La Guardia or SFDK have already passed through the cemetery of 'The good, the ugly and the bad', between Contreras and Santo Domingo de Silos
Pueblos
By Esperanza Sanchez Molina
July 6, 2023
[The group La Guardia has chosen Sad Hill to shoot their latest music video.]
Can a cemetery become a sought-after filming location? Yes, and Clint Eastwood risked his life on it. The mythical western 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly', was shot in 1966 in different locations in rural Burgos. In this province, the place of the 'Majada de las Merinas' of Carazo became the prison camp of Betterville, the Monastery of San Pedro de Arlanza in a military hospital - where 'the ugly' takes care of 'the good' - and the valley of the Arlanza River saw the construction, momentarily, of the international Langstone bridge for the most spectacular scene of the plot: a battle that included the demolition of the bridge with 400 kilos of TNT recorded by 12 different cameras and with the participation of more than 2,000 extras.
However, for lovers of western films, 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' has two unquestionable hallmarks and that have made this film one of the most remembered of the genre: one, the whistle of the soundtrack composed by Ennio Morricone, and two, the scene of the final duel, the mythical cemetery of Sad Hill, located between the towns of Contreras and Santo Domingo de Silos.
Aware of its potential, several residents of surrounding
towns -Hontoria del Pinar, Santo Domingo de Silos, Covarrubias, Contreras,
Carazo, Hortigüela, Salas de los Infantes or Pinilla- constituted in 2014 the
Sad Hill Cultural Association with the aim of restoring the cemetery and
turning it into a cultural and tourist reference in the area. Pick and shovel
in hand, they managed to bring to light its cobblestone and recover the 5,000
tombs that surround it and that impacted on the big screen. After hosting
various cultural events, such as concerts, courses or visits to all kinds of
groups, Sad Hill celebrated in style the 50th anniversary of the filming of the
film in 2016 with a conference in which, for four days, neighbors, extras and
lovers of the film could share their enthusiasm for Leone's cinema with
writers, critics, journalists and researchers in the towns near the cemetery.
The mission was a success and was collected in the documentary 'Unearthing Sad
Hill', available on Netflix.
[Two extras of “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” on the 50th anniversary of the filming of the film.]
Can a cemetery become a sought-after filming location? Yes, and Clint Eastwood risked his life on it. The mythical western 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly', was shot in 1966 in different locations in rural Burgos. In this province, the place of the 'Majada de las Merinas' of Carazo became the prison camp of Betterville, the Monastery of San Pedro de Arlanza in a military hospital - where 'the ugly' takes care of 'the good' - and the valley of the Arlanza River saw the construction, momentarily, of the international Langstone bridge for the most spectacular scene of the plot: a battle that included the demolition of the bridge with 400 kilos of TNT recorded by 12 different cameras and with the participation of more than 2,000 extras.
However, for lovers of western films, 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' has two unquestionable hallmarks and that have made this film one of the most remembered of the genre: one, the whistle of the soundtrack composed by Ennio Morricone, and two, the scene of the final duel, the mythical cemetery of Sad Hill, located between the towns of Contreras and Santo Domingo de Silos.
Aware of its potential, several residents of surrounding towns -Hontoria del Pinar, Santo Domingo de Silos, Covarrubias, Contreras, Carazo, Hortigüela, Salas de los Infantes or Pinilla- constituted in 2014 the Sad Hill Cultural Association with the aim of restoring the cemetery and turning it into a cultural and tourist reference in the area. Pick and shovel in hand, they managed to bring to light its cobblestone and recover the 5,000 tombs that surround it and that impacted on the big screen. After hosting various cultural events, such as concerts, courses or visits to all kinds of groups, Sad Hill celebrated in style the 50th anniversary of the filming of the film in 2016 with a conference in which, for four days, neighbors, extras and lovers of the film could share their enthusiasm for Leone's cinema with writers, critics, journalists and researchers in the towns near the cemetery. The mission was a success and was collected in the documentary 'Unearthing Sad Hill', available on Netflix.
Burgos Film Commission
After achieving all those milestones, the pandemic slowed activity in Sad Hill. Sergio García, a member of the Cultural Association that brought this space back to life, recognizes it, although he does say that the volunteers "have always continued in the ointment, especially in summer." This year, with normal health restored, they have returned to tread the ground with force. "It had been a long time since we took the shovels and brooms, but the grass has grown a lot again," explains García, who also adds that they have had the collaboration of the Territorial Environmental Service of the Junta de Castilla y León for these tasks, necessary for many reasons.
In the first place, because Sad Hill has become a great tourist reference for the province, surpassing, according to its data, the 10,000 visitors per month between July and August. But, in addition, this western cemetery in the Sierra de Carazo, has recovered its original mission and has once again been an attractive setting for all kinds of film and musical shootings.
In fact, the work of the Sad Hill Cultural Association was the one that promoted the creation of the Burgos Film Commission at the end of 2022 by the Burgos City Council and the Provincial Council. His catalog already has more than a hundred locations, among which are all those chosen by Leone for his film.
García collaborates with the entity in terms of technical
advice, contact with the local professional fabric and advising on the search
for locations, he is clear that the cemetery of 'The good, the ugly and the
bad' is among the favorites of those looking for a stage, especially for video
clips. One of the latest, has starred this year the Granada group La Guardia,
with the theme 'Although hell freezes' within the album of the 40th anniversary
of the band.
Sad Hill Protection and Care
For all these reasons, García claims that "the administration has to go one step further" in the face of the conservation of the cemetery, for which there would be different entities involved. Like the rest of the Burgos locations of 'The good, the ugly and the bad', Sad Hill is within the territory of the Sabinares del Arlanza - La Yecla Natural Park, whose management falls on the Junta de Castilla y León, which, in addition, shares responsibilities in tourism with the Diputación de Burgos. At the same time, Sad Hill is located in the municipality of Santo Domingo de Silos, and limits and can be accessed -with the traffic that implies- from Contreras.
Therefore, García asks that, at least, for the moment this place has, for example, "a guard for the parking area, someone who can screw falling graves, or give basic information to visitors in high tourist season."
La Guardia - Aunque El Infierno Se Congele link:
You know you're getting old when you can't remember how many music videos you've done at the Sad Hill Cemetery. Yep, dementia sucks.
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