Dante's Inferno

1911 FantasyDrama 15 minutes Directed by Giuseppe Berardi

About Dante's Inferno

Dante, played by Giuseppe Berardi, and Virgil, played by Armando Novi, move through the main episodes of the Inferno. The dark wood, a vision of Beatrice, the crossing of Acheron, Paolo and Francesca, Minos, Farinata degli Uberti, usurers under a rain of fire, Ulysses, Pier della Vigna, Count Ugolino, and Lucifer tearing at Judas are staged as separate tableaux.

Cast & crew

More about Dante's Inferno

Giuseppe Berardi and Arturo Busnengo directed the short for Helios Film of Velletri. They rushed it to open before the longer Milano Films Inferno. The first screening was at the Teatro Mercadante in Naples on 10 March 1911, three months ahead of the Milano picture. It runs 15 minutes, in 25 tableaux. The Milano film uses 54. This one has 18 intertitles. The poses follow Gustave Doré's illustrations.

Themes

  • Twenty-five tableaux from the Inferno
  • A vision of Beatrice before the river
  • Lucifer with Judas
  • Dante
  • Virgil
  • Beatrice
  • Paolo and Francesca
  • Minos
  • Ugolino
  • Helios Film
  • Gustave Doré

Making

Helios shot a short Inferno in Velletri specifically to reach theaters before Milano's feature. Naples saw it on 10 March 1911.

Music

Silent.

Preservation

Italian reference books still describe the 15-minute Helios short. A public archive copy is not named in those accounts.

Notes

  • Berardi plays Dante and also directs.
  • The lustful are shown flying. Minos is built oversized.
  • Italian Wikipedia counts 25 moving tableaux against 54 in the Milano Films version.
  • The intertitles are only 18 and are not placed as a running commentary.
  • Helios was a small company in Velletri. The race with Milano was the reason for the speed.

Scenes

  • Dante and Virgil cross Acheron.
  • The lustful fly past. Minos is played as a giant.
  • Lucifer tears at Judas.

Influenced by

  • Dante's Inferno
  • Gustave Doré's illustrations