But, as Gladiator marks its 20th anniversary – it first hit cinemas in May 2000 – we take a look back at how the ksar was transformed into a bustling gladiatorial training ground. The images are epic and frightening, but a closer look will reveal that the City of Peace is, in fact, Valletta, the capital of Malta. I LOVE watching films either shot or about a country before I visit it. How do i know this, simples, i have the box set of gladiator on DVD and it has the making of the film on it. Almost the entire film takes place at sea. The same thing goes for the Comino Tower, which in the film is Château d’If, and for Mdina, which a skilled videographer made it pass for Venice. Here are some of the more notable Hollywood film locations in Malta…, Where: Popeye Village, Triq Tal-Prajjet, Mellieha. It makes me excited about visiting the place in a way that nothing else does. Troy is the next sword and sandals Hollywood film location in Malta on this list. "Gladiator" Colosseum set location The partial replica of the Roman Colosseum built in 1999 for the film "Gladiator" was located on this spot. The beautiful scenery of the Blue Lagoon in Comino and the Mellieħa beaches are just two examples that made it into the 2004 big budget production of Troy. Game of Thrones Film Locations in Northern Ireland. Gladiator (2000) The epic historical drama Gladiator, which is set in ancient Rome, was actually filmed in Malta. It all proved too much for those at the five-star Phoenicia Hotel in Valetta, Malta, where he was staying with second wife Josephine, 26 years his junior, and he was banned from the bar. A good example of Malta’s perfect setting for sea epics is Captain Phillips, which was nominated for six Oscars in 2013. An entertaining film from start to finish, if you also count the who’s-who name-spotting during the credits! Inspired by true events, this Oscar-nominated film tells the story of legendary explorer Thor Heyerdahl who attempted crossing the Pacific on a small raft in 1947 to prove that Polynesia was colonized by South Americans many millennia ago. Just kidding, but seriously, there are a LOT of forts in this country. You might remember this action-packed flick from Steven Spielberg that places its action all over 1970s’ Europe. Here are the locations which Choice Holidays believes are the most spectacular. The Republic Square in Valletta is used for a Rome cafe. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Troy was filmed on the island of Malta in the Mediterranean and in Mexico, after a terrorist bomb attack in Casablanca deterred the production company from the first choice, which had been Morocco. This TV series starring Alice Braga delves into the dark world of drug trafficking and the reckless lives that people in this business have to endure. If you watch this movie after traveling to Malta, you will recognize landmarks from Valletta in the movie events that supposedly happen in Marseille. No surprise, two of Malta’s biggest harbours where utilised for a film about a cargo ship. The interior of the rather swanky Ta’ Frenc Restaurant also featured in the film. Pfft, Malta? And even though Rome is a great city to make a film about, it ain’t lookin’ like it used to back in Caesar’s day. The drama, which was shot in 1999, was primarily filmed in three locations. It also offers a fully functioning studio at the Mediterranean Film Studio. It’s obvious why: Malta boasts almost exclusively old, stone buildings and approx. Gladiator is a 2000 epic historical drama film directed by Ridley Scott and written by David Franzoni, John Logan, and William Nicholson.The film was co-produced and released by DreamWorks Pictures and Universal Pictures.It stars Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Ralf Möller, Oliver Reed (in his final role), Djimon Hounsou, Derek Jacobi, John Shrapnel, and Richard Harris. While Malta has produced only a few films, the island has been a common location for filming ancient historical epic films such as Gladiator and Troy. In recent years, Malta has become one of Europe's most popular film and television locations - dubbed "the Mediterranean's mini-Hollywood" by the London Times. They would have to film all their scenes without present-day special effects even if they contained breathtaking, underwater car chases. If you’ve looked for a solution to Island nation where Gladiator was filmed published on 30 August 2020 by The Washington Post Sunday, we’re here to help you find the right word. We’re not talking of low-budget movies but rather award-winning classics. Brad Pitt should know Malta by heart by now, considering that he returns here every couple of years to shoot another movie. Apart from Hungary and a little stint in New York, Malta was a substitution for just about every other country in Munich. The epic movie starring Russell Crowe as a Roman general turned gladiator features iconic scenes that were filmed in Malta. The following are only a couple of the most popular filming locations in Malta. And I'm the human (and hair) behind Almost Ginger. The film was shot in three main locations: the Bourne Woods, Surrey, England; Ouarzazate, Morocco; Fort Ricasoli, Malta. Despite being filmed nearly 37 years ago in 1980, the film Popeye which stars the late great Robin Williams is still a fan favourite in Malta. Where: The Grand Harbour in Senglea and the Freeport Terminals in Birżebbuġa and Marsaxlokk. The partial replica of the Roman Colosseum built in 1999 for the film "Gladiator" was located on this spot. As it stands, filming in the Fort St. Elmo is much cheaper and safer than in Israel. © 2000 Dreamworks LLC & Universal Pictures, Where: Blue Lagoon, Bejn il-Kmiemen, Comino. Hi there to you all! The production of Popeye, starring Robin Williams in Anchor Bay, Malta is a good example of what a video agency had to go through 40 years ago. I wrote this. The impressive architecture of Verdala Palace, Buskett Gardens, Fort Manoel, and the San Anton Palace and its Gardens offered the ideal settings for crucial scenes that take place in the series’ medieval-like world. Let’s start off this list of Hollywood film locations in Malta with the weirdest and most wonderful. By Joshua Griffin Updated: 22 Jun 2012 8:18 pm Posted: 10 Feb 2000 8:00 am VFxPro has got a great new article up this week about the special effects in … The alcoholic actor, whilst on location for the film, fell off the wagon spectacularly in a local pub before his fatal heart attack. The 2000 Oscar-winning blockbuster Gladiator was filmed in Morocco, Malta… and Surrey. Even the Malta film commission has received fewer requests for shooting permits for it ever since. I'll assume you're okay with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. The other two are Fort Delimara which was a used for its underground tunnels and Fort Manoel which was a film location for the Spanish Inquisition trial. They filmed on the Northernmost island of Malta, particularly Mgarr ix-Xini. Or perhaps plan a trip to the island of Malta, where the set crew constructed a partial replica of the Roman Colosseum and filmed Maximus’s gladiator fights and confrontation with Emperor Commodus. This 1981 video production may seem a bit outdated today due to its plastic special effects, but at the time of its release, it was a remarkable example of audacious film making. And guess what? In reality, apart from a few scenes shot in New York and Tel Aviv, almost 90% of the movie was shot in Malta where video services come at a cheaper price and with significant filming advantages. Fort St. Elmo is the fort on the very tippy top of Valletta. It’s the underdogs like Malta that I personally think make the best film locations. The movie used three forts as film locations and our good friend, Fort Ricasoli, is, of course, one of them. Exactly how many Hollywood film locations in Malta are there, about two?! Malta’s treasure in the film industry has to be Popeye, released in 1980 and starring the late Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall.The entire film was shot in Malta in a purposely made set called ‘Sweethaven‘ on the outskirts of Malta’s northern town of Mellieha. I'm here to inspire you to do the same! Our opening hours are The film shot in one of the country’s many, many forts. In this film, the Republic Square in Valletta stands in for Athens, a hotel in Buggiba is the location of the infamous Olympic Hotel in Munich, and other iconic locations in Rabat and Valletta stand for Rome. At the time, filmmakers would engage in training video production without benefiting from today’s quick-fix computer technology. Filming an action-packed thriller in a studio Malta does not have to include the most famous places on the island as this latest release from director Michael Bay proves it. The latter fort is also used in season one of Game of Thrones as the Sept of Baelor. Finally, the Outdoor Cafeteria in Rome is actually in the small Maltese town of Rabat. Love it or hate it, 13 Hours may have performed poorly at the box office but it looked good while doing so. Hey! It was not. The video production studio that was in charge of the film chose Fort Ricasoli in Kalkara and the old port of Vittoriosa as locations depicting ancient Rome. Head out to the Popeye Village on your trip and pretend to live in a comic strip for an afternoon! This movie directed by Alan Parker won Oliver Stone his first Oscar for script writing. If you particularly love forts… Like, you just love a good fort and that’s all you want in a film (you don’t care about narrative, characterisation, etc.) If you’re here on our site you must really love solving crosswords and you’ve probably just got to finish the new one you're working on. Where: Ta’ Frenc Restaurant, Ghajn Damma Street, Xaghra, Gozo AND so many other places. The film production studios knew that one of the biggest sensations in the history of TV series needed to impress from its very first season. Where: So many forts: Fort Delimara in Marsaxlokk, Fort Ricasoli in Kalkara and Fort Manoel on Manoel Island. Designed and Developed by PenciDesign, This website uses cookies to improve your experience. This time, his former wife Angelina Jolie brought him for the 2015 drama By the Sea, which was filmed almost entirely on Gozo. While the film did not score big at the box office, it helped Malta’s second-largest island to benefit from video marketing and a significant rise in tourism. Scenes from the Maltese islands as they appeared in various films over the years - part 2 of 4. *. While the bulk of the film was actually shot in Morocco and only some scenes were shot at the Rinella water tanks, 25% of the film’s crew, its production manager and many of the pirates in the movie were all Maltese. Having filmed in other countries, some with mature film industries, I have learnt to take Malta less for granted. *By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. This adventure flick starring Michael Fassbender is a movie adaptation of the famous video game series by the same name. And those are some of the big Hollywood film locations in Malta! Find out more about visiting Fort Ricasoli here. Many of them choose to shoot their sea adventures, battles and thrillers making the islands top-list choices for every kind of movie taking place at sea. The small Mediterranean archipelago is renowned for its gorgeous natural landscapes and imposing architecture that save film production companies the hassle of building new sets. It seemed that the video production agency even slipped a few Maltese lines into the script and passed them for Turkish to bring homage to the small Mediterranean island. M?arr, Malta - 1 film locations when he remember his house. Two ports were used early in the film as ship harbours and I can’t imagine a better country more suited. The Sliema waterfront is a doppelganger for a Tel Aviv promenade and the Olympic Hotel is actually in Buggiba. Popeye Village with its vividly-colored houses that formed Sweethaven in the famous comedy flick makes for an entertaining day-trip for the whole family. It’s definitely up there with the best places in Malta to visit. No one is ever expecting Brad Pitt to be making a film (let alone two) on an island country like Malta. Since the action takes place in medieval times, the video production company needed locations that would match that era’s architecture. Get in touch by leaving a comment or contacting me directly: rebecca@almostginger.com. Assassin’s Creed is the film for you. While the action takes place in France and Italy, most of the scenes have the stamp of video production Malta on them. Hollywood Film Locations in Amsterdam: Ocean’s Twelve, Diamonds are Forever & More! It’s now actually used as the base for the National War Museum of Malta. No they did not, The Colosseum scene was filmed in Malta.I got fed up with Tunisians saying that the Colosseum was used for the film Gladiator . Since this is a TV production, all the stages of the competition will be filmed and aired on local tv and live-streamed on one of Malta’s biggest internet providers platforms. The 80s film Popeye constructed a huge shantytown on the side of a cliff in northwest Malta. You can see most of them during a peaceful stroll through Malta’s capital. Find out more about visiting the Ta’ Frenc Restaurant on Gozo here. The Orcia Valley is so very beautiful that it not only inspired art for generations, but was also chosen as a paradise on earth by the makers of “Gladiator”, make sure to explore this stunning area if you find yourself anywhere near this corner of the world. Gladiator‘s infamous shoot in Malta will be forever paired with it being the place where Oliver Reed died. Naxxar, NXR2590, This is a list of films produced or shot on location in Malta. Where was Gladiator filmed : enjoy the Gladiator film locations and plan your next trip in the most original with filmaps. Harry Potter Film Locations at Alnwick Castle, Northumberland. Suddenly, Malta isn’t looking so silly as a film location after all…, And several Hollywood productions agreed. Check out my list of 36 films shot in Malta to watch before your next trip! Where: Fort Ricasoli, St. Rocco Street, Il-Kalkara KKR 9062. Accept Read More. You can still visit these places today and marvel at their beauty that was included in an Oscar-winning blockbuster. Hollywood Film Locations in Edinburgh: Cloud Atlas, Avengers & More! Attending top film festivals and binge-watching travel inspiring films the locations which Choice Holidays are. 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