Where Was Bolibar Filmed?

The Short Answer

Bolibar was mainly filmed at Cricklewood Studios in London, which held all interior sequences and period sets. Exterior scenes standing in for 19th-century Spain were shot across Malta, chiefly at Mdina's fortifications and the central square and church parvis in Ħaż-Żebbuġ. The production used up to 1,000 Maltese extras, making it one of the earliest large-scale uses of local talent in a British film shot abroad.

Bolibar, a silent British drama released in 1928, tells a story set in Spain during the 1812 Peninsular War, yet almost nothing of the film was actually shot there. Producer British Instructional Films split the production between a London studio and the island of Malta, whose fortified towns doubled convincingly for Spanish strongholds.

The film is based on the 1920 Austrian novel Der Marquis von Bolibar by Leo Perutz, and an earlier Austrian adaptation from 1922 already existed. Elissa Landi appeared in an early role here, several years before she became a prominent Hollywood actress.

Every Location At A Glance

Location	Where	What was filmed	Access
Mdina fortifications	Mdina	Fortified Spanish stronghold and town defenses during Peninsular War scenes	Free to see
Ħaż-Żebbuġ central square and church parvis	Ħaż-Żebbuġ	Bustling town square and church parvis for crowd and espionage scenes	Free to see

Filming Locations Map

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Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Location By Location

Mdina's walls and defenses portrayed a fortified Spanish stronghold and town defenses during the Peninsular War scenes. Today Mdina remains one of Malta's most visited sites, a historic walled city with preserved medieval architecture, open to the public and easy to explore on foot. Visitors can walk the same ramparts and narrow streets that appear in the film's battle sequences, and the site has since hosted many other productions.

The central square and church parvis in Ħaż-Żebbuġ served as a bustling Spanish town square for the film's crowd and espionage scenes, filled by hundreds of Maltese extras. The square is a public space in this historic Maltese town and freely accessible to visitors. Less touristy than Mdina, it offers a quieter look at everyday Maltese town life and baroque church architecture that appears on screen.

Where It Is Set Versus Where It Was Filmed

The story is set in Spain, in the La Bisbal area, during the 1812 Peninsular War. The filming, however, took place far from Spain: exteriors were shot in Malta and all interiors were built and filmed at Cricklewood Studios in London.

The Studio Side

Cricklewood Studios in London handled all of Bolibar's interior sequences and period sets. The studio is no longer standing and cannot be visited, so travelers hoping to trace the film on the ground should focus on the Maltese locations instead.

Tours That Visit These Locations

No dedicated Bolibar tour exists, given the film's age, but the silent-era production shares its key Maltese location with far more recent screen productions. A walking tour of Mdina's streets covers ground that appears in Bolibar and lets visitors experience the walled city with a guide.

Mdina Walking Tour With Guide

Malta: Mdina Film Walking Tour featuring GoT

This guided walk through Mdina's streets stops at the same walled city whose fortifications appear in Bolibar's battle scenes, alongside sites from later productions filmed there. With 3 reviews so far and a price of $28.62, it is a practical way to see the old capital with context rather than wandering alone.

3 reviews

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Frequently Asked Questions

Was Bolibar filmed in Spain?

No. Although the story is set in Spain during the 1812 Peninsular War, the exteriors were filmed in Malta and the interiors at Cricklewood Studios in London.

Can you visit Cricklewood Studios?

No. Cricklewood Studios no longer exists and is not visitable, so the Maltese locations are the only places where the film can be traced on the ground.

Why was Malta chosen for the exteriors?

Malta's fortified towns could convincingly double for 19th-century Spanish settings. Bolibar is also one of the earliest known films shot in Malta.

How many extras were used in Bolibar?

The production used up to 1,000 Maltese extras for crowd and battle scenes, one of the earliest large-scale uses of local talent in British films shot abroad.

What is Bolibar based on?

It is based on the 1920 Austrian novel Der Marquis von Bolibar by Leo Perutz. An earlier Austrian film adaptation was made in 1922.

Can Bolibar still be seen today?

The Malta Film Commission screened the film again in 2012-2013 alongside other silent-era productions shot in Malta, indicating surviving copies exist.

For film-location travelers, Bolibar offers a two-stop itinerary: the heavily visited walled city of Mdina and the quieter square at Ħaż-Żebbuġ, both freely accessible. The London studio side of the production has vanished, but the Maltese exteriors remain remarkably intact nearly a century later.