Popeye Village Malta is the film set wanted by the timeless and imaginative Robert Williams, who died suddenly at age 63, to turn the musical movie “Popeye”, shot in Malta in 1980 in the Anchor Bay area.
The still
existing movie set was made in the last 7 months of 1979. Today is a major
tourist attraction, able to attract people from all over the world and of any age.
Robert Williams, in this great project, written by Jules Feiffer, directed by Robert Altman and produced by Robert Evans, inspired by a series of cartoon strips that tell the story of a small muscular sailor, Popeye the sailor, who arrives on a paradise island, to look for his father, but between the various people who live on this island, Also meets Olive Oyl, another key character in this story.
Olive Oyl,
officially engaged to Captain Bluto,
on this island in search of a hidden treasure, she has always been against the
argument of having a boyfriend and therefore it all starts on the day that one
would be had to celebrate the official engagement with Captain Bluto.
During the
engagement ceremony, the lively Olive runs away and it is during his escape
that he meets the little sailor Popeye.
There is
love immediately between the two. Their stories are always very adventurous,
also thanks to Captain Bluto who tries in every way to regain his hypothetical
Olive girl.
strengthen
the union between Popeye and Olive an abandoned child who they decide to adopt,
named Swee’Pea.
It is with Popeye’s film that Robert Williams established himself as Director, as well as, as an actor in a leading role.
The film started its shooting on January 23, 1980. Was produced by Lions Gate Films and the distributors were Paramount Pictures and Walt Disney Productions.
The movie
set is composed of about 20 wooden
houses built with tree trunks from Holland and ground transportation. The
roof tiles, also made of wood, were made in Canada and then sent to Malta.
For the
realization of the Popeye set they were used 8 tons of nails and over 2,000
liters of paint.
In the end before starting the filming of this musical it was necessary to protect the set from the fury of the sea, that in the winter months it is very strong and have seen fit to protect the Bay building massive breakwater at the mouth of Anchor Bay. Everything was done with the hard work of 180 employees from all over the world.
