Residents of the southern Spanish town of Tarifa did a double take when the legendary sailor Captain Alatriste dropped anchor there recently. The officer was accompanied by a huge crew when he arrived, but it was cameramen and sound engineers, rather than able bodied seamen, who came ashore with the swashbuckling adventurer.
At the centre of attention was Lord Of The Rings star Viggo Mortensen, who takes the title role in the movie Alatriste, currently being filmed in Andalusia. The 46-year-old actor gets to show off his linguistic skills in the Spanish-language film, which follows the iconic soldier as he does battle with the English during the Imperial Wars.
The production has taken Viggo and the rest of the cast on a tour of the region. Thousands of local people got the chance to appear as extras when epic crowd scenes were filmed in the beautiful coastal town of Cadiz, while the historic city of Seville also took a starring role as a filming location.
And although some time has passed since Spain's southern coast was troubled by invaders, Tarifa still plays host to quite a few weekend warriors. Located at the southernmost point of the country, the town has a microclimate of strong winds, making it a mecca for fans of windsurfing and other watersports.
Photo: Rex
Photo: AFP
