Movies In & Around Carmel
When a town possesses as much natural scenic and architectural beauty as Carmel-by-the-Sea, it's a no brainer that Hollywood would come calling. Since the mid twentieth century, many giants of the movie industry have used the village as a backdrop for film productions large and small.
When you walk the streets of Carmel, you're tracing the footsteps of some of Hollywood's biggest stars. Among them: James Stewart and Kim Novak (Vertigo, 1957, directed by Alfred Hitchcock), Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft (The Graduate, 1967, directed by Mike Nichols), Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase (Seems Like Old Times, 1980).
A few of Carmel's most famous residents have filmed here as well. Clint Eastwood shot Play Misty for Me (1971) in and around town. In addition to starring in the movie, it served as his directorial debut. Several scenes, such as those shot on Ocean Avenue, offer an interesting look at how much—and in some cases, how little—things have changed in Carmel in the last 50 years.
Doris Day starred in Julie, a 1956 thriller that took advantage of many locations around town, including the iconic Frank Lloyd Wright house on the south end of Carmel Beach. The actress fell in love with Carmel and decided to make it her home.
Television has also trained its lenses here. Recently, the hit HBO show Big Little Lies used many locations around Carmel-by-the-Sea, including the Carmel Police Department, Carmel Beach, the area around Point Lobos, a luxurious Carmel Highlands home and of course, Big Sur's iconic Bixby Creek Bridge. Lucky visitors were able to catch glimpses of stars Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern and Meryl Streep both while working on the show, and enjoying Carmel's shopping, dining and hospitality just like the many other visitors who flock to this picturesque village.
Of course, it's not just Carmel-by-the-Sea's one square mile that has achieved celluloid fame. Film, television and commercial production crews have used iconic locations such as the Bixby Creek Bridge, Point Lobos and Pebble Beach for their outstanding scenic beauty as well.