Malta Story (released 1953) – The Director’s Cut

Abstract

Made and released in the early 1950’s, Malta Story was a major feature film that reminded everyone of Malta’s ordeal during World War II. Allan Smith here tells the story of the making of the film, of the main actors, and even of some of the Maltese extras in it. Malta Story was released in 1953 and became an immediate box office success. The combination of an A list cast, the portrayal of the iron resilience of the Maltese people, the gallantry of the RAF pilots and a tragic love story were the four components of its success. The canvas was a landscape that had changed little in the intervening decade and made all the more realistic by the director’s use of archive war footage. Added into this mix was Brian Desmond Hurst training as an artist and when this is coupled with his having learned the movie trade under the legendary John Ford, you have all the ingredients for the movie as a form of art.