Dante's Inferno (2007)

A darkly comedic travelogue of the underworld - set against an all-too-familiar urban backdrop of used car lots, gated communities, strip malls, and the U.S. Capitol. And populated with a contemporary cast of reprobates, including famous - and infamous - politicians, presidents, popes, pimps. And the Prince of Darkness himself.

Director:

Sean Meredith

Writers:

Paul Zaloom (screenplay), Sandow Birk (screenplay)

Stars:

Tony Abatemarco, Scott Adsit, Matt Besser

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tony Abatemarco	...	Lying Defendant / Farinata (voice)
Scott Adsit	...	Judge Minos / Paolo / Hirohito / Copter Pilot / Spiro Agnew (voice)
Matt Besser	...	Metallica Defendant / L. Ron Hubbard / Curtis LeMay / Airport Security (voice)
Bill Chott	...	Ciaccio 'El Gordo' / Calvacanti / Stalin / Ulysses' Crew (voice)
Michael Coleman	...	Charon / Phlegyas / Senator / Dick Cheney (voice) (as Mike Coleman)
James Cromwell	...	Virgil (voice)
Andrew Daly	...	Lucan / 'Right On' Glutton / Jim Jones / Airport Screener / Ulysses' Naysayer (voice)
John Fleck	...	Brunetto Latini (voice)
Sean Forrester	...	Horace / Mr. Argenti / White Pimp / Beating Victim / Airport Security / Insider Trader #2 (voice)
Tony Hale	...	Ovid / Real Estate Broker / Pope Nicholas 3rd (voice)
Tom Hallick	...	George Sanders / Deep Voiced Lobbyist (voice)
Laura Krafft	...	George Sand / Airport P.A. / Subway P.A. (voice)
Brandon Johnson	...	Irate Driver / Mounted Policeman / Pimp #1 / Pimp #3 / Airport Security (voice)
Dermot Mulroney	...	Dante (voice)
Martha Plimpton	...	Celia / Lobbyist Singer / Lizzie Borden (voice)

Storyline

Melding the seemingly disparate traditions of apocalyptic live-action graphic novel and charming Victoria-era toy theater, Dante's Inferno is a subversive, darkly satirical update of the original 14th century literary classic. Retold with the use of intricately hand-drawn paper puppets and miniature sets, and without the use of CGI effects, this unusual travelogue takes viewers on a tour of hell. And what we find there, looks a lot like the modern world. Sporting a hoodie and a hang-over from the previous night's debauchery, Dante wakes to find he is lost - physically and metaphorically - in a strange part of town. He asks the first guy he sees for some help: The ancient Roman poet Virgil, wearing a mullet and what looks like a brown bathrobe. Having no one else to turn to, Dante's quickly convinced that his only means for survival is to follow Virgil voyage down, down through the depths of Hell. The pair cross into the underworld and there Virgil shows Dante the underbelly of the ...

---

Plot Keywords:

hell | pope | inferno | dante's inferno | allegory | 

---

Taglines:

The epic film of a lost young man's journey through hell.

---

Genres:

Animation | Comedy

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

January 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dante Pokla

Filming Locations:

Santa Monica, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dante Film LLC,Outpost Studios,SuperMarioLogan

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Head Puppeteer/Writer/Producer Paul Zaloom is Beakman, the wild master of science on TV's "Beakman's World."

---

Quotes

Ulysses - Strom Thurmond: I'm not Mrs. Butterworth, God Dammit. I'm Senator Strom Thurmond.

---

Connections

Spoofed in Hell for Bread (2011)

User Reviews

I spelled Allegeri correct the first time!

It's been around 10 years since my last run in with anything related to Dante Allegeri. Junior year of high school we had a project where we had to make our own circle of hell. Ya know, cut outs, drawings etc. My circle of hell was dedicated to Pedophiles and Rapists, and it turned out pretty good. Though I was frowned upon by the nudity. So getting back on track, I enjoyed Dante's Inferno back then, and when I had the opportunity to watch this version of Dante's Inferno I became pretty excited. And when it was all said and done, I was pretty impressed with this unique little flick.

Present day Dante Allegeri is brought by Virgil (Roman someone) to the 9 circles of hell. From circles that have places chosen out for Money-Launderers, the angry, and even plain old fashion murderers. They go from the beginning right to the end, being circle 9. A linear story, but still a fun one with plenty of creativity.

Sometimes the film does feel like it's sole purpose is to be creative in the sense that they're just trying to throw certain celebrities in the circle of hell where they belong. Like you'd find Marilyn Monroe in the circle where you'll find suicides, and you'll find Cleopatra with all the whores. Eh, see what I'm saying? Actually trying to think of people that they mentioned is kinda tough. They used a ton of well-known people from history and it just kind of mashes together by the end. But that's not a complaint perse, since the movie showed intelligence and again, creativity.

With a witty, and intelligent approach to telling this story, and to the detailed art style it had, the film is definitely recommendable to the right viewer. Anyone who can appreciate films that clearly are labors of love, like let's say City of Rott or Blood, Tea and Red String, or hell, any film by Jan Svankmajer should find this film to be a welcome addition to their well-rounded viewings.