With the 88th Academy Awards ceremony coming up soon, there’s nothing like a good list of past Academy winners and nominees to get in the mood for the most glamorous of awards ceremonies.
Here are some movie marathon options that not only scored Oscar nods, but also were filmed in places that just might be familiar to USC students and South Carolina residents. Press play on these films to experience great movies that bring a touch of Oscars magic home to the Palmetto State.
“Forrest Gump”
(1994. Recipient of six Oscars, including Best Picture, Actor, and Director)
This Americana classic tells of simple-minded and sweet Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks), who touches several famed historical occurrences. As Forrest teaches Elvis to dance, uncovers Watergate and dreams of his childhood love, Jenny (Robin Wright), the audience bonds with this kind character and witnesses some truly great acting by Hanks, Wright and others.
“Forrest Gump” also features some of America’s most beautiful scenery and architecture — including USC . The Bayou Le Batre Hospital / Gump Medical Center in the film is actually the front exterior of the USC Beaufort Performing Arts Center in downtown Beaufort, South Carolina.
“Cold Mountain”
(2003. Nominated for seven Oscars, won for Best Actress in a Supporting Role)
“Cold Mountain,” starring Jude Law, Nicole Kidman and Renee Zellweger, is the heart-wrenching tale of lovers separated by the American Civil War. An epic film with both wartime adventure and romance, this film brings tears to viewers’ eyes as well as fully convinces the audience of a Civil War south with masterful performances by its stars. “Cold Mountain” captures the terrible nature of war and the strength of true love.
Although most of the film was shot in Romania, “Cold Mountain” also features a scene centered around the talented Law that was filmed at the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina.
“The Big Chill”
(1983. Nominated for three Oscars including Best Picture and Supporting Actress)
With a plot that follows the reunion of seven university friends years after college in a South Carolina mansion, “The Big Chill” is a dramedy that is universally heartwarming. With a solid cast that includes Glenn Close and Tom Berenger, an unmatched script that is brilliantly sarcastic and nostalgic and a great soundtrack, this film was well-deserving of its three Oscar nods and is the perfect throwback movie choice.
The state of South Carolina can truly claim this eighties gem as one of its own, as nearly all of “The Big Chill” was filmed in various spots around the state. The house that hosts the college reunion is actually the Tidalholm Mansion in Beaufort, SC. The film also includes scenes shot in Varnville, South Carolina — less than two hours from campus.
“Deliverance”
(1972. Nominated for three Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director)
“Deliverance,” starring Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds and Ned Beatty, is like “The Big Chill,” a masterful work that is set in the beauty of the South. However, the warm and fuzzy feeling of “The Big Chill” is nowhere to be found in this dark film. “Deliverance” deals with the canoe trip of three businessmen throughout the Georgia wilderness. The trip turns sour as the men interact with the hillbilly locale, and a rape and murder ensue. The film is as well-acted and geographically beautiful as it is chillingly dark and features some of the most infamously famous movie scenes ever — for instance, the classic “Dueling Banjos” scene.
“Deliverance” was shot all around the southeast and includes much of the natural beauty of Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. The majority of the movie was filmed on the Chattooga River along the Georgia-South Carolina border, and additional scenes were shot on Lake Jocassee, near Greenville.
“Full Metal Jacket”
(1987. Nominated for Best Writing / Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium Oscar)
A Stanley Kubrick film about the mental effects of war on Vietnam veterans, “Full Metal Jacket” stars Matthew Modine and Adam Baldwin and gives an intense portrayal of Vietnam and the wartime psyche. The film follows several different characters as they undergo basic Marine training and features many powerful scenes that leave the audience contemplating battle and its implications, “Full Metal Jacket” forces viewers to consider intense themes and consider the ambiguous nature of war.
As “Full Metal Jacket” is set on Parris Island, South Carolina, parts of the film were actually shot there. The archival footage seen in the movie was filmed entirely at Parris Island, about two and a half hours from USC Columbia.
“The Patriot”
(2000. Nominated for three Oscars, including Best Cinematography and Best Music, Original Score)
“The Patriot,” the tale of a peaceful farmer, revenge and fighting for one’s country, is a classic look at an America torn apart by the Revolutionary War. Featuring convincing performances from the film’s stars, Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger, the film portrays very realistically the emotional and physical terrors and violence of the war for American independence. With its believable acting and action, “The Patriot” takes the Revolutionary War as a national issue and scales it down to the colony of South Carolina and to one family, making this a film that universally appeals to audiences that are centuries past the Colonial Era.
This film was shot almost entirely in various locations around South Carolina. The Revolutionary War re-enactment scenes were filmed in Rock Hill, South Carolina, a little more than an hour from campus. Other scenes in the film were shot in Brattonsville, Chester, Lowrys, Charleston, Edisto Island, Fort Lawn, York, Georgetown County, and Cypress Gardens, South Carolina, making “The Patriot” truly a film of the Palmetto State.