Mussolini's government, in addition to making the railroads run on time (and other items not so good), could also produce a movie on a lavish scale, including over 6000 extras in the battle scenes. A story of the Second Punic Wars, beginning with Scipio's futile pleas to the Roman Senate to build an army to battle Hannibal, that climaxes with the battle of Zama.

1960 film directed by Federico Fellini