where was full metal jacket filmed
“Full Metal Jacket” was filmed almost entirely in England, mainly around London and in eastern England, with UK locations standing in for both Parris Island and war‑torn Vietnam.
Main Filming Locations
- Parris Island boot camp scenes :
- Bassingbourn Barracks, Bassingbourn, Cambridgeshire, England – used for most of the Marine recruit training exteriors.
* RAF Swinderby in Lincolnshire is also listed for some Parris Island material.
- Vietnam city and battle scenes :
- Beckton Gas Works, Beckton, East London – dressed and partially demolished to portray the ruined city of Huế.
* Isle of Dogs, London – used for Da Nang street sequences.
- Other UK locations :
- Barton Rifle Range near Barton, Cambridgeshire – used for rifle range scenes.
* Norfolk Broads, Norfolk – stood in for the Mekong River.
* Pinewood Studios, Buckinghamshire – many interiors, including barracks and offices, were built and shot on soundstages.
Quick HTML Table of Key Locations
| Story Location | Real Filming Location | Region / Country |
|---|---|---|
| Parris Island boot camp | Bassingbourn Barracks, Bassingbourn; RAF Swinderby | Cambridgeshire & Lincolnshire, England, UK | [1][5][3]
| Da Nang streets | Isle of Dogs, London | Greater London, England, UK | [5][3]
| Huế ruins / urban combat | Beckton Gas Works, Beckton | London, England, UK | [7][3][5]
| Mekong River | Norfolk Broads | Norfolk, England, UK | [5]
| Rifle range | Barton Rifle Range, Barton | Cambridgeshire, England, UK | [9][3]
| Interior sets (barracks, HQ, etc.) | Pinewood Studios | Buckinghamshire, England, UK | [3]
Extra Context
Stanley Kubrick lived in the UK and preferred to shoot close to home, so he recreated both South Carolina and Vietnam using British military bases, industrial sites, and studio sets rather than filming on location in the US or Southeast Asia.
TL;DR: When people ask “where was Full Metal Jacket filmed,” the answer is: mostly in and around London and Cambridgeshire in England, not in Vietnam or at the real Parris Island.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.
