Once Upon A Time

I had a few days off while working in DC and one day coming back from the subway, I passed the Spanish Embassy. A large banner said there was a display of photographs taken in the Almeria area of famous film sites. "Once Upon A Time In Almeria" documents the area of Spain that Hollywood used as a backlot in the 1960's and 70's. "Cleopatra", "Lawrence of Arabia" and the spaghetti westerns of Clint Eastwood being just a few of the highlights. Mark Parascandola's contemporary photos capture the decaying set pieces in a dramatic light. My favorite is the beach which doubled as Aqaba, Jordan in "Lawrence of Arabia", huge construction cranes now standing in contrast to the hundreds of horses that streamed through the streets 50 years ago.