Lithuania is a small country located on the Baltic sea of Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east, Poland to the south and the Russian territory of Kaliningrad to the southwest. Known mostly for being an ex-Soviet bloc country, Lithuania regained its independence with the fall of the Iron Curtain in the early nineties.
Lithuanian Movie Film Locations on History Channel Discovery
The History Channel chose Lithuania to shoot the critically-acclaimed television movie series, Barbarians and Barbarians II. Producers sought authentic battle locations for this epic series, and Lithuania came up as the best choice.
The Lithuanian countryside remains almost untouched, especially in comparison to other countries in which their potential for movie shooting has been corrupted by deforestation and the influence of mankind. However, in Barbarians, the open forest and field scenes closely resembled the real ones back in the day of these brutal conquerors. Meanwhile, the ancient architecture, cobblestone streets and marketplaces reflected the reality of the towns that the Barbarians tore through and pillaged.
Movie Production Companies Looking Towards Lithuanian Culture, Traditions
For the blockbuster, Hollywood hit movie, Defiance, released in 2008, Lithuania took center stage. Based on the true story of the Bielski brothers, the film focuses on three Jewish men and one young brother who courageously fought off the Nazis from 1941 to 1944, while living in the Belorussian forest.
However, due to the current unstable political climate of Belarus, the forest that the Bielskis and the 1200 other Jews lived and fought in was not available to producers for filming. In the January 8, 2009 Reuters article, "Lithuania plays starring role in 'Defiance,'" author Borys Kit says, "the filmmakers found the next best thing in neighboring Lithuania, where the entire movie was shot. Not only that, but the movie was filmed almost entirely in the forest, with hardly any stage work at all."
This forest was nearly identical to the forest that the actual Bielskis lived in, thus providing the viewer with an accurately historical film perspective. Additionally, Kit notes, "Shooting in and around Vilnius (the capital city) also allowed Slavic actors to be cast in smaller, Russian-speaking roles and made it possible to cast extras who were descendants from the families the brothers saved."
In Barbarians, Barbarians II and Defiance, besides authenticity, cost was most likely a huge draw for production companies. For example, one US dollar equals 2.4 Lithuanian lita. Other films have caught on as well. Elizabeth I, the HBO miniseries starring Helen Mirren was shot in Vilnius. Independent film Transsiberian also used Lithuania as the shooting locale.
Lithuania has come a long way. From being an unknown Baltic republic to hosting blockbuster film locations, Lithuania serves a reminder that history is still well-preserved in Eastern Europe.
Jennifer Ciotta - Jennifer Ciotta is the author of I, Putin (Vladimir Putin novel): http://vladimirputinnovel.com.
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