We only have a few months to go before we finally get to travel again. While we wait, I thought I’d write a very personal, wildly non-comprehensive list of films that have inspired a few trips over the years, both for me personally and also at PRIOR. In making it, I gave myself a few rules: no docs, stay away from the way too obvious, and think beyond just scenery to character and culture. If you’re bored of box sets and series, this is a list to get you planning.
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
“Just what we all need: A cock in a frock on a rock,” is just one of the memorable lines from this 1994 Australian road trip film in which its drag queen stars veer from Sydney through the outback to Alice Springs and, finally, King’s Canyon. That’s essentially the plot of one of the most famous simultaneously LGBT and Australian films of all time. The ‘90s saw something of a mini renaissance of Australian film, each one exuberant and exaggerated (and hilarious), but also probing a dark heart. Also in each of the films, like Muriel’s Wedding and Strictly Ballroom, Sydney is the Emerald City, sparkling in both daylight and nightlife (let’s hope that returns).
The Bond films
Controversial opinion, perhaps, but 007 is the least captivating character in the endless Bond series. Sure, there are absurd villains, Shirley Bassey theme songs, and of course girls, girls, girls. But for me it is the global locations that keep me returning. Witness the electrifying Day of the Dead in Mexico City in Spectre, the mournful Scottish moors in Skyfall, Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia as an unlikely star in From Russia With Love, and the shimmering Lake Palace in Udaipur as Pussy Galore’s lair in Octopussy. God, they even make Macau look sexy (it's not). And, well, of course there is Jamaica, where Ian Fleming’s house is now a glamorous hotel, Goldeneye.
Brooklyn
If Brooklyn were a city (as it was until 1898), it would be one of America’s largest and certainly most diverse. A startling amount of the DNA of the modern United States was forged and is still found in this sprawling borough. Colm Tóibín’s story of a young Irish immigrant (Saiorse Ronan) finding her feet and then her stride is a classic American tale, and the brownstones and energy of Brooklyn her bold supporting actor.
Call Me by Your Name
The quintessential coming-of-age film of our era also perfectly depicts the seasons of Northern Italy, especially the languid summers of lunches taken al fresco, searching for a body of water — any body of water — to escape the heat, and silly dance parties where, at a certain hour, anything becomes possible. Beyond that peach scene, also look for the seasonal progression of fruits as a marker of time.
Cleopatra
There is no perfect film about Ancient Egypt, but it's always illuminating to see a recreation of one of the most beguiling periods of history. It so happens that this one stars two of the most compelling actors of all time, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. No one has worn the arch and regal roles in such sumptuous style before or since. It might not be a perfect film, but the scale and opulence of the sets and costumes befit an era and place known for exactly that.
Coco
Tugging at both guitar and heartstrings, Coco is a loving tribute to Mexico and its culture and traditions. A modern hallmark Disney film, it muses on life and death through the lens of the country’s most famous rite and ritual, Dia de los Muertos, in the most vivid, sensitive and joyful way. Warning: You will cry.
The Darjeeling Limited
Almost any Wes Anderson film could be on this list, but the one I always come back to is this brotherly train journey through India. In Anderson’s world, shape, line, color and culture combine into something singular, a take on a place that is loving and witty. No muse is more colorful and contradictory than India, and with this subject Anderson evokes tension between the beauty and ridiculousness of traveling through it. Other films may be more insightful and inspire me to go back to India now, but this is the one that made me want to go in the first place. Oh, and the star of the show is not Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman or even Angelica Houston. It is the luggage.
