Iceland review - 2012, Blaðsíða 40

38 ICELAND REVIEW
where he is to destroy the remains of an alien race. The arrival
of an unexpected traveler causes him to question what he knows
about the planet, his mission, and himself.”
Icelandic filmmakers joke about it themselves, saying: “When
God created earth, he experimented with Iceland.” Although the
entertainment value of this joke is questionable, it definitely offers
some truth. Wild rivers, dignified glaciers, wicked geysers, massive
waterfalls, yellow sulphur mountains, tundra, active and dormant
volcanoes, lagoons with floating icebergs, black sands and endless
fields of lonely moss-grown lava. It’s all there.
The only thing missing is trees. But that’s all right – the damage
is not too severe. Only Tarzan, the king of the jungle, will be left
out of this setting.
But surely there must be more than just Icelandic nature. Why
did Eastwood pick Reykjanes rather than Iwo Jima to portray the
characteristic black sand beaches of Iwo Jima? The answer: Money.
By refunding 20 percent of the production cost, the Icelandic
government has made film production in Iceland feasible for
Hollywood. This, together with the weak exchange rate of the
Icelandic króna, has often proven to seal the deal, says Einar
Tómasson, film commissioner at Promote Iceland.
Einar also notes that filmmakers are becoming more aware of the
fact that Iceland is closer to the US than you would think. From
New York, the flying distance to Iceland is about the same as to
San Francisco. And traveling from all the major gateways in Europe
takes only 2-3 hours.
Another major factor is the presence of a thriving group of
professional film production crews and casting agencies in Iceland.
Both Eastwood (whom the Icelandic people affectionately gave
the nickname “Clintarinn” - an English approximation of
which would be “The Clinter”) and Ridley Scott have said how
impressed they were with the Icelandic professionals that worked
on their sets.
Last but not least, the local authorities and tourist boards at the
locations that have seen most of the action have been extremely
cooperative. The film crews have even received permission to close
off tourist attractions for several days while shooting. According to
Einar, the locals realize that in the long run, having these tourist
attractions show up in major blockbusters will boost what they call
“film tourism.”
fILm
Brendan Fraser, the Icelander Anita Briem, and John Hutcherson in Journey to the Center of the earth (2008)
based on Jules Verne’s 19th-century novel.
The TV series game of thrones, filmed near Vatnajökull glacier.
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