4 real historical locations · United Kingdom
John Boorman's semi-autobiographical film about a young boy in bombed London during the Blitz, who finds the destruction magical — a playground of ruins and unexpected freedom. A unique perspective on the home front that captures childhood's capacity to find adventure in catastrophe.
CinemaMapped has mapped 4 real historical locations where the story takes place, spanning United Kingdom.
Nine-year-old Bill experiences the London Blitz as a childhood adventure — bomb sites become playgrounds, neighbourhoods are transformed by destruction, and ...
The London Blitz ran from 7 September 1940 to 11 May 1941, with the Luftwaffe bombing London for 57 consecutive nights in the first phase. Over 43,000 British civilians were killed. Director John Boorman's 1987 film i...
View location →Nine-year-old Bill Rowan watches the Blitz transform his south London suburb into a playground of rubble, unexploded bombs, and adventure — the war seen thro...
South-east London was heavily bombed during the Blitz (September 1940 – May 1941). Director John Boorman based the film on his own childhood in Clapham during the bombing.
View location →Entire streets are levelled by incendiary bombs, creating vast bomb sites where Bill and his gang play freely — an unsupervised adventure in the ruins that h...
The City of London was targeted on 29 December 1940 in the second Great Fire of London. St Paul's Cathedral's survival amid the flames became an iconic symbol of British resilience.
View location →Bill's bohemian grandfather lives by the Thames at Shepperton, a rural idyll where the family retreats after bombing destroys their street — the film's count...
The Thames valley west of London provided evacuation destinations for city children during the Blitz. John Boorman's own family relocated along the Thames during the bombing.
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