Set jetting
The Power of the Dog
The Power of the Dog was one of the biggest winners at this year’s Golden Globes, tallying up three awards – including Best Picture (drama) and Best Director. It has also been nominated for 12 Oscars, the most of any film this year.
Although the action is set in the open spaces of rural Montana in 1925, the movie was filmed entirely on the South Island of New Zealand, director Jane Campion’s home country.
The sparsely populated grassy plains and rocky mountains were a remarkable match for the Western setting, without any trace of civilisation in shot.
Most of the filming on location took place in Central Otago, a striking landscape also widely used in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
The story, based on the 1967 novel by Thomas Savage, revolves around wealthy ranchers the Burbank brothers - alpha male Phil, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, and Jesse Plemons as George, with Kirsten Dunst as George’s new wife Rose, and Kodi Smit-McPhee as her bullied son, Peter.
A rural property below the Hawkdun Ranges in Central Otago was used as the set for Burbank Ranch. The house backs on to the Oteake Conservation Park and is complete with vast, soulful plains, craggy, tussock-clad hills and sturdy mountains.
Not long after they are married, Rose and George are alone on a hillside where she teaches him a few dance steps. This scene was filmed on Queenstown Hill road, with Cecil Peak behind it. The road actually overlooks Lake Wakatipu, however, this was kept out of shot.
The scene where George picks up his parents at the train station was filmed at the magnificent Dunedin railway station. Opened in 1906, this ornate FlemishRenaissance style building is one of the South Island’s most prominent architectural landmarks.
The cast and crew spent a total of 27 days filming on South Island and 15 location sets were built especially for the Netflix smash hit.
newzealand.com
The two ferries sailing the North Sea route between Harwich,
Essex, and the Hook of Holland in the Netherlands have had a major refurbishment. Stena Hollandica and Stena Britannica both now have 15 dog-friendly cabins, larger duty free shops and upgraded bars. Fares start at £59 one-way for a car and driver. stenaline.
co.uk