Dante's Inferno - L'Inferno (1911) FULL MOVIE

 

Dante's Inferno (1911)
Original Title: L'Inferno, Italy
Director: Francesco Bertolini, Adolfo Padovan, Giuseppe de Liguoro
Story: Based on the epic poem Inferno by Dante Alighieri

Cast: Salvatore Papa (as Dante Alighieri), Arturo Pirovano (as Virgil), Giuseppe de Liguoro (as Farinata degli Uberti), Attilio Motta (as Lucifer), Emilise Beretta (as Beatrice)

An epic silent film that follows the poet Dante as he is guided by the Roman poet Virgil through the nine concentric circles of Hell. Desperate to find his lost love, Beatrice, Dante witnesses the terrifying, eternal punishments tailored to every variety of human sin. From the storm-buffeted winds of the lustful to the frozen, dark depths of the treacherous, they encounter historical and mythological figures before finally facing the three-headed demon, Lucifer.

Dante and Virgil journeying through the underworld. Source: Tristan Ettleman - Medium / The 1911 Dante's Inferno Film Is a Hellish Delight | by Tristan

Interesting Facts and Trivia:

• Italy's First Feature: It is widely considered the first full-length Italian feature film. Its production took over three years to complete.

• A Visual Masterpiece: The film's striking visual style, sets, and costumes were heavily inspired by the famous 19th-century book illustrations of French artist Gustave Doré.

• Early Special Effects: The movie utilized cutting-edge special effects for its time, including double exposure photography, forced perspective, and scale models to depict flying demons, decapitated sinners walking with their heads, and giant monsters.

• Massive Box Office Success: It was an international sensation that made over $2 million in the United States alone (a massive sum for 1911), proving to the global market that audiences would willingly pay premium prices to sit through full feature-length cinema.

Release Date: March 1, 1911 (Italy premiere)
Country of Origin: Italy