Hannibal Brooks (1969)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Michael Winner

Writers:

Dick Clement (screenplay)
Ian La Frenais (screenplay)

Release Date:

23 July 1969 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Adventure | War | Action

Tagline:

Guess who "got the Steve McQueen-Sean Connery-Burt Lancaster-type role" in this super adventure? Me.

Plot:

A prisoner of war working at a zoo gets the chance to escape from the Germans, so he does and he takes with him the elephant that he's been caring for...

Plot Keywords:

Escape | Prisoner Of War | Zoo | Elephant | WWII

Cast

Oliver Reed	...	Stephen 'Hannibal' Brooks
Michael J. Pollard	...	Packy
Wolfgang Preiss	...	Col. von Haller
John Alderton	...	Bernard
Helmut Lohner	...	Willi
Peter Carsten	...	Kurt
Karin Baal	...	Vronia
Ralf Wolter	...	Dr. Mendel
Jürgen Draeger	...	Sami (as Jurgen Draeger)
Maria Brockerhoff	...	Anna
Til Kiwe	...	Von Haller's Sergeant
Ernst Fritz Fürbringer	...	Elephant Keeper Kellerman (as Ernst Fritz Furbringer)
Fred Haltiner	...	Josef
John Porter-Davison	...	Geordie (as John Porter Davison)
Terence Sewards	...	Twilight

Runtime:

UK:102 min | USA:101 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:M | West Germany:16 | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Bavaria, Germany

Company:

Scimitar Films

Trivia:

Karin Baal was dubbed by Nikki Van der Zyl.

I was surprised by how good this was

I stumbled on this movie on a Sunday afternoon and, having nothing better to do, sat down to watch. I wasn't expecting much--director Michael Winner doesn't have the strongest reputation--but this was a very well-done film. It has that 60s anti-establishment tone, though Oliver Reed's character is more indifferent to war than an outright rebel. When he is captured, Reed's character, Hannibal Brooks, volunteers to work at the Munich zoo and becomes the caretaker for the zoo's elephant, Lucy. When the German caretaker is killed in a bombing raid, Brooks is put in charge and directed to take the elephant to safety in Ausria. What follows is a series of largely comic misadventures, though the film does develop a serious tone as it goes on. Unable to take the elephant by train, Brooks sets off on foot, accompanied by two German guards and a female cook.

There is some great German scenery in the film as Brooks and company make their way into the high country. Following the accidental death of one of the guards, plans change and the remaining trio make their way to Switzerland. There's a rogueish American escapee, played by Michael J. Pollard, who keeps crossing paths with Brooks, as well as a German officer, played by Wolfgang Preiss, whose path crosses Brooks' as well. Rather reluctantly, Brooks becomes something of a hero, though he's motivated more by his desire to keep Lucy safe than by anything else. A very enjoyable movie that I wouldn't mind seeing again some time.