Jupiter's Darling

Jupiter's Darling is one of Hollywood's Technicolor musical extravaganzas filled with singing and dancing (and in this case, swimming). It stars Esther Williams as the betrothed of Emperor Fabius Maximus (George Sanders). However, Hannibal (Howard Keel) and his elephants are coming to conquer Rome and she finds him a bit more exciting.

To plot a movie like this around a serious historical event is a bit odd, to say the least. Hannibal is the only one who takes the whole mission of wiping out an entire city serious. Everyone else is too busy having fun swimming with underwater statues or dancing with elephants (as Marge and Gower Champion do). It has songs with lines like "If this what it's like being a slave, I don't want to be free". And this exchange between two Roman slaves: "Don't you have any manners?" "No, I'm a barbarian". But all is forgiven because the movie is a lot fun. Esther Williams is beautiful and charming, Howard Keel has an incredible voice, and the Champions are fascinating dancers.