An island as a film star – When James Bond visited Sardinia
Anyone who has ever been to Sardinia will know what I'm talking about: you wander through an old mountain village where time seems to have stood still. You climb down a path and find yourself facing a bay with snow-white sand and turquoise water glistening in the sun. Or you hike through the wild mountain landscape of the Gennargentu massif. And suddenly you have this feeling of being in a film, because it's all just too wonderful to be true.
The island's cinematic qualities have not gone unnoticed by filmmakers, of course, and so Sardinia is the secret (or not so secret) star of many films shot here. And so there is actually a beach in Sardinia that served as the backdrop for exciting and impressive car chases in a James Bond film.
Film hits and flops in Sardinia
In the mid-20th century, a whole series of renowned Italian directors drew inspiration from stories of blood feuds and Sardinian bandits to create cinematic masterpieces that have lost none of their power to this day. Mario Monicelli was the first to do so in 1954 with Proibito, starring Mel Ferrer and Lea Massari in prominent roles. The film was shot in the villages of Ittiri, Tissi and Codrongianos. In 1961, Vittorio de Seta shot Bandits of Orgosolo (Banditi a Orgosolo) in the style of Italian neorealism, exclusively with Sardinian amateur actors. The Blue-Eyed Bandit (Barbagia/La società del malessere) by Carlo Lizzani, starring Terence Hill in the lead role, is another neorealist film focusing on bandits and blood feuds. (Incidentally, the model for the character of the ‘blue-eyed bandit’ was Graziano Mesina, whose story I have already told elsewhere.) However, if possible, you should watch the original Italian version with English subtitles, because in the UK Barbagia was released in an abridged version and distorted by silly dubbing – the art of film was sacrificed here to Terence Hill's slapstick image.
The great Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni was also inspired by Sardinia – parts of The Red Desert (Il deserto rosso) starring Monica Vitti were filmed on the famous pink beach of Budelli. Beaches also play a prominent role in Lina Wertmüller's dramatic shipwreck comedy with the unwieldy title Swept Away by an Unusual Destiny in the Azure Sea in August (Travolti da un insolito destino nell'azzurro mare d'agosto, 1974); here, Capo Comino, Cala Luna and Cala Fuili on the Gulf of Orosei form the backdrop. Twenty-eight years later, the remake by director Guy Ritchie, starring his then-wife Madonna in the lead role, was also filmed there. Like the original version, it bears the much shorter English title Swept Away. The film was panned by critics and flopped at the box office.
Another huge flop was the 1968 drama Boom! (Brandung), directed by American Brecht student Joseph Losey. Perhaps it is no coincidence that a married couple was also involved in this film, namely superstars Liz Taylor and Richard Burton. The film was shot in the Porto Conte National Park near Alghero. This dramatic backdrop almost proved fatal for Liz Taylor: the caravan that served as her dressing room broke loose from its moorings and plunged 45 metres to its death just seconds after the diva had left it.
When James Bond visited Sardinia
It comes as no surprise that several spaghetti westerns were filmed in Sardinia; the Mexican-style village of San Salvatore di Sinis was a particularly popular backdrop for these films. And, of course, James Bond also paid a visit to Sardinia – locations in Porto Cervo and on the Costa Smeralda provide the backdrop for breakneck car chases in 1977's (The Spy Who Loved Me), starring Roger Moore.
Sardinia – a favourite with filmmakers
To list all the films that have been shot in Sardinia would go far beyond the scope of this article. Nevertheless, I would like to mention that fans of Sardinia lover George Clooney can admire the star in the miniseries Catch-22. Alongside co-producer George Clooney, another heartthrob also stars in the series: British actor Hugh Laurie. Filming took place in spring 2018 in locations including Venafiorita near Olbia.
With a Sardinian ‘Adiosu’, I bid you farewell for today
Yours, Joachim Waßmann