The Malta Story (1953)
I recently watched The Malta Story for the third time. I was motivated by reading The Information Officer reviewed on The Rust.
The film has a romantic sub-plot with the love affaire between Peter Ross, a flight reconnaissance airman (Alec Guinness), and local girl Maria (Muriel Pavlow).
However it’s essentially the story of how the brave island withstood Luftwaffe bombing night after night. It had a superb cast comprising Jack Hawkins, Flora Robson and Anthony Steel.
You could also see in the minor roles Peter Barkworth, Sam Kydd and Gordon Jackson.
When you watch as many war films as I do, you see replicated themes.
The Battle of the Bulge too began with an aerial reconnaissance shot with Henry Fonda.
Raid on Entebbe ends with a local crowd silently in awe as the Israeli aircraft returns successfully from Uganda.
The Malta Story ends with a similar shot of the Maltese by the harbour as the last of a critical supply convoy limps into Grand Harbour.
With their plummy officer accents and total absence of diversity such films may seem dated now, shown on weekday afternoons on ITV, but they carry first rate cinema values, fine acting and an inspiring tale of heroism.
