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Released by: 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives
Released on: March 18, 2014
Director: Harry Lachman
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Claire Trevor, Henry B. Walthall, Alan Dinehart, Rita Hayworth
Year: 1935
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The Movie:
After being laughed at by wealthy socialites, ship stoker Jim Carter vows to get rich himself whatever it takes. He goes through a variety of jobs before meeting Pop McWade, who owns a sideshow based on Dante Alighieri's Inferno (more commonly known as Dante's Inferno). Moving quickly up the ladder, Carter becomes first a carnival barker and then a partial owner in the sideshow, which he builds into a massive success using investors' dollars. Unfortunately, the new and improved sets are built by taking advantage of other people and with building materials that are subpar. A building inspector realizes what is happening, but Carter bribes him into silence. (He also romances and marries McWade's daughter, who gives him a son.) Eventually, the massive, ornate sets come crashing down while visitors, McWade among them, stroll the halls. There's a hearing, but Carter is acquitted of all wrongdoing. He fails to learn his lesson, leading to a second, even worse disaster at sea.
Rather than being a remake of the 1924 version of the same name (also released by Fox), Dante's Inferno is a morality play along the lines of Cecil B. DeMille's silent The Ten Commandments. And like that film, the classic work of literature to which the title refers barely plays a part in the proceedings. After the first disaster occurs, director Lachman treats us to a ten-minute sequence illustrating the terrors of Hell's inner circle. Given that the film was made after the Breen Office began rigid enforcement of the Production Code, this extended scene is rather shocking, displaying as it does a number of semi-naked men and women in close proximity, enduring the horrors of hellfire with the ecstasy of sex. The camera prowls caressingly over the expansive sets, lingering lovingly on ripped and nubile bodies. (It appears that only the young, attractive, and well-built are sent to Hell, so if you're old, ugly, or overweight, you needn't heed the film's dire warnings.) Too bad the rest of the film is so ponderous and slow, with the kind of message that today one would associate with a Cloud 10 production. And therein no doubt lies the reason why the Breen Office allowed such titillation to be distributed: its condemnation of sin and threat of Hellfire is nothing short of puritanical (as it depicts evil in all its lip-smacking detail).
Walthall, an actor who found fame working with D.W. Griffith, never completely escaped the broad mannerisms of the silent era and gives the most melodramatic performance of the film as naí¯ve and trusting McWade, though Claire Trevor as his equally naí¯ve and trusting daughter comes in a close second. Rita Hayworth also makes an appearance, though at this point in her career she was still being billed as Rita Cansino; she dances her way through a stunning sequence remarkably shot by Lachman. But, despite the name talent on display, it's Spencer Tracy who offers up the film's best performance. How it happened is anyone's guess, given his displeasure with the role and penchant for appearing drunk on set. It's been alleged that his contract with Fox was severed after he destroyed one of the film's sets in a drunken rage. None of that drunkenness shows in the finished film, however; his performance is naturalistic and three-dimensional. Because of such performances, he was signed to a long-term contract with MGM, where he went on to star in numerous classics alongside Katharine Hepburn, won two Best Actor Oscars and was nominated for many more, and became a household name.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Dante's Inferno comes to DVD-R courtesy of 20th Century Fox's Cinema Archives, the studio's MOD answer to the Warner Archives. The film has obviously been remastered, with a relatively sharp image comparable to the mastering on many of Universal's horror films of the same period. There's a heavy layer of grain, much of which can be attributed to the fact that the film was shot in soft focus, something that doesn't lend itself well to the mastering process. Because there is less detail to enhance, grain itself tends to become more prominent. (For a good example of this on Blu-ray, see Warner's original Clash of the Titans .) Viewers shouldn't complain; the image is strong, easily besting the numerous bootlegs that have swamped the underground market for years, most of which were taken from third- or fourth-generation VHS dupes. As per Fox's Cinema Archive program, the menu screen is generic, with ten chapter breaks.
Audio: Viewers should not expect the kind of sound one associates with blockbusters such as Guardians of the Galaxy or Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Dante's Inferno was shot in 1935, when sound was far more subdued than it is today. Dolby Digital 2.0 serves the film well. There's very little hiss, voices are clear and distinct, and the relatively sparse score remains hearty enough.
Extras: The DVD is a barebones presentation.
The Final Word:
Dante's Inferno is pompous and preachy, but it's worth sitting through for the ten-minute segment depicting the terrors of Hell. Tracy is terrific, though most of the other performances seem dated today. Despite the moralistic tone of the script, Lachman manages some terrific directorial touches, whether it be realistic scenes of destruction, a journey through hell, or Hayworth's impressive dance. Fox's MOD DVD is a revelation, especially when compared to the bootlegs that were previously available. If you like this film and own one of those boots, it's time to replace it.
