Hannibal (2006)

It is 200 years before the birth of Christ and Rome is the new superpower of the ancient world. She believes she is invincible - but one man is destined to change that. He is a man bound by... See full summary »

Director:

Edward Bazalgette

Writers:

Matthew Faulk, Mark Skeet

Stars:

Alexander Siddig, Emilio Doorgasingh, Bashar Rahal

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alexander Siddig	...	Hannibal
Emilio Doorgasingh	...	Maharbal
Bashar Rahal	...	Hasdrubal
Mido Hamada	...	Mago
Hristo Mitzkov	...	Gisko
Shaun Dingwall	...	Scipio
Tristan Gemmill	...	Gaius Terentius Varro
Ben Cross	...	Fabius Maximus
Valentin Ganev	...	Lucius Aemilius Paullus
Rob Dixon	...	Publius Scipio
Hristo Mutafchiev	...	Vandicar
Teodora Duhovnikova	...	Imilce (as Teodora Ivanova)
Vincent Riotta	...	Hanno the Great
Ivan Petrushinov	...	Boii Chief
Kenneth Cranham	...	Himself - Narrator (voice)

Storyline

It is 200 years before the birth of Christ and Rome is the new superpower of the ancient world. She believes she is invincible - but one man is destined to change that. He is a man bound by oath to avenge the wrongs inflicted on his home and, in pursuit of revenge, he will stop at nothing. Hannibal explores the man behind the myth, revealing what drove the 26-year-old to mastermind one of the most audacious military moves in history. With 40,000 soldiers and 37 elephants, he marched 1,500 miles to challenge his enemies on their own soil. It was an act so daring that few people believed it possible. Hannibal combines drama, the latest historical research and state-of-the-art CGI to bring this spectacular story to life.

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | hannibal character | one word title | elephant | roman empire | 

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Genres:

Action | Biography | Drama | History | War

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 May 2006 (UK)

Also Known As:

Annivas

Filming Locations:

Bulgaria

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min (DVD)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

[after sacrificing]
Barca: Put your hands in the blood.
[Hannibal does]
Barca: "I swear..."
Young Hannibal: I swear...
Barca: "That for as long as I live..."
Young Hannibal: That for as long as I live.
Barca: "I will be an enemy of Rome."
Young Hannibal: I will be an enemy of Rome.

User Reviews

Okay in general. But too many historical inaccuracies.

I did read Livius' Ab Urbe Condita, largely based on which the film was made. Thus I could not help comparing the film with what Livius originally wrote. (The Anglicized name of Livius is Livy. But I will stick to Livius in this review because I do not like the practice of Anglicization of proper names in general.)

Livius' spent more than ten books on the Second Punic War. So it is a very difficult task to condense the story within 90 minutes. The film has done relatively well. The most important events have been included. (It would have been better if Hannibal's political achievements after the conclusion of the Second Punic War had not been omitted. Hannibal was not only a great general, but also a good statesman.)

The major problem that I see with this film is historical inaccuracies.

The first moment that I was a bit turned off was when Hannibal said he would enter Italy via France. But the name France was not to exist for hundreds of years. Unlike Spain or Italy, France did not get its modern name until the beginning of the Middle Ages. I can understand that the director did not want to confuse modern audience with historical names like Gaul. But still, calling that region France in Hannibal's time is preposterous. The same with "Turkey" at the end of the film. Come on. The Turks would not be known in Europe for another 1500 years. (Fortunately they did not decide to call Carthage Tunisia.)

The scene that Hannibal ordered his soldiers to bring firewood and wine to break a big rock blocking his way in the Alps is based on a story told by Livius. But the authenticity of this story has long been disputed. Given its historical insignificance, I am not sure whether it was wise to include this story in the film while omitting many much more important events.