Mónsul Beach, or Playa de Mónsul, is one of the best-known beaches in Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park in Almería, Spain. The beach is known for its dark volcanic sand, low dunes, and the large rock formation near the shore that makes it immediately recognisable. Its dry, almost desert-like surroundings have made it especially useful for films that need a wild coastal landscape that looks both remote and dramatic.
Mónsul Beach appears in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), The NeverEnding Story (1984), The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), Antony and Cleopatra (1972), and Shalako (1968). It has been used in very different ways on screen, but its most famous appearance is still the Indiana Jones scene with the birds and the plane.
In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), Mónsul Beach is used for the sequence in which Indiana Jones and his father are stranded on the coast and pursued by a German fighter plane. It is here that Henry Jones Sr. runs along the beach with his umbrella, scattering a flock of birds into the plane’s path and causing it to crash. The beach’s curved shoreline and the large volcanic rock make the location easy to identify.
In The NeverEnding Story (1984), Mónsul Beach is used for the scene in which Atreyu falls from Falkor and wakes up on the shore. The beach becomes part of the film’s fantasy landscape, with its unusual rock formations giving the setting an otherworldly appearance.
In The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), Mónsul Beach is used as part of the film’s fantastical coastal world. The beach’s volcanic terrain and open shoreline fit naturally with the film’s stylised and exaggerated visual design.
In Antony and Cleopatra (1972), Mónsul Beach was used as part of the film’s historical landscape. Its barren and sun-beaten surroundings made it a convincing setting for the film’s ancient-world atmosphere.
In Shalako (1968), Mónsul Beach was used for scenes connected to the hunting-ranch area, even though the film is set in the American West. The camera angles were chosen in a way that helped disguise the Mediterranean coastline.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was filmed in Spain, England, Italy, West Germany, Jordan and the United States.
Cortijo El Sotillo
Cortijo El Sotillo has been used in A Fistful of Dollars (1964), Desafío en Río Bravo (1964), Johnny Yuma (1966) and "Day of Anger" (1967).
Escuela de Arte de Almería
Escuela de Arte de Almería is in Catlow, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, El Ingenio, Die Akte General, Amanece and Lee Cronin’s The Mummy.
Alcazaba of Almería
The Alcazaba of Almería is in Cleopatra, The Rat Patrol, Duffy, Patton, The Horsemen, Antony and Cleopatra, The Four Musketeers, The Wind and the Lion and more.
Guadix Railway Station
Guadix Railway Station has appeared in North West Frontier, Doctor Zhivago, A Bullet for the General, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and many more.
Alcazaba of Málaga
The Alcazaba of Málaga has appeared in Operation Cabaret (1967), Soldier of God (2005) and Nefissa (2016).
Plaza de España
The Plaza de España has been used as a filming location, including scenes for Lawrence of Arabia and Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.
Palácio Estoril Hotel
Palácio Estoril Hotel has appeared in Dois Dias no Paraíso (1957), On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) and The Easy Way (2008).
Central Hotel
Central Hotel appears in The Ninth Gate. The film uses several Sintra locations during Dean Corso’s search for the authentic copy of the book he is after.
Biester Palace
Biester Palace appears in The Ninth Gate (1999). It is used for the scenes at Victor Fargas’s residence, where Dean Corso visits during his investigation.