{"id":377,"date":"2021-09-05T18:09:44","date_gmt":"2021-09-05T18:09:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextlevelpictures.com\/?p=377"},"modified":"2022-01-27T10:35:21","modified_gmt":"2022-01-27T10:35:21","slug":"top-movies-filmed-in-south-dakota","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextlevelpictures.com\/locations\/top-movies-filmed-in-south-dakota\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Movies filmed in South Dakota"},"content":{"rendered":"

South Dakota is named after Native American tribes – Lakota and Dakota Sioux. These were the tribes that used to dominate the territory. More so, South Dakota is the 17th largest state, yet the 5th least populous. It is surrounded by North Dakota<\/a>, Minnesota<\/a>, Iowa<\/a>, Nebraska<\/a>, Wyoming<\/a>, and Montana<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Because of its geographical location, it can offer both urban glamour and natural sights. Among the famous attractions in the state are the Mount Rushmore National Monument,\u00a0 Badlands National Park, Custer State Park, Crazy Horse Memorial, the Wind Cave National Park, and many others. As such, it is a frequent go-to location for movies and TV series, including some award-winning ones such as\u00a0How the West Was Won\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Dancing with Wolves.\u00a0<\/em>We’ll talk about those two and other famous movies filmed in South Dakota.<\/p>\n

Movies filmed in South Dakota<\/h2>\n

How the West Was Won (1962)<\/h3>\n

\"How<\/a><\/p>\n

(Rent – Buy – Stream)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

How the West Was Won is an award-winning epic adventure movie directed by Henry Hathaway. It features an ensemble cast including James Stewart, John Wayne, Gregory Peck, Henry Fonda, Carroll Baker, Lee J. Cobb, Carolyn Jones, Karl Malden, George Peppard, Robert Preston, Debbie Reynolds, Eli Wallach, Richard Widmark, Brigid Bazlen, and Walter Brennan. It is considered one of the greatest epic movies in Hollywood, won 3 Academy Awards, and has been nominated 8 times. It follows the story of 3 generations of a family as they go through tribulations as they try to tame the wild west. Some of its scenes were taken in Badlands National Park, Custer State Park, and the Black Hills. Other scenes were filmed in Illinois,<\/a> Arizona<\/a>, Colorado<\/a>, Kentucky<\/a>, Utah<\/a>, California<\/a>, and Oregon<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2h 44min | G<\/p>\n

Dances with Wolves (1990)<\/h3>\n

\"Dances<\/a><\/p>\n

(Rent – Buy – Stream)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Another award-winning movie filmed in South Dakota is Dances with Wolves. This war-drama-adventure film stars Kevin Costner (who’s also the director), Mary McDonnell, and Graham Greene. It follows the adventures of Lieutenant John Dunbar (Costner) after encountering a Native American tribe, which later on accepted him. The movie was filmed across South Dakota – in Black Hills, Fort Pierre, Badlands National Park, Pierre, Belle Fourche River, Interior, and Rapid City. Other filming locations also include Nebraska<\/a>, Wyoming, and Kansas<\/a>.<\/p>\n

3h 1min | PG-13<\/p>\n

Thunderheart (1992)<\/h3>\n

\"Thunderheart\"<\/a><\/p>\n

(Rent – Buy – Stream)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The fictional mystery film Thunderheart is directed by Michael Apted. It is loosely based on the Wounded Knee Incident back in 1973. The movie follows Ray Levoi (portrayed by Val Kilmer), an FBI agent who was assigned to investigate a homicide in the Sioux reservation. It was filmed in Badlands National Park, Wounded Knee, and in Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Other scenes were also filmed in Washington DC.<\/p>\n

1h 59min | R<\/p>\n

Starship Troopers (1997)<\/h3>\n

\"Starship<\/a><\/p>\n

(Rent – Buy – Stream)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Starship Troopers is a science fiction-military film directed by Paul Verhoeven based on the novel of the same name by Robert Heinlein. It is a story of a soldier, Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien), and his exploits as part of a futuristic military unit, the Mobile Infantry. Also starring with Van Dien are Dina Meyer, Denise Richards, Jake Busey, Neil Patrick Harris, Patrick Muldoon, Michael Ironside, and Seth Gilliam. Among its filming locations are Badlands National Park and Kadoka, South Dakota. Other locations for the film are Wyoming<\/a> and California<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2h 9min | R<\/p>\n

Armageddon (1998)<\/h3>\n

\"Armageddon\"<\/a><\/p>\n

(Rent – Buy – Stream)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

This next film is a science fiction-disaster movie directed by Michael Bay and starring Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Billy Bob Thornton, and Liv Tyler. It follows a group of deep-core drillers who was tasked by NASA to stop a massive asteroid from colliding with the Earth.\u00a0 It earned 4 Oscar nominations and has won several movie awards. The film features the Badlands National Park. Other filming locations in the US are Texas<\/a>, California<\/a>, Florida<\/a>, New York<\/a>, Washington DC, Mexico, and New Mexico<\/a>. It was also filmed in other countries such as France, India, China, and Turkey.<\/p>\n

2h 31min | PG-13<\/p>\n