23 April 2024

The movie "Damsel", starring Millie Bobby Brown, actress from the series "Stranger Things", has premiered on the Netflix streaming platform. This medieval fantasy action film, with a screenplay by Dan Mazeau, known for the epic "Wrath of the Titans" (2011), brings a vibrant atmosphere thanks to its exterior scenes shot entirely in Portugal.

The story revolves around Princess Elodie, who believes she is destined to marry Prince Henry, but soon discovers that she is actually about to be sacrificed to a dragon. To survive, she must fight for her life and take revenge on those who put her in this situation. The film was directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and filming took place in several iconic locations in Portugal, most of them World Heritage Sites.

Among the filming locations were the Convent of Christ in Tomar, where several interior scenes were shot, and the Batalha Monastery, where the scenes set in a castle were filmed. Other filming also took place in the village of Sortelha, in the district of Guarda, which represented the town of the kingdom; in the Serra da Estrela, where the dragon mountain takes place; and in the Douro Valley, which symbolizes the idyllic landscape of the Kingdom of Áurea.

 

 

The outdoor filming, which gave the movie its vibrant and realistic look, also took place in the Côa Valley, adjacent to the Douro Valley, a region known for its rugged landscapes along the Douro River and steep hillsides covered in vineyards. The stunning scenery provided an epic backdrop for Princess Elodie's journey. The scenes shot in these locations convey to viewers the sense of adventure and challenge faced by the protagonist.

In one of the movie's promotional videos, Millie Bobby Brown praised the portuguese landscapes and clarified that no green screen was used in the outdoor scenes: "It looks like we used green screen, but we didn't. It's real. It's real. It's a vineyard in Portugal," she said, highlighting the natural beauty of the location.

With all the exterior scenes filmed in Portugal and several interior scenes at Troubadour Meridian Water Studios in Enfield, London, the film "Damsel" highlights Portugal's rich cultural and natural heritage, helping to promote the country as a setting for medieval fantasy films.