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Rating: 
Summary: Ancient Spectacle
Review: Even if this is propaganda the movie provides a handsome production. The viewer can certainly see the attempt to link Moussolini with Scipio. The fascist salute is everywhere, even if the Romans did not actually salute in that fashion themselves. My opinion is that you look at a film like this as a period piece. Both in terms of the time it is portraying as well as the time it was made in. Both are revealing. There is no question that we must regard Scipio as the good hero of the film. From what we know of him he was a considered one of the great generals of antiquity, and he did arouse firece loyalty in his troops. Then again, most Roman generals did, as it was part of the political process to do so. The interesting thing about the movie is the fact that Scipio lived during the time of the early Roman Republic. Moussolini would have more in common with the later imperial Roman State. Still, these are matters which should not concern ourselves with here. There are numerous contrivences in the film. It is doubtful that Scipio's wife was captured and brutalized by the Carthagenians. Hannibal is portrayed as evil, yet likeable at the same time. His dovation to staying in Italy reflects the fact that he had spent 18 years there attempting to subdue Rome. What is admirable is the production value here. There are no computer graphics showing those large armies and giant Triemes! This is a prodction on an epic scale.
The film shows an interesting relationship with queen Sophoasisba, one of the great femme fatals of antiquity if we are to believe Livy! She was involved with both the key Numedian leaders, Syphax and Massinissa. The film shows her attempts to keep both against Rome as she was a Carthagenain princess. The film makes her luridly beautiful, and her fall is all the more likely against the honest Scipio. She drinks her cup of poison just as described by Livy in his accounts. The scene ends dramaitically.
The highlight of this film is the final battle of Zama, 202 BC. Here we have a faithful, large scale recreation of the event, complete with lumbering elephants. The battle scenes are impressive, and the fate of the elephants will be disturbing to some perhaps. I wonder if they actually killed any for this production. The movement of the Roman infantry formations appears quite accurate, and the viewer can get a good idea what the old Legions looked like. The battle shows the ebb and flow of events, massed cavalry action, Elephant attacks, and massed infantry. The battle developed similar to what the film shows.
The massed elephant attack was beaten off by the Romans with relative ease because they had grown accustomed to fighting against them in all their battles against Hannibal. The alliance of the Numideans ensures Scipio a comfortable cavalry superiority which is the decisive factor in winning the battle. After they crush the weak Carthagenain horse, they turn and attack Hannibal's old verterans from behind and crush them. This was not one of Scipios most impressive battles, but since it was against Hannibal it has come down as one of the decisive battles in history. The film does a decent job showing all of this, and is certainly worthwhile for those interested in this period, as well as Fascist cinema.
Rating:
Summary: a good classic
Review: this is a very good movie for the era which it was filmed. also makes a good find for silent movie buffs. I hope the remake of HANNIBAL featuring VIN DIESEL will live up to it's billing, (as well as the LEONARDO DiCAPRIO movie about ALEXANDER the GREAT)....
EL
Rating:
Summary: a good classic
Review: this is a very good movie for the era which it was filmed. also makes a good find for silent movie buffs. I hope the remake of HANNIBAL featuring VIN DIESEL will live up to it's billing, (as well as the LEONARDO DiCAPRIO movie about ALEXANDER the GREAT)....
EL
Rating:
Summary: "Hollywood becomes reality" by RexCurry.net
Review: This is an historic and sweeping film. This film has a lot of historic propaganda value. Just remember the time frame when the film was made. Carmine Gallone's Scipione l'Africano uses the raised-arm salute as one of its chief visual means to turn Mussolini into a new Scipio. In fact you should view these four films also: the American "Ben-Hur" (1907), the Italian "Nerone" (1908), "Spartaco" (1914), and "Cabiria" (1914). These films were the origin of the "Roman salute" myth because these films show examples of a straight-arm salute. The "Roman salute" myth is the myth that the straight-arm salute was an ancient Roman custom, later borrowed by Mussolini and the National Socialist German Workers' Party. The myth arose because of the made-up film portrayals in these films. These films are notable also because they led to the historic discovery by the journalist and historian Rex Curry that the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance was the origin of the salute of the monstrous National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi Party). The "Roman Salute" myth grew because the viewing public forgot that the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance originally used the straight-arm salute. The creator of the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance was a National Socialist in the U.S. (Francis Bellamy). The salute is not in any Roman art or text. Dr. Martin Winkler of the American Philological Association has written that in imitation of such films, self-styled Italian "Consul" Gabriele D 'Annunzio borrowed the salute as a propaganda tool for his political ambitions upon his occupation of Fiume in 1919. Earlier, D'Annunzio had worked with Giovanni Pastrone in his colossal epic Cabiria (1914). Mussolini worked with D'Annunzio. Even so, evidence shows that the National Socialist German Workers' Party officially adopted the salute before Mussolini did, not vice versa. Dr. Winkler didn't know about the original U.S. flag salute (1892) that inspired the films, and that the National Socialist German Workers' Party was inspired by the films and by the Pledge of Allegiance. The U.S. changed the salute during WWII.
Rating:
Summary: "Hollywood becomes reality" by RexCurry.net
Review: This is an historic and sweeping film. This film has a lot of historic propaganda value. Just remember the time frame when the film was made. Carmine Gallone's Scipione l'Africano uses the raised-arm salute as one of its chief visual means to turn Mussolini into a new Scipio. In fact you should view these four films also: the American "Ben-Hur" (1907), the Italian "Nerone" (1908), "Spartaco" (1914), and "Cabiria" (1914). These films were the origin of the "Roman salute" myth because these films show examples of a straight-arm salute. The "Roman salute" myth is the myth that the straight-arm salute was an ancient Roman custom, later borrowed by Mussolini and the National Socialist German Workers' Party. The myth arose because of the made-up film portrayals in these films. These films are notable also because they led to the historic discovery by the journalist and historian Rex Curry that the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance was the origin of the salute of the monstrous National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi Party). The "Roman Salute" myth grew because the viewing public forgot that the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance originally used the straight-arm salute. The creator of the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance was a National Socialist in the U.S. (Francis Bellamy). The salute is not in any Roman art or text. Dr. Martin Winkler of the American Philological Association has written that in imitation of such films, self-styled Italian "Consul" Gabriele D 'Annunzio borrowed the salute as a propaganda tool for his political ambitions upon his occupation of Fiume in 1919. Earlier, D'Annunzio had worked with Giovanni Pastrone in his colossal epic Cabiria (1914). Mussolini worked with D'Annunzio. Even so, evidence shows that the National Socialist German Workers' Party officially adopted the salute before Mussolini did, not vice versa. Dr. Winkler didn't know about the original U.S. flag salute (1892) that inspired the films, and that the National Socialist German Workers' Party was inspired by the films and by the Pledge of Allegiance. The U.S. changed the salute during WWII.
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