I was very interested to read the article Scouting For The Best Film Location (February 22) about the number of films that have been made in Malta. I am an aviation journalist who is researching British-made war films based on World War II, and have found it interesting to discover just how many of these films were made in Malta.
The most well known one must be Malta Story itself, of course, filmed here in 1952 and starring Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins and Murial Pavlow. It contains many views of Malta with Spitfires flying over and it is fascinating to compare, for instance, the skyline of Sliema 60 years ago with the same location today – especially the difference between the Tignè Point of then and now!
Single-Handed, released in 1953, was filmed on Gozo, acting the part of the Galapagos Islands, would you believe. The Battle of the River Plate, about the sinking of the German pocket battleship Graf Spee off Montivideo in December 1939, was filmed here in 1956. Ships of the Royal Navy’s Mediterranean Fleet, then based at Malta, took part, including two that were in the real battle. Grand Harbour doubled as Montivideo Harbour.
In 1968, Malta was used to film parts of the Battle of Britain epic because the weather in England that summer was so awful and caused huge problems with shooting many scenes. The scenes where Luftwaffe Stukas attack the radar stations on the south coast of England were filmed here, using large-scale radio-controlled model Stukas. All the shots in that film showing Heinkel He.111 bombers being shot down into the English Channel were filmed over the sea off Malta, again using R/C models.
A fascinating British war film to watch is Hell Boats, which was made entirely here in 1967. Much of it was filmed on Manoel Island, using Fort Manoel as a naval base for Motor Torpedo Boats (the Hell Boats of the title). Again, comparing the 1967 vista of the Valletta scenery filmed in the background with that of today is fascinating – there is no domed cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, for example, and when the camera pans round towards Msida... well, where is the Gozo ferry terminal and the Msida Marina!? Certain scenes were shot inside Fort Manoel itself and show what a majestic structure it was, and still is.
To the article’s reference to the Steven Spielberg thriller filmed in Malta, Munich, in addition to Buġibba acting as Cyprus, add Tower Road playing the part of Tel Aviv, Valletta as Athens, and even part of St Julians as Soho in London at night, with plenty of 1970s-era British-made cars used as props. Spot the Malta bus sneaking into the Tel Aviv scene!
A very informative and enjoyable article.