Maps of Movies

Poor Things (2023)

Where Poor Things says it takes place, and where it was really shot.

The Lisbon of Poor Things was never in Portugal: it was built on a stage in Hungary

Scenes and places

The mad scientist's house in London

Medical student Max McCandles is recruited by Godwin Baxter to record the behaviour of a strange, nearly mute woman living in the house. Bella has the body of an adult and the mind of an infant, and she learns fast.

Set in Godwin Baxter's house, London — The house where Godwin Baxter keeps Bella and where Max is hired to watch her. Google Maps · Apple Maps

A retrofuturist version of late-Victorian London, 1882; the house exists only as a studio set.

Lisbon, built from scratch

Bella runs off with the debauched lawyer Duncan Wedderburn to Lisbon. There she discovers the pleasures of the senses with no understanding of anything beyond them, while Duncan finds her harder and harder to control.

Set in Lisbon (film version) — The hotel square and harbour where Bella and Duncan spend their first days away. Google Maps · Apple Maps

Lisbon is the film's setting; the production built its version of the city on a soundstage.

Filmed at Korda Studios, Etyek, Hungary — Studio stage where the Lisbon hotel square and harbour were built. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: Studio near Budapest; a working film lot, not a visitor site.

A ship inspired by Kew Gardens

Duncan smuggles Bella onto a cruise ship, where she befriends two passengers who open her mind to philosophy. Duncan drinks and gambles, and his attempts to hold her back do not work.

Set in The cruise ship — A vast steam-driven liner on which Duncan tries to keep Bella under control.

No real place: the ship is a studio set.

Alexandria's poor quarter

At a stop in Alexandria, Bella witnesses the suffering of the poor and is distraught. Wanting to help them, she entrusts Duncan's winnings to crew members who falsely promise to give the money away.

Set in Alexandria — The port where the ship stops and Bella sees poverty for the first time. Google Maps · Apple Maps

Alexandria is the setting; the hotel and slums were built as sets.

Paris and Madame Swiney's house

Dropped off at Marseille, Bella and Duncan reach Paris penniless. Bella begins working at a brothel under Madame Swiney, and meets Toinette, who introduces her to socialism.

Set in Madame Swiney's brothel, Paris — The house in Paris where Bella works after she and Duncan arrive with no money. Google Maps · Apple Maps

Paris is the setting; the brothel was built on a soundstage.

General Blessington's mansion

General Alfie Blessington addresses Bella as Victoria and says they were married before she disappeared. She goes with him to learn about her past, and sees his violent and sadistic nature; he then confines her in his mansion.

Set in General Blessington's mansion, London — The house where General Alfie Blessington keeps Bella after reclaiming her. Google Maps · Apple Maps

The interiors are a real public library in Budapest; the exterior was a miniature.

Filmed at Metropolitan Ervin Szabó Library, Budapest — Sequences in Alfie Blessington's house were filmed inside this library. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: Szabó Ervin tér 1, Budapest; a public library you can visit during opening hours.

Characters

• Bella Baxter — A woman with an adult body and a newly formed mind, discovering the world.
• Godwin Baxter — The mad scientist who keeps and raises Bella.
• Max McCandles — The medical student hired to record Bella's behaviour.
• Duncan Wedderburn — A debauched lawyer who takes Bella to Lisbon.
• General Alfie Blessington — A general who claims Bella as his wife.