It's 216 B. C. Hannibal (Howard Keel) is on the march to Rome. Fabius Maximus rules the city and loves Amytis (Esther Williams) although she's not as committed. She's much more fascinated with Hannibal and sets off to spy on him.
This is a comedy musical. A couple of things made me uncomfortable initially. First, they're doing the Heil salute. I get the Roman salute came first, but it is still a bit jarring. Then, they make light comedy out of slavery. The movie is not funny enough. It needs to be full spoof. It needs to be completely irreverent. Esther Williams doesn't strike me as the comedic type. Sure, she does some swimming. Her singing is old fashion and perfectly fine. This is in Technicolor with plenty of elephants. It's a big production with very few actual laughs.
This is a comedy musical. A couple of things made me uncomfortable initially. First, they're doing the Heil salute. I get the Roman salute came first, but it is still a bit jarring. Then, they make light comedy out of slavery. The movie is not funny enough. It needs to be full spoof. It needs to be completely irreverent. Esther Williams doesn't strike me as the comedic type. Sure, she does some swimming. Her singing is old fashion and perfectly fine. This is in Technicolor with plenty of elephants. It's a big production with very few actual laughs.