From Bora-Bora to Iceland: 10 Films on Islands
«The Outcast Island» — a thriller about survival on a desert island is based on the novel by Isabelle Autissier, the first woman to sail solo around the world. We recall other films and series shot on the most picturesque and inhospitable islands of the world.
«Dr. No» (1962)
In the first Bond film, the villain Dr. No has set up his base on Crab Key island off the coast of Jamaica. In Ian Fleming«s novel, he vividly describes the local black crabs that crawl out of their burrows every night and devour everything in their path. However, viewers remember more the scene where Ursula Andress»s character emerges from the water in a white bikini.
Filming location: Jamaica. Initially, Fleming wrote a script for a television series that was supposed to promote the island, but the project fell through, and the material turned into a Bond novel. Dunn«s River Falls and Laughing Waters beach became popular attractions thanks to the film.
«Hurricane» (1979)
1920s. An American artist arrives on a tropical island to visit her governor father and falls in love with a local. Their passion unfolds against the backdrop of a hurricane.
Filming location: Bora Bora, an atoll in French Polynesia covering 38 km². In 1977, it was a wild place with two shops and two hotels. Producer Dino De Laurentiis had to build a third hotel and install electricity. Filming was complicated by the lack of infrastructure and a real hurricane that damaged the sets. The budget soared, and the film flopped. Today, Bora Bora is a luxury resort, but filmmakers avoid it (only «xXx» and «The Formula of Love for Prisoners of Marriage» were shot there in the 21st century).
«The Beach» (2000)
A young American (Leonardo DiCaprio) learns about a paradise island with a commune of free people and goes there. Reality turns out to be grim. The film received mixed reviews but is remembered for its locations.
Filming location: Phi Phi Leh Island in Thailand. After the film«s release, a flood of tourists arrived, and 20th Century Fox was accused of damaging the ecosystem. By 2018, authorities imposed restrictions, and the COVID-19 pandemic helped nature recover. Now the island is part of a national park, with visits limited to one hour in a group.
«Cast Away» (2000)
Tom Hanks plays a FedEx employee who survives a plane crash and spends four years on a deserted island. The idea came from an article about Boeing 747 flights across the Pacific. The film nearly earned Hanks an Oscar.
Filming location: The uninhabited island of Monuriki near Fiji. Before the film, nobody paid attention to it; afterward, it became a tourist attraction.
«Mamma Mia!» (2008)
A young woman invites three possible fathers to a Greek island to find out who her real dad is. Everyone sings ABBA songs.
Filming location: The island of Skopelos in Greece. After the film«s success, the quiet island turned into a tourist nightmare: beaches overcrowded, prices skyrocketed. Hundreds of couples wanted to get married in the local church, and one Swedish couple even converted to Orthodoxy. Authorities tried to fight back by banning souvenirs, but the frenzy lasted for years.
«Star Wars: The Force Awakens» and «The Last Jedi»
Luke Skywalker hides on a rocky island on the planet Ahch-To, where Rey arrives. The island became one of the most memorable locations of the new trilogy.
Filming location: Skellig Michael island off the coast of Ireland. In the 6th century, a difficult-to-reach monastery was founded there, later becoming a place of pilgrimage and tourism.
«Kong: Skull Island» (2017)
Another version of the story about a giant ape inhabiting an island with giant spiders and «Skullcrawlers». A military and scientific expedition ends tragically.
Filming location: Partly in Hawaii and Australia, but mainly in Vietnam (Halong Bay and the Trang An complex in Ninh Binh province). The sets (huts) attracted tourists for a while, but are now closed.
«The White Lotus» (2021–present)
The popular HBO series takes place in the hotels of the White Lotus chain. The first season is set in Hawaii, the second in Sicily, and the third on the Thai island of Samui. The third season features Milos Bikovic.
Filming locations: First season – Maui (Hawaii), second – Taormina, Palermo, Cefalù, Catania, Noto, and Giardini Naxos in Sicily, third – Samui.
«Ticket to Paradise» (2022)
George Clooney and Julia Roberts play divorced parents who go to Bali to stop their daughter«s wedding to a local guy. But the magical landscapes and hospitality of the groom»s family change their minds.
Filming location: Although the action takes place in Bali, the film was shot in the Australian state of Queensland, including the Whitsundays archipelago and Tamborine National Park, thanks to a AUD $5 million government grant.
«The Outcast Island» (2023)
A couple in love sets off on a yacht journey, but a storm sweeps the vessel away, leaving them on a harsh island off Antarctica. Romance turns into a fight for survival.
Filming location: Iceland (the towns of Höfn and Hafnarfjörður) and western France (Finistère department). In Iceland, unique sets were built — the ruins of a whaling station and a pontoon. Extreme weather conditions became a challenge but added realism to the film, making nature one of the main characters.
