Did you ever stop and think how big a role the setting plays in a book or movie? Sometimes the setting is so huge it almost becomes a silent character, so to speak.
Many Japanese tourists for years have made a habit of planning trips to the real-life settings of popular books and movies. For instance, Prince Edward Island in Canada has been a popular tourist destination for the Japanese because it's the setting for Anne of Green Gables. Some people find that there's a certain energy or excitement going to the actual place where a book or a movie is set. There's just something about the tangible.
I confess that I enjoy traveling to the real-life places I read about in literature or see on screen in the movies. There was a certain thrill in visiting Malbork Castle in Poland where Adam Mickiewicz's epic poem Konrad Wallenrod is set, and as kitschy as it may sound, I felt like a giddy teenager when I went to Forks, La Push, and Port Angeles to do my own personal Twilight tour.
Over the past weekend, I did another of my book/movie setting trips. This time it was to Kootenai Falls in Montana, the place where Meryl Streep's The River Wild was filmed a number of years ago. When I watched that movie, I thought the scenery was absolutely beautiful, and when I heard that it was filmed just 3 hours away from Spokane, I had to make a point of going there. Of course, it was exciting to see for myself the area where the movie was made, but beyond that, the waterfalls and the river weaved their own magic around me. Add the Native American history and beliefs surrounding the waterfalls and I had a newly found awe, understanding, and appreciation for them and the area.
If you do have the chance to visit the real-life location of your favorite book or movie, I highly recommend it. You may go in as the casual tourist but come out with a greater wealth of knowledge and a more soulful experience than you imagined.
More later from the perch.
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