Popeye Village

Listen first. Small waves slap against a stone breakwater below you. Wooden boards creak somewhere in the sun. The air smells of salt, warm paint and dry limestone. In front of you, a cluster of crooked wooden houses leans over a small, clear cove. Their roofs tilt at odd angles. Their windows sit slightly off-centre. Nothing here looks quite straight... and that is exactly the point. This is Popeye Village, on the edge of Mellieħa, in the north-west of Malta.

The cove below is called Anchor Bay. It is a narrow inlet, cut into pale limestone cliffs, with water that turns from deep blue to bright turquoise over the rocky floor. Locals tell different stories about the name. According to one popular tale, old anchors were once found on the seabed here. Whether that is true or not, the name fits. The bay feels sheltered and tucked away, a quiet harbour at the end of a winding road.

Now look at the village itself. Every building is made of wood, which is unusual on an island built almost entirely from stone. Traditional Maltese houses use the local golden limestone. Here, instead, you see weathered planks, painted shutters and sagging porches. The colours are soft reds, faded greens, ochre and sky blue. It looks like a fishing town from a cartoon. And, in a way, it is.

This village was never a real town. It was built as a film set, for the musical film Popeye, released in 1980. The director was Robert Altman, an American filmmaker known for crowded, unusual, very human films. The film was a joint production between two major Hollywood studios, Paramount and Disney. In the story, this village is called Sweethaven, a rough little seaside town where the sailor Popeye arrives looking for his lost father.

The cast is the first surprise for many visitors. Popeye was played by Robin Williams, in one of his very first starring film roles. At the time, he was known mostly for television comedy. Olive Oyl, Popeye's tall and nervous sweetheart, was played by Shelley Duvall. Many people say her casting was almost perfect, as if the cartoon had walked off the page. The songs for the film were written by the singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson.

Building Sweethaven was a big job. Construction began in the late 1970s and took several months. A large crew of builders, carpenters and local workers turned this empty bay into a town. Because Malta has very little natural forest, much of the timber had to be shipped to the island. The production also built protection against the sea, so that the set could survive the waves while filming went on.

Notice how the houses are designed. The crooked lines are deliberate. The filmmakers wanted the village to feel like a living cartoon, drawn by an unsteady hand. Doors lean, roofs droop, and staircases twist in strange directions. Yet the buildings are solid enough to walk through and stand on. That balance, between fantasy and real carpentry, is why the set has lasted so long in the strong Mediterranean sun.

Here is the second surprise. Most film sets are taken down as soon as the cameras stop. Wood is reused, sets are cleared, and the land returns to normal. Sweethaven was different. After filming ended, the village stayed. Over the following years, it slowly became a place for visitors. Today, more than four decades later, it is one of the few large Hollywood film sets in the world that you can still walk through.

The film itself had a mixed reception when it came out. Some critics did not like it, and it was not the huge success the studios had hoped for. But time has been kind to it. Many people now remember it with affection, partly because of Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall. And for Malta, the real legacy is not the film at all. It is this strange, cheerful village by the sea.

Today the site works as a family attraction. You can walk along the wooden lanes, step inside some of the houses and look out from the small balconies. Costumed characters and small shows often add to the fun, especially for children. There are displays connected to the film, and in the warmer months the bay itself becomes part of the visit. Activities change from season to season, so it is worth checking what is running on the day.

The best view of the whole village is not inside it. It is from the road and the cliffs on the other side of the bay. From up there, you see Sweethaven as the camera saw it. The wooden houses sit low against the cliff. The breakwater curves around the water. Behind it all, the open sea stretches towards the horizon. Many visitors take their favourite photograph from that side, especially in the softer light of late afternoon.

Take a moment to notice the contrast around you. Just beyond the painted wood, the Maltese landscape is dry and rocky. You see low stone walls, wild herbs and terraced fields. In summer, the hills turn pale and dusty. In winter and spring, after the rain, they turn green. The village is pure invention, but the cliffs, the light and the water are the real Malta. Together, they make a picture that is hard to forget.

Before you leave, stand still for a moment and look again at the crooked roofs. Listen to the water moving against the rocks, the same sound the film crew heard all those years ago. A town that was built to be temporary has stayed. As you walk back up the road, turn around once more. From a distance, Sweethaven looks almost real... a small fishing town at the edge of the sea, waiting for a sailor to come home.