Children of Hannibal (Figli di Annibale)

Starring:Diego Abatantuono, Silvio Orlando, Valentina Cervi, Flavio Insinna, Ugo Conti, Elena Giove, Gianluca Gobbi, Enrico Salimbeni, Pietro Ghislandi, Caterina Sylos Labini, Luca Michele Cirasola
Director: Davide Ferrario
Studio: Tla
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Though Hannibal Rising's Lecter (Gaspard Ulliel) is a pussycat compared to Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs, this sequel's story of revenge is grizzly enough to satisfy lovers of Thomas Harris's epic tale. After young Hannibal (Aaron Thomas) is forced to watch his little sister, Mischa (Helena Lia Tachovska), devoured by starving soldiers in his homeland Lithuania, Hannibal vows to avenge his sister's death by slaying those who committed not only war crimes against the Lecters, but also against other families during WW II. In detailing Hannibal's revenge plan, the film investigates the psychological implications of witnessing cannibalism to justify Hannibal's insatiable appetite for human flesh. The most interesting aspect of Hannibal Rising—its analytical connections drawn between Hannibal's childhood traumas and his murderous adult obsessions—is also the film's weak point. The links oversimplify Lecter's complex character. For example, though titillating to see flashbacks of Lecter's sister hacked up and boiled while Lecter visits a Parisian meat market, the reference is too obvious. One learns why he excels in his medical school classes dissecting cadavers, and we're given explicit explanation for why he slices off and eats his victims' cheeks. The story only complicates when Hannibal interacts with his sexy Aunt, Lady Murasaki (Gong Li). When Murasaki educates him in the art of beheading, the viewer sees Hannibal's sword fetish as a manifestation of physical lust. --Trinie Dalton

Description

(Horror/Suspense) The terrifying Silence of the Lambs prequel that reveals the history of the infamous Hannibal and how he came to be a cannibalistic murderer.

Customer Reviews:

Hannibal Rising.......2007-07-03

This film is excellent, the actors are great and the film is very welldone,the only thing which is missing is the CD of the music of the film. Katixa from PARIS France

It Started With Revenge and Ends With Disappointment..........2007-06-30

In the history of cinema there are many great cinematic villains that have terrified movie audiences over the years. Often times they are frightening in appearance or deeds, sometimes they are misunderstood or victims of circumstance, and they can even be so captivating that you can't help but pay attention to their many evil acts. These great villains range from the dreaded Darth Vader, to the slashers known as Freddy, Jason, and Leatherface, or the brilliant evil genius' of the James Bond films, to the most feared psychological villain of all time, Hannibal 'the cannibal' Lecter. Moviemakers lately have felt the need to explain the origins to some of cinema's classic villains from George Lucas' prequel trilogy of 'Star Wars' films, to Leatherface's lackluster origin story in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning", the most recent addition to the list of villains getting the origin treatment would be Hannibal Lecter in the Weinstein Company's adaptation of Thomas Harris' novel, "Hannibal Rising".

"Hannibal Rising" is the origin story of Hannibal Lecter, showing how he went from being an innocent young boy in Lithuania to society's most deadly, cannibalistic serial killer. As a young boy in Lithuania, Hannibal witnessed the deaths of his parents in World War 2, leaving he and his sister Mischa to fend for themselves. Just when Hannibal thought things couldn't get worse, a group of militia men invade their home, taking Hannibal and Mischa hostage. Soon, food begins to become sparse, and the militia gets desperate and chooses to survive by taking Mischa's life for food. Some time after that, grown up and in college, Hannibal (Gaspard Ulliel), is mastering every course he takes, and well on his way to earning his doctorate. Little does his professors know that Hannibal hides a dark, deadly secret. In his own time he is obsessively pursuing the men that formed the militia that took his sister's life, and if there's one thing Hannibal intends to do when he finds them, it's take his pound of flesh for their crime.

The decision to make a prequel to the popular Hannibal Lecter trilogy of films seemed like a waste of time and space, simply a way for the studio to just cash in on the character's well-known name. Which left me feeling like this would be a pathetic movie, because more than likely not a single person associated with the previous films would be involved, and for the most part I was right on that count, but there was a glimmer of a chance that this movie would be more than expected. Shortly after the film was greenlit, it was announced that the movie was being written by none other than Thomas Harris, the creator of Hannibal Lecter, based on his novel of the same name that he was in the process of finishing up. With that prospect, I thought that "Hannibal Rising" (at the time the movie was being called "Young Hannibal") just may stand a chance of equaling its predecessors in terms of quality storytelling and acting that is among the best Hollywood has to offer.

Well, as good of a writer Thomas Harris is, or I should say was (his other three books in the Lecter series are great works of fiction), this novel and the screenplay that was based on it are far inferior to anything offered in the other installments. I was disappointed by the movie for several reasons; first I felt the actor chosen to portray young Hannibal was only okay. I understand he was trying to only give hints as to what this character will become later on, and I'll give it to the actor, there were a couple of times that I saw a glimpse of Anthony Hopkins' creepy portrayal seep in, but these were few and far between. For the most part the actor was just flat in his performance and apparently the only expression he really knew how to make was a snarl, he didn't really have any of the nuances that Anthony perfected in this character. Second, it seemed like Hannibal took to cannibalism a little too easily. I understand that he saw his sister suffer at the hands of evil militia men, and seeing that would definitely scar a young child, but when he kills the first soldier and commits his first act of cannibalism, there is no uncertainty or disdain for what he's doing. He simply does the deed, doesn't appear to be bothered by it, in fact he may even have enjoyed it (the movie really doesn't explain this), and moves on in search of the next victim on his list. Which brings me to my third problem with this movie; aside from revenge being his motive for killing the killers of his sister, he doesn't show any further conviction to commit murder. Leaving one to wonder why he continued after achieving his vengeance, did committing all those acts of murder and cannibalism become such an obsession for him outside of revenge that he just felt compelled to do more or what? This was an aspect that wasn't explained, and I felt should have been, especially since this was to be the origin of his evil life and a deep psychological profile into the why of his life of crime. Instead, Thomas Harris' screenplay and novel barely scratched the surface, no doubt because the Weinstein's are hoping to cash in on further installments of prequels, since Hopkins is probably through portraying the character. And my final complaint would have to be that there was no cameo by Anthony Hopkins, the least they could have done was bring him in during the final moments of the film to link it in to the other three. Instead, he gets his revenge, the story ends, and the credits roll. Nothing linking it in to the other films, aside from the name of the lead character.

"Hannibal Rising" is not the worst film ever made, it's actually an average movie, and if it was the first in the series to be made, it may have seemed better, but when comparing it to the other three already in the franchise, it pales in comparison. The other movies contained many psychological aspects to them, especially "The Silence of the Lambs", "Red Dragon" and "Hannibal" did to an extent just not as much, but this film didn't contain any. There was potential, especially given that Hannibal endured a horrific childhood which is the root of his evil, but aside from a few dream sequences we don't get much insight into his character, and the dreams only serve to show us exactly what the militia did to him and his sister. Which is probably where the biggest problem of this film lies, is that in trying to explain why Hannibal is who he is, the makers of the film try to make the audience feel sympathy for him. This is one of modern cinema's greatest movie villains, I don't want to feel sorry for him, I want to see what made him who he is. The filmmakers tried to accomplish the why of the character, but went about it wrong, all they explained was why he was killing the militia, it never explained why he felt the need to continue killing other people that weren't involved in his sister's death. So, because of that the audience feels that his killing is justified, at least in this movie (it's just a really sick brand of justice), and in doing so you sympathize with him. What this all boils down to is that the filmmakers, especially Thomas Harris, really dropped the ball on explaining the origin of Hannibal Lecter, opting simply to give audiences an average revenge tale, just a little gorier than most.

"Hannibal Rising" is unrated containing violence, gore, and language.

Boo, I'm so tired of this series.......2007-06-28

Ok, the first movie was shocking and told a gripping tale with a human
dimension, although decidedly opaque. Now it's just regurgitating.
Furthermore, if it has to be unrated to tell a story, forget about it.
There's enough real gore in the world as it is.

Sympathy for the Devil.......2007-06-28

Hannibal Rising suffered severely at the box office because it was implied in the trailers that we'd mainly see a young Hannibal Lecter slashing up the countryside. That kind of marketing certainly didn't lure me into theaters to see it, and--based on its less than $30 million box office gross--much of the public had the same sentiment.

At the end of May, Hannibal Rising gets released on DVD and the memory of the slash-'em-up trailer is still in my head, so I'm not compelled to see it, but 4 weeks later I finally do. And it turns out to be one of the better movies that I've seen this year.

Funny though...I'm not sure that I'd have appreciated Hannibal Rising as much without first seeing 1991's Silence of the Lambs The Silence of the Lambs (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) . Oh, it certainly isn't necessary to see Silence of the Lambs prior to seeing Hannibal Rising. Ironically, seeing Lambs before seeing this prequel just puts a better perspective on the things to come as you watch Lecter in his early years. It did for me anyway.

In Silence of the Lambs you fear Lecter and what he'll do next. In Hannibal Rising you actually find yourself rooting for him with a kind of sympathy. Hannibal Rising is more a story of revenge than it is a story about a serial killer...kind of like a Rambo First Blood (Special Edition) with class.

In Hannibal Rising, you get a great directorial from little known Peter Webber and a terrific performance out of mostly French film actor Gaspard Ulliel. In the beginning sequence Webber went a little overboard with getting us to believe that those who committed the atrocities that ultimately turned Lecter into what he bacame would all be so unified in the decision to commit the atrocities. But the movie really is done well overall and Ulliel played a masterfully diabolical young Hannibal Lecter.

So forget that the movie poster and DVD cover have a picture of Lecter in what looks like that this'll-prevent-you-from-bitng-me mask (turns out that's not what it is at all). And forget that the trailers showed mainly a young, sinister looking Hannibal Lecter as if about to cut someone open. Hannibal Rising ultimately is less gory than you probably think it will be, and less gory than 2001's Hannibal Hannibal . It's not a Horror movie. It's just a very good movie like 1986's Manhunter Manhunter (Restored Director's Cut Divimax Edition) and/or its 2002 remake Red Dragon Red Dragon - Collector's Edition (Widescreen) .

I wouldn't go so far as to say that Hannibal Rising is a classic, as Silence of the Lambs was, but it's very good. Fans of Lambs should take a chance with Hannibal Rising.

The missing story in the Lecter chronicles is his doings in the US leading up to his capture by FBI Agent Will Graham (between Hannibal Rising and Red Dragon). Can't wait.

Out For Revenge Or Made A Monster?.......2007-06-27

I just got done watching "Hannibal Rising" this evening. Hmmmm, not sure what to make of it! I've read and seen "Red Dragon" (which I loved by the way), "Silence of the Lambs", & "Hannibal"....

After reading many negative reviews for both the book and movie versions of "Hannibal Rising", I wasn't sure if I wanted anything to do with the book or the movie.... However, decided to watch the movie for myself and form my own opinion.

Honestly, I don't think "Hannibal Rising" is as bad as everyone has made it out to be. It is suppose to be a prequel, giving us the idea of why Hannibal is the way he is as an adult. I thought "Hannibal Rising" was suspenseful and well acted by the cast members. We see Hannibal as a monster out for revenge for those who killed his younger sister. This is where Hannibal begins to learn and refine his murderous appetite that we later refined when he becomes an adult..... What starts out as revenge turns into gruesome psychopathic behavior.

Average customer rating:

Why I LOVE THIS MOVIE

Hannibal Rising (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Helena Lia Tachovska , Richard Leaf , Michele Wade , Martin Hub , and Ingeborga Dapkunaite
Director: Peter Webber
Manufacturer: Weinstein Company
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000NVT0SE
Release Date: 2007-05-29

Description

(Horror/Suspense) The terrifying Silence of the Lambs prequel that reveals the history of the infamous Hannibal and how he came to be a cannibalistic murderer.

Customer Reviews:

Why I LOVE THIS MOVIE.......2007-06-02

I give it five stars because it was more scary than silince of the lambs. IT WAS CREEPY, PLOT WAS BEST SO FAR IN SERIES FOR A PRESEQUOEL. NOT SLAPPED TOGETHIR BUT ALMOST AS SAME AS THE BOOK I READ. MOVIE DIRECTIOR DID A GREAT JOB ON REASEARCH ON THE BOOK. ONLY A COPLE SCENES IN THE BOOK WERE TAKEN OUT OF THE MOVIE.

Average customer rating:

Bad Ending & Not the Same Without Jodie Foster...
Hannibal: 2-Disc Collector's Steelbook Edition Warning
Read the book!
Mythoughts
Pretty great sequel

Hannibal
Starring: David Andrews , Frankie R. Faison , Hazelle Goodman , Zeljko Ivanek , and Ray Liotta
Director: Ridley Scott
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00003CXSP
Release Date: 2001-08-21

Amazon.com

Yes, he's back, and he's still hungry. Ten years after The Silence of the Lambs, Dr. Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lecter (Anthony Hopkins, reprising his Oscar-winning role) is living the good life in Italy, studying art and sipping espresso. FBI agent Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore, replacing Jodie Foster), on the other hand, hasn't had it so good--an outsider from the start, she's now a quiet, moody loner who doesn't play bureaucratic games and suffers for it. A botched drug raid results in her demotion--and a request from Lecter's only living victim, Mason Verger (Gary Oldman, uncredited), for a little Q and A. Little does Clarice realize that the hideously deformed Verger--who, upon suggestion from Dr. Lecter, peeled off his own face--is using her as bait to lure Dr. Lecter out of hiding, quite certain he'll capture the good doctor.

Taking the basic plot contraptions from Thomas Harris's baroque novel, Hannibal is so stylistically different from its predecessor that it forces you to take it on its own terms. Director Ridley Scott gives the film a sleek, almost European look that lets you know that, unlike the first film (which was about the quintessentially American Clarice), this movie is all Hannibal. Does it work? Yes--but only up to a point. Scott adeptly sets up an atmosphere of foreboding, but it's all buildup for anticlimax, as Verger's plot for abducting Hannibal (and feeding him to man-eating wild boars) doesn't really deliver the requisite visceral thrills, and the much-ballyhooed climatic dinner sequence between Clarice, Dr. Lecter, and a third unlucky guest wobbles between parody and horror. Hopkins and Moore are both first-rate, but the film contrives to keep them as far apart as possible, when what made Silence so amazing was their interaction. When they do connect it's quite thrilling, but it's unfortunately too little too late. --Mark Englehart

Description

Anthony Hopkins is "perverse perfection" (Rolling Stone) in his return to the role of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, the sophisticated killer who comes out of hiding to draw FBI agent Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore) into a high-stakes battle that will test her strength, cunning and loyalty.

Customer Reviews:

Bad Ending & Not the Same Without Jodie Foster..........2007-06-27

Julianne Moore is a phenomenal actress in other movies, but for some reason didn't bring the character of Clarice Starling to life on the silver screen for "Hannibal". Her portrayal of Clarice Starling was extremely flat and dead compared with Jodie Foster's performance of Clarice Starling in "Silence of the Lambs". So, I was sorely disappointed not to see Jodie Foster return to play the role of Clarice Starling in this movie as she gave a vibrant portrayal of this character.

I've also read the book "Hannibal" by Thomas Harris and was completely disappointed that the filmmakers of "Hannibal" didn't keep the ending of the movie in line with that of the novel. The ending of "Hannibal", the movie version, felt empty and hollow without the original ending for which the author had intended.

Plus other aspects of the storyline were a bit off too. Had "Hannibal", the movie version, had Jodie Foster playing Clarice Starling and other aspects of the movie, like the ending, been more accurate to the novel, I would have given it a higher rating.

Hannibal: 2-Disc Collector's Steelbook Edition Warning.......2007-06-11

Sure this movie was not as grand as Silence of the Lambs, but I thought it was an interesting turn of events in how it all panned out. There is an alternate ending on this DVD 2-Disc Collector's Edition, but I much perfer the original just the same.

Now, I may have a defected copy of this Steelbook Edition, but if not, be warned that the subtitles and Spanish and French audio tracks may not work. I sometimes like to read the English subtitles as I'm listening and watching the movie at the same time. However, I was not able to do so with this DVD packaged set. Not with either my Samsung, JVC, or Panasonic DVD players. The Steelbook Edition is a re-print of what has already been released, so I assume these features were lost in the re-printing process. However, all other bonus features and footages worked just fine.

Read the book!.......2007-05-12

Hannibal is a great movie, and it is worth watching. But, if you did not feel satisfied from the movies ending, then read the book. It will more than fill your appetiete for Hannibal Lector. Hannibal is by far the best book in the series and it has alot more information than the movie. The only reason I gave it four stars is because the book was so amazing.

Mythoughts.......2007-05-07

Excellent movie especially in full screen edition and recommend it to all that enjoy psychological thrillers and why they do not adapt all of the movies in the 1:33:1 format as an alternative purchase from widescreen format for those consumers who prefer it I will never know

Pretty great sequel.......2007-01-20

Anthony Hopkins returns as one of the great villains in screen history, Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter, in this riveting sequel to The Silence of the Lambs. Lecter's only surviving victim, the hideously scarred Mason Verger (Gary Oldman), tries to draw the serial gourmet out of hiding using the one person he cares about: Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore). Now, the novel on which this film was based had a slow pace and was nice and lengthy. If the film tried to be exactly like the book, it would have been at least 3 hours long, maybe longer. I would have enjoyed watching it.I thought the acting was excellent. Most of what's essential in the book in kept in the movie, though reading it ahead of time makes everything a little clearer. I was glad to see Ray Liotta here( specialy the brain eating scene lol, turned some peoples head!), and I thought Julianne Moore did a great job as Agent Starling. This film has almost "A Clockwork Orange" mentality as it appears to celebrate Hannibal's evil. True, Hannibal is always witty and polite, regardless of what terrible thing he is doing. The film is expectedly grotesque, which never bothers me. Hannibal is truly a different type of film than "Silence of the Lambs"; if you're looking for that, you should probably see "Red Dragon" instead (also good). My biggest complaint is the change they made to the ending of the story, which in the book was far more disturbing. And I'd like to say that Ridley Scott's direction isn't quite as suited to the material as Jonathan Demme's. Good and effective, but read the novel if you really want to get freaked out. I still recommend every one to watch hannibal if you haven't yet. Its truly a great movie. Also The music selected for this film was all that one would expect for such a thrilling screenplay, exciting, touching, unobtrucive and atmospheric. The highpoint for me was the scene at the Opera which left me spellbound. So delightful was the piece that I hummed it for days afterwards. The thrill was boosted by my finding out that a fellow Irishman, whom I had met often around Dublin over the past few years, Patrick Cassidy, hed written "Vide Cor Meum" especially for the scene. Woe of woes! I had hoped that it was an Opera which I could buy the next day. The good news is that the piece is featured on this soundtrack and Patrick is rumoured to be incorporating the piece into a forthcoming Operatic work. I can only commend you to his exceptional talent, recordings of which are available from Amazon and hope that you too will await the new work with my baited breath.
Hans Zimmer seems to be the composer of the moment in Hollywood, and why not? His score for "Hannibal" further proves that when he's on, he's really on -- his score for "Hannibal" is more entertaining than the film it has been written for, not to mention more haunting, scary and beautiful. But along with being a popular film composer comes the wrongheaded ideas that often get forced upon film soundtracks. Why are there dialogue snippets here? Sure, Anthony Hopkins is a wonderful actor and I love to hear his voice, but not when the music he is speaking over is superior to the film! Most dialogue tracks on soundtracks are annoying, and these are no different. Two big releases raped Zimmer's music in this fashion in the same year (remember "More Music from Gladiator"?). That being said, this is top-notch work from Zimmer and collaborator Patrick Cassady. Especially wonderful is the final track, an original operatic piece with a libretto taken from the writings of Dante Aligheri. Absolutely astonishing music in that last cut.

Hannibal (Collector's Edition Steelbook)

Average customer rating:

Bad Ending & Not the Same Without Jodie Foster...
Hannibal: 2-Disc Collector's Steelbook Edition Warning
Read the book!
Mythoughts
Pretty great sequel

Hannibal (Collector's Edition Steelbook)
Starring: Anthony Hopkins , Julianne Moore , Gary Oldman , Ray Liotta , and Frankie Faison
Director: Ridley Scott
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000OPOAMA
Release Date: 2007-06-05

Amazon.com

Description

Customer Reviews:

Bad Ending & Not the Same Without Jodie Foster..........2007-06-27

Hannibal: 2-Disc Collector's Steelbook Edition Warning.......2007-06-11

Read the book!.......2007-05-12

Mythoughts.......2007-05-07

Pretty great sequel.......2007-01-20

Average customer rating:

Bad Ending & Not the Same Without Jodie Foster...
Hannibal: 2-Disc Collector's Steelbook Edition Warning
Read the book!
Mythoughts
Pretty great sequel

Hannibal (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Anthony Hopkins , Julianne Moore , Gary Oldman , Ray Liotta , and Frankie Faison
Director: Ridley Scott
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B00026L7O0
Release Date: 2004-08-24

Amazon.com

Description

Customer Reviews:

Bad Ending & Not the Same Without Jodie Foster..........2007-06-27

Hannibal: 2-Disc Collector's Steelbook Edition Warning.......2007-06-11

Read the book!.......2007-05-12

Mythoughts.......2007-05-07

Pretty great sequel.......2007-01-20

Average customer rating:

Hannibal
Mature At His Funniest
Hannibal After Too Many Cocktails
Love among the elephants
Pyhric Hannibal at Best

Hannibal
Starring: Victor Mature , Gabriele Ferzetti , Rita Gam , Milly Vitale , and Rik Battaglia
Director: Edgar G. Ulmer , and Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia
Manufacturer: Vci Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Scipio Africanus: The Defeat of Hannibal
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ASIN: B0002VEU4O
Release Date: 2004-10-19

Customer Reviews:

Hannibal.......2007-05-13

Watch it and make you own option. I think this would have been a great movie for the drive-in back in the day.

Mature At His Funniest.......2005-08-14

First thing first! Peter O'tool would make Mature look like a N.Y. back street boy in disgrace. This character is not even worthy of Mature's tallents. For Hannibal being one the 5 greatest generals in the world over of all time in line with Rommel, Patton, Mcarthur,and Napoleion is made a complete joke when portrayed by Mature. It takes a man of staunch mobility such as Russle Crowe, Charleston Heston or Henry Fonda to take on this awesome character's event.

The film had some ok action sequences. Not very dramatic love scenes. crappy sound and picture quality. Needs Steven Spielburg's attention bad.

Don't even bother with it. Blackbeard even in all his glory looked better in a patch!

Hannibal After Too Many Cocktails.......2005-06-18

A very contrived rendition of the Second Punic War between Carthage and Rome in the 3rd century B.C. The fact that Victor Mature plays the lead role is enough to discourage anyone from buying this shallow film. This film is also outmatched in every respect except color by another production and so not really worth one's time or money unless you're a die-hard Mature fanor accept only the color medium for a film.

The screenplay is disjointed as it doesn't really convey the reasons why Hannibal hated Rome so much or why he led an army of almost 100,000 men to trample over the Italian countryside for 18 years. The battle reenactments are small, sparing, and second-rate. The acting stinks especially by Mature whose presence always appears as if he just came out of a cocktail lounge around 3:00 a.m. Victor Mature was barely competent as a back-up actor not to speak of a lead role in a historical epic. Even more shame on the Italians who contrived this silly film about their own history. The direction is purely conventional for the period and so unimaginative. The screenplay is terrible and focuses on a ridiculous love story instead of the historical events for dramatism. History here is simply the backdrop for the romance. The anachronisms of the film themselves would require modern anachronisms to interpret as this film is horribly out-of-date. Wayne's 'Genghis Kahn' is better than this film. At least you have The Duke instead of 'Manure' to watch in a bad film.

A vastly superior film on Hannibal is Carmine Gallone's 1939 'Scipio Africanus' that looks at the conflict from the character Scipio's point of view in which the climax comes with Hannibal's defeat at Zama. Unlike this film, 'Scipio' primarily emphasizes on the history for the drama as opposed to romance. Although the few romantic scenes in 'Scipio' are truly arch-melodrama as one reviewer has commented, they are fortunately fewer than in this film. The character of Hannibal is treated as a tragic hero and honorable foe who, like his Roman antagonist and unlike Mature's character, doesn't waste much time on trivial romance when the life or death of his nation is at stake. Although not in color, at least 'Scipio' was done on an epic scale with 50 elephants, over a thousand horses, and 30,0000 extras under the direction of a competent Gallone. The battle scene for Zama was more a replication rather than a re-enactment and so exceptionally brutal even by some of today's standards. I guarantee you that few professional stuntmen of today would be doing what ordinary guys did in that reenactment. So lavish are the sets and battles that they remained unmatched in film until no sooner than Kubrick's 'Spartacus' or Mankiewick's 'Cleopatra' 25 years later. Despite the film's occasional overdrama, believe me, you will get a lot more accuracy, lavishness, and a breathtaking battle scene from that film on Hannibal. This one with Mature isn't even worth seeing free as it is just a waste of time.

Love among the elephants.......2005-02-11

This makes a good addition to the Victor Mature section of your film library. But I was mostly disappointed in just about all the aspects. First the music in the background did not match the situation. Then the movie starts in the middle of Hannibal's life as he started over the mountains if you do not know the history then you will be lost thru the movie. The dubbed voices reminded me of the voices in "Fractured Fairytales." The were all sort of squeaky and of course as in the tradition of dubbed Italian movies did not match the speech timing. The one exception was Victor he would show the right or left profile and read his likes perfectly. I don't know how he kept a straight face. By the way he was 45 at this time.

After he makes it over the mountains it becomes a love story between Hannibal and Sylvia the niece of the Roman representative who is determined to do Hannibal in. Even Hannibal's men think they are in trouble because Hannibal is gaw gaw over a Roman girl. Her uncle thinks she is a traitor but still loves her like a daughter.

A few wars with some so so elephant scenes and a lot of obviously fake blood. Hannibal's ex turns up and Sylvia runs off.

Will Hannibal and Sylvia ever get their lives together?
Who wins the war?
Why did they stop the story so abruptly?

The real Hannibal of course makes a couple of comebacks. He even gets to try it navy style. He gets cornered as an old man and eventually does himself in to avoid capturing.

Pyhric Hannibal at Best.......2004-11-25

Anyone expecting a really good view of the Punic Wars in Italy will certainly not find it here. That being said, there are a number of interesting and amusing scenes that make it half-way worthwhile. Victor Mature sleeps his way through the role of the great Carthegenian general. Mature seems never to have taken his own acting skills that seriously, and that is evident here with his lethargic style.

Probably one of the best parts of the film is the extended scene showing the crossing of the Alps. This was surely one of the great feats of ancient warfare and we get a decent look at how tortuous it must have been here. The Punic soldiers crying out in English somehow lacks something, but this was a 1960 Italian dubbed film! Some of the battle scenes with the elephants are not too bad, but the overall effect is on the poor side. The most vigorous battle shown, Cannae in 217 BC is a joke! There is some attempt to show how the Romans were destroyed here, but somehow it gets lost in the details.

I give the film some credit for staying somewhere near the history, but many details are wide off the mark, and almost purposely so. The romance with Mature and Rita Gam is required of course for this period of movie, but it seems half-hearted at best. Again, Mature's Hannibal seems to almost doze through the scenes! No doubt Hannibal did console himself with a few Roman women for the many years he was in Italy, but what we get here is standard hollywood filler for the time. This film might be fun to watch along with the Italian Propaganada epic, Scipio Africanus. Both have the same lame style, although the older facist film has the production value which this film really lacks. Still, both make for some light viewing in the classic sword and sandal style.

Average customer rating:

A perfect 5 stars
A comic tragedy
Hoffman is excellent as usual, but not enough to carry this.
Powerful Drama
I'll Wager Money You've Never Seen a Movie Like This...

Love Liza
Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman , Kathy Bates , J.D. Walsh , Jimmy Raskin , and Stephen Tobolowsky
Director: Todd Louiso
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00008WI9N
Release Date: 2003-05-27

Amazon.com

A finely detailed character study, Love Liza offers yet another excellent performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman. Written by Hoffman's brother Gordy (who won the Best Screenplay award at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival) and directed by first-timer Todd Louiso (an actor best known for memorable roles in Jerry Maguire and High Fidelity), this poignant, offbeat drama focuses intently on Wilson Joel (Hoffman), a computer programmer whose wife has recently committed suicide, leaving Wilson a sealed note that he can't bring himself to read, despite the urgings of his grieving mother-in-law (played to perfection by Kathy Bates). As Wilson huffs gasoline fumes to numb his emotional anguish, Love Liza unfolds as a patiently measured study of grief and loss (like the similarly themed Moonlight Mile), and Louiso shows great promise as a sensitive observer of authentic human behavior. With humor and heartbreak, Love Liza taps into what Hoffman does best. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Following the unexplained suicide of his wife, Liza, website designer Wilson Joel (Hoffman) turns to gasoline fumes and remote control gaming while avoiding an inevitable conflict with his mother-in-law (Bates). Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman (Punch-Drunk Love, 25th Hour, Magnolia), Academy Award Winner Kathy Bates (About Schmidt, Primary Colors, Titantic).

Customer Reviews:

A perfect 5 stars.......2007-06-27

If you're looking for a movie which makes you rethink your life, this is a movie for you. Philip Seymour Hoffman is phenomenal and commands compassion without sappy pity. Kathy Bates is also excellent. The sad story is counteracted with moments of humor through awkwardness or absurdity. It's a wonderful 'laughing through tears' effect. The soundtrack flawlessly steps up to say what the script can't throughout the film. Fantastic cinematography and a contemplative ending round this movie off to make it a perfect 5 stars.

A comic tragedy.......2007-03-09

As a person who has suffered some difficult losses, I can emphasize with the character. His addiction seems rather silly but don't most? Philip Seymor Hoffman perfectly encarnates Wilson Joel who can't seem to recover from his wife's shocking suicide.

This is a great film because we really want to know what will happen to this fine man who is being destroyed by his own demons. How will he get a new life and with whom will he share it? As we see his encounters with other characters in the story, we are always wondering if he will connect with someone. I won't give away the ending but what is important is the excellent acting all around and the fine direction.

Great film for mature audiences who are prepared for the subject matter.

Hoffman is excellent as usual, but not enough to carry this........2007-01-04

Love Liza (Todd Louiso, 2002)

Much was made of Philip Seymour Hoffman's performance in Love Liza before the film came out. Then it did come out, and very quickly faded from view. Those tracking it down these years later will quickly figure out why: while Philip Seymour Hoffman's performance is, in fact, exceptional, there's not a single other thing about this movie to recommend it.

Hoffman plays Wilson Joel, a web designer whose wife Liza (Runaway Jury's Annie Morgan) commits suicide. She leaves a note, which Wilson is afraid to open. Liza's mother Mary Ann (Kathy Bates) tries to find new ways to broach the subject with every conversation. Feeling cornered, Wilson turns to drugs, and his life quickly begins to spiral out of control. Adding to the pressure is co-worker Maura (That Thing You Do! beauty Sarah Koskoff), who's attracted to Wilson. He takes refuge in developing a new obsession with model aircraft, which only makes things worse.

Hoffman does a fine job with what is, in essence, a really demented role. But so little of what goes on around him works that even that can't be counted a success. This was obviously meant as a comedy, however black it may be; its comic timing fails to fire every time. No, really, every time. Not a laugh to be had, however nervous or guilty that laugh might be. Instead, there's a vague sense of discomfort, the kind you get when someone's told a horribly offensive joke without in any way realizing there's an offensive component to it. **

Powerful Drama.......2006-06-09

Love Liza is one of the best dramas I have ever seen. There is little that is funny about it but there are three scenes in the film where one's EQ is brought under a major hammmering. My favourite scene in the film would be the one where Hoffman goes for a swim in a pond. Especially since "Corpus Christi Carol" by Jeff Buckley is going on in the background. The epic song was used perfectly. I love depressive films and it's been a while since I saw one of the stature of Love Liza. There are not many characters in the film which makes it ever so interesting. No Background instrumental music but yet the soundtrack by VA rocked. I was wondering why the letter contained the matchstick towards the end. Excellent interpretation of emotions.

Love Liza shows how a distraught man rebounds into a further state of extreme emotions. Hoffman can not act any better. I rate this movie higher than "as good as it gets" but I don't even know why I'm comparing the two.

P.S - the whole fetish for inhaling fuel was rather interesting

I'll Wager Money You've Never Seen a Movie Like This..........2006-02-07

This is a strange movie about grief, despair, and a man who just doesn't quite know how he can go on living in light of them. Philip Seymour Hoffman gives another interesting performance as a gas-sniffing mourner who can't come to terms with his wife's suicide. Worth seeing one time for the unique experience.

Children of Hannibal (Figli di Annibale)

Average customer rating:

NO ES LA GRAN COSA

Children of Hannibal (Figli di Annibale)
Starring: Diego Abatantuono , Silvio Orlando , Valentina Cervi , Flavio Insinna , and Ugo Conti
Director: Davide Ferrario
Manufacturer: Tla
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Best of Youth

ASIN: B0000CC88B
Release Date: 2003-11-18

Description

Unemployed Domenico decides to rob a bank in Italy and escape to Switzerland. Everything goes horribly wrong and he takes a hostage. The man he chooses, Tommaso, is more unscrupulous than Domenico. He hates his wife, his business is doing poorly and the kidnapping appears to be a good way to disappear and start over again. The victim takes over the plans and becomes the leader as things go from bad to worse. Children of Hannibal is both an unpredictable caper film and an often hilarious road movie.

Customer Reviews:

NO ES LA GRAN COSA.......2007-04-11

EN LO PERSONAL ESTOY ARREPENTIDO DE HABER COMPRADO LA PELICULA PERO .... HAY GUSTO PARA TODOS

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