WATCH: ‘The Very First Maltese Film’ Might’ve Finally Been Unearthed
Every once in a while, we get a great snapshot of what life in Malta looked like decades ago. Now, we’ve just been given a unique opportunity to peek into the popular tradition of carnival in Malta… all the way back in 1928!
The short film was shot towards the end of film’s silent era, and was later rereleased in the late 1950s with added commentary by W.A. Sultana. It’s the work of Alfred Vella Gera, the grandfather of the popular Maltese author Alex Vella Gera. “It’s a modest but historically important document of carnival in Malta almost a century ago,” Vella Gera said. “As far as I know, it is also the very first film production undertaken by a Maltese, but I stand to be corrected on this”.
The film features various gems, such as a couple of shots of the stunning Royal Opera House, which would be be lost in World War II bombing a little over a decade later.
The 15-minute film details Carnival weekend’s traditions from a bygone era, from the parata to the Sunday morning market. There are also some fantastic shots of people, children’s costumes, and Republic Street, then known as Strada Reale.
Various different floats from the 1928 edition can also be seen in the video, including one with the words SATANA etched all over, filled to the brim with people dressed up as devils. The famous Re Tal-Karnival float can even be seen, showing just how much of an old tradition the large float is.
Others had a Venetian gondola, an elephant, and even an entire float dedicated to political satire. There was even a huge statue of Neptune as a straight-up sponsored float courtesy of Farsons Brewery. Clearly, while so many things changed over nearly 100 years, Malta’s love for Cisk definitely hasn’t.
The great news is that there’s more from where this came from. “I’ve been meaning to upload this but never got down to it, until today,” Alex Vella Gera explained over Sunday. “I have other short films by my grandfather, which I intend to upload sooner rather than later.”
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