Malta Story is a 1953 British war film, directed by Brian Desmond Hurst, which is set during the air defence of Malta during the Siege of Malta in the Second World War. The film uses real and unique footage of the locations at which the battles were fought and includes a love story between a RAF reconnaissance pilot and a Maltese woman, as well as the anticipated execution of her brother, caught as an Italian spy. The pilot is loosely based on Adrian Warburton; the Maltese woman's brother is based on Carmelo Borg Pisani, who was executed in 1942.
Original UK film poster
Director Brian Desmond Hurst in 1976 (portrait by Allan Warren)
Archival image of a Supermarine Spitfire Mk VB(trop) as shown in a screenshot from Malta Story; note the tropical air filter typically used by the VB(trop) variant
Archival image of a Junkers Ju 88 as shown in a screenshot from Malta Story
Brian Desmond Hurst was an Irish film director. With over thirty films in his filmography, Hurst was hailed as Northern Ireland's best film director by BBC film critic Mike Catto. He is perhaps best known for the 1951 A Christmas Carol adaptation Scrooge.
Brian Desmond Hurst in 1976 (portrait by Allan Warren)
