Where was The Revenant filmed? Shooting locations of the Leonardo DiCaprio starrer, revisited

After raking up Oscar nominations year after year, Leonardo DiCaprio finally earned a golden statuette for playing the ravenous protagonist in The Revenant. His performance was one of the highlights of this epic western drama, which follows a chapter from the late 19th century in the life of frontiersman Hugh Glass.

Apart from DiCaprio's acting, what stands out in the film is its visual language. It is kinetic and brooding in equal measures, thanks to the genius of cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki. He captures the intrinsic beauty of its filming locations by using natural lighting while adhering to the dramatic rhythms of director Alejandro González Iñárritu's vision. As a result, the film feels like a cinematic bliss and nightmare wrapped in a single package.

Although set in 1823's Montana and South Dakota, The Revenant was mainly shot in Alberta, Canada. Apart from the remote locations in this Canadian province, the filming also took place in parts of Montana (the US), British Columbia (Canada), and Tierra del Fuego (Argentina). Find more details about The Revenant filming locations below.

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The Revenant filming locations, explored

Alejandro González Iñárritu wanted to portray the struggle for survival with real locations instead of using CGI to recreate them. So, the cast and crew often had to enter some uncharted territories to capture the harshness of their struggle. The frozen landscapes naturally allow us a window into Hugh Glass' struggle.

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Alberta

One of the film's crucial scenes is when the Arikara tribe ambushes Hugh Glass, leading him to run for his life. It was reportedly shot in the Chief Goodstoney Rodeo Centre, situated in Kananaskis Country in Alberta, along the Bow River. The county gave them plenty of vast landscapes as a backdrop and a playground for its climactic scenes.

The area around Shovehouse Creek offered a similarly chilling backdrop as Hugh and his hunting party during their travels. Then, a First Nations settlement from the Stoney Nations in Morley offered them the space to film a battle scene.

A few other actual locations were reportedly utilized for the shoot. They include McDougall Memorial United Church, Fortress Mountain, the Spray Lakes Road near Castle Rock, the rocky formations from the Drumheller Badlands, and an old coal mine from nearby.

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British Columbia

One of the most talked-about scenes from The Revenant is when the bear attacks Hugh Glass, leading him to fight for his life. It was reportedly shot in Squamish Valley in the Derringer Forest in British Columbia. That's when the shot moved to this Canadian province.

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Tierra del Fuego

Due to some issues in weather conditions at a pre-planned location, the crew had to shift their filming to near the Río Olivia in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. That offered the snow on the ground as envisioned by the director to shoot the ending.

Montana

In the film, Hugh struggles to get out of a flowing stream of water as he finds his way through a river. It was shot at the Kootenai Falls in northwestern Montana, near Libby. Filming it was a stressful experience for the cast and crew, and it reportedly took over ten days to get it right in the shoot.

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More details about The Revenant cast revealed

Apart from Leonardo DiCaprio, the film starred a talented cast who were also committed to the bit. Here's the rest of the cast:

• Tom Hardy as John S. Fitzgerald
• Will Poulter as Jim Bridger
• Domhnall Gleeson as Andrew Henry
• Forrest Goodluck as Hawk
• Melaw Nakehk'o as Powaqa
• Duane Howard as Elk Dog
• Kristoffer Joner as Murphy
• Paul Anderson as Anderson
• Brendan Fletcher as Fryman
• Arthur Redcloud as Hikuc

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