Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

Limerculer A waste of 90 minutes of my life

Abbigail Bush what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Josephina Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Leofwine_draca MALTA STORY is an oddly unengaging little war movie made by Britain and featuring an all-star cast. The setting is Malta, where the British are heroically fighting back against the superiority of the Luftwaffe and the Italian forces, despite being outgunned and surrounded. A little espionage features in the tale but mostly this is a typical gung-ho RAF-based slice of propaganda, lacking the interesting characters seen elsewhere in the genre, such as THE PURPLE PLAIN to give one example. Alec Guinness takes the lead role but seems oddly disinterested in the whole thing, but the sight of nearly a dozen British film regulars in cameo roles (I'm talking Victor Maddern, Sam Kydd, Gordon Jackson, Noel Willman, the list goes on) keeps you watching and the use of genuine wartime footage adds to the realism of the experience. But things get bogged down in old-fashioned romance and I never really cared as much as I should have about the cast.

gleywong Having never had a chance to visit this island, nor been made aware of its importance to the allied forces during WW II, I appreciated the snatch of history of Malta and its inhabitants and of the incredibly impressive air shots of the RAF at work. Other commentators say much of this footage is archival; if so, then the editing is commendable, as is the transitional camera work, which is virtually seamless. In this day and age when so many battles and flight scenes are achieved by graphic simulation, I feel there is a sense of integrity in this film that cannot be easily duplicated today, regardless of all of the technology at our disposal. This is perhaps the quality of Ealing studios at work.The black and white graininess of the film also gives it a documentary feel -- the strong light and shadow of the landscape shots of air, water and rocks that give us the vivid sense of place -- remind me also of Italian verismo cinema and reinforce that impression.As for the acting, I did not feel it in the least "wooden." Actors who emote all over the place are not necessarily conveying true emotion: they are "acting." As with certain aspects of Italian cinema, more is conveyed in what is left out and held back than what is overtly revealed. I felt all of the performances, and especially Guinness's, and including his leading lady, were true to their character. The intelligence in his eyes and the slight, fleeting change of expression in his face, as he reacts, for example, to Hawkins' approval of his reconnaissance flights, is an example of the subtlety that would characterize all of Guinness's performances. Viewers who expect too much overt emotion are possibly allowing the actors on screen to experience it for them, rather than being drawn into the emotion and circumstance of the onscreen drama unfolding. Calling it a "stiff upper lip" may be one easy way to describe it, but one does have a sense in this film of people with some depth and substance, depicted with a visual honesty, who are caught in a life and death situation.Of four stars, at least three *** without reservation.

Linda Lee Very much a weekend afternoon film now, almost 50 years after it was made, this film gives an accurate portrayal of the wartime events which led to Malta's being awarded the George Cross. The footage of the air and sea battles is fascinating, but the acting is sadly wooden.Jack Hawkins turns in his usual competent performance, but Alec Guiness is very bland. Flora Robson is an unlikely Maltese mother, symbolising the suffering of the island people. The other credited actresses, Muriel Pavlow and Renee Asherson, appear almost catatonic, and the two love affairs are utterly unconvincing.A lot of the entertainment lies in spotting well-known faces in their younger days! No surprise to see Victor Maddern and Sam Kydd (whinging, but getting the job done!), Gordon Jackson (uncredited), a very young Rosalie Crutchley and an (almost) unrecognisable Nigel Stock!Watch this to learn about Malta's wartime history, but choose another film if you want to see these famous names acting with some passion!

SlaineII Based on the events upto and around the awarding of the George >Cross to the population of Malta. This film follows the >standard, 'stiff upper lip', 'against all odds' British war film >indicative of the time. >It is not a fast moving action film by any means and at times >appears to have two plots running concurrently. The first, the >defence of the island, is average for this genre which is only >made notable by the excellent performances from Jack Hawkins and >Sir Alec Guinness. Jack Hawkins already showing the same >idiosyncrasies he did in the Bond Films but a young Alec >Guinness not quite reaching the hint of eccentricity he is so >famous for (in particular 'Bridge Over The River Kwai'). >The subplot, Peter Ross' romance with one of the Maltese women >almost seems as though it was placed in as an after thought >maybe to be historically accurate or as contrast to the death >and destruction implied by the rest of the film. In any case the >acting of Muriel Pavlow was frosty to say the least and could >have been cut out of the majority of the film without any >detraction from the plot! >It is a definite Sunday aftern