Hannibal - Der Albtraum Roms

An interesting docudrama telling the story of Hannibal Barca, the ancient Carthaginian general who led his forces against Rome.

Throughout the film we follow Hannibal, from his childhood when he swears to forever be an enemy of Rome to his crossing of the alps and ultimately the decisive Battle of Zama where his forces face off against those of the Roman general Scipio. Despite some minor historical inaccuracies (the modern names France and Spain being used to describe their ancient counterparts) the story is told very faithfully and despite being a TV production the film has great production value and almost feels cinematic at points.

Alexander Siddig gives a wonderful performance as Hannibal, so much so that it's his version of Hannibal that comes to mind when I think of Hannibal Barca. Shaun Dingwall is also great at portraying Scipio and in the few scenes they share together they play off each other very well.

Overall it is a very good docudrama and was my personal first introduction to the history of Hannibal and Carthage. I'd highly recommend it for anyone interested in ancient Roman or Carthaginian history or ancient history in general.

I was very impressed with the quality and history telling in this BBC adaption. The BBC seem to have a talent for picking famous stories and fetching them to life in a unique drama and documentary blend. I had little knowledge of Hannibal before watching it (most people just know about the elephants) but after watching it i new the entire history of Hannibal. The acting was excellent with actors such as Alexander Siddig (kingdom of heaven) and a lot more fine actors . I would say this is a must for any person who enjoys history and enjoys a good factual story of a man who turned the tables on the greatest nation in the world (Romans) .

Nice to look at. Hannibal going over the Alps, the battle of Cannae, war elephants, and the major characters of this epic conflict are worthwhile looking at. The enormous dramatic potential of characters like Hannibal and his Roman adversaries, Varro, Fabius and Scipio have not been transferred to a really thrilling film, though. The whole script sticks very close to the ancient Roman historians Livius and Polybios - almost to the letter. Especially the titles introducing characters or events make the film look like a school film sometimes. Nonetheless Hannibal enthusiasts will have a pleasant evening with this movie.

Three hundred years before Christ, Carthage rules the Mediterrean but upstart Rome is threatening its dominance. Hannibal (Alexander Siddig) is pushing to fight Rome and leads an army from Spain through the Alps into Italy. Scipio would witness his father's shameful defeat and rescues him. Hannibal gathers disenfranchised northern Italian tribes and gains victory after victory. Roman Senator Fabius Maximus (Ben Cross) favors avoiding a direct battle with Hannibal. However he's ignored and Hannibal massacres the best of Rome in the battle of Cannae in 216 BC. Hannibal misses his chance to sack Rome and Carthage abandons him in Italy. Carthage suffers more and more losses from Scipio's troops until Hannibal is called home as a last resort.

This is a functional educational docudrama. Siddig is a compelling actor. The CG battles are fine. There aren't big numbers of extras for the battle scenes but it's filled in with CG creations. At least, they have some real elephants. This is well-made TV movie that shows the big highlights of an epic life.

his performance is admirable. and this is the first virtue of film. the second virtue - the BBC high science to give to public a seductive, impressive, fascinating portrait of the Hannibal actions. but, each god has its sacrifices. in this case - the historical accuracy. the first excuse - for a real close to testimonies image , it needs a series. and a smaller target. but a good, a real good thing defines this beautiful film - the return to the history lessons - as memories and fragments of rumors about the words of teacher about Zama , elephants and the force of Carthagena- but, maybe, in same measure, as return to the sources about the great hero and his wars against Rome. and this is the best detail in this case.