Films Shot in Malta: 20th Century Classics

As we all know Malta has become quite an attraction for film productions. Some of the reasons for this are its natural terrain and the man-made historical structures. Naturally, the most obvious reason is also the beautiful scenery found across the island. Once the state recognized the potential for the islands in the film industry, there were more attractive deals offered to these productions. Since, there exists quite an impressive list of films shot in Malta.

In Malta’s relationship with foreign filmmakers, there have been some visionary directors. In this article we’d like to mention a few of them. 

Mike Hodges

Pulp (1972)

Mike Hodges was a British filmmaker whose second film was based in Malta and was called Pulp. In this film, a pulp writer living in Malta (‘pulp’ being a cheap type of short fiction magazines that were popular in the 40’s and 50’s) is assigned a task of ghostwriting an autobiography for a mystery celebrity. This leads him to a series of complications which triggers the plot. 

The local backdrop is truly beautiful in this film. If you’re into noir-type detective films and you get the opportunity to watch this, you’ll notice how visually beautiful it is.  

John Huston 

The Mackintosh Man (1973)

Although perhaps The Mackintosh Man is not the best example of the genius of John Huston, it is definitely worth mentioning. If not for the plot or the views, then also because on it there was Paul Newman and James Mason. In the film, a British agent is asked by a spymaster to pretend he is an Australian criminal. His goal is to be able to get into a spy ring and get information.

Not much can be found about Huston’s stay in Malta. Still, it is worth noting that one of his most celebrated films. Maybe it’s even one of the most celebrated noir films, also has a small connection to the islands. 

His 1941 masterpiece starring Humphrey Bogart was called The Maltese Falcon. It revolved around the retrieval of a fictional golden falcon encrusted with rare jewels, supposedly a gift from the Knight Templars to Charles V of Spain. 

Oliver Stone 

Midnight Express (1978)

Essentially Oliver Stone and the production were looking for countries to film this true story about a man who was detained in a Turkish prison for having some hashish on him. Apparently after trying several countries they realized that the Turkish government had swayed these governments into not allowing the production to happen. 

At the time, Prime Minister Dom Mintoff stepped up. He not only accepted the production but welcomed them open-heartedly. He openly stated that he will not be told what to do by the Turkish authorities. The film addressed an issue which was very interesting and vital. In fact, it really might not have existed had it not been shot in Malta. 

If you ever manage to watch this movie, you might also see a few local familiar faces. Moreover, you might notice that sometimes the guards who are supposed to be speaking Turkish, are actually speaking in Maltese! The film was all shot in Saint Elmo and eventually won two oscars. 

Robert Altman

Popeye (1980)

Perhaps this director, and this movie more specifically, deserve their own article. The movie “Popeye” is maybe the most famous of films shot in Malta. Everyone has heard of Popeye’s Village in Malta, and well, this movie was the reason why it was built. 

One of the few if not the only musical film production that was filmed in Malta was Popeye. The film was quite a diversion from Robert Altman’s previous acclaimed works. Nonetheless the film remains a very beautiful and interesting interpretation of the classic Popeye comic strip. 

Robert Altman was famous for being a very peculiar director with a unique voice and vision, and his films tend to take the conventions of film genres and challenge them and push their limits. Funnily enough it was Altman who convinced the Maltese government to leave the set there, and two years later it became an amusement park 

Irvin Keshner

Never Say Never Again (1983)

The last on the list of films shot in Malta is a popular one. If you’re unfamiliar with both the name of the movie and the director, the movie was Sean Connery’s last James Bond film. It is definitely far from any of the better Bond films, but it is worth mentioning simply because the director of this film was also the director of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back—which to many Star Wars fans is deemed to be the best one. Although the filming on the islands was short and so was Keshner’s stay, we felt it is still worth mentioning this simply as a point of trivia. 

Title image was cropped. Attribution: [1]; cf. [2], Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons