The first eight cantos of Dante's Inferno (up to the entrance to the city of Dis). The text is read entirely in "talking head" fashion, and punctuated with a kaleidoscopic blend of both newly shot and archival footage.
Take a look back at these Hollywood icons in their early days to see how far they've come in their careers—and how little they've visibly aged.
Related News
-
Letters: Michael Kustow's thinking was bold, his ambition high
07 September 2014 | The Guardian - TV News -
Raúl Ruiz: Blind Man's Bluff (Original Language Versions)
08 December 2011 | MUBI
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: A TV Dante (1989– )
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Edit
Cast
| Series cast summary: | |||
| John Gielgud | ... | Virgil 6 episodes, 1991 | |
| Bob Peck | ... | the voice of Dante 6 episodes, 1991 | |
 |
Fernando Bordeu | ... | Virgil 6 episodes, 1991 |
| Francisco Reyes | ... | Dante 6 episodes, 1991 | |
| Joanne Whalley | ... | Beatrice 4 episodes, 1990 | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
See All (9) »
Storyline
The first eight cantos of Dante's Inferno (up to the entrance to the city of Dis). The text is read entirely in "talking head" fashion, and punctuated with a kaleidoscopic blend of both newly shot and archival footage.
Plot Keywords:
dante's inferno | dante | reference to dante's inferno | virgil | santiago de chile |Genres:
DramaParents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
Edit
See full technical specs »
Details
Language:
EnglishRelease Date:
29 July 1990 (UK) See more »Also Known As:
A TV Dante: The Inferno - Cantos I-VIII See more »Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Peter Greenaway and Tom Philips have together created the single most visionary piece of television ever broadcast. Those who complain about the lack of 'cinematic grammar' are missing the very point - it's like an illuminated manuscript, but one created using the most cutting edge (for its time) technology, and employing a post-modern aesthetic that allows anything and everything to be thrown into the mixture, be it high medieval poetry or today's breaking news images. Grainy stock footage of blips moving on a radar screen is hauntingly used to depict angels passing through the heavenly spheres - a Muyrbridge sequence of a powerful boxer descending a staircase becomes Christ's harrowing of Hell - Dante's internalised world is rendered as a modern ultra-scan screen - desperate escapees attempting to flee across the Berlin wall become, literally, souls in Hell.
The actors performing Dante, Virgil and Beatrice give superb readings of the poem, whilst experts and commentators provide moving footnotes just as in a printed edition of the Inferno. The elaborate and meticulous word-paintings of Tom Phillips are beautifully interwoven with the bold filmic images of Peter Greenaway, creating a unique and inspirational experience that shows up just how thin and watery most of what passes for TV actually is.
A masterpiece.