Roaming through the streets of Valletta, they are filled with remnants of the past, of a bygone era...that took place exactly 31 years ago.

In September of 1977 the streets of the capital city were inundated with extras who were about to feature in a controversial film whose title could have been taken from a Pink Floyd album of the period. It evoked a race against time at accelerated speed - Midnight Express.

Tonight, the film is returning to the city for its 30th anniversary screening.

Those were better times for some perhaps. Valletta residents remember the shoot as if it were yesterday, dwelling on how time has gone by with certain things remaining unaltered and others having changed drastically.

Valletta resident Mario Bonello, who lived in Merchants Street at the time, recalls the film crew rigging their equipment in his road where the Valletta market was about to double as an Istanbul souk. It was to be the setting for the chase scene, which had the main character, Billy Hayes, played by the late Brad Davis, being pursued through the market by the police. The scene then cuts to St Paul Street where we can clearly see a barber's sign that is there to this day.

"There was lots of action amidst the Valletta residents who were playing the Turkish market goers." Mr Bonello recalls.

"The duration of the shoot was very stressful as (director) Alan Parker was forever cutting scenes as Brad Davis swerved between the extras. I remember friends of mine who were extras complaining of the excessive heat while filming in September, especially since they were clad in thick Turkish costumes that caused them to sweat profusely throughout."

Renowned Maltese actor Mario Micallef, who is Valletta born and bred, smiles wistfully and nostalgically as he remembers the intensive shoot in the lower part of Fort St Elmo, the historical fortifications which stood in as a replica of the infamous Sagmalicar Turkish prison.

"Almost all of the extras in those particular scenes were Valletta residents," Mr Micallef said.

"I remember clearly the real Billy Hayes coming on set and weeping at the sight of Fort St Elmo because the location was so close to the original Turkish jail he spent time in.

"It wasn't easy for Alan Parker to direct the extras who were acting out various tasks such as playing cards, wrestling in the mud and playing football while the camera was also focusing on Brad Davis, Randy Quaid and Norbert Weisser walking in the so-called prison yard.

"Looking back on the shoot something mundane as playing football became so tedious because we had to repeat the scene twelve times in row."

One side of Mr Parker's character, Mr Micallef added, was that he was constantly assessing people, even during the extras' one-hour break when they used to play football with the American film crew. Unbeknown to everyone, while Mr Parker was supposedly sleeping with his hat shading his eyes he was really studying the extras.

Despite demanding only the best from his performers, the director also had a soft touch because as a reward for giving their utmost he gave them a sneak preview of the scene when Billy was breaking the jail pipes in a fit of rage.

It seems not so long ago, but Midnight Express remains one of those timeless films that is very close to home as almost every resident in Valletta either has a relative or an acquaintance who worked as an extra, Mr Micallef added.

Asked about what has changed in Valletta since 1977, Mr Micallef quips: "Undoubtedly, the shop windows in Republic Street not to mention the shops that have changed names over the years.

"Unfortunately, unlike Popeye's village which was turned into a tourist attraction, the set at the lower Fort St Elmo yard, which stood as the backdrop for the Turkish prison, was left in ruins and not capitalised upon in the past 30 years. Hopefully, the governments' plans for regeneration will become a reality."

The film will be screened at the Old University courtyard, St Paul Street, Valletta as part of Evenings on Campus, in collaboration with KRS, tonight at 8.45 p.m. A short discussion will precede and follow the screening, to which anyone who was involved in the film is being invited. For more information call 9905 2482.