Synopsis
Dante's Inferno (L'Inferno, 1911) is the silent Italian adaptation of the first part of Dante's Divine Comedy, and you can watch online a genuine landmark of early cinema. It was Italy's first feature-length production and remains the oldest fully surviving feature in the world. For just over seventy minutes the poet descends through the nine circles of Hell, guided by the shade of Virgil.
Three directors shared the work — Francesco Bertolini, Adolfo Padovan and Giuseppe de Liguoro. Their visual blueprint was Gustave Doré's engravings: every circle, every punishment is staged so viewers recognize the famous illustrations brought to life. The frozen lake of Cocytus, the three-faced Lucifer, souls swept on an endless wind — all built by hand, with double exposures and theatrical sets that looked like pure sorcery in 1911.
People watch this today not for the story but for the story of film itself: this is what special effects looked like decades before any computer touched a frame. A perfect pick for lovers of silent cinema, gothic imagery and the source texts behind it. Stream Dante's Inferno (1911) online on iFILM.
Starring
Recommendations
Comments 0