A clear antecedent to Prospero's Books in its use of multiple-screen techniques, Peter Greenaway's take on Dante's Inferno is a fascinating journey through a well-known classical work. The close-ups of Bob Peck (as Dante) and Sir John Gielgud (as Virgil, whom Dante has asked to be his guide to Hell) are accompanied by superimposed images of people, events, and animals mentioned in the text. Moreover, small screens pop up, with literature experts, historians, biologists, and even animal behaviorists offering their comments on the proceedings. The project was conceived by Greenaway together with translator Tom Phillips; they originally intended to cover all 34 cantos of Dante's work, but in fact did only the first eight cantos. The sequel, Cantos 9-14, was made by famed Chilean expatriate filmmaker Raul Ruiz.
by Yuri German
synopsis
