit the same locations as the stars of the movie. Take a trip through wine country and eat and drink your way through Santa Barbara just like Miles and Jack did in the film. Some of the places you can visit include Los Olivos restaurant, Firestone Winery, and Fess Parker Winery, among others. Follow in the footsteps of Sideways and enjoy all that Santa Barbara has to offer.
