Watching a film over the festive period while sitting on the sofa trying to digest too much food is a tradition millions of Britons will be experiencing over the next few days.
But whether the movie you are watching is a classic, or a modern-day blockbuster, there is a good chance it may have been filmed not in Hollywood, but perhaps closer to where you last went on holiday.
That’s because Almeria in Spain, an area loved by British travellers seeking a sunny break, is also the location where hundreds of movies have been filmed since as early as the 1940s.
Indeed a whole town has sprouted out the Tabernas Desert, in Almeria, which became a preferred destination for directors wanting to make the perfect cowboy film.
Iconic director Sergio Leone filmed some the most all-American films in history, A Fist Full of Dollars, Few Dollars More, and Once Upon a Time in the West all in a region thousands of miles away from the real USA.
The rich history of Westerns being made in Almeria has led to the creation of Fort Bravo, an American wild west-style village that welcomes tourists who want to transport themselves to a different time and place.
To enter the Oasys Mini Hollywood Theme Park, where the Western village is situated and live shows are put on throughout the day, it costs around £18.67 (22.50 euros) for adults and £10.37 (12.5 euros) for children.
Visitors can feel like they are Clint Eastwood chasing the bad guys, or imagine themselves part of a time in history that never actually happened in Europe.
Of course, films are all about make-believe and a few fantasy films and TV shows have also used the Spanish desert landscape as a backdrop, including one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s first major roles as Conan the Barbarian and, more recently, the filming of an episode of Game of Thrones.
In the HBO TV show, the sparse landscape was used to reflect the homeland of the fierce horseback-based people, the Dothraki.
There’s even a Hollywood-style walk of fame in Almeria, with stars emblazoned on the promenade by the sea, marking great names such as Sophia Loren, Ridley Scott and Catherine Deneuve.
For a Few Dollars More – 1965 – directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood
Once Upon a Time in the West – 1968 – directed by Sergio Leone and starring Henry Fonda and Claudia Cardinale
Red Sun – 1971 – starring Charles Bronson and Ursula Andress
Antony and Cleopatra – 1972 – starring Charlton Heston
Conan the Barbarian – 1982 – starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Earl Jones and Max von Sydow
Never Say Never Again – 1983 – starring Sean Connery and Kim Basinger
The NeverEnding Story – 1984 – directed by Wolfgang Petersen
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade – 1989 – by driector Steven Spielberg, and starring Harrison Ford and Sean Connery
Sexy Beast – 2000 – starring Ben Kingsley, Ian McShane, Ray Winstone and Amanda Redman
Game of Thrones – 2016 season 6 – the desert of Tabernas became the land of the Dothraki
