This exciting Peplum in average budget blends historic events , drama and spectacular battles . It is an epic and fiction film released by the producer Ottavio Poggi and professionally directed by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia and Edgar G. Ulmer . Hannibal history is imaginatively brought to life on colorful images with acceptable production values by means of hundreds of extras and spectacular shots filmed in SuperCinemascope . This cardboard costumer saga contains sword-crosses , drama and a love story between the known general badly performed by Victor Mature who falls in love with a Roman virgin played by Rita Gam , all of them abound in this moving adaptation on audacious Hannibal's existence , one of the most glorious military in the History . The Carthaginians were given the habitual all-purpose Mideastern costuming.

The actual historical deeds are the following ones : Two new powers rose to the West . On the south shore of the Mediterranean there was Chartage, a Phoenician colony grown rich on trade . On the north, there was an impressive city on the peninsula called Italy . The two were bound to collide . They did , in a series of wars called the Punic . Carthage's most extraordinary general was Hannibal (Victor Mature towards the end of his career) , who achieved the feat of attacking Rome from the north by going through Spain in crossing the Alps into Italy . At the beginning he made an oath in the presence his father, Amilcar Barca , to revenge the injustice inflicted on his country , Charthago. Amilcar had three sons , Hannibal (wooden acting by Victor Mature) , Mago (Mirko Ellis) and Asdrubal (Rik Battaglia) , both of whom gather together for battling Romans . Hannibal broke the ¨statu quo¨, as he crossed the river Ebro, the natural frontier between the Roman power and the Charthaginian and he attacked Sagunto as allied of Roma, causing the second Punic war . The mastermind Charthaginian commander going on crossing the Pyrinees and Alps with a colossal Army : 5o.ooo military, 9.ooo horses and reportedly bringing with him a corps of 37 trained elephants transported from Africa . As Hannibal's army coped with engineering problems involving elephants and Alpine streams . As he vanquished the Roman Army in several battles : Trevia (218),lake Trasimeno (217) which caused a great commotion and Rome appointed a Dictator named Favio Maximus (Gabriele Ferzetti) . Finally the Romans suffered the most great defeat : Cannas (216) . Then was appointed as General of the Roman Army , the commander Publio Cornelius Scipion who achieved to defeat the Charthaginians and he took Cartago Nova and Gades and beheaded to Asdrubal , whose head was sent his brother Hannibal . Despite the Anibal's theatrical coup de main , he was eventually beaten by Romans . While Hannibal hoped reinforcements from Chartago , Publio Cornelio Escipion the African disembarked in Africa and threatened Chartago . Then Hannibal returned to Africa for confronting Escipion . And Hannibal was ultimately defeated in Zama (202) , in spite of getting a most numbered Army . He flees and takes refuge under king Antioco III in Syria and he posteriorly committed suicide.

Other films about this famous historic character are as follows : ¨Jupiter's Darling¨ (1960) , a musical full of anachronisms with Esther Williams and Howard Keel as Hannibal, the Italian classic titled ¨Scipio Africanus : the defeat of Hannibal¨(1937) and the recent and spellbinding documentary/fiction titled ¨Hannibal" (2006) played by Alexander Siddig .

This is one of several epic Italian productions 'supervised' by Hollywood directors - others of its ilk include THE GIANT OF MARATHON (Jacques Tourneur, 1959),Joseph AND HIS BRETHREN (Irving Rapper, 1960),THE MONGOLS (Andre' De Toth, 1961),THE THIEF OF BAGDAD (Arthur Lubin, 1961),THE WONDERS OF ALADDIN (Henry Levin, 1961) and SODOM AND GOMORRAH (Robert Aldrich, 1962); Ulmer himself served again in the same capacity on L' ATLANTIDE (1961).

As was generally the case, in spite of the participation of such noted film-makers, these spectacles displayed little directorial flair; in fact, this particular example is only distinguished from similar sword-and-sandal efforts by its above-average cast - though, to be fair, Ulmer stated in the accompanying interview on the VCI DVD that he didn't have final say on the film and, consequently, his vision was compromised by financiers who found his approach "too philosophical"! In any case, while the "elephant walk" (Hannibal famously crossed the Alps on pachyderms) and battle sequences are well enough staged, the look of the film is rather shoddy and bears evidence of budgetary restrictions. By the way, the Italian side of the directorial chores were handled by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia - a veteran of costume pictures who would soon replace Vittorio Cottafavi on AMAZONS OF ROME (1961),after the latter fell out with leading man Louis Jourdan!

Victor Mature, himself a regular of this type of film, is ideally cast as the legendary Carthaginian warrior - though his performance is merely adequate, the script having made his character distinctly one-dimensional (where he's involved in an unconvincing and dreary romance with Rita Gam, a woman from the enemy ranks); Gabriele Ferzetti lends dignity to the proceedings as a Roman senator. A surprising presence here is that of Spaghetti Western/action-comedy icon Terence Hill (billed under his real name of Mario Girotti) - playing the key role of Ferzetti's son; according to the IMDb, his subsequent frequent on-screen partner Bud Spencer also appears in the film...but I didn't spot him!

The supplements on the VCI disc include a precious 33-minute audio interview with Ulmer (conducted by Peter Bogdanovich),which imparts several interesting bits on the production of F.W. Murnau's THE LAST LAUGH (1924) - on which Ulmer served as art director - and HANNIBAL itself; also, besides having the director enthusiastically discuss John Schlesinger's MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969),it reveals his dislike of fellow expatriates Otto Preminger and William Dieterle!

If you were to ask what Hannibal is most famous for today, the first thing that would cross your mind is the crossing of the Alps. That is if you hadn't seen Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal the cannibal. It's a feat that excites the imagination of the world and has only really been duplicated one time, by Jose de San Martin taking his army of liberation over the far more rugged Andes in the South American wars for freedom against Spain. It was that which excited the imagination of the ancient world and held the Italian peninsula in terror.

But what was the climax of his life is the beginning of the film Hannibal which starred Victor Mature in the title role. The first 15 minutes of the film find Hannibal doing just that with the Romans relaxing their guard and saying he's trying the impossible. After that the road to Rome seems open and unguarded.

However then the majority of this film is devoted to a fictional love story between Mature and the niece of a Roman Senator played by Rita Gam. A whole lot of his top people think that Mature is neglecting his obligations to the army and Carthage for her. It's causing quite a bit of dissension and the film would be over, but for the politicking in the Roman Senate affecting their command structure. Eventually Hannibal's wife Milly Vitale and young son show up forcing Mature to make some choices. Rita Gam makes one of her own as well.

I would have liked to have seen more the real Hannibal story, warts and all because he wasn't the nicest guy in the world, but a brilliant military strategist who later met up with a better one named Scipio, but that's way after the action in this film.

Mature is a stalwart Hannibal and the battle scenes and the crossing the Alps scenes are well staged. But the overall plot leaves a lot to be desired.