Salammbô

In the 3rd century BC, mercenaries employed by Carthage during the First Punic War rise up against their employers, who continually delay payment of their wages. Two barbarian clan leaders, Mathô and Narr'Havas, fall in love with the beautiful and ethereal Salammbô, daughter of Hamilcar, the suffet of Carthage. A bloody conflict and many surprises of fate ensue. A war that has more to do with feelings of pride, passion, and desire than with politics.. Based on Gustave Flaubert's novel ;it is faithful to it, much more than the 1960 remake .

ThIs epic compares favorably with the American ones of the silent age ; a cast of thousands indeed. A feast fit for the king which verges on orgy ,not unlike that of Cecil B De Mille's "sign of the cross" (1932); the movements in the crowd; Hamilcar's long monologue before the Carthaginians ; the battles ; and mainly the famous last scene ,depicted with an incredible cruelty by the writer ,"to extend Mathô 's torture inflicted by the infuriated crowd."

If Rollo Normand (Mathô) is credible as a crazy lover, on the other hand,it takes a lot of imagination to believe that Jeanne De Balzac is eaten with desire,looking most of the time like a figure on a fresco.

A sweeping historical epic. Few European movies equal it in the genre.

Avoid the remake "the loves of Salambô" (1960)which features a happy end .Both French principals are particularly bland :. The settings are cheap,the director has no sense of epic at all ,the music is pompous,the lines could come from an essay written by a twelve year old .