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| Castel Films' Studios are actually located near a small village called Snagov, about a 25-minute ride from Northern Bucharest (where the Sofitel is). Snagov is notable for being the burial place of Prince Vlad Tepes [pronounced te-PEZH], also known as Dracula. He's reportedly buried under this Monastery (left) on a small island on Lake Snagov. The old Transylvanian people believed that the dead couldn't cross running water, so they buried him here, and put a church over it. Not that they necessarily believed he was a vampire...they just weren't taking any chances. Other unruly peasants destroyed Vlad's principle palace in the Alges Valley, further North into the Carpathian mountains. |
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| (left) the castle set for the film "Beowulf", starring Christopher Lambert |
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| (right) a lonely grip walks the street on the western back lot area |
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| (left) looking toward an old set and into the forest behind the studio wall. Those aren't frozen leaves on the trees, it's the fog from the night before that crystallized onto the bare branches. Yup, it has to get pretty cold to do that! |
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| (right) Greetings from little Amerika! No, it's not that faux town in Siberia, where the Russians used to train spies. Actually, it's a cul-de-sac (snowed over) with a piece of an all-American suburban neighborhood, on the Castel back lot. The smoke behind the middle house is coming from the studio sawmill behind it. When they need wood to build a set, they send a couple of burly Romanians into the forest to chop some down, and build everything right there. |
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| (left) How's that for respect? At Castel, they remember every actor who's ever played a principal role for them, by stenciling their name onto one of many sound stage walls. They do the same for directors, DP's, and art directors. Hmmm...I think I'm going to start doing that... |
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| (right) Relaxing after wrapping for the day. (left to right) Romanian actor Vitalie, Canadian Brigitta Dau, Robert's girlfriend (name?), Robert, and American Stephen Blackehart (yours truly), from the cast of "Retro Puppet Master". |
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