This exciting Peplum in average budget blends historic events ,drama and spectacular battles . This 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 the life on colorful images with important production values by means of thousands extras and spectacular shots filmed in SuperCinemascope . This cardboard costumer saga contains word cross, 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 real historical deeds are the following : 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 toward 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,t o revenge the injustice inflicted on his country, Charthago. Amilcar had three sons , Hannibal ( wooden acting of 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 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 threaten Chartago. Then Hannibal returned to Africa for confronting against 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 posteriorly he committed suicide.

Other films about this famous historic character are ¨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 . .