The answer turned out to be about as far from the US as one can get, on the South Island of New Zealand. Not exactly a novel filming location these days—the recent Heart of the Beast, and just about any movie by Kiwi Jane Campion has been shot there—one reason the place is so popular is that its vast, unspoiled terrain makes an easy stand-in for a bygone American West. Grant Major, the production designer for the series, says, “Generally, it’s got mountains and snow and lakes and rivers and all that sort of stuff. We went there for The Lord of the Rings. I used the same farm that we used for East of Eden for The Power of the Dog.”
Below, Major takes us through shooting the project on location in his home country and tells us where, exactly, East of Eden was filmed.
The Hawkdun Range, Otago
As for what he was looking for in the Trask farm in California, Major says, “Well, it needs to be dry, because you know there’s always a water problem on a farm until they dig wells and things like that.” Beyond that, there had to be a hint of majesty when the property first comes into view for Adam while he’s searching the Salinas for suitable farmland. Says Major, “We found a really good place in the foothills of the Hawkdun Range, which is a district in Otago like Salinas.” There was “nothing to paint out” here, meaning no special effects were needed to portray an untouched world’s never-ending sprawl. And those grasses: “It had, actually, about waist-high grass. You had to wade through it to get to the house.” Much like Steinbeck’s opener.
