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Courtesy Alliance Atlantis
Wawa, Ontario
A Lake Superior sunset in Wawa, Ontario, figures prominently in a scene from the 2006 “Snow Cake,” with Alan Rickman and Carrie-Anne Moss.
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Courtesy of Glensheen Historic Congdon Estate
Duluth, Minnesota
Glensheen Historic Congdon Estate in Duluth is operated by the University of Minnesota. In 1972, it provided the perfect atmosphere for the claustrophobic thriller “You’ll Like My Mother.” The movie eerily anticipated the real murders that took place there in 1977.
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Courtesy of Glensheen Historic Congdon Estate
Duluth, Minnesota
Poster for 1972's "You'll Like My Mother," filmed at the Congdon mansion in Duluth.
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Bob Berg / Lake Superior Magazine
Marquette, Michigan
Marquette County Courthouse in Marquette had a featured role in the 1959 movie “Anatomy of a Murder,” starring Jimmy Stewart, Lee Remick and George C. Scott. Trial scenes were shot in the courtroom. Other location shooting was done in nearby Ishpeming, Big Bay and Michigamme.
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Courtesy Alliance Atlantis
Wawa, Ontario
A Lake Superior sunset in Wawa, Ontario, figures prominently in a scene from the 2006 “Snow Cake,” with Alan Rickman and Carrie-Anne Moss.
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Courtesy Alliance Atlantis
Wawa, Ontario
The relationship between the autistic Linda Freeman (Sigourney Weaver) and Alex Hughes (Alan Rickman) is at the heart of “Snow Cake.”
The Lake Places That Made It to the Silver Screen
To shoot the movie “Snow Cake” on the eastern shores of Lake Superior, more than 100 cast and crew members arrived in little Wawa, Ontario, in early April 2005.
“They all stayed at the Wawa Motor Inn for 16 days of shooting and probably spent about three-quarters of a million dollars,” says Rod Morrison, who was mayor at the time.
For him, “the main thing was the exposure for the town,” but it was also enjoyable. He and Donna Harris, the inn’s general manager, got to know the cast and crew and served as extras in a dining room scene left, alas, on the cutting-room floor.
While the Lake Superior region is no Hollywood movie-making mecca, over the years more than a dozen films have been shot in the area. Knowing where the films were made can add intrigue to a visit. Or you can rent a whole weekend’s worth of lake-region viewing.
Wawa-area landscapes play prominently in “Snow Cake,” the funny, touching story of a friendship between an autistic woman (Sigourney Weaver) and the man (Alan Rickman) who was driving her daughter home to Wawa when she was killed in a collision.
“Snow Cake” is an adult story full of strong performances from a cast that’s nearly perfect. Scenes feature the big Wawa goose and the rugged Lake Superior shore.
“Viewers of the movie get to see northern Ontario in a pretty extensive way,” Rod says.
Wawa, which has about 3,700 people, was picked for its remote location and its snow.
“They had asked how long would we have snow, and I told them there were no guarantees but that we should have snow through March. By the time they arrived in April, we were having an early thaw,” Rod recalls.
With the snow depleted, the township hauled in an estimated 50 truckloads of excess snow scooped from parking lot piles and roadsides.
The film’s production notes tell about the panic that the melting snow caused. “The reason we went to Wawa in the first place was to get the snow,” says director Marc Evans. “I was very worried about not getting enough snow. And then Alan Rickman, who plays Alex, said, ‘Look, at the end of the day. It’s got snow in the title, but it’s about the people who live in this place.’ And I thought, yes, that’s so true. It’s the interaction between the two main characters that forms the thrust of the film.”
Being picked as a location for a feature film means more than an economic boost. “It was good for the town’s morale,” Rod says. “The town was abuzz” during the shooting.
Some townsfolk had close encounters with the cast – or at least with Alan Rickman.
“Sigourney Weaver really had to concentrate” for her role and didn’t socialize much, Rod says. But “Alan Rickman was all over. He went shopping at our grocery store. He was always available, always curious.”
It wasn’t uncommon to see him talking with people on the street. Once, the star known for roles in the “Harry Potter” series and “Die Hard,” bought groceries to make dinner for Sigourney Weaver and Carrie-Anne Moss at his chalet.
Movies also can affect tourism. “From a tourism perspective, having a movie like ‘Snow Cake’ filmed in Wawa is exciting. Some visitors do mention the movie when they visit our Information Centre and recognize that it was filmed in Wawa,” says Lori Johnson, director of Community Services and Tourism in Wawa.
“The recognition on any level is important and helps reinforce Wawa as an interesting place to visit.”
Movie Locations Near Lake Superior
- “This Time for Keeps,” 1947, with Esther Williams and Jimmy Durante. Mackinac Island, Michigan.
- “Anatomy of a Murder,” 1959, with Jimmy Stewart and Lee Remick. Marquette, Ishpeming, Big Bay and Michigamme, Michigan.
- “You’ll Like My Mother,” 1972, with Patty Duke and Richard Thomas. Filmed at Glensheen mansion in Duluth.
- “Somewhere in Time,” 1980, with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. Mackinac Island, Michigan.
- “Far North,” 1988, with Jessica Lange and Charles Durning. Duluth.
- “The Good Son,” 1993, with Macaulay Culkin and Elijah Wood. Palisade Head, Minnesota.
- “Iron Will,” 1994, with Mackenzie Astin and Kevin Spacey. Duluth, Cloquet, Two Harbors and Lutsen, Minnesota, and Superior and Oliver, Wisconsin.
- “A Simple Plan,” 1998, with Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton. Ashland and Iron counties, Wisconsin.
- “North Country,” 2005, with Charlize Theron, Woody Harrelson and Frances McDormand. Chisholm and Eveleth, Minnesota.
- “Snow Cake,” 2006, with Sigourney Weaver and Alan Rickman. Wawa, Ontario.
- “Older Than America,” 2008 (estimate), independent feature film with Adam Beach and Wes Studi. Cloquet and Carlton County, Minnesota.
- “One Week,” 2008 (estimate), Canadian independent feature film with Joshua Jackson. Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie and Wawa.
- “Holiday Beach,” 2008 (estimate), U.S. independent feature film, Taconite Harbor, Temperance River State Park, on Minnesota’s north shore.
The dozen or so feature films shot in cities or in remote locations near Lake Superior over the past six decades do not include TV movies and documentaries.
One classic film shot near the lake is 1959’s “Anatomy of a Murder,” starring Jimmy Stewart, Lee Remick and the courtroom in the Marquette County Courthouse. Besides Marquette, scenes were filmed in nearby Ishpeming, Big Bay and Michigamme in the U.P. The movie and its story – based on the book by Ishpeming author and judge John Voelker – continue to fascinate.
For the 1972 thriller “You’ll Like My Mother” with Patty Duke and Richard Thomas, Duluth provided plenty of snow and the Congdon mansion (now Glensheen Historic Congdon Estate) provided a spooky atmosphere years before the infamous murders happened there.
Others are popular with critics and audiences alike, such as 2005’s “North Country,” the story of women miners based on a landmark sexual harassment case and filmed on Minnesota’s Iron Range.
“Filmmakers usually have a wonderful experience shooting in the northeast region because people here are so helpful,” says Riki McManus, director of the Upper Minnesota Film Office in Duluth.
Riki says the economic impact of “North Country” is put at $5 million and includes job creation and spending at local businesses. The comparable figure from 1994’s “Iron Will,” shot in Duluth, Cloquet, Two Harbors and Lutsen, Minnesota, and in Superior and Oliver, Wisconsin, is put at more than $7 million.
Even 1993’s “The Good Son,” which got just half a star from critic Roger Ebert, brought $1 million to the local economy on Minnesota’s north shore. A critical scene was shot at Palisade Head, and Riki says the film’s crew spent $30,000 one day buying set materials at a Beaver Bay hardware store.
Besides the feature films that probably are most familiar to audiences, independent filmmakers have also been attracted to the Lake Superior region to tell their stories.
In Minnesota, the independent feature film “Older Than America” was shot in Cloquet and on the Fond du Lac Chippewa Reservation in Carlton County, with cast members such as Adam Beach and Wes Studi. Its story tells of the era when American Indian children were sent to boarding schools to be assimilated into white culture. The film is expected to be released in early 2008.
Another independent film, “Holiday Beach,” was partially shot on Minnesota’s north shore in locations, word has it, that include Taconite Harbor and Temperance River State Park. Bluefin Bay resort’s Coho Cafe in Tofte catered meals for the film crew during its 2007 stay.
The movie, expected to be released in 2008, was inspired by events at a Navy radio base on Kodiak Island, Alaska, in 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis. It recounts the terror faced by young sailors at the hands of a fellow sailor and psychopath.
A Canadian independent feature film called “One Week” was being shot this past fall in Ontario near Lake Superior, including at the Terry Fox Monument in Thunder Bay.
“We have a history of several films, including feature films, independents and television films,” says Paul Pepe, tourism manager for Thunder Bay. His office helps to make things go smoothly, like the permitting process – all to good end.
“We really work with film crews big and small to promote the city.”