Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker or Mel Gibson and Danny Glover? Buddy action cinema spawned many strong cult duos, but there is hardly a duo as revered, especially in German-speaking countries, as Bud Spencer and Terence Hill.
The countless films of the two cult hitters are legendary, but their first film, for which they both stood in front of the camera, is hardly known. Although that should have changed at least a bit this week. Than of “HannibalThe first movie starring Spencer and Hill finally celebrated its home theater comeback – and with it its Blu-ray premiere:
PLAION PICTURES relaunched the historical epic on March 9, 2023, giving the film by cinema legend Edgar G. Ulmer an elegant new edition in a media book with a stylish cover. It contains both the European and American versions of the film and a booklet for the film.
This is “Hannibal” with Bud Spencer and Terence Hill
We don’t want to give you false hope on this point: director Ulmer, who was involved as a set designer in formative cinema milestones such as “M – Eine Stadt sucht ein Mörder” and “Metropolis”, has set up an impressive historical spectacle here, which is still alive today. still offers a lot of show value. But be warned: Hannibal is anything but typical Spencer Hill fun.
On the one hand, because the cult Italians, born Carlo Pedersoli and Mario Girotti, both stood in front of the camera for Edgar G. Ulmer – but never together. They don’t share a single scene, which of course means there aren’t any fun side-by-side brawls where the two throw their fists. And don’t expect quick jokes and cheeky jokes either. After all, “Hannibal” also takes place in the year 216 BC. – and, of course, between intrigue, murder and manslaughter, there wasn’t much time for petty jokes.
At the center of “Hannibal” is the eponymous legendary commander (Victor Mature), who is on his way to Rome with his army. When one day Sylvia (Rita Gam), the daughter of a high-ranking senator, falls into his hands, he decides not to capture her. Instead, he lets her go. Because she has to tell the Romans about his almost unstoppable army that is moving towards them. But Hannibal and Sylvia fall in love – and that soon leads to big problems…
At that time, Pedersoli and Girotti still used their real names. Their paths never crossed during filming, so their first meeting didn’t come until a few years later. Her success was all the greater:
In the 1970s and 1980s, the two achieved enormous cult status, especially in German-speaking countries, with films such as “Two for Bad Pech and Sulphur”, “Two Out of Control” and “Four Fists Against Rio” – which eventually even had doppelgängers like Antonio Cantafora and Paul L. Smith, who boldly copied the tried-and-tested concept with films like “Carambola – Four Fists Strike Again” to cut off a piece of the success pie.
While the original will of course forever remain unmatched, you can convince yourself of this bizarre fake on TV this April – thanks to #SchleFaZ…