The China Mail - 'Like Texas': Spain's arid south draws Western film shoots

The Tabernas Desert, one of Europe's driest regions which extends over 28,000 hectares, attracted Italian director Sergio Leone to shoot his iconic Western films from the 1960s, drawn by its barren landscape, abundant sunshine and low costs.

Among the movies he shot in the southern region are his masterpieces "A Fistful of Dollars" and "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", which starred Oscar-winning actor Clint Eastwood.

Other directors followed. Dozens of Westerns were filmed in the region in the 1960s and the area soon became known as the "Hollywood of Europe".

Elaborate sets were built featuring dusty streets and saloons, now serving as Western-themed amusement parks that draw tourists to one of Spain's less visited regions, which still features as a backdrop for big-name films.

Mock cowboys on horseback put on a show for visitors to one of the theme parks, Fort Bravo, that includes a fake duel.

Rafael Aparicio, one of the performers sporting cowboy boots and a sleeveless waistcoat, said he started out working on film shoots in Tabernas.

"I must have been 14 or 15, and that's where I learned everything: how to ride a horse, how to fall from the top of a building, how to fight on the ground," the 49-year-old told AFP.

- 'Family affair' -

The car park was packed with trucks, large camper vans and a white tent, a sign of filming in progress nearby.

Fabio Testi, an 83-year-old Italian actor who appears in several movies made in the region, said the light of the Tabernas Desert is what appealed most to filmmakers.

"You can shoot from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm and it will always be the same," he told AFP. "It was like Texas for us, it really was like a desert."

Jose Enrique Martinez, an author of two books on the history of filmmaking in Almeria, said "the scenery is the same as in Arizona and southern Texas -- it doesn't rain."

"And it's a lot cheaper than in the United States," he added.

"In its early days, cinema in Almeria was a family affair. Everyone wanted to be in the films. Workers would call in sick to go to film shoots where they were paid more."

- 'Long live the Western!' -

After an airport opened in Almeria, the capital of the province of the same name located 30 kilometres (18 miles) south of Tabernas, it became easier for stars such as Sean Connery and Brigitte Bardot to come to the remote location for a shoot.

Tabernas has also been used as a stand-in for the Middle East and North Africa, such as for the 1962 epic drama "Lawrence of Arabia", said Bob Yareham, who wrote the book "Movies made in Spain".

Filming in Tabernas slowed down after the 1970s but has picked up recently with the filming of scenes for popular English-language series including "The Crown" and "Game of Thrones" as well as the French series "Lucky Luke" and "Zorro".

And since 2001 Tabernas has hosted each October Europe's only film festival dedicated to Westerns.

"It's not a thing of the past, it's still alive," said 41-year-old teacher Juan Castro, who attended this month's festival sporting a cowboy hat and a bandana around his neck.

"We must continue to promote it so that it doesn't fall into oblivion."

Danish-American actor Viggo Mortensen picked up the award for best picture at this year's festival for his feature "The Dead Don't Hurt" about star-crossed lovers in the Wild West.

"The Western is not dead, that's not true," Mortensen said on stage as he collected the prize.

"Long live the Western and long live the Western filmed in Almeria!"

G.Tsang--ThChM