The region of Etyek on the cinema screen

From the moment you see the spectacular “Korda Filmpark” (Korda Studio) building complex on the plateau above Etyek, you begin to suspect that you have arrived in a very special place. Behind the entrance used as the NASA headquarters in the film The Martian is a magnificent world: state-of-the-art studios that meets all modern needs, a visitor centre and outdoor sets are located in the 15,000 square metre site. Fortunately, the film park is not only open to the crew, but also to visitors. Only filmmakers are allowed to enter the studios, but – when there is shooting – you can also see the world's largest street scenery in New York, try out the famous green screen technique or visit the “Mozi és tudomány” (Cinema and Science) exhibition, which reveals many film tricks. One of the most remarkable parts of the park is the medieval-Renaissance scenery town, where you can also walk around. Film fans will certainly recognise some of the details: the Robin Hood series was filmed here. The sets, created with meticulous care, are realistic evocations of cities, but it is also a funny feeling when you enter through the heavy-looking gates of a house and find yourself not in a room, but outdoors again.

But of course, even in such a professional place, it is not possible, or simply not worth it, to build everything from scratch. It is the job of the location manager to find the ideal location for each production. A few decades ago, it was like a treasure hunting job, but now the tables are turned: locations are competing for the film industry's favour. Shooting, in addition to bringing good money and publicity for the given areas, is also an important event in the history of many domestic castles.

In the Barcza castle in Pusztazámor, located not so far from Etyek, for example, Géza Bereményi and his team worked on a film adaptation of Magda Szabó's “Régimódi történet” (Old-fashioned story) in the early 2000s. The story, set in the second half of the 1800s, is perfectly suited to the small castle, now known as the “Öreg-tölgy fogadó” (Old Oak Inn), originally built in the 18th century and later rebuilt several times.

You would think that the Alcsút arboretum would “play” a mostly 19th century role, since the former Habsburg castle and its surroundings were formed in the early 1800s. However, one of the most famous film series shot here brings the 1400s to life. This is the spectacular The Borgias, which had three seasons, mostly using the interior of the chapel in the park. After Jeremy Irons – who played Pope Alexander VI, aka Rodrigo Borgia –, Anthony Hopkins also worked in the chapel interior shooting another film. Set in the 21st century, the exorcism-themed thriller The Rite may not have been the world star's most popular film, but it shows the flexibility of the industry that the interior walls of the chapel were first painted grey and then white again at the end of the shoot.

It is generally true that for the directors nothing is impossible when they feel they are working on a blockbuster. Even a relatively low-budget film like Colette, released in 2018, takes many months to shoot and – if necessary – the shooting has to be done in several countries. Keira Knightley, who plays a tough Parisian writer in the early 20th century, and the crew filmed partly here at Brunszvik Castle and its park in Martonvásár, but – of course – also in Paris and even in England in several locations. The list could go on, of course, as the film genre continues to enjoy unbroken popularity. We recommend that after a rainy day watching films to get up and explore the locations seen in the frames live.