Amsterdam and its pristine canals as a backdrop look nothing short of ready-to-shoot movie sets… which is why it’s surprising as to how there aren’t many movies that show the capital city’s striking beauty!
If you are just as much in love with Amsterdam as we are and want to get every bit of idea about the beauty this place holds in the world map, we’ve got you sorted. Here’s a list of five of the best movies that show this incredible city like no other. So, let’s get to it!
The Fault In Our Stars (2014)
We are all familiar with how amazing this movie fared at the box office, but what we don’t know is that it got a swarm of tourists visiting Amsterdam and making it their favourite holiday destination back in 2014 and 2015.
Fun fact: The bench on which the lead pair sat and shared a heart-to-heart conversation was stolen after it got featured in the movie. Shortly since, the authorities replaced it with the same one, which is now filled with graffiti, done by the book and movie fans!
Ocean’s Twelve (2004)
Before ‘The Fault In Our Stars’ came out, Ocean’s Twelve was the one movie that the locals raved about all over in Amsterdam for showcasing the city in a good light. With beautiful scenery and of course Brad Pitt and George Clooney to grace our screens, the movie was famous for a very long time and rightly so! Spot the prominent spots of the city in the movie like the Pulitzer Hotel on Prinsengracht, het Koningsplein, coffee shop De Dampkring, shopping street Kalverstraat, Heiligeweg and Herengracht. If you haven’t been to Amsterdam, this movie will surely make you at least think about why you haven’t, yet!
Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003)
So, we know a majority of the movie is shot in Delft, Netherlands but that doesn’t take away the fact that a couple of really good sequences were shot in Amsterdam, too (notably the Dam Square). With Scarlett Johanssen as Griet, the girl painted by famous Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer, played by Colin Firth, we think this movie is a must watch just for the absolutely brilliant cast and location.
Red Light Blues (2008)
Being a fan of documentaries, I possibly couldn’t have left out Red Light Blues from the list that talks about government-imposed changes in Amsterdam’s internationally notorious red light district. We all know the city has for long been a pit stop for curious travellers looking for some fun and adult freedom, which is why the government had begun quietly closing down some of the district’s famous windows. The documentary showcases both sides of the debate- the citizens’ concerns, what the sex workers think about the rule, and of course the government officials’ opinions.
Queen (2014)
We have saved the best for the last - the movie which must have given you all dreams of backpacking across Europe.
The Dutch enjoy Bollywood and our film industry rightfully obliges. From song to action sequences, Bollywood has always included foreign lands to beautify the films. And so has Queen, a film that took the nation by surprise with impressive locales, a thought-provoking plot and funny titbits that left everyone cracking by the end of it. But… did you know the movie also had an amazing effect on the masses of Amsterdam? How, you ask? The popular song of the 70s by Asha Bhosale, “Hungama Ho Gaya” had for a long while become the most played and favourite in the club that the sequence in Queen was shot in. If the news is to be believed, the song created a riot of sorts (in a good way) in Amsterdam, and why not!
