Malta Story

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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 &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.)
Country	UK
Language	English
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Malta Story is a 1953 black and white 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 same places the battles were fought, and includes a love story that ends with the death of the hero (a RAF pilot) and the execution of a young Maltese man who became an Italian spy.

1 Cast
2 Plot
3 Features
4 External links

[edit] Cast

Alec Guinness – Flight Lieutenant Peter Ross
Jack Hawkins – Air Commodore Frank
Anthony Steel – Wing Commander Bartlett
Muriel Pavlow – Maria Gonzar

[edit] Plot

In 1942 Britain is trying hard to keep Malta while an invasion seems imminent and Italians and Germans are regularly bombing the airfields and the city 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 stops at Malta unable to continue his journey 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 ancient ruins of the island.

In the meantime the situation becomes desperate as many civilians are daily buried 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 realize that wartime is not favourable to love affairs as her mother suggests. Nevertheless the young couple remain faithful to the future. In the mean time Maria’s brother is arrested while trying to infiltrate the island from Italy, obviously on a spy mission, for which he will be executed. Maria’s mother lives a double drama. The island at the same time 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 the harbour is the apex of glory for the defenders and the island of Malta collectively receives the George Cross from the King of England.

After some time has passed the RAF is still holding on, and is now able to retaliate by targeting enemy shipping near Libya supporting Rommel. Many air attacks take place either to defend the island with Spitfires or a number of various other torpedo planes, like the Beauforts, who succeed in sinking Italian tankers. There comes the moment when the most important enemy convoy is on its way to Libya while the visibility conditions are poor. Peter's CO (Jack Hawkins) needs desperately to locate this target and orders him to find it at any cost. Peter, flying in his Spitfire, is able to locate it finally but has to stay close to keep contact. He is thus left alone against four enemy fighters - Messerschmitt Bf109F's - who throw everything they have against him. Peter stays calm but cannot escape his fate and he is shot down and killed while Maria in the operations room stands witness to the whole battle and his death.

[edit] Features

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 existing in Malta at that time that some do not exist any longer elsewhere. The Spitfires shown in action are, however, mainly of the 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 Bf109F.

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