Guido Brignone transfigured Dante’s vision of Hell into a grandiose cinematic spectacle of fantasy and imagination. Legendary actor Bartolomeo Pagano plays a strongman, who descends into the inferno in order to restore order, a role he reprised 27 times in this long-running film series. The enthralling contrasts between the realistic scenes on Earth and the surrealist ones in Hell, huge cast of demons, decapitations, (and an un-decapitation!), and a terrifying dragon, fashioned from the most state of the art special effects of the day, all inspired Fellini to get into the movies, and will surely enthrall horror/fantasy lovers of every persuasion. Don't miss a rare chance to see a 35mm restoration print of the film heavily cut by censors upon release for being far too salacious in its depiction of Hell.

Print courtesy of Cineteca di Bologna | Italian intertitles w/ English subtitles