Aug 22, 2015

Sweethaven, the Popeye Village | Malta


This postcard is from Sweethaven, the Popeye Village at Anchor Bay, Malta, constructed in 1979 for the filming of the Robert Evans - Robert Altman production 'Popeye', released by Paramount and Walt Disney. It stars Robin Williams as Popeye the Sailor Man and Shelley Duvall as Olive Oyl.

 

The construction of the film set started in June 1979. A construction crew of 165 working over seven months was needed to build the village, which consists of nineteen wooden buildings. Hundreds of logs and several thousand wooden planks were imported from the Netherlands, while wood shingles used in the construction of the roof tops were imported from Canada. Eight tons of nails and two thousand gallons of paint were also used in construction.

In addition, a 200–250 foot breakwater was built around Anchor Bay's mouth to protect the set from high seas during the shooting.

The set was completed in seven months, and filming commenced on January 23, 1980 and wrapped later that year on June 19. The film, based on the comic strips by E. C. Segar, is set around the fictional village of Sweethaven, where the sailor Popeye arrives in an attempt to find his long-lost father.

Although the film had mixed reviews, Popeye Village remains a popular tourist attraction. [wikipedia]

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