Dante's Inferno (film)

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Dante's Inferno
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Written by:	Philip Klein inspired by a poem by Dante Alighieri
Starring:	Spencer Tracy, Claire Trevor, Rita Hayworth
Directed by:	Harry Lachman
Photography by:	Rudolph Maté
Music by:	uncredited
Distributed by:	Fox
Release Date:	1935

Dante's Inferno (1935) is a motion picture that draws for inspiration on The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri. Its sole substance lies in a ten minute depiction of hell realised by director Harry Lachman, himself an established post-impressionist painter.

[edit] Production

Rita Hayworth appears as a dancer under the credit Rita Cansino.

[edit] Cultural impact

The film uses a conventional story of greed and dishonesty to project an image of the Inferno conjured up in Dante's 14th century epic poem. Director Lachman had established a substantial reputation as a painter before embarking on a Hollywood career and he summoned his artistic vision to realise Dante's work in cinematographic form, drawing on the engravings of Gustave Doré.

The film's reputation pivots on the 10 minute vision of the Inferno and reception has been mixed. Leslie Halliwell described it as "one of the most unexpected, imaginative and striking pieces of cinema in Hollywood's history," while Variety held that it was, "a pushover for vigorous exploitation."

In many ways, What Dreams May Come (1998) aspires to similar goals and falls into familiar traps.

[edit] Plot summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Jim Carter (Tracy) takes over a fairground show illustrating scenes from Dante. An inspector declares the fair unsafe but is bribed by Carter. There is a fatal disaster at the fair during which we see the vision of the Inferno. Carter establishes a new venture with an unsafe floating casino.