The Sandpiper, 1965

In preparation for a trip to Big Sur this weekend I just watched The Sandpiper (1965) which was shot entirely on location in and around the Central Coast.  Elizabeth Taylor and her real life love, Richard Burton star in the film with supporting roles by the gorgeous Eva-Marie Saint and a really young Charles Bronson.   I just love everything about the mid-1960s california bohemian style of Elizabeth Taylor in this movie. Not only does she look stunning, but the whole film has that 60s California craft aesthetic that's heavy on the wood and ceramics.  Just perfect in my book. 

I definitely feel it enhances my experience of a place when I've seen a movie or read a book about it beforehand. It also gets me excited about going. I think I do this almost everytime I go somewhere. Before going to Spain it was every book I could find on the Spanish Civil War, including I'll Dress you In Mourning (turned out to be one of my favorite books ever); before Paris I read lots of Hemingway including A Moveable Feast; before Ireland it was Trinity, before Baja it was The Sea of Cortez and before Maui I had to get South Pacific of course. When you're about to go on a trip do you like

                           reading books or seeing movies shot in the location you're about to visit?