Movie Magic in New Hampshire

When the lights go down and the big screen fills with images and sound, we are transported into a world of stories. New Hampshire has had its movie moments, large and small. Let’s take a look behind the scenes.

This year’s New Hampshire Film Festival takes place from October 17-20 in Portsmouth.

Take One

Hollywood is the epicenter of filmmaking, but from the 1940s through the early 1960s, a New Hampshire filmmaker was not only achieving major success on the big screen but was making many of his films here in the Granite State. 

Louis de Rochemont grew up in Massachusetts, but his family was from New Hampshire. He started shooting pictures in high school, filming people in their everyday lives and then selling the stories to local theaters.

The effort honed his eye for storytelling and led to his breakthrough in the 1930s when he moved to New York and started creating newsreels along with his brother, Richard, for Fox’s MovieTone News. The de Rochemonts became famous for “The March of Time,” a visual news magazine, which would win an Oscar in 1936. 

De Rochemont’s deft hand with spy films, like his two documentaries about Hitler’s rise to power, has him credited as one of the perfectors of film noir, while his success with documentaries earned him the title “father of the docu-drama.” In fact, de Rochemont would win the Oscar again in 1958 for his documentary “Windjammer,” which showcased the 17,500-nautical-mile journey of the Norwegian sail-training ship Christian Radich from Oslo to the Caribbean and up the East Coast, including a stop in Portsmouth. 

By the late 1940s, de Rochemont had left Twentieth Century Fox to form Louis de Rochemont Associates in New York. He had married Virginia Shaler, a screenwriter/editor. Their son, Louis III, would later come into the business serving as director on “Windjammer” and others. 

The de Rochemonts split their time between New York and Newington, where they had an estate on the Piscataqua River. De Rochemont loved New Hampshire, and it became his muse for a series of bold films, which were shot in Portsmouth, Exeter and Dover. In 1949, he broke new cinematic ground with the film “Lost Boundaries,” which was shot in Portsmouth and explored racial issues.  

He shot a variety of films over multiple years, but among de Rochemont’s last films was “The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone” with Vivian Leigh and Warren Beatty in 1960. He died in 1978 at his home in Newington, leaving a lasting legacy on the silver screen. 

Stand by

After de Rochemont’s heyday, the real New Hampshire largely disappeared from film, with movies only referencing the state or being shot elsewhere. The year 1940 saw “Northwest Passage” with Robert Young, Spencer Tracy and Walter Brennan, but featured an expensive replica of Portsmouth built on an Idaho sound stage.

The movies are a place for delight and escape, and New Hampshire has produced many talents, like Louis de Rochemont.

The year 1959 brought Robert Stack in “John Paul Jones,” and while Portsmouth is mentioned, it is never seen. 1973’s “The Last Detail” with a young Jack Nicholson tells the story of a sailor on his way to the Naval Prison at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard where he is to serve eight years for stealing. The sailor has not seen much of life yet, so his escorts decide to give him one last hurrah. While the film references the Seacoast, no scenes were shot on location.

The year 1972 would see Hollywood return with “A Separate Peace,” based on the John Knowles novel and starring Parker Stevenson. The movie is shot in and around Phillips Exeter Academy and also uses local actors and extras. Hollywood came calling again in 1995 with “Jumanji,” which is set in New Hampshire. This film, starring Robin Williams, was partially shot in Keene and Swanzey, but most of the movie was filmed in British Columbia. 

Four other smaller films were shot in the Granite State in the early and mid-2000s, but were not in wide release; these were “Live Free or Die,” “The Sensation of Sight,” “Mystery Team” and “In Your Eyes.” 

Action! 

“On Golden Pond” was released in the 1980s with a sequel in process as this issue hits the presses.

The juggernaut that was “On Golden Pond” hit New Hampshire in the early 1980s, with the filming of this major motion picture on Squam Lake in Holderness. Starring Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda and Jane Fonda, the movie was a blockbuster, pulling in the second largest box office for 1982. Based on Ernest Thompson’s play by the same name, the film tells the story of the complicated emotional dynamics between a father and his estranged daughter. The tale of understanding and forgiveness unfolds one summer on a New Hampshire lake. The film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and would win three, for Henry Fonda, Hepburn and Thompson’s best adapted screenplay. 

When asked why the movie still resonates with people after 40 years, Thompson replies, “It touched a nerve. Everything I do starts with emotion, with finding a way to reach people and make a connection. ‘On Golden Pond’ found that connection; I think many of us have experienced painful relationships like those depicted in the film and it gave us hope for reconciliation.” 

Thompson, who grew up in New Hampshire and Maine, lobbied hard for the film to be made in the Granite State, but what cinched the deal was Squam Lake’s location — and not for beauty alone. “The location is stunning with lovely views in every direction,” Thompson says. “But the deciding factors were more mundane. There was plenty of housing for cast and crew on Winnipesaukee; it was also only an hour and 45 minutes from Logan; and in those days, the day’s film was flown out of Logan each night, processed in Hollywood and then evaluated the next day. The other locations couldn’t accommodate these critical factors.” 

While no major films have returned to New Hampshire in recent years, the state does have a thriving independent film community, in part thanks to the New Hampshire Film Festival. The international film festival devotes the entire first day to works produced in the state or by New Hampshire filmmakers. 

Ian McCarthy, lead programmer for the festival, notes that they typically feature 100 films per year, giving many filmmakers critical opportunities to showcase their work. 

“There are many filmmakers in the state but a limited number of places for their work to be screened,” he notes. “The Music Hall is one such location. We provide a space for movie lovers to see a huge number of films, while giving filmmakers vital exposure.”

Marcy Carsey, Tom Bergeron, Eliza Coupe, Jon Rineman, Greg Kretschmar on the New Hampshire Film Festival comedy panel.

Dan Hannon, co-founder of the festival, agrees. “We emphasize creative collaboration, education and networking through panel discussions, workshops and social events. This is a platform where emerging artists can advance their craft, engage with attendees and promote to industry participants. Some of the brightest talent is showcased here.”

McCarthy cites Robert Eggers as one example. Eggers initially made short films here, then created “The Witch,” a Puritanical horror film featuring a young Anya Taylor-Joy. The film drew critical acclaim at Sundance and later went on to wider release. Eggers is now working with Focus Features/Universal on a film adaptation of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” called “Nosferatu,” which will be out at Christmas. 

Dan Habib is a local notable who has won awards for his films addressing disability issues. He and his son, Samuel, won an Emmy for co-directing “The Ride Ahead,” about Samuel’s journey to live a fulfilling life and the challenges he faces. 

Dan Kennedy is another local filmmaker making waves, with the recent film “Merry Good Enough,” which he co-directed with Caroline Keene, who wrote it, winning an award at the festival. Although that film was shot in Massachusetts, Kennedy is committed to shooting in New Hampshire again. “New Hampshire has beautiful landscapes and authentic locations and characters. The technicians and artists living here are lovely to work with. I enjoy projects like ‘Merry Good Enough’ where you can get a small group of artists together and have fun with the work. If we can work out a tax credit, we will see more films coming here.” 

That’s a Wrap

21-year-old wheelchair user Samuel Habib is itching to become an independent member of society, but he lives with a rare genetic mutation that necessitates 24/7 care. Witness how he sets out to manage a world that ignores the needs of disabled people in the film “The Ride Ahead.”

Thompson, who has also made independent films here, has two projects under way in New Hampshire. One is the film adaptation of his play, “The Constituent,” which was shot in New Hampshire in April and stars Thompson and Gordon Clapp of “NYPD Blue” who hails from North Conway. The story is about an old curmudgeon (Thompson) who has written nasty letters to his U.S. senator for decades and suddenly finds himself face to face with his nemesis. Surprisingly, the two have things in common, but that doesn’t stop the arguing. Thompson hopes to show the film at Sundance next year. 

Fans will be thrilled to hear that the second film is the sequel to “On Golden Pond,” called “Home on Golden Pond,” which is currently going through the casting process. Thompson is adamant that the film will be shot in the Granite State. 

“It would be sacrilege to shoot it elsewhere,” he says. The only recurring cast member will be Doug McKeon, who played the boy, Billy, in the original film, and returns briefly in an adult role. 

The sequel looks to be another story of emotional depth and multiple layers. Is home a place we are born to, or a place we find in our souls?

Fade to Black…

Many thought that the tremendous success of “On Golden Pond” would launch New Hampshire into a filmmaking frenzy but that was not to be. When asked what the impact of the movie was on New Hampshire filmmaking, Thompson says, “Not a damn thing. Without tax credits or financial incentives, it is very hard to make a movie here. For much of my life, I’ve tried to get the powers that be to understand the positive impact of film. Moviemaking is expensive and producers need to know they can recoup some of that investment. Movies bring a ton of money into communities and the state. During filming, hotels, restaurants and services reap the benefit. Afterwards, if the film is successful, the benefits continue as people want to see where the movie was filmed. It’s been over 40 years since ‘On Golden Pond’ was made, and the Squam Lake area is still making money with movie merchandise, restaurants, inns and boat tours built around the movie. That’s the power of a successful film.”

Chris Stinson of Live Free or Die Films, is also a powerful advocate for more state cooperation for filmmaking. In 2024, a movie, he produced, “The Holdovers” was nominated for five Academy Awards, and won for Best Supporting Actress for Da’Vine Joy Randolph. In a NHPR interview, Stinson noted that “The Holdovers” was shot in Massachusetts, where a movie is being filmed roughly every month. Many people involved in film live in New Hampshire but are working south of the border where the movies are. Stinson pointed out that the Bay State’s tax incentives are a huge inducement, but that New Hampshire could also find other ways to help filmmakers do business cost-effectively. 

Despite the challenges of making movies in the Granite State, Thompson urges up and coming filmmakers to get their stories told. “Shoot on an I-Phone if you have to, but get your stories out there,” he says. “Enter the festivals; hold a screening wherever you can — I did one in a vacant store and people came — find a way to get your movie shown. You never know where your efforts will lead. We need to see new visions and ideas in films and I hope our filmmakers persevere.”