Search Free Movies Online

Dante's Inferno (1911)


Dante's Inferno (1911) Poster

A striking piece of history, this 1911 adaptation of Dante's The Divine Comedy was the first full length feature made in Italy!

Newly restored from a variety of sources, it's still an amazing visual experience as the poet Virgil leads Dante on a journey through Purgatory and Hell. Taking visual inspiration from Gustav Doré's iconic illustrations, Giuseppe de Liguoro worked for more than three years with 150 people and what was then the biggest film budget ever to complete his masterpiece.

Considering it was made in 1911 for approximately $2 million and had to be rebuilt almost a century later, it's a fantastic exercise in early cinema. The footage is spectacular, and the primitive special effects still evoke the same shock and emotion they must have upon its premiere.

L'Inferno's pantheon of demons and sinners are imaginatively conjured up on ambitious sets using a variety of then-pioneering cinematic tricks such as forced perspective to allow a gigantic Pluto to rage at the dwarfed interlopers, overlays for when they arrive at the city of Dis and see furies scaling the battlements and an ingenious combination of miniatures and live action to create remarkable encounters with three chained giants and a final confrontation with Lucifer himself.

Sam Warner's idea was to take the film on the road, together with a narrator, who, while the movie unspooled, would read extracts from the original poem. The idea worked. The film opened in Hartford, Connecticut, and, according to Jack Warner, you could hear the cash registers ringing all the way to Ohio. The tour netted them $1,500 which Sam and Jack blew on a crap game in New York.

Directed by Francesco Bertolini, Adolfo Padovan
Written by: Dante Alighieri (poem)
Stars: Salvatore Papa, Arturo Pirovano, Giuseppe de Liguoro

Movie Available via: YouTube

IMDb rating
32,181 Views

Recommended Movies


The Candidate

The Candidate

The Candidate (2010) - A Fierce Psychological thrillerAn underhanded company man is offered assistance by a secret organization that immerses him in forces beyond his control. Shot on 35mm anamorphic film. THE CANDIDATE ...

Watch Now

The Candidate

The Tourist

The Tourist

Pure Old-Fashioned Hollywood Fantasy Like the Grant-Hepburn-Kelly films of the 1950's and 1960's Elise (Angelina Jolie) lives in Paris, where she has been "watched" for over a year. Scotland Yard, you see, under the dire...

Watch Now

The Tourist

Birth of a Monster - A Star Wars Story

Birth of a Monster - A Star Wars Story

A Star Wars origin story for a one shot character that works on every level! "Birth of a Monster" is a story of discovery and friendship surrounding a mysterious young boy and his loyal droid on the desert planet, Tatooi...

Watch Now

Birth of a Monster - A Star Wars Story

The Maker

The Maker

Talented creator is finishing his life's creationA strange creature races against time to make the most important and beautiful creation of his life. In his well-equipped and wondrous workshop, an industrious and gifted ...

Watch Now

The Maker

Market Hours

Market Hours

Lexus Short Films seriesRandall spends his days imagining the vibrant inner lives of various vendors at the multicultural urban market where he works; none more so than Angela, an angel with her own pastry shop. But Rand...

Watch Now

Market Hours

Marry Me

Marry Me

Plot: Marry Me is the story of a little girl who likes a little boy, and a little boy who likes his bike. "Marry Me" is a short film based on the experiences of the filmaker, Michelle Lehman, while growing up, a very swe...

Watch Now

Marry Me