More than Just Lights in the Sky
Last weekend, I explored Marfa, Texas. Like many smaller Texas cities, it looks like it has not changed in 50 years. That’s what makes these towns so much fun – they feel timeless and full of history. And while many know this small West Texas town as “the place with the strange lights in the sky,” Marfa also has a good bit of film history.
Marfa is well known for the movie Giant. Produced over 50 years ago, it remains one of the all-time classics. It stars Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor and was the last movie to James Dean‘s short career.
The Hotel Paisano still looks as it did in the late 50’s, when the movie was made. And inside, they have a small room dedicated to the film. You can even rent the Rock Hudson or Elizabeth Taylor suite!
In recent years, locations in and around the town of Marfa were also used in the filming of There Will Be Blood, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, and the Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men.
In addition to its film history, Marfa has also become a fairly well-known arts community with several galleries full of exhibits and installations, many of them permanent. You can tour the various works of one of Marfa’s most famous residents, Donald Judd, who took over an old Army base for his large scale art.
So next time you want to explore a bit of Texas, head to Marfa!