10 Movies and TV Shows that Capture the Essence of Europe

Movies and TV play a powerful role in shaping and enhancing our European travels. A Harry Potter franchise can dramatically boost tourism to the UK. Game of Thrones helped put entire chunks of Europe (Dubrovnik, Northern Ireland) on the “must-see” map.  A random little church in Scotland became flooded with tourists after appearing in a Tom Hanks blockbuster. And a recent surge in visitors to Norway is largely credited to a massively successful film — Frozen — that is not even explicitly set in Norway. Movies and TV show us the world…and inspire us to go experience it.

In a previous life, I had a two-year stint writing movie reviews for my hometown Gazette (which locals affectionately called the “Guess-At”). While my love of movies never went away, it was soon eclipsed by my love of travel. And to this day, before I go on any trip, I load up my iPad with movies and TV shows that are related to the places I’m visiting.

So, combining my two loves, here’s a list of the 10 movies and TV shows that most effectively stoke my wanderlust for Europe. A few caveats: This is a highly idiosyncratic list, weighted heavily toward Eastern Europe and 20th-century history (two of my travel passions). I’ve intentionally limited esoteric, foreign-language, art house films; instead, I’ve focused on mainstream entertainment that’s easy to find and easy to digest. And I also want to stress that these are, by no means, the 10 best movies about Europe. Rather, these are the movies that best capture the spirit of Europe, most successfully convey a sense of place…and get me excited for my next trip.

No Man’s Land (2001), Bosnia-Herzegovina

I’ve spent much of my career grappling with the breakup of Yugoslavia in the mid-1990s. And this egregiously underwatched film (which won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film) is the best I’ve seen when it comes to providing real insight into the conflict. No Man’s Land doesn’t attempt to explain the geopolitical or historical reasons for ethnic cleansing. Rather, it captures the experience of normal, everyday people on the front lines — swirling inside a whirlpool of agendas bigger than them. It’s about people who never really cared that much about sectarian strife until someone put a gun in their hands and dropped them into a trench. Surprisingly funny, it’s also darkly comic in showing the callous self-interest of international participants with no personal stake in the outcome. According to many of my friends in the former Yugoslavia, this film’s absurdist tone rings painfully true.

 

Before Sunset (2004), Paris

A pair of star-crossed lovers (played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) reunite in the City of Light nine years after spending a night wandering around Vienna together nine years earlier. We catch up on what they’ve been doing since Before Sunrise and watch them fall in love all over again, in real time. While Paris is only a backdrop, the film captures a real sense of place: bohemian cafés, cobbled back lanes, sun-dappled parks, and the sumptuous Seine riverbank. It’s well worth watching Before Sunrise first — just to get to know the younger versions of Jesse and Céline — but this middle chapter of Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy is, for me, the most compelling.

 

Saving Private Ryan (1998), Normandy

As a World War II buff and a proud American, I’ve never traveled anyplace that filled me with a more humbled appreciation for my forebears than the D-Day beaches of Normandy. The only thing that can make a visit to the rusted tank barriers, evocative cemeteries, and abandoned gun emplacements on France’s sandy northern coastline more poignant? Heading back to your hotel and watching Saving Private Ryan, which captures both the epic scale of Operation Overlord and its human cost. (If you’re left wanting more, the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers — produced around the same time by many of the same filmmakers — offers a deeper dive into the Allied invasion of Europe.)

 

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013), Iceland

I feel conflicted about this one. While I admire its gee-whiz optimism, and I’m charmed by the lead performances by Ben Stiller (who also directed) and Kristen Wiig, ultimately it doesn’t quite stick the landing. Even so, when I’m planning a trip to Iceland, I find myself getting an itch to rewatch it, if only for the marvelous use it makes of Icelandic filming locations. In one scene, the title character — epically, if nonsensically — skateboards his way down a long, curving mountain road to a fjordside village, before escaping from an erupting volcano. Iceland also stands in for Greenland and for the cut-glass peaks of the Himalayas. And, to its credit, Walter Mitty captures the pure joy of venturing out, for the first time, into a big, exciting, fascinating world.

 

Schindler’s List (1993) and The Pianist (2002), the Holocaust in Poland

 

This one-two cinematic gut punch brings to excruciating life the reality of the Holocaust in Poland. Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece (and Best Picture Oscar winner), Schindler’s List, tells the story of the Jewish people who lived in the Kraków neighborhood of Kazimierz. (It was also filmed there, which revitalized interest in a rich Jewish heritage that had been largely swept under the rug during communism.) And The Pianist features Adrian Brody (in a role that won him the Best Actor Oscar) as Władysław Szpilman, the acclaimed Warsaw concert pianist who became a refugee hiding out in his own city. While both films do a remarkable job of dramatizing a dark chapter in Polish history, the scenes in The Pianist that show a broken Szpilman stumbling through the rubble of Warsaw are particularly poignant in conveying the full impact of war and genocide.

 

Outlander Season 1 (2014), Scottish Highlands

A love letter to the Scottish Highlands, Outlander paints a vivid portrait of rural Scotland at its zenith in the mid-18th century, immediately before the Battle of Culloden sparked the decline of the clan system. Unapologetically racy (in a Fifty Shades of Plaid kind of way), it’s also a compelling love story — thanks to a magnetic lead performance by Catriona Balfe as a WWII-era English nurse magically transported back two centuries. While working on our Rick Steves Scotland guidebook, I found Outlander the perfect way to wind down at the end of each day of driving along moody lochs, bonny glens, and stony villages. (And my Scottish friends gave it high marks for historical accuracy — particularly compared to the many liberties taken by Braveheart.) Later seasons spend more time away from Scotland — leaving much of that Highlands magic behind — but Season 1 is a Scottish treat.

 

Good Bye Lenin! (2003), Cold War East Berlin

This funny, touching, surprisingly lighthearted movie offers glimpses into what it was like to live behind the Iron Curtain — before, during, and after the transition from communism to capitalism. Daniel Brühl plays a young man who looks after his fragile mother, an ardent communist who goes into a coma just before the Berlin Wall falls. When she awakens several months later, Brühl and his sister are determined to hide the potentially devastating truth from her. If you’re headed to Berlin and want a taste of “Ost-algie” (nostalgia for Cold War East Germany), Good Bye Lenin! is a must. (This narrowly beat out 2006’s The Lives of Others — a much darker, but equally insightful, take on life in communist East Germany.)

 

The Crown (2016-Present), Britain’s Tumultuous 20th Century

It’s staggering to think of all the history that Queen Elizabeth II has witnessed during her nearly seven decades on the throne of the United Kingdom. Peter Morgan’s series The Crown, grand in both its narrative ambition and its geographical scope, captures that history powerfully — from world-changing events to intimate family relationships. During the first two seasons, Claire Foy and Matt Smith created the definitive screen versions of the Queen and Prince Phillip (not to mention John Lithgow in a career-capping role as Winston Churchill). Then season three kicked off with a time jump and an entirely new cast, with Olivia Coleman and Tobias Menzies taking over the lead roles. Since seeing The Crown, there’s no other TV show or movie that comes to mind more often as I travel around Britain.

 

The Death of Yugoslavia (1995)

Documentaries could be an entire “top 10” list of their own, but I’ve included just this one, because it’s a marvel: a five-part BBC series (hosted by Christiane Amanpour) that traces the descent of Yugoslavia into war in the 1990s. It’s expertly illustrated by copious news footage and actual interviews with every single one of the major players, from Slobodan Milošević to Bill Clinton. Best of all, you can watch it in its entirety on YouTube (start here, with episode one). It’s an astonishing achievement in capturing the “history as it happens” aspect of the most recent war to take place on European soil, and required viewing for anyone going to Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, or any other former-Yugoslav lands.

 

Rick Steves Europe (2000-Present)

While this may seem like blatant product placement, the fact is that when I’m heading to Europe, there’s no better way to get ready than by watching Rick’s travelogues. They help me visualize what I’m traveling so far to see, make informed decisions about how to prioritize my time, and gain historical context for my sightseeing. Yes, I’m completely biased. But after more than 120 episodes, there’s still nobody who teaches travel on TV better than Rick Steves.

 

Honorable Mention

This was a tough list to narrow down! Here are some more favorites that didn’t quite make the cut.

The Third Man (1949), Post-WWII Vienna: Starring Orson Welles, this classic film captures a unique moment in time, when Vienna was in rubble — and, thanks to its position straddling East and West, was a den of spies.

Sherlock (2010-Present), London: Aside from being a rollicking, riveting update of a classic of English literature, the BBC/PBS Sherlock series (starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman) captures the spirit of contemporary London: grand landmarks, dreary Tube stations, sweeping Thames panoramas, thumbing out text messages in the back of a black cab, and so on.

Inglourious Basterds (2009), WWII Europe: Quentin Tarantino’s films are, understandably, not everyone’s cup of tea. But I’m a fan, and this is my favorite. Not only does it present — spoiler warning! — an intensely satisfying, over-the-top-gruesome death scene for Hitler and the entire Nazi leadership. But the film’s most pivotal, most riveting scene hangs on the subtle cultural difference that Brits (like Americans) count with their index finger as “one,” while Germans (like other Continental Europeans) use their thumb.

Master of None Season 2 (2017), Tuscany: The first two episodes of this Aziz Ansari Netflix series’ second season were filmed in Tuscany. The first — a takeoff of Bicycle Thieves — captures the joy of being an American in a small Italian town. The second episode basks in the sumptuous scenery of my all-time favorite corner of Italy, the Val d’Orcia, near Pienza. In one memorable scene, a little car gets stuck in a narrow lane…a hilarious nightmare-come-true for any American driver who’s tried to navigate Old World villages.

Bridge of Spies (2015), Cold War Berlin: Along with a vintage Tom Hanks performance and Steven Spielberg’s reliably engaging direction, this film offers a glimpse of Berlin just as the Cold War was heating up. In one captivating scene, a masterful continuous shot twists in and out of the Berlin Wall at the very moment that it’s being built.

Notting Hill (1999), London: Both for its intimate portrait of a colorful, gritty, trendy London neighborhood (which, thanks partly to this movie, has become touristy and quite posh) and for its sharp British wit, this one’s a sentimental favorite.

Chernobyl (2019): HBO’s acclaimed miniseries is painstakingly researched, grippingly dramatized, and required viewing if you’re planning to visit the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident. Don’t miss the official companion podcast with the show’s creator, Craig Mazin, which greatly enhances the experience of watching the show.

James Bond Movies: Some of the most beautiful European scenery ever filmed has been set dressing for big 007 set pieces. Recent favorites include the motorcycle chase through Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar (in 2012’s Skyfall), the shootout in a sinking Venetian palazzo (in 2006’s Casino Royale), a footrace across the terra cotta rooftops of Siena during the Palio horse race (in 2008’s Quantum of Solace), and the Bond family estate in a moody Scottish Highlands glen (also in Skyfall) — and that’s just the Daniel Craig Bond.

Jason Bourne Movies: The European scenery in Bond films feels just like that: scenery. The Bourne movies, on the other hand, don’t serve up Europe on a prettified platter — they live in its grittiest corners. I love the way they’re largely set in real public spaces of unromantic cities like Berlin, Zürich, and Moscow — hulking train stations, rush hour-clogged boulevards, grubby concrete squares — rather than prettied-up piazzas or alpine vistas. When I travel, I spend a lot of time in gloomy train stations…and I’ve never seen those captured so true-to-life as in the Bourne movies.

Pretty Much Every Movie, Budapest: I am a Budapest aficionado (heck, I literally wrote the book on the place). And I love spotting my favorite city standing in for other European locales in a long string of Hollywood hits. The city’s patina of faded European elegance is enticing to filmmakers: Steven Spielberg’s Munich (2005), in which Budapest stood in for everywhere from Paris to Rome; Evita (1996), in which Budapest became Buenos Aires; I Spy (2002), an atrocious Eddie Murphy/Owen Wilson action comedy that made glorious use of its Budapest location; and the opening scenes of Mission Impossible — Ghost Protocol (2011). I even saw a movie being filmed once in Budapest: Riding on a bus in the streets near the parliament, I glanced out the window to see what looked like a shootout raging on a random side-street. About a year later, I recognized the scene in Melissa McCarthy’s Spy (2015).

This is just scratching the surface. Everyone has their sentimental favorite Europe movies. What are some of yours, and why?


If you like these ideas, there are many more things to watch (and read). Here’s a country-by-country rundown of our favorite books and movies for every place in Europe.

107 Replies to “10 Movies and TV Shows that Capture the Essence of Europe”

    1. I first discovered Positano watching The Talented Mr. Ripley and later Under The Tuscan Sun. Then there’s Eat Pray Love.

      1. One of my favorites is Day of the Jackal the original version made in 1973. Takes you to Paris and countryside also Italy. Most interesting is that time period, not that long after WW-
        2. The cinematography is great..

        1. Rosemary, That is a fabulous movie. It’s the only film I’ve ever seen that actually is as good as the book.

    2. Absolutely! This should have been #1 on the list although it is the sort of movie that polarizes viewers: some think it’s being too clever for its own good, others such as myself simply love its black humour and the “just like a fairytale” (in-joke) locations.
      I have visited twice, in 2010 and 2013, and will be back after COVID-19 goes away.

    3. Absolutely! This should have been #1 on the list. Unfortunately it can polarise viewers with some saying “In Bruges” is trying to be too clever for its own good, while others, such as myself, love the “just like a fairytale” (in-joke pun intended) scenes, and the great acting and plot.

  1. agree with James Bond, Outlander, Sherlock, and Crown, RS
    Quiet Man
    Man who went up a Hill and came down a Mountain
    The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Society
    To Catch a Thief
    The Monuments Men

      1. One of my favorites. So funny. We happened upon filming of this movie on the Isle of Mann. I think it was 1997.

    1. you might try MHz Now free on some smart tvs like Samsung or MHz Choice (about $8 per month for Choice)
      All series are subtitled and shot in many different countries in many different languages once you get used to reading the English subtitles they are very interesting and entertaining . the most come from France Germany and Italy but there are some from Scandinavian countries (tend to be more gritty and dark than France for example) but there afe series from Poland and Estonia and other European countries and take places in other places in addition to the countries who film them including turkey. most are mysteries or dramas but there are a few comedies and documentaries some are quite old from the 80s and 90s but the scenery can be very beautiful and evocative

      1. Yes! You see both contemporary and historic stories from all over Europe. As Janice noted, most are from France, Germany, and Italy, but there is generous helping of Scandinavian drama, and they are gradually expanding their reach into other countries. They even have Irish-language and Welsh-language programming.

        The standout, in my opinion, is “A French Village,” a complex, nuanced, seven-season story of a (fictional) French village located near both the Swiss border and the border between occupied and Vichy France. Living under extraordinary circumstances, people make difficult choices, often morally questionable choices, often contradictory choices. You meet the collaborators and understand their motives, even if you disagree with them, and you meet the resistance and their moral dilemmas. You meet people who are just trying to keep their heads down and survive. Finally, after the war, you see the reckoning, in which people are judged for their actions, fairly or unfairly.

        MHz Choice is one of the reasons I no longer bother with cable TV.

  2. After finishing your 17 days in Eastern Europe tour, our guide helped us with train passage from Slovenia to verovitica, Croatia. We were picked up there and taken to the village of Bukavitica where my father was born in 1895. He came to the US in 1912. Well there I met a second cousin I didn’t know I had Who was about five when the Nazis came into the village and burned it and had the people moved into the woods where they thought they were going to be shot. Only one who tried to run away was shot and the rest were left in the woods and walked to Veravitica. I Was also five Then, safe in America. I am anxious to see the films set in Yugoslavia that you recommended. I have not spelled the names of the towns correctly. 2008 tour

    1. That film is in my all time top 5 movies! Not only magnificent France, Audrey’s wardrobe, Albert Finney’s face, but also Henry Mancini’s haunting musical score!

    2. One of my very favorites, if not, favorite. I will watch it every opportunity. Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney were excellent.

  3. I have to include “Eat, Pray, Love” for the Italian pizza scene alone! Also an old favorite “Under the Tuscan Sun”. But my absolute favorite is “Amélie”. Such a sweet and quirky love story to Paris. Don’t watch the dubbed version – so much better in the original French with subtitles!

  4. I can’t remember the title but was about a family building then flying a hot air balloon to escape East Berlin. (Maybe Night Crossing). Monuments Men led me to Brugges Belgium where I got to spend some time alone up close with Michaelangelo’s Madonna and Child.

  5. Any international mystery TV series on MHZ on some PBS stations. (MHZ Choice for streaming.) Montalbano for Sicily, Murder in… for France, Commissario Brunetti for Venice, etc.

    1. For British, Australian, and Canadian shows that are hard to find stateside, my dad loves the Acorn TV streaming service. An Acorn subscription is a good gift for the anglophile/cinephile in your life.

      1. I love Acorn 800 words, Ms Fisher, Ms Fisher niece, McClouds Daughters, Agatha, Dr. Martin most just make yous smile. Call the midwife is excellent. I cry at the end of each episode.

    2. We love MHZ and have a subscription as most PBS stations have discontinued broadcasting these wonderful shows. Pick a country and you will find a wonderful show. We’ve chosen travel locations thanks to MHZ. Inspector Montalbano for Sicily (this show has fans worldwide), Murders In are a travelog of France. There are shows set in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Iceland, England, France, Switzerland, German, Slovenia, etc. Walter Presents is now making various European productions available through PBS. Professor T, set in Antwerp, is excellent.

  6. Any film with shots of anywhere in Italy (especially places I’ve been) makes me lose the cinematic thread. I was on a bus stuck in traffic next to the English Cemetery in Florence (a traffic island!) when they were shooting a scene for “Tea with Mussolini” (very short scene for such a long jam), Pienza for “The English Patient”, and heard a story from an eyewitness about a friendly German Shepherd (during the shooting of “Dangerous Beauty” at a villa near Rome) who bounded into the party every chance he got. Getting giddy with memories–must watch an Italy video, or start planning a trip!

    1. Local Hero…both my and my (late) husband’s all time favourite films. Of course we made the Pilgrimage to Pennan and the phone booth
      in Scotland!

    1. Zeffirelli’s….. love of Florence… Excellent cast, direction and Florences gorgeous scenery and landscapes….

  7. Given the season, Rare Exports should make the list. If you haven’t seen it, it’s definitely worth seeing. It’s a “dark fantasy horror thriller.” I’d add comedy, as well. Half in English, half in Finnish. It’s about a Finnish boy learning the truth, the dark truth, about the real Santa Klaus. It includes a running joke about the VAT tax.

    1. I have been enjoying My Brilliant Friend, a series on HBO based on the book series by Elena Ferrante. Can’t wait to visit Naples!

  8. Oh gosh, so many!
    Bill Forsyth’s “Local Hero” may be my favorite film ever but may I suggest that another Forsyth film “Comfort and Joy” which is about Scottish war between competing ice cream trucks? It is brilliant and a great one for the holidays!
    From England, I’ve loved nearly everything from Mike Leigh. His ’80s classics “High Hopes” and “Life Is Sweet” are both wonderfully anti-Thatcher. Another filmmaker who is both political and deeply spiritual in their films are Belgium’s Dardenne Brothers. “Two Days, One Night” and “The Unknown Girl” are my pro-labor favs – political and Christlike storytelling.
    My favorite French movie ever is “Amelie” – delightful. Shot in Montmartre, I visited the cafe where many scenes were shot. “Amelie” is romantic, hilarious, very creative, and VERY French! Also has a wonderful soundtrack featuring Yann Tiersen!
    So many greats from Ireland, of course! “Ryan’s Daughter” is a ’60s-era classic. Critics hated it, the cast hated each other. David Lean was so traumatized by the experience, he didn’t make another movie for 15 years. I love every fame, especially the ones featuring the Dingle shore. I also love “In America” (2002) a beautiful biographical story of Sheriden’s immigration from Ireland to NY’s Hell’s Kitchen in the sixties. Two sisters age 6 and 11, Emma and Sarah Bolger, acting for the first time, steal the movie. WE NEED MORE FILMS ABOUT IMMIGRATION. Not a film but a current Netflix series – the 3 seasons of “Derry Girls” is absolutely fantastic. And, for Irish music fans, explore the recent documentary series “This Ain’t No Disco” which is just released 2nd season. Brilliant. Speaking of Netflix, my wife Linda and I LOVED the series “Bonus Family” from Sweden. Best thing we watched all year! Beautifully REAL stories of family struggle and well worth your time. Back to France, last week French New Wave actress Anna Karina died. Search out ‘Band a Parte” – especially for the dance in the cafe with Anna in top hat. Also the three running wild through the Louvre! RIP Anna.
    There’s just so, so many – “Babette’s Feast” (1987) remains a dear friend to my wife and I. “Wings of Desire” and “the Nasty Girl” (1990) – both from Germany.
    Explore, explore! Literally hundreds of wonderful films from Europe!

    1. Local Hero…both my and my (late) husband’s all time favourite films. Of course we made the Pilgrimage to Pennan and the phone booth in Scotland!

  9. The Durrells in Corfu is wonderful escapism. Right now I am watching My Brilliant Friend on HBO based on the Elena ferrante novels on growing up in Naples.

  10. I enjoy “Angel’s and Demons ” because of all the Rome locations. Not my favorite story line but oh the churches bring back so many memories.

  11. Charade (Paris)
    Now binging Ballykissangel (Ireland) on Britbox
    Chocolat (somewhere in France)

  12. Got to mention Fellini’s Roma! Also the BBC series Vicar of Dibley, for the characterization of small village life…

    1. I agree totally with “Woman in Gold”. Have watched it several times. Wonderful history of preWWII Vienna and a piece of art history as well. I am a big dan if Helen Mirren. Also loved “The Queen” for Helen Mirren as well. But also for a contemporary “history” in Great Britain and some lovely Scottish scenery.

  13. This list is a mixed bag of (mainly) very worthy and very well known products, but capturing “the essence of Europe?” What a claim. So much fantasy. So much historical fiction. I would think that if, as Americans, we truly wanted to try to experience Europe (as it exists today) we would seek to watch contemporary locally made TV product (not just Masterpiece Theater blockbusters) as well as movies. I fault the decades long protectionist gatekeeping of US content buyers (now being slowly undermined by Netflix etc) for keeping the US public in the dark about the huge and excellent output of the rest of the world…a small fraction of which has been traditionally available only in indie “art theaters.” The rest of the world certainly gets fed copious amounts of what the US churns out. Good to see the tide may be turning a bit.

    1. That’s why I subscribe to MHz Choice for a whole catalogue of mostly contemporary European dramas and to the PBS Masterpiece sub-channel on Amazon Prime, for its incorporation of the Walter Presents library of contemporary European dramas.

    1. I have been trying to find Shirley Valentine on Netflix, to no avail. Loved that movie.
      I am also adding Paris Can Wait to the list, one must see it if only for the chocolate roses!

  14. The Best of Youth, Italy
    Cinema Paradiso, Italy
    The 7-Up Series, all over but mostly England
    The Lives of Others, East Germany
    Amelie, Paris
    Possibly my 5 favorite movies, I can’t believe none of them were mentioned!

    1. See Never Look Away. Same director as Lives of Others but more moving/haunting for me. I’ve seen it twice in theaters. Now Netflix DVD

  15. The opening scene of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) was shot in the magnificent Párisi-Udvar (Parisian Court) of Budapest, well before the current reconstruction, when it was still worn down, dark, and dingy with some 50 years of dirt and grime. Then, it was eerie and glum – today, renovated as a luxury hotel, it regained its original glitter and glory. I loved it both ways, but gotta give it to the renovation crew, wonderful job on all the tiny details. (Check out the awning posts on the Ferenciek square side for a neat little hidden gem.)

    1. Yes! I instantly recognized it when I saw that film, and I remember the “old” Párisi-Udvar well. I will be interested to see how the restored version looks (I haven’t been since it was remodeled…I was schedule to be there next week, but obviously that has been postponed!).

  16. I like spy movies, like Jason Bourne, James Bond, etc. However, I can’t watch “real life” movies, like war movies (Private Ryan, et al.), or movies with a lot of violence (Outlander). Too stressful.

  17. A TV series not to be missed, “Seaside Hotel” from Denmark has been a total delight!
    Some Films: After the Wedding (Denmark), Divided We Fall (Czech Republic), As it is in Heaven (Sweden), The Lives of Others (Germany), Revanche (Germany), Butterfly (Spain), Swept Away (Italy), Mother of Mine (Finland/Sweden), Letters to Father Jacob (Finland), Elling (Norway), Zelary (Czech Republic), The Cuckoo (Russian director, Finland/Lapland), Under the Sun (Sweden), Kolya (Czech Republic), The Hunt (Denmark).

  18. I’d like to mention a few little known films that deserve more credit : 1) Politiki kouzina or its English title: Touch of Spice, which explores the tensions between Turkey and Greece. 2) The Piano Player (Gloomy Sunday) English title 1999 – German title: Ein Lied von Liebe und Tod – actually one of my favorite films. A love triangle set during the time of World War II with a haunting musical theme and a beautiful actress – great story and wonderful views of Budapest. Both are worth seeking out.

  19. There’s another one, I am not sure if it has already been mentioned, The Ninth Gate.

    Thanks for all these suggestions!

  20. We subscribe to MHz television which features European television series. Our favorites are Detective Montalbano, set in Sicily, and Murder In..! A series of freestanding episodes set in different regions of France.

  21. Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris”
    Dan Brown’s (with Tom Hanks) “Angels and Demons” and
    “The DaVinci Code”
    Thanks for everyone’s great input!

  22. “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” with Steve Martin, Michael Caine, and Glenne Headly, filmed on the French Riviera in Villefranche-sur-Mer, Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Cap Ferrat, and Cap d’Antibes, such a fun movie.

  23. Though not in your top ten I’m glad to see Il Commissario Montalbano on your list for Sicily. Based on the books by Andrea Camilleri, the stories are all about the eccentricities of the people and life in general in Sicily. The series has a splendid cast, led by Luca Zingaretti, a beautiful musical score by Franco Piersanti (I use part of the theme music as my ringtone) and most of all, locations that make me want to pack up immediately and visit Southwestern Sicily where the series is shot. I wrote about the series here: https://medium.com/@rwexler648/blame-it-on-montalbano-84811fffb61f?source=friends_link&sk=84ab88e9d207a367eeeaec5fe838d6a1

  24. “Enchanted April” Watching that movie (more than once) made me want to rent a villa in Italy in the worst way.
    Love the Bourne movies and Mission Impossible movies for all the location filming.

  25. Oh my, I don’t see Enchanted April (1992) on the lists. Based on Elizabeth von Arnim’s 1922 novel, the beautiful film finds a set of women in Portofino and each has a life changing experience. Watch it at least once a year!

    1. Bend it Like Beckham (2002) | London
      This is a sweet movie that captures a bit of multicultural London and the unifying interest across society. The heart of the movie gives us the complexities of family expectations of gender norms, cross-cultural friendships, and a deep passion for one’s interest. In this movie, you see everyday homes and neighborhoods of working and middle class London. For Americans we see another society’s international sports hero as he makes a cameo in the movie. The director has a way to your heart with each character.

  26. Summertime. A 50s film starring Katharine Hepburn filmed entirely in Venice with spectacular scenery.

  27. “Leap Year” in Ireland and “About Time” shows Cornwall and London! Loved those films..

  28. The other two movies in the trilogy by Richard Linklater: Before Sunrise & Before Midnight, both again with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. I watch all three of them at least every couple of years.

  29. Vicky Cristina Barcelona…? We should have been traveling to Madrid and Barcelona next week with our teenage son to refresh his Spanish. Well, maybe next year!
    Funny and enjoyable movie – exactly what one needs for happy summer evenings.

  30. “Trapped” is a fantastic TV mystery drama series (on Amazon Prime) set in a fishing village nestled in a remote fjord in Iceland. Characters are flawed and fascinating. I can’t wait for another season to be released!

  31. Waking Ned Devine is one of my alll-time favorites.

    The Way, by Martine Sheen, is a glorious view of southern France and northern Spain. We saw it 2 weeks after our trip to Spain where we had lunch in the Burgos cafe right next to the one where Sheen’s character’s backpack was stolen. We spent an hour or more in that plaza next to the cathedral.

  32. In no particular order, here’s my list of top five movies that capture the essence of Europe:
    – Sunshine (2000)
    – Waking Ned Devine (1998)
    – Billy Elliot (2000)
    – Smilla’s Sense of Snow (1997)
    – The Singing Revolution (2007)

  33. I absolutely adore Shirley Valentine. Can’t wait to go to Greece and tour the islands. I love Waking Ned Devine. And we can’t leave out any of the All Creatures Great and Small and Ballykissangel.

  34. Good recent Euro movies
    Jo jo Rabbit, 2019
    Their Finest Hour, Britain 2016
    Phoenix, Germany, 2014
    Ida, Poland, 2013
    Micmacs, France
    Lives of others, Germany
    Good By Lenin, Germany
    Downfall, Germany
    Das Boot, Germany
    Death of Stalin

    Oldies:
    Hey Baba Reba, Serbia
    The Marriage of Maria Brown, German
    Tito and Me
    Strozeck, German
    The American Friend, German

    Too many to list!

  35. The Sound of Music – Salzburg, Austria
    The movie is written for a Broadway stage show. The quality of the filmed landscape is stunning for its time and the mountain shots are all European. I still fall all overself when I see Austrian mountains in the opening to the film. There is a Salzburg company that operates a very well-done tour (family fun to single traveler), Fraulein Maria’s Bicycle Tours. The company fits you for a few hours of biking and then guide you through the Sound of Music movie sites with stories from the film. They play the music from the movie at different times during the bike tour. Yes, it is touristy and people sing along. For a seasoned traveler, it is embarrassingly satisfying and a tremendously fun way to meet people from around the world. I am doubtful Austrians have seen this American classic. http://www.mariasbicycletours.com/

  36. Everything is Illuminated (2005) | Ukraine
    American (Elijah Wood) travels to Ukraine to learn more about his grandfather’s roots. He comes to learn that his relatives and the other residents of his grandfather’s Ukrainian village were executed by the Nazis just days after his father immigrated to the US. There are layers of storylines that will make you return to this movie because of authentic relationships among characters. The historical and contemporary elements are complex and will make you think about where we are 75-80 years later. Ukraine is a beautiful country. You get a view and sense of contemporary Ukraine in this film. You will also appreciate the humor – dark, quirky, and silly.

  37. The Resistance Banker (2018), The Netherlands
    When you watch this film about a true WWII resistance story, realize that the Dutch still keep many of their stories of their Nazi resistance underground. Walraven van Hall is one of the greatest WWII resistance fighters. With the approval of the Dutch government in-exile, van Hall, a banker, robs the Dutch National Bank one bond at a time through a falsified bond system. He was able to pull money out of the Dutch banks to fund the Dutch resistance in plain sight of the occupying Germans. You feel the Dutch people experiencing unsettling weariness during the last year of the war, you are there with them in their fears and conflicts within the resistance, and you hope that you would be of character to make the sacrifice for the perseverance for the resistance. The movie is Dutch with English subtitles.

    In honor of his deeds in the resistance, a monument was erected in the fall of 2010 near the office of the Dutch Central Bank, at the Frederiksplein 40 in Amsterdam.

  38. Golly–no one mentioned “Chariots of Fire”? From Caius college at Cambridge to the Highlands of Scotland. And “A Bridge Too Far” to see those areas involved in Operation Market Garden.

  39. I just watched “ Tulipani, Love, Honor and a Bicycle” Holland and Italy Filmfest DC has put their films on line free. OK, I love to go for romantic comedies, “Only You” , Robert Downey Jr. and Marisa Tomei , Rome, Amalfi and Venice. From Germany, “ Girl on a Bicycle” Germany and Paris.

  40. Poldark – the recent series was wonderful and the books are even better. My best friend from grade school and I are both big fans so we met up in England and hiked the south coast path in Cornwall, visiting some of the stunning shooting locations. I also did a Jane Austen pilgrimage a few years ago and saw some of the Persuasion film locations in Bath.

  41. My favorite film of all time, which got me traveling to Europe, is Local Hero, the 1983 gem filmed in Pennan Scotland and Morar Beach Scotland. Spectacular scenery that captures the true beauty of Scotland.

  42. Cameron, So glad you named, “Good-bye Lenin!” I’m always wanting to recommend it to friends but had forgotten the title!

  43. Thanks for the fun listings. Two of my favorites that inspired travel:
    A Month by the Lake— put Bellagio on the bucket list
    Under the Tuscan Sun

  44. White God, a strange and unexpectedly moving story of a girl and her dog, filmed in Budapest. Not for the squeamish (abused dogs eventually take glorious revenge on their abusers), but the dogs (rescued from shelters, trained, and then all adopted out after the film) are amazing, and the tracking shots of an army of dogs running through the deserted streets of Budapest are stunning.

  45. To Catch a Thief—The 1955 Alfred Hitchcock film starring Grace Kelley and Cary Grant gives viewers a tour of the French Riviera. From majestic hotels in Cannes, to panoramic hilltop backdrops of the clear blue Mediterranean, through the flower market in Nice, the scenery is full of iconic views of the Côte d’Azur. The film is a bit dated, but it’s entertaining and it will bring up some nostalgic memories of the region for anyone who”s been there and give someone planning to go the South of France a run through the neighborhood and a sense of place that endures.

  46. Bread & Tulips, My Mother’s Castle, My Father’s Glory, Amelie, Manon of the Spring, Shirley Valentine, The Secret of Roan Inish, Cinema Paradiso, Stealing Beauty, Enchanted April, Wonderous Oblivion, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Hairdresser’s Husband, Dangerous Beauty, A Midnight Clear

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