Maps of Movies
The Tin Drum (1979)
Where The Tin Drum says it takes place, and where it was really shot.
A film set in Danzig that was shot in a Zagreb barracks
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Scenes and places
The potato field in Kashubia
A petty criminal on the run hides under the skirts of a young woman in a field while soldiers search nearby. She keeps her face calm as they pass. From this encounter Agnes, Oskar's mother, is conceived.
Set in Rural Kashubia — Joseph Kolaizcek hides beneath Anna Bronski's skirts in a field while German troops search for him.
Kashubia is a region of northern Poland around Gdańsk.
Oskar's drum at the Nazi rally
Oskar slips beneath the rally stands and beats his drum against the marching beat. The crowd loses step and begins to dance a waltz. A child's toy takes apart a show of power.
Set in A Nazi rally in Danzig — Oskar's drumming makes the attendees of a Nazi rally start dancing a waltz.
Rudolf's Barracks in Zagreb served as the film studio's base; the stands were built on the grass behind them.
Filmed at Behind Rudolf's Barracks, Zagreb — The rally was built on the meadow behind the barracks, with stands, flags and a red carpet. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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The eels on the beach
On a family outing, Oskar and the adults watch a man pull eels out of a horse's head. The sight makes Agnes vomit again and again. Alfred buys some of the eels for dinner.
Set in A beach near Danzig — The family sees an eel-picker pulling eels from a horse's head used as bait.
The film's Baltic shore is the coast around the Free City of Danzig.
The Polish Post Office, 1 September 1939 (1939)
On 1 September 1939 Oskar goes with Jan to find Kobyella, who can mend his drum. Jan slips into the Polish Post Office past a Nazi cordon and joins the armed standoff. Inside, the men play cards while the battle goes on.
Set in Polish Post Office, Danzig — The Polish Post Office in Danzig, where Polish staff held out against the Nazi cordon on 1 September 1939. Google Maps · Apple Maps
The Polish Post Office in Danzig was the site of a defence against German forces on the first day of the war.
Filmed at Rudolf's Barracks, Zagreb — The central barracks building was converted into the Danzig post office. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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Bebra's troupe on tour in Normandy (1944)
Oskar meets Bebra again and joins his troupe, adding his glass-shattering voice to the act. He begins an affair with the troupe's other performer, Roswitha. The tour carries them to the Normandy coast as the Allies land.
Set in Normandy coast, France — Oskar tours with Bebra's troupe during the Allied invasion of Normandy. Google Maps · Apple Maps
Normandy is the region of northern France where the Allied invasion began in June 1944.
Filmed at Normandy, France (region) — Filmed in Normandy, per the German article; no specific site is named. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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Danzig in ruins (1945)
Oskar comes home to a city largely in ruins as Russian forces close in. He gives Maria's three-year-old son Kurt a tin drum like his own.
Set in Danzig — Oskar returns to a Danzig largely destroyed, with the Russians fast approaching. Google Maps · Apple Maps
Danzig is the German name of Gdańsk; the film was allowed little time in Poland, where the novel was banned.
Filmed at Gdańsk, Poland (city) — Some street scenes, especially those of Danzig's landmarks, were shot on location in Gdańsk. Google Maps · Apple Maps
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Characters
- Oskar Matzerath — A boy in the Free City of Danzig who decides at three to stop growing.
- Agnes — Oskar's mother, married to Alfred and secretly in love with her cousin Jan.
- Jan Bronski — Agnes's cousin and lover, a Polish post office worker.
- Bebra — A performing dwarf who chose to stop growing at age ten.
- Maria — A sixteen-year-old German girl Alfred hires to work in his shop.
Questions answered on the map
- Where was the Danzig Polish Post Office really filmed?