by Everett Jensen

Created on: April 06, 2010

L’Inferno

directed by Francesco Bertolini, Adolfo Padovan, Giuseppe de Liguoro

based on the poem by Dante Alighieri

starring Salvatore Papa, Arturo Pirovano, Giuseppe de Liguoro, Augusto Milla, Attilio Motta, Emilise Beretta

This 1911 silent telling of the famous Dante poem employs terrific special effects and a decent but not exceptional score by German electronic band Tangerine Dream to create a lasting, exquisitely crafting tour through the nine  circles of Hell.

The story is loosely based on Dante’s poem and it provides an extraordinary depiction of the many sad and tragic denizens of hell and their many and true tortures and torments.

The many hot stations in Hell are shown through costume and various effects that stand up today nearly one hundred years after its initial release.  The print is exceptionally clean as it has been expertly treated by a number of hands and brought into clear focus.
This version comes with a mandatory soundtrack by Tangerine Dream certainly has its moments throughout the film but the inclusion of lyrics somewhat takes away from the power of the images which generally provoke and occasionally disturb.  This is the first feature film made in Italy and it truly was an epic production put together by 150 people who labored over it for three years before it was shot.  It is a typical silent picture from the era in that the camera remains firmly planted and there are not any closeups.  Also, the acting is mostly of the excessive hand waving variety and contributes nothing of note to the story.  This is mainly a visual spectacle where story means very little and the narrative simply shows up a series of stops on the tour through hell which are connected by a thin thread.

Hell definitely possesses an intoxicating sense of purpose as its many citizens are subjected to a number of splendid tortures which greet the viewer with clarity and meaning.  Of particular interest is the River of Filth where various sinners try to wash away the grime of their sordid and illicit behavior while among the living.  The naked dwellers of this River manically try to cleanse themselves to no avail.  Also, we see others who are imbedded face down in mud and some in ice.  The suicides seem less gnarled and mostly sit within the tree branches.  All kinds of sins are represented here as with Dante and many of them seem positively trivial.  Dante’s fantasies are played out through

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