Jupiter's Darling (1955)

In ancient Rome, the Carthaginian conqueror Hannibal (Howard Keel) and his army are camped on the outskirts of The Eternal City. The fiancee (Esther Williams) of Rome's dictator (George Sanders) and her slave (Marge Champion) sneak off to get a peek at the notorious military commander but are caught by Hannibal's soldiers and taken prisoner. Based on Robert Sherwood's 1927 anti-war play THE ROAD TO ROME, it has been dusted off and given the full MGM CinemaScope and Eastmancolor treatment. This was Esther Williams' swan song at MGM after 13 years at the studio and one of her rare flops. Perhaps sensing the public was getting tired of her swimming extravaganzas, there's only one swimming production number and the rest of the film uses her primarily as an actress. For the first time though, her swimming is used for dramatic purposes as when she escapes from Hannibal's camp by jumping off a cliff into the ocean and an underwater chase ensues as three of Hannibal's soldiers rapidly swim after her. While Keel makes for a virile Hannibal, Williams' limitations as an actress prevent her from getting the most out of the material. The songs by Burton Lane and Harold Adamson are a dreadful lot (an exception being the misogynistic Never Trust A Woman sung by Keel) and the unimpressive choreography by Hermes Pan. Directed by George Sidney. With Gower Champion, William Demarest and Michael Ansara.