 While 'Dante's Inferno' has its place in horror history, most big-time horror fans point to 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari' as the horror film that more or less sets the bar for the genre. As usual, correct me if I'm wrong on that, but that's certainly the impression I get from most sources. Earlier horror movies existed, sure, but 'Caligari' took things to a certain level, engaging the viewer's imagination with haunting, dream-like imagery and digging more into the psychological aspect of how horror works successfully.
This title originates from Germany, with writers Carl Mayer and Hans Janowitz drawing inspiration from their military experiences during World War I, which left both of them distrustful of irrational authority in Germany. Some scholars have interpreted the themes within the film as reflecting, at least at the time, the idea that the German everyman wants to be a sort of drone under some authority figure. Aside from that, the film illustrates a blur between insanity and sanity, good and evil, and one's perception of reality, a solid blend of horror themes as we know them today, which was quite remarkable for 1920. The film employs a framing technique, incorporating a prologue and an epilogue. The prologue involves a man named Franzis (Friedrich Feher), who takes a seat next to a haunted-looking older man (Hans Lanser-Ludolff) who states that spirits have driven him away from his family. This is when Franzis' supposed fiancée, Jane (Lil Dagover), strolls by, and Franzis begins to go into the story of what they had to go through, essentially challenging the older man's tragic ghost story. And then, we fade into the rest of the film, played in a flashback whose dream-like quality cannot be overstated. The storyteller takes us to the town of Holstenwall; a village of crowded buildings and hilly streets that provide a twisted atmosphere that current viewers would probably closest associate with the style of Tim Burton ala 'Nightmare Before Christmas.' Franzis and his friend Alan (Hans Heinrich von Twardowski) are introduced as lighthearted characters who compete for the hand of Jane, but, if you can believe it, in a friendly manner. With Alan's desire to go to the local carnival, they go, not quite knowing yet what craziness they're about to see. At the carnival, a magician by the name of Caligari (Werner Krauss) puts on a performance in which he opens a box to reveal Cesare (Conrad Veidt), a somnambulist, or a "Sleep Walker" who predicts the fortunes of curious audience members. When Alan asks how long he will live, Cesare chillingly tells him he won't make it to dawn. Now, whether he makes it or not, I won't spoil it (I don't care if it was 1920), but what follows is a murder mystery that unfolds in the creepiest of ways. But then, the film comes to its end - a brilliant and scary twist for that time, but I'll say no more on the matter aside from the fact that it holds up completely. While I have mentioned that there's a certain distance I have with the Silent Era, which I have full respect for, movies like this are what give me a genuine appreciation for it. Mainly relying on visuals often results in pure art, and here, German expressionism is pure gold! The strange lighting, set designs, costumes, and nightmarish angles lend themselves to the film's psychological aspect. As far as the horror genre goes, this could even be considered the first real slasher flick when you get right down to it. It's hard to believe that a silent film from 1920 contains so much of what we know and love about horror today. It seeps into the viewer's mind with its dark visuals, tone, and performances and has aged beautifully, like a fine wine. It makes for an excellent watch for horror fans, offering something for everyone. If you are a horror fan on any level, this is a piece of history that you should at least try to sit through and appreciate for what it is. Horror may not have blossomed into what it is today without this movie planting the seed. 5/5
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 Let's start this off with some brutal honesty from me, stating that the Silent Era is something that can be generally difficult for me to explore, although I understand its charm. When it comes down to it, I have a stubbornness for not giving some of the genuine classics the proper time of day. But as a reviewer, what kind of ass would that make me if I didn't at least dabble a little here and there? And why not hop in the time machine and travel back to a time in film from before the Titanic disaster happened?
'Dante's Inferno' is an Italian film, better known as 'L'Inferno,' and marks the very first full-length feature film Italy had to offer. The beauty of it being an old silent film from well over a century ago, however, is that it's relatively easy to find not only renditions of the film readily available but also versions with English-translated subtitles. Now, some of these subtitles end up getting translated quite differently, but the essence of the story remains intact. And speaking for myself, I find something amazing about this film. The film opens with Dante Alighieri (Salvatore Papa) navigating a dark wooded area, seeking the hill of salvation, which is barred by three beasts. This prompts the angel Beatrice (Emilise Beretta) to request the poet Virgil (Arturo Pirovano) to guide Dante through the Nine Circles of Hell towards salvation. The film appropriately sets the mood as Dante and Virgil begin their journey by entering a deep, dark cave, leading to the Acheron river, where Charon (Actor Unknown), the ferryman brings the souls of his passengers into Hell. As Virgil guides Dante through the layers of hell, he points out all of the different ways souls get tortured for their wrongdoings in life. Remembering that this was 1911, and special effects were far from advanced, the film carries a great deal of disturbing imagery. While it may look cheap and corny by today's standards, there's still something haunting about that old style when film, as a medium, was still relatively new as a whole. As far as surviving films go, people seem hard-pressed to find anything that predates this. This film features a lengthy list of nightmare fuel for those who watched it back then. The souls in each area do a good job of looking tortured, as they're all basically naked and seemingly struggling with something, from the greedy misers rolling gold sacs around for eternity to suicides transformed into trees that will squirt blood if you lob off one of their limbs. There's even one soul we see, which has since seemingly become a famous shot from the film, carrying his head around. They also encounter several well-known historical figures who are there due to their acts in life. The film's look is altogether surreal and feels like a weird fever dream. As if the look of the lost souls in Hell isn't enough, the film's massive set pieces, costumes, and representation of demonic entities, including Lucifer himself, just casually gnawing on some guy. Yes, this was 1911 and is now dated. However, considering that film technology was at its height back then, it's easy to see why people regard this as a classic horror film, made to inspire audiences to become God-fearing individuals and reflect on their life choices so that they do not end up in one of the Nine Circles of Hell. I understand that this is an old film, and title cards are meant to linger long enough to read, but there is a lot of this that takes some patience to get through in this day and age. By no means do I mean to criticize the film for being "boring" or something, but I will say it takes a certain amount of patience for someone like me to get through something like this. However, to the film's credit, many of the impressive images throughout stand out, especially for its time, and that's what makes something like this a real draw now. It's a ride today. But again, in 1911, I saw this causing a lot of sleepless nights for its audiences. 4/5 |
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