Lights, Cameras, Black Hills!
With such beautiful scenery, historic sites and a diverse landscape, of course the Black Hills have been a favored area for film production.
You’ve probably seen National Treasure II with Nicolas Cage or Dances with Wolves with Kevin Costner(who, might I add, liked the area so much he started his own restaurant/casino called The Midnight Star in Deadwood). But what you might not realize is that the Black Hills have been a popular movie set since 1914 and have been featured in well over 50 different productions since then!
Of course, with the rich cultural history of the area, the Black Hills have been part of numerous films featuring Native American Culture. Just a few include DreamKeeper (2003), Thunderheart (1992) with Val Kilmer, Skins (2002), Lakota Woman: Siege at Wounded Knee (1994) and in 1972 Journey Through Rosebud.
Also, plenty of directors have taken advantage of the of the area’s reputation of being part of the wild west. This again includes Kevin Costner in Wyatt Earp (1994), Into the Wild (2007) and Hidalgo in 2003.
You might be surprised by a few of the productions that seem a little bit more on the ‘random’ side. This includes clips from Starship Troopers in 1997, the series Cops (1989), Alfred Hickock’s 1959 North By Northwest, the 2003 comedy Head of State featuring Chris Rock and a 1959 horror flick called Beast From Haunted Cave.
How do I know all this? I found a listing on the website of the Black Hills Film Resource Council and did my research from there. Take a look for dates of and locations other productions in South Dakota.
There are probably many more film locations, including documentaries and television series, than mentioned on this list. Let’s not forget about the recent award winning No More Smoke Signals, the Japanese NHK feature on the Wild Horse Sanctuary, and who even knows how many features on the Sturgis Bike Rally.
Next time you’re in the area, you might want to keep your eyes open for film crews, or perhaps the next time you’re at the movies, you might want to stay on the look out for clips of the Black Hills.
I love North by Northwest. The house at the top of Mount Rushmore is one of my all-time favorite moments in the history of the Black Hills in film.
Hi Heather,
You’re right, South Dakota and especially the Black Hills have a great history in the movies. I’ve just started collecting some of the fun stories from them and will be posting them at http://www.cinemasouthdakota.blogspot.com.
It’s good to see there’s an interest in it.
Chad
You cannot forget classics like…
the Family Guy Episode, North by North Quahog where Peter and Lois battle Mel Gibson on top of Mt. Rushmore.
or…
What about Mt. Rushmore as the headquarters of Team America World Police?
I think the Rushmore in Team America was pretty damn classic. Flying into the mouth for headquarters. I wasn’t the biggest fan of National Treasures 2, but Rushmore looked beautiful in hi-def.