Val Verde (fictional country)
Encyclopedia
Val Verde is a fictional country
or city used by Hollywood filmmakers (mostly 20th Century Fox
) when they require a South/Central American locale without getting into legal or diplomatic disputes.
Shared personnel link all appearances. Commando, Die Hard 2 and Adventure Inc. were written by Steven E. de Souza
, Commando and Predator both star Schwarzenegger, and both films, along with Die Hard 2, were produced by Joel Silver
; de Souza produced the ABC TV
series Supercarrier.
Steven de Souza has also set the Devil's Due
comic book
Sheena
in Val Verde and described his reason for using it:
When glimpsed in Commando, it appears to be a poor nation, where subsistence agriculture (ie. livestock) is side-by-side with military propaganda and constant military presence. Inhabitants appear poor but happy, and there is evidence of a trade embargo reminiscent of that placed on Cuba
in the presence of battered but functional vintage
1950s cars.
While the meaning, if any, of the name of the fictional Val Verde is not definitively established, many real-life places named Val Verde
derive their names from the Spanish
for "green valley".
assisted by Colonel John Matrix (Schwarzenegger) and Captain Bennett (Vernon Wells
), during which the nefarious General Arius was deposed. Bennett later aligns himself with Arius when Matrix discharges him for disregard for order, and they force Matrix to help him reinstate Arius' dictatorship, but are thwarted when Matrix fights back and kills them all.
In Predator, the country is described as being invaded by communist inspired revolutionaries. The rebel camp attacked by the team has at least one "Russian Advisor".
In Die Hard 2, General Ramon Esperanza (Franco Nero
) is a General in exile, awaiting trial in the United States. He is aided by former special forces members to escape from his prison plane. Esperanza is wanted by the U.S. government for drug trafficking, but the leader of a rogue special forces unit, Colonel Stuart, wishes to free Esperanza because he "stands up to communist aggression".
In Supercarrier a US Navy carrier is present in Val Verde when civil war breaks out and is forced to step in; this violation of Pentagon protocol, though entirely fictional, precipitated the withdrawal of Navy participation from the series.
made a series of comedy sketches about the country of Val Verde. The sketches take place between the scenes and off-camera during the film Predator.
Fictional country
A fictional country is a country that is made up for fictional stories, and does not exist in real life, or one that people believe in without proof....
or city used by Hollywood filmmakers (mostly 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
) when they require a South/Central American locale without getting into legal or diplomatic disputes.
Appearances
It has appeared in a number of films and television programs:- Bandolero!Bandolero!Bandolero! is a 1968 western directed by Andrew V. McLaglen starring James Stewart, Dean Martin, Raquel Welch and George Kennedy.-Plot:Posing as a hangman, Mace Bishop arrives in town with the intention of freeing his brother Dee from the gallows. Dee and his gang have been arrested for a bank...
(19681968 in filmThe year 1968 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 30 - The film The Lion in Winter, starring Katharine Hepburn, debuts.* November 1 - The MPAA's film rating system is introduced.-Top grossing films :- Awards :...
) takes place in Val Verde, Texas in 1867. - CommandoCommando (film)Commando is a 1985 American action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Vernon Wells, Rae Dawn Chong, Alyssa Milano, Bill Duke, Dan Hedaya and James Olson. It was directed by Mark L...
(19851985 in film-Events:* 3 December - Roger Moore steps down from the role of James Bond after twelve years and seven films. He is replaced by Timothy Dalton.* The Academy Award for Best Picture was won by Out Of Africa, while the highest grossing film was Back to the Future.* Bliss wins AFI Award for best Movie...
), Arius (Dan HedayaDan HedayaDaniel G. “Dan” Hedaya is an American character actor. He often plays sleazy villains or uptight, wisecracking individuals; three of his best-known roles are as Italian Mafia boss Tony Costello in Wise Guys, a cuckolded husband in the Coen brothers' crime thriller Blood Simple, and the scheming...
) is the former ruler of Val Verde and sends John Matrix (Arnold SchwarzeneggerArnold SchwarzeneggerArnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
) to kill the current president but he escapes en route. - PredatorPredator (film)Predator is a 1987 American science fiction action film directed by John McTiernan, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, and Kevin Peter Hall. It was distributed by 20th Century Fox....
(19871987 in film-Events:*January 31 - The Cure for Insomnia premieres at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois, to officially become the world's longest film according to Guinness World Records....
), Arnold SchwarzeneggerArnold SchwarzeneggerArnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
’s rescue team is sent to Val Verde ostensibly to rescue an American politician. - SupercarrierSupercarrier (TV series)Supercarrier was a 1988 ABC television series aired during the Top Gun trend of the late 1980s. It featured US Navy Pilots aboard the fictional aircraft carrier USS Georgetown, and ran for eight episodes before being cancelled.-Cast:...
(1988) the USS Georgetown commanded by Capt. Henry K. 'Hank' Madigan (Dale DyeDale DyeDale Adam Dye is an American actor, presenter, businessman, and retired U.S. Marine captain who served in combat during the Vietnam War.-Early life & Marine service:...
) docks in Val Verde just as civil war breaks out. - Die Hard 2Die Hard 2Die Hard 2 is a 1990 action film and the second in the Die Hard film series. The film was directed by Renny Harlin, and stars Bruce Willis as John McClane...
(19901990 in filmThe year 1990 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* CGI technique is expanded with motion capture for CGI characters, used in Total Recall .* The first digitally-manipulated matte painting is used, in Die Hard 2....
), General Ramon Esperanza (Franco NeroFranco NeroFranco Nero is an Italian actor.-Early life:Nero was born Francesco Sparanero in San Prospero Parmense , the son of a sergeant in the...
) is from Val Verde. - Adventure Inc.Adventure Inc.Adventure Inc. is a dramatised adventure television series produced primarily in Canada which aired from September 30, 2002 to May 12, 2003. It was a co-production of Fireworks Entertainment , Tribune Entertainment Tribune Entertainment , M6 , Amy International , and Tele München...
(2003), Episode 10 of Season 1 was titled "Plague Ship of Val Verde".
Shared personnel link all appearances. Commando, Die Hard 2 and Adventure Inc. were written by Steven E. de Souza
Steven E. de Souza
Steven E. de Souza is an American producer, director and screenwriter. He is among a handful of screenwriters whose films have earned over two billion dollars at the worldwide box office.-Life and career:...
, Commando and Predator both star Schwarzenegger, and both films, along with Die Hard 2, were produced by Joel Silver
Joel Silver
Joel Silver is an American Hollywood film producer, co-creator of the sport of Ultimate, co-founder of Dark Castle Entertainment and owner of Silver Pictures.-Life and career:...
; de Souza produced the ABC TV
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
series Supercarrier.
Steven de Souza has also set the Devil's Due
Devil's Due Publishing
Devil's Due Publishing is an independent comic book publishers in the United States. Based in Chicago, Illinois, DDP is best known for its wide selection of genres, including licensed and original creator-owned properties that populate its monthly comic book series and graphic novels.Though...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
Sheena
Sheena, Queen of the Jungle
Sheena, Queen of the Jungle is a fictional, American comic book jungle girl heroine, published originally by Fiction House. The female counterpart to Tarzan, Sheena had two things in common with Edgar Rice Burrough's Jungle Lord: Both possessed the ability to communicate with wild animals and were...
in Val Verde and described his reason for using it:
Portrayal
Val Verde has principally been used as a plot device or location in place of real Latin American countries in action and adventure movies, as a particular result of America's rocky relations with many nations in the region during the 1980s.When glimpsed in Commando, it appears to be a poor nation, where subsistence agriculture (ie. livestock) is side-by-side with military propaganda and constant military presence. Inhabitants appear poor but happy, and there is evidence of a trade embargo reminiscent of that placed on Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
in the presence of battered but functional vintage
Vintage
Vintage, in wine-making, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product . A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certain wines, it can denote quality, as in Port wine, where Port houses make and...
1950s cars.
While the meaning, if any, of the name of the fictional Val Verde is not definitively established, many real-life places named Val Verde
Val Verde
Val Verde may mean:*Val Verde, California*Val Verde, Texas*Val Verde Park, Texas*Val Verde County, Texas*Valverde, New Mexico in the New Mexico Territory*Battle of Valverde or Val Verde, an American Civil War battle...
derive their names from the Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
for "green valley".
Politics
In Commando, Val Verde is presided over by President Velázquez, an apparently puppet leader installed by an American-backed revolutionRevolution
A revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...
assisted by Colonel John Matrix (Schwarzenegger) and Captain Bennett (Vernon Wells
Vernon Wells (actor)
Vernon George Wells is an Australian film and television actor who has built his career around action-type films, most often cast as a villain...
), during which the nefarious General Arius was deposed. Bennett later aligns himself with Arius when Matrix discharges him for disregard for order, and they force Matrix to help him reinstate Arius' dictatorship, but are thwarted when Matrix fights back and kills them all.
In Predator, the country is described as being invaded by communist inspired revolutionaries. The rebel camp attacked by the team has at least one "Russian Advisor".
In Die Hard 2, General Ramon Esperanza (Franco Nero
Franco Nero
Franco Nero is an Italian actor.-Early life:Nero was born Francesco Sparanero in San Prospero Parmense , the son of a sergeant in the...
) is a General in exile, awaiting trial in the United States. He is aided by former special forces members to escape from his prison plane. Esperanza is wanted by the U.S. government for drug trafficking, but the leader of a rogue special forces unit, Colonel Stuart, wishes to free Esperanza because he "stands up to communist aggression".
In Supercarrier a US Navy carrier is present in Val Verde when civil war breaks out and is forced to step in; this violation of Pentagon protocol, though entirely fictional, precipitated the withdrawal of Navy participation from the series.
Locations
As well as studio shots, other locations have been used to portray Val Verde on film:- Alamo VillageAlamo VillageAlamo Village is a movie set and tourist attraction north of Brackettville, Texas, United States. It was the first movie location built in Texas, originally constructed for and best known as the setting for The Alamo , directed by John Wayne and starring Wayne, Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey and...
, the movie set originally created for The AlamoThe Alamo (1960 film)The Alamo is a 1960 American historical epic released by United Artists. The film was directed by John Wayne, who also starred as Davy Crockett. The cast also includes Richard Widmark as Jim Bowie and Laurence Harvey as William B...
, was used as Val Verde in Bandolero! - Long Beach Airport and Los Angeles International AirportLos Angeles International AirportLos Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...
was used for the main airport in Commando - San Pedro, California was used for the port of Val Verde on Supercarrier, while Valencia, CaliforniaValencia, CaliforniaValencia is an affluent planned community located in the City of Santa Clarita, California and Los Angeles County, California, U.S. in the northwestern corner of the Santa Clarita Valley, adjacent to Interstate 5. In 1987, it was one of the four unincorporated communities that merged to create the...
stood in for the countryside. - San Simeon, CaliforniaSan Simeon, CaliforniaSan Simeon is a census-designated place on the Pacific coast of San Luis Obispo County, California. Its position along State Route 1 is approximately halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, each of those cities being roughly 230 mi away...
stood in for the beaches in Commando - Puerto VallartaPuerto VallartaPuerto Vallarta is a Mexican balneario resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas.The 2010 census reported Puerto Vallarta's population as 255,725 making it the sixth-largest city in the state of Jalisco...
had previous appeared in The Night of the IguanaThe Night of the IguanaThe Night of the Iguana is a stageplay written by American author Tennessee Williams, based on his 1948 short story. The play premiered on Broadway in 1961. Two film adaptations have been made, including the Academy Award-winning 1964 film of the same name....
and was used as the principal filming location for Predator, despite the objections of John McTiernanJohn McTiernanJohn Campbell McTiernan, Jr. is an American film director and producer, best known for his action films and most identifiable with the three films he directed back-to-back: Predator, Die Hard, and The Hunt for Red October, along with later movies such as Last Action Hero, Die Hard with a...
and Donald McAlpineDonald McAlpine-Early life and career:Before his film career, McAlpine was a physical education teacher in Parkes, New South Wales, Australia. He began using a 16mm Camera to film athletes preparing for the Melbourne Olympics....
. The early beach shots were taken at Puerto Vallarta and jungle scenes were shot slightly further inland. When more money was released by Fox, McTiernan was able to shoot in his preferred location around PalenquePalenquePalenque was a Maya city state in southern Mexico that flourished in the 7th century. The Palenque ruins date back to 100 BC to its fall around 800 AD...
(including the Misol-Ha waterfall) and about half of the final film came from this round of shooting.
Parodies
The comedy group Elephant LarryElephant Larry
Elephant Larry is a sketch comedy group from New York City. They were formed in 2002 and have been performing since, most recently at The Peoples Improv Theater.- History :...
made a series of comedy sketches about the country of Val Verde. The sketches take place between the scenes and off-camera during the film Predator.