Malta Story

Malta Story
Malta Story DVD cover
Directed by	Brian Desmond Hurst
Produced by	Peter De Sarigny
Written by	Nigel Balchin (screenplay) Peter De Sarigny (idea) Thorold Dickinson (idea) William Fairchild (story and screenplay) Sir Hugh P. Lloyd (book, Briefed to Attack)
Starring	Alec Guinness Jack Hawkins Anthony Steel
Music by	William Alwyn
Cinematography	Leon Shamroy
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date(s)	1953
Running time	103 min. (USA:97 min. UK DVD 99 min.)
Country	UK
Language	English

Malta Story is a 1953 British war film based on the heroic defence of Malta, the island itself, its people and the RAF aviators who fought to defend it. The film uses real and unique footage of the locations at which the battles were fought and includes a love story that ends with the death of the hero (a RAF pilot) and the anticipated execution of a young Maltese man who became an Italian spy.

Plot

In 1942, Britain is trying hard to keep Malta while invasion seems imminent and Italians and Germans are regularly bombing the airfields and towns regardless. The RAF fight to survive against the odds using the few planes available. Flight Lt. Peter Ross, an archaeologist, is posted to Egypt but is stranded in Malta due to the air attacks. He is then asked to join the RAF squadron there as an air reconnaissance pilot. He meets Maria, a lovely Maltese girl working in the RAF operations room. The two fall in love and spend a few romantic hours in the Neolithic temples of Mnajdra and Ħaġar Qim on the island.

In the meantime, the situation becomes desperate. Many civilians are buried daily under the rubble, and famine is threatening their survival, as relief convoys become easy prey to the numerous attacks by air. Peter proposes marriage to Maria although they realise that wartime is not favourable to love affairs, as her mother suggests. Nevertheless the young couple remain hopeful of the future. In the meantime, Maria’s brother is arrested while trying to infiltrate the island from Italy, obviously on a spying mission, for which he is expected to be executed (which has some parallels to the real story of Carmelo Borg Pisani). Maria’s mother lives a double drama.

The island relies on the last few ships of a convoy for supplies. The scene of the heroic tanker SS Ohio (real footage) arriving half sunk in Valletta harbour is the apex of glory for the defenders and the island of Malta collectively receives the George Cross from Britain's King George VI.

The RAF holds on, and is eventually able to take the offensive, targeting enemy shipping on its way to Rommel in Libya. Many air raids take place either to defend the island with Spitfires or a number of torpedo planes, like the Beauforts, which succeed in sinking Italian tankers. There comes the moment when the most important enemy convoy is on its way to Libya under cover of poor visibility. Peter's commanding officer (Jack Hawkins) needs desperately to locate this target and orders him to find it at any cost. Peter, flying in his Spitfire, finally finds it, but has to stay close to keep contact. He is attacked by six Messerschmitt Bf 109Fs. Peter stays calm, but cannot escape his fate; he is shot down and killed, while Maria in the operations room listens helplessly to his radio broadcasts. Later the next day, Maria sits by the beach, thinking of her lost beloved Peter.

Cast

• Alec Guinness as Flight Lieutenant Peter Ross
• Jack Hawkins as Air Commodore Frank
• Anthony Steel as Wing Commander Bartlett
• Muriel Pavlow as Maria Gonzar
• Renée Asherson as Joan Rivers
• Hugh Burden as Eden, Security
• Nigel Stock as Giuseppe Gonzar aka Ricardi
• Reginald Tate as Vice Admiral Payne
• Ralph Truman as Vice Admiral Willie Banks
• Flora Robson as Melita Gonzar, Maria's Mum

Production and release

The Ulster born director Brian Desmond Hurst was persuaded by his lifelong friend John Ford to direct the movie. Ford told Hurst "its right up your street". It was a success at the box office. "The combination of an A list cast, the portrayal of the iron relilence of the Maltese people, the gallantry of the RAF pilots and a tragic love story were the four components of its success" Malta Story (released 1953)- The Director's Cut page 15 by Allan Esler Smith, Treasures of Malta, number 48, Summer 2010, Vol. XVI No 3 published by Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti in association with the Malta Tourism Authority.

The unique footage used in the film is equivalent to true historic archive material. Additionally, many scenes were shot next to the real types of aircraft still available in Malta at that time, some of which did not exist any longer elsewhere. The Spitfires shown in action are, however, mainly of the later IX, XIV and XVI types that flew from Malta after 1943-44. In 1942, the RAF was mainly using the V type only that appears rarely in the film. In the footage, one can see however the planes that attacked Malta, such as the Italian SM79 and the German Bf 109F.

The character of "Peter Ross" is apparently loosely based on that of Adrian Warburton.

External links

• Malta Story at the Internet Movie Database
• Malta Story at AllRovi
• Malta Story at Rotten Tomatoes
• Malta Story at Britmovie
• www.briandesmondhurst.org-the official legacy website of the director with filmography including Malta Story