EXPLORE
TASTE
REFLECT
CREATE
What’s more evocative
than a beautiful travel
destination? One that
is an enthralling big
screen epic featuring
a magnetic film star, of
course. Daniel Seifert
explores why movies
take our wanderlust to
award-winning levels
Movie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Lawrence of Arabia
Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1962
Watch this movie if . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
You're hungry for desert sunsets
A wanderlust quote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"Tomorrow the finest sheets in the
finest room, in the finest hotel in Cairo.
I promise."
U N D E R T H E B A N YA N T R E E
01/06
2016
PHOTOS: ERIKA SKOGG/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE(MOROCCO); EVERETT/TPG/CLICK PHOTOS (LAWRENCE OF ARABIA)
The communiqué was dryly written, the message bland.
“The National Highway Company of Morocco apologises
to its kind users about the inconvenience that will be
caused by this interruption.”
The interruption itself was rather more exciting. It
was the summer of 2014, and Tom Cruise was in town,
shooting scenes for Mission Impossible 5: Rogue Nation.
To shoot a spine-tingling chase scene featuring howling
high speed motorbikes and beefy BMWs, the film shut
down a sprawling section of highway. And not just for a
few hours: it was barred to citizens for nearly two weeks.
Still, the results were worth it, leaving audiences
marvelling at the high-octane chase. No doubt more than
a few viewers also left with the quiet thought, “Hmm,
maybe I should visit Morocco.” It helps that Cruise gave a
warm review of the country, noting in an interview that,
“I loved that time in Morocco. It was beautiful.”
Such is the power of film. No wonder Hollywood is
known as “the dream factory”. There’s no faster way of
making us fantasize about the romance of travel than
seeing an exotic locale through the eyes of an A-lister.
Make a Date with Morocco Morocco’s screentime
doesn’t end with Cruise’s daring feats. The city of
Ouarzazate, a two-hour drive from Marrakech, played
an eye-catching role in Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator,
The Mummy, Kingdom of Heaven and several episodes
of Game of Thrones. Not surprising, considering the
interplay between rocky desert and lush oasis that
simply glitters — even off the screen. Hence why Atlas
Studios, the world’s largest film studio, is based here.
Want to see it for yourself? Catch a public tour of
the 30,000 square metre wonderland. It’s a sprawling
collection of film sets, from Cleopatra’s palace to chariotstrewn battle scenes. An article in The Independent
breathlessly described “collapsing steps, columns
piled around like giant toothpicks and Sphinxes with
their rear ends torn asunder to expose their timber
innards. A fighter plane from Jewel of the Nile sits […] just
around the corner from a very dodgy looking fibreglass
approximation of a red Ferrari.”
But it’s the scenery itself that is the star. Visit the
area, and you’ll understand why so many blockbusters
have hungered to claim a slice of this space. Ouarzazate’s
wealth of scenery comes with a treasure trove of history.
Its name arrives from the words ouar (without) and zazt
(noise). Could there ever be a more evocative title for a
place than city without noise? An awe-inspiring sight
for even the most jaded eyes, Ait Benhadou Palace is
well worth an afternoon’s visit, and not just because it’s a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This collection of adobe kasbahs (homes) flaunt tall
fortified walls and intricate facades — so elaborate and
beautiful, in fact, that when director David Lean was
shooting Lawrence of Arabia, he fell in love with the faded
grandeur of the crumbling buildings, and promptly paid
for the restorations.
If you’re looking for more adventure than
architecture, no problem. An ancient city on the caravan
route between the Sahara, Ouarzazate is a jump off
point for many tours that will seat you firmly on the
back of a camel and see you eating honey-sweet dates
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