Where was The Revenant filmed? Guide to all the Filming Locations
Posted by Ra Moon
Over the course of 11 notoriously complicated months of shooting, The Revenant was filmed primarily in Alberta, Canada, but also in British Columbia, Montana, and Argentina.
The cinematography of the movie captures the splendor of the epic, frozen landscapes, as well as the harsh conditions of surviving - and filming - in such a frigid environment.
The cinematography of the movie captures the splendor of the epic, frozen landscapes, as well as the harsh conditions of surviving - and filming - in such a frigid environment.
Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman, Amores Perros) was very clear from the beginning: it would not be a green-screen production; 93% of the movie takes place outdoors.
Weather was a major issue for this project. At first, The Revenant was only to be filmed in an extensive area near Calgary in Alberta, plus one scene shot in the neighboring state of Montana in the USA. However, a lack of snow forced the production to move to the southern tip of South America in Argentina.
Welcome to the most complete guide to the filming locations of The Revenant that you can find. Contains no spoilers!
The Revenant Locations
Most of The Revenant was filmed in Kananaskis Country, a vast area of parks and reserves in the Canadian Rockies situated west of Calgary.
The Arikara ambush scene was filmed along the Bow River on the grounds of the Chief Goodstoney Rodeo Centre near Morley.
Image courtesy of 20th Century Fox - Map
The Morley Indian Reservation is part of the Stoney Nation. The production required dozens of native extras to shoot this epic sequence.
The scene where the boat is burned was also filmed here. The reserve is located along the Canadian Pacific Railway, between the scenic Trans-Canada Highway and the Bow River.
In British Columbia, the iconic bear attack scene was filmed in the Squamish Valley.
According to YVRShoots, the filming took place in an area near the Squamish River in the Derringer Forest.
Image courtesy of 20th Century Fox - Map
The scenes with the group of trappers walking, hunting, and setting a campfire and carrying the injured Hugh Glass (DiCaprio) were filmed a little further down the river in the Shovehouse Creek area.
All the actors are happy to drink hot tea and relax in a studio between takes. This would not be the case with The Revenant: the filmmakers were looking for remote locations to create a sense of wilderness in snowy, pristine conditions.
Image courtesy of 20th Century Fox - Map
After the scene with Captain Andrew Henry's last men trying to find their way back to Fort Kiowa, there is this establishing shot of Bragg Creek, back in Alberta, with the Elbow Falls in the background.
The scale of the landscapes is overwhelming. The spectacular scenery of Alberta can become an extreme place in winter.
Image courtesy of 20th Century Fox - Map
According to Screen Daily, a crane and horses were transported up to 8,000 feet to shoot a scene atop of Fortress Mountain.
Image courtesy of 20th Century Fox - Map
The dramatic sequence in which Glass is caught in the rapids downstream the river was filmed at the Kootenai Falls near Libby in Montana, USA.
The sequence took ten days to complete. A local newspaper reported that the director of photography edited the background of the falls with footage of snowy hills filmed in Argentina.
This is the same location used in the 1994 film The River Wild starring Meryl Streep.
Image by courtesy of 20th Century Fox and Jeff Hitchcock - Map
John Fitzgerald (played by Tom Hardy) sees a meteorite streaking across the sky in the Drumheller Badlands along the Red Deer River, located northeast of Calgary.
This geological wonder is a striking testament to the forces of erosion, sculpting a surreal landscape of deep canyons and sedimentary layers.
Image courtesy of 20th Century Fox and Can Pac Swire - Map
The strange mountain of buffalo skulls, the church in ruins, and the Pawnee village, were sets built on location for the occasion.
Star Leonardo DiCaprio said he had to do 30 or 40 of the most difficult scenes of his career in this film alone.
The Revenant crew also built the Fort Kiowa set at Dead Man's Flats near Canmore on the Spray Lakes Road, with Castle Rock in the background.
Another added difficulty for this project was the will of the film director to shoot only in natural light.
Days are short during the winter season, and travel to the remote sets took up so much time that the crew had only a few hours a day to shoot.
Image courtesy of 20th Century Fox - Map
The location where Fitzgerald ambushes Henry (played by Domhnall Gleeson) is situated under the Fortress Mountain.
A helicopter bombed the area in Fortress Mountain to provoke the avalanche seen in The Revenant.
Image courtesy of 20th Century Fox - Map
The final scenes were shot on the southern tip of South America, as the snow in Alberta melted before the end of principal photography.
The small Olivia river near Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, was the unplanned final location to end such an arduous and challenging production.
Image courtesy of 20th Century Fox - Map
Iñárritu commented that this is an incredible landscape, but the worst place for a producer to shoot a film.
The Mexican director stated that he will never make a movie like this again because “I am a crazy man, but not stupid”.
Can you help to improve this article about the filming locations of The Revenant? To complete and correct this report, any feedback, info, or images that you may have are more than welcome, thank you!
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NOTICE: If you’re using this information on your website, please credit and link to this page as a source.
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Ra Moon
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Great, great film. I can definitely see the extents taken to film. We live very near Libby Montana. It is beautiful there. Thank you for all efforts to film this movie.
ReplyDeleteOscar for best cinematography. Hands down!
DeleteWaiting to see this movie,looks like it's finally going to happen today. I am very,very excited,wish Hollywood would make more like this they're AWESOME.
ReplyDeleteHaving just been in a scene of the upcoming film Sully, nice warm, controlled environment, and seeing how hard everyone works, and now just having seen this film, I am in awe of everyone who worked on these shoots.
ReplyDeleteGreat landscapes, the most interesting thing about the movie. I love Ushuaia!
ReplyDeleteOne of the most amazing, gritty films I've ever seen. Magnificent!
ReplyDeleteAmazing gods Beauty❤ all around the world!!! And My 2 Favorite Men Leonardo DiCaprio(my#1) and Tom Hardy ❤
ReplyDeleteKananaskis Country is a Provincial Park, not part of a National Park. The pictures are great but some picture titles and locations are wrong. Mt Isabel is nowhere near Spray Lake Road which comes out at Canmore which is 30 minutes drive east of trail head to Mt Ishbel, which is approx 10 km NW of Banff.
ReplyDeletePicture labelled Dead Man's Flat which is just east of Canmore (which is 1 hr west of Calgary) is most probably near Drumheller Badlands (which is about 2 hrs NE of Calgary).
Wow could you be more angry about it? If you read closely it sounds like it's all speculation.
DeleteWow... If read a bit closer it sounds like most of these are speculation
DeleteJust returned from a three week camping trip into Banff Nat'l. Park, Canmore and Kootenai
DeleteNat'l. Park area.....................It's all beautiful!!!!! JTee
Thanks a lot for your comment, Hugh.
ReplyDeleteAbout the Badlands, the previous caption already says "this screenshot and pictured below, the Badlands of Drumheller". Sorry, I know that it may be confusing...
Great movie
ReplyDeleteBut in real life it took place in South dakota and nebraska
One of best films seen in a v long time lot of rubbish out these days
ReplyDeleteTom hardy is brilliant
Unbelievable film. Landscape and acting was incredible. Absolutely the best film I've ever seen.
ReplyDeleteFantastic movie. Put yourself there & you'll enjoy it even more.
ReplyDeleteJust saw the "Revenant". Landscape was breath taking.Grizzly attack was very hard to watch. Dicaprio screams of pain was bone chilling. Alot of bloody scenes.Fantastic movie!!
ReplyDeleteA powerful movie but dialogue was very hard to understand.Acting was brilliant but way to much profanity. Totally unnecessary for this film.
ReplyDeleteF***ing may not have even been part of English language in that time period. Agreed. Unnecessary language.
DeleteThat's how men speak.... Hard to understand if you're not one.
DeleteOh it's imperative to speak and use the language the way they did, but it's okay to fabricate the entire story accept for Hugh Glasses name.
DeleteAwesome movie and first I've seen where Leonardo carries the film well. Although he does so here by mumbling most of his dialogue. Was this acting? Still a riveting film.
ReplyDeleteIncredible acting, Leo doesn't have to speak, he can tell a storybwith his facial expressions, especially the one at the end. Man literally looked like he went through hell
ReplyDeleteI just had the incredible experience if watching this movie, I went right there with him, could smell the trees, feel the blood pouring, find the will to stand again ..took my breathe way.
ReplyDeleteI too found it hard to understand some of the dialogue. Felt I was missing a lot in some areas, especially when speaking with his son. Why didn't they cook the buffalo meat as long as there were 3 fires blazing....
ReplyDeleteWhen your starving cooking takes to long. Just saying.
DeleteLoved the movie, saw it twice, loved the feeling that you were there in the experience, falling off the cliff, being attacked by the bear, the wide angle lens that didn't cut scenes too much trying to get human perspective, as if it was live and real, the fog and blood on the camera lens, the sounds of the forest, wind, and snow, the pain, hunger, etc., the fact that the actors were put in the real harsh environments, acting was phenomenal, Leo's best film yet. Also, the dissonant music going on and off throughout the movie, the bear scene without any music, pure raw bear maul.
ReplyDeleteOme thing that I want to comment on was the language critic above. I get it, but most of those guys talked like that back then, couldn't understand them, cursing, but that didn't bother me knowing the culture at that time. I actually liked that Leo and others didn't talk as much. A movie doesn't have to have too much talking to be a great movie, just as long as you know the story.
One of my favorite man movies now.
Amazing brilliant!!! Decaprio deserves an Oscar for this one. Hopefully the academy will do him right this time! I was so caught up in the movie I had my hoody on and over my head. I felt like I was there freezing and HELLOOOO, I am in Hawaii. Superior!!!!
ReplyDeleteA great movie from yet again an amazing talented actor!! Loved ever minute of this!!
ReplyDeleteWonderful movie to watch, Leonardo DeCarlo was excellent! Scenery out of this world, some brutal parts, Leonardo deserves to win an Academy Award for this unique movie!!!!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful scenic views. The movie was awesome. Hopefully there will be lots of Oscars won for this win. Go get em Leo!
ReplyDeleteExcellent movie!!! Nature's backdrop was breathtakingly gorgeous!!!
ReplyDeleteThis film is truly brilliant, awe inspiring, beautiful and most of all teaches us the will to survive.
ReplyDeletethis movie took my breath away. I thought it was an incredible film. it had us on the edge of our seats in suspension as the tale unfolds. Leonardo was amazing. this is award wining material. loved it, would definitely see it again
ReplyDeleteI liked how Glass returned to the woods after barely escaping them. His tenacity is the truest definition of bad-ass. I never was bored for a moment during this incredible film. The scenery was my favorite part. Kudos to the director for going to these great lengths to film. Legendary!
ReplyDeleteWonderful film, wonderful performances, being from hot Australia, the scenery blew my mind, I felt for Leo crawling around a lot of the movie on his belly, it must have been hell. The makeup was incrediable, his flesh tears looked so real. Congrats to all concerned, great movie and congrats Leo, well deserved BAFTA and probably overdue if you do end up taking home the OSCAR
ReplyDeleteHE WON. SO GREAT FOR THE MAN AND HIS FIRST OSCAR.
ReplyDeleteBesides great nature at display and superb acting, cast of native characters looked authentic. Southern dialect added to the authenticity of characters. Maybe one needs to see it once again to catch the entire story with context. Superb movie!
ReplyDelete. . good movie, great effort by everyone and hats off for the director's persistence and cinematographer's brilliance in capturing the soul of the movie through realistic eye of the camera . . probably the most gripping since Mel Gibson's Apocalypto . . .
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely love this film! Definitely in my top 10 ever!
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing movie! The scenery was amazing and Leonardo DiCaprio couldn't of played the role any better. Definitely recommend this movie.
ReplyDeleteWow - the scenery was breathtaking with the majestic mountains with and without snow. I loved the movie - no wonder Leo also won a Granmy award...
ReplyDeleteThis was based on the true. Life story of John Colter and it took place in and around Three-Forks, Montana. Jim Bridger was a trapper with John Colter at times. Read up on John Colter. The script was torn from the history books with the standard Hollywood changes so as to not have to pay for the historic rights of families.
ReplyDeleteI went to the theaters to see this movie and was blown away. The acting incredible and the scenery was stunning. I was entranced from start to finish. I have always enjoyed many movies Leo DiCaprio had made but this one he outdid himself, definitely Oscar worthy. Im glad this won best movie, director and Leo for leading man, well deserved.
ReplyDeleteJust finished the movie and feel as though I've grown some chest hair (am female)... great acting and filming, awesome scenery. Haven't enjoyed a movie this much since Last of the Mohicans.
ReplyDeleteBit late to the party but blown away by this film. Gripping from start to finish.
ReplyDeletegreat use of location. only seeing it after all the hype. well worth it
ReplyDeleteNice movie with nice location.
ReplyDeleteAll comments are reviewed prior to publication