For three weeks, the Dordogne has been hosting the extraordinary filming of the latest feature film by English director Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator, etc.). Several Hollywood stars are playing in this super production called "The Last Duel", including Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jodie Comer and Adam Driver.
The town of Sarlat has transformed into the rear base of the technical team, with 800 technicians who took possession of the premises to the delight of Jean-Jacques de Peretti, the mayor of the medieval town: “We have put production layout the huge warehouses of France Tabac. Each building has a specific function. One for the sets, another for the costumes, with also a site totally dedicated to the organization of 800 extras. This represents more than 15,000 m2. "
Two dinners in town in Sarlat
In the streets of Sarlat, the merchants have a smile like Frédérique, who runs a clothing store: “Normally the city is really quiet in this season but thanks to the filming we work pretty well. All the hotels are full and the technicians who pass by are friendly even if they say nothing about the film. It is an absolute secret but we know that it happened in the Middle Ages. "
And when asked if she has crossed paths with certain stars like Matt Damon, Frédérique responds with a smile: “No! Anyway Matt isn't my type! The American actor came to dine twice in downtown restaurants with Ridley Scott, to taste a burger and a pizza. Impossible to have information on the course of these meals because the bosses claim to have signed a confidentiality clause.
"They really appreciate the tranquility"
A single selfie of Matt Damon alongside a restaurateur circulates on social networks to date. “The inhabitants of the city respect the privacy of the actors. I know that sometimes it is tempting to ask for a photo but to have discussed it with Ridley Scott, it is really better for them to be able to walk in peace in our city. They really appreciate it, ”confirms Jean-Jacques de Peretti, probably the only one in France or almost to know where Matt Damon and Ben Affleck live in the sector. " I will not tell anything ! », He says, enigmatic.
#mattdamon
Thank you for coming to our place! Thank you for your simplicity 😊 # ridleyscott #sarlatfrance #tourismelotdordogne #bigmoment https://t.co/NZb6Le0yF6 pic.twitter.com/72TUB83J6r
Sign of this respect for anonymity, the visit last Sunday of Adam Driver in the reconstruction of the Lascaux cave. “He signed up on the Internet and came with his family as a visitor. Nobody took a photo, ”says an employee of the Center for Prehistory located just a few kilometers from the main film set: Beynac Castle.
"The Visitors 2" and "Jeanne d'Arc" filmed in Beynac
“We went from 350 to 900 inhabitants! Exclaims Alain Passerieux, the mayor of the small town dominated by the majestic castle built in the 12th century along the Dordogne. “We have already had the shooting of Visitors 2, then of Joan of Arc by Luc Besson, but to date never a film as important. I was told that it would be the biggest filming outside the USA in 2020! "
Its title "The Last Duel" for a production of Walt Disney which had never yet explored the historical beauties of Périgord. But for Ridley Scott, it is a homecoming because he came in 1976 to the region to shoot "The Dualist" with Harvey Keitel. “At the start, production was rather directed towards Spain, says Jean-Jacques de Peretti but the producer studied in a high school in Dordogne, that may have helped. "