Produced by Ottavio Poggi. Executive producer: Jack Dietz. A Liber Film, photographed in Technicolor and SuperCinemscope in Italy and Yugoslavia. Released through Warner Bros. Copyright 1959 by Warner Bros Pictures. New York opening at neighborhood theaters: 3 August 1960. U.S. release: June 1960. U.K. release: floating from September 1960. Australian release: 26 October 1961. 9,291 feet. 103 minutes. Italian title: ANNIBALE.
SYNOPSIS: In 218 B.C., Hannibal, the Carthaginian general, is planning an invasion of Rome. After making his historic crossing of the Alps with elephants transporting his troops and supplies, he begins his march on Rome. En route he falls in love with the beautiful Sylvia, the niece of a Roman senator. After defeating the Romans at Trebbia, Hannibal and Sylvia continue to meet secretly though the girl's uncle warns her she is committing treason against Rome. Then Hannibal's wife, Danila, arrives unexpectedly from Carthage.
COMMENT: Quickie, extra-low-budget auteur hero, Edgar G. Ulmer, is hardly the man I would have chosen to direct any sort of an epic, let alone one about Hannibal and "his mighty army of mastodons that clobbered half the world!" (to quote Warner's publicity). My educated guess is that Ulmer merely directed the English-language dubbing, and that the movie was actually directed by Carlo L. Bragaglia.
Despite the spectacle, the scenery and the occasional spurt of action, "Hannibal" emerges as pretty dull, both as a fellow and a picture. Particularly as a fellow. Indeed, in the inept persona of Victor Mature he's something less than just plain boring. The other principals struggle valiantly to bring a mite of conviction to their roles, with Milly Vitale making a fair impression in a small, thankless part as our hero's wife. But what's really needed to bring the picture up to par are a good pair of scissors.
OTHER VIEWS: Directed and staged in a most desultory fashion by auteur hero Edgar G. Ulmer, with remarkably inept integration of studio and location material. Even the battle sequences, though staged on an impressive size, are all but ruined by slipshod continuity. In fact, the whole film suffers from maladroit editing which is undoubtedly more the fault of director Ulmer than editor Cinquini. Only a couple of sequences (the aftermath of the battle) make any impression. Mature goes through his usual range of mugging and facial contortions as Hannibal and Rita Gam, looking thin and sharp-featured in an unbecoming up-swept hair style, gives plenty of evidence for her present-day lack of demand. The two "stars" use their own voices while the rest of the cast (with the possible exception of Milly Vitale — her role is too small to tell) are dubbed. The film's sole redeeming features are the attractive costumes and the bright (though occasionally inexplicably washed-out — most notably in the scenes in the Roman Senate) color photography. — JHR writing as George Addison.
SYNOPSIS: In 218 B.C., Hannibal, the Carthaginian general, is planning an invasion of Rome. After making his historic crossing of the Alps with elephants transporting his troops and supplies, he begins his march on Rome. En route he falls in love with the beautiful Sylvia, the niece of a Roman senator. After defeating the Romans at Trebbia, Hannibal and Sylvia continue to meet secretly though the girl's uncle warns her she is committing treason against Rome. Then Hannibal's wife, Danila, arrives unexpectedly from Carthage.
COMMENT: Quickie, extra-low-budget auteur hero, Edgar G. Ulmer, is hardly the man I would have chosen to direct any sort of an epic, let alone one about Hannibal and "his mighty army of mastodons that clobbered half the world!" (to quote Warner's publicity). My educated guess is that Ulmer merely directed the English-language dubbing, and that the movie was actually directed by Carlo L. Bragaglia.
Despite the spectacle, the scenery and the occasional spurt of action, "Hannibal" emerges as pretty dull, both as a fellow and a picture. Particularly as a fellow. Indeed, in the inept persona of Victor Mature he's something less than just plain boring. The other principals struggle valiantly to bring a mite of conviction to their roles, with Milly Vitale making a fair impression in a small, thankless part as our hero's wife. But what's really needed to bring the picture up to par are a good pair of scissors.
OTHER VIEWS: Directed and staged in a most desultory fashion by auteur hero Edgar G. Ulmer, with remarkably inept integration of studio and location material. Even the battle sequences, though staged on an impressive size, are all but ruined by slipshod continuity. In fact, the whole film suffers from maladroit editing which is undoubtedly more the fault of director Ulmer than editor Cinquini. Only a couple of sequences (the aftermath of the battle) make any impression. Mature goes through his usual range of mugging and facial contortions as Hannibal and Rita Gam, looking thin and sharp-featured in an unbecoming up-swept hair style, gives plenty of evidence for her present-day lack of demand. The two "stars" use their own voices while the rest of the cast (with the possible exception of Milly Vitale — her role is too small to tell) are dubbed. The film's sole redeeming features are the attractive costumes and the bright (though occasionally inexplicably washed-out — most notably in the scenes in the Roman Senate) color photography. — JHR writing as George Addison.