Written and directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog is regarded as a film that is mesmerizing, astonishing, and nothing short of a masterpiece.
The film certainly has it all. A unique storyline, fierce acting, and stunning filming location make it a perfect lead contender for the 2022 Oscars.
The Power of the Dog was entirely filmed in New Zealand, although the movie is set in the open spaces of rural Montana in 1925. Campion had initially thought she would make the film in Montana, or somewhere similar in the US or Canada, however, Campion was encouraged to consider New Zealand, her home country, which has an incredibly experienced crew as well as a diversity of landscapes.
“On the second day of sniffing around the South Island, which I know well, I was taken to a property near the Hawkdun Ranges area in Central Otago. I fell in love with it. It’s so remote and it’s 360 degrees empty with an amazing hill range behind it that felt very atmospheric,” says Campion.
“Ultimately, shooting in New Zealand wasn’t a compromise, it was the best choice for us.” – Jane Campion.
Here are top 5 filming locations of The Power of Dog:
- Herndon Railway Station & Salt Lake City Hotel Exterior – Dunedin Railway Station | Dunedin
The scene where George picks up his parents at the train station was filmed at the magnificent Dunedin Railway Station. Opened in 1906, this ornate Flemish-Renaissance-style building is one of the South Island’s most prominent architectural landmarks.
- Herndon, Montana | Oamaru
The scenes in the fictional town of Herndon, Montana, were filmed in Tyne and Harbour Streets at Oamaru’s Victorian Precinct. This neighborhood in Oamaru’s harbour has preserved many 19th-century buildings constructed in local white limestone and is famed for the local Steampunk community.
- Snow Picnic, Queenstown Hill | Queenstown
In The Power of the Dog, not long after they’re married, Rose and George are alone on a hillside where she teaches him a few dance steps. This filming location is Queenstown Hill, located overlooking the city of Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu, with Cecil Peak as a backdrop.
- Bannockburn Sluicings, Cromwell | Central Otago
The Bannockburn Sluicings is a spectacular landscape of cliffs and pinnacles that remain from large-scale water blasting during the 19th-century search for gold. The scene in The Power of the Dog where Peter goes on a solo ride and comes across a diseased cattle carcass was filmed here, near the town of Cromwell.
- Burbank Ranch – Home Hills, Oturehua | Central Otago
A rural property below the Hawkdun Ranges in Central Otago was used as the set for Burbank Ranch. The property backs onto the Oteake Conservation Park and is complete with vast, soulful plains, craggy, tussock-clad hills, and sturdy mountain ranges as a backdrop. There is no wonder this scenery appealed to Campion as the country-western setting for The Power of the Dog.
Fast Facts
• Shot on location in New Zealand
• 27 South Island Shoot Days
• 15 Key Location Sets Built
• 62% NZ Cast
• 27 New Zealand Cast
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