Dante's Inferno (2007 film)
Encyclopedia
Dante's Inferno is a 2007 comedy film performed with hand-drawn paper puppets on a toy theater
stage. The film was adapted from the book "Dante's Inferno" by Sandow Birk
and Marcus Sanders (Chronicle Books, 2004), which is a modern update of the canticle
Inferno
from Dante Alighieri
's epic poem The Divine Comedy
. The film chronicles Dante's (voiced by Dermot Mulroney
) journeys through the underworld, guided by Virgil
(voiced by James Cromwell
). The head puppeteer was Paul Zaloom
and the puppets were designed by Elyse Pignolet
and drawn by Sandow Birk
. The film premiered January 20, 2007 at the 2007 Slamdance Film Festival
. The film has also been shown at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival
, Sarasota Film Festival
, Atlanta Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival
, Maryland Film Festival, Silver Lake Film Festival
, the Boston Underground Film Festival
, and on the Ovation TV
cable network.
The voice cast includes actors associated with the Upright Citizens Brigade
, Crossballs
, 30 Rock
, Arrested Development, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force
.
"There’s enough of the divinely comic in this 'Inferno' to justify a pair of sequels"
-Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix, March 2007
"...feels like the unholy offspring of Mike Judge and R. Crumb."
– Robert Abele, LA Times, May 2007
Director Sean Meredith won the "Best Director" award at the Silver Lake Film Festival
in Los Angeles
in 2007, and the film won the "Audience Favorite" award at the San Francisco International Film Festival
in 2007. Boston Underground Film Festival gave it the Spirit of Underground award in 2007. The jury at the 2007 Lausanne Underground Film and Music Festival gave the award for Best Narrative Feature.
Toy theater
Toy theater, also called paper theater and model theater, is a form of miniature theater dating back to the early 19th century in Europe. Toy theaters were often printed on paperboard sheets and sold as kits at the concession stand of an opera house, playhouse, or vaudeville theater...
stage. The film was adapted from the book "Dante's Inferno" by Sandow Birk
Sandow Birk
Sandow Birk is an American artist from Southern California. He has an extensive history of exhibitions both national and international, and has received many prestigious grants and awards. Five books have been published on his works and he has made two films. The majority of his work has dealt with...
and Marcus Sanders (Chronicle Books, 2004), which is a modern update of the canticle
Canticle
A canticle is a hymn taken from the Bible. The term is often expanded to include ancient non-biblical hymns such as the Te Deum and certain psalms used liturgically.-Roman Catholic Church:From the Old Testament, the Roman Breviary takes seven canticles for use at Lauds, as follows:*...
Inferno
Inferno (Dante)
Inferno is the first part of Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem Divine Comedy. It is followed by Purgatorio and Paradiso. It is an allegory telling of the journey of Dante through what is largely the medieval concept of Hell, guided by the Roman poet Virgil. In the poem, Hell is depicted as...
from Dante Alighieri
Dante Alighieri
Durante degli Alighieri, mononymously referred to as Dante , was an Italian poet, prose writer, literary theorist, moral philosopher, and political thinker. He is best known for the monumental epic poem La commedia, later named La divina commedia ...
's epic poem The Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy is an epic poem written by Dante Alighieri between 1308 and his death in 1321. It is widely considered the preeminent work of Italian literature, and is seen as one of the greatest works of world literature...
. The film chronicles Dante's (voiced by Dermot Mulroney
Dermot Mulroney
-Early life:Mulroney was born in Alexandria, Virginia, the son of Ellen, a housewife and amateur actress originally from Manchester, Iowa, and Michael Mulroney, a law professor at Villanova University School of Law, originally from Elkader, Iowa. He has a sister, Moira, and three brothers, Conor,...
) journeys through the underworld, guided by Virgil
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid...
(voiced by James Cromwell
James Cromwell
James Oliver Cromwell is an American film and television actor. Some of his more notable roles are in Babe , for which he earned Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, Star Trek: First Contact , L.A...
). The head puppeteer was Paul Zaloom
Paul Zaloom
Paul Finley Zaloom is a U.S. actor and puppeteer best known for his role as the character Beakman on the television show Beakman's World.-Career:...
and the puppets were designed by Elyse Pignolet
Elyse Pignolet
-Early life and education:Born in Oakland, CA, Elyse Pignolet is an American with Filipino heritage. She studied fine arts at California State University, San Francisco. She continued her studies at California State University, Long Beach, on a CSU exchange program. In 2001 she lived in Madrid and...
and drawn by Sandow Birk
Sandow Birk
Sandow Birk is an American artist from Southern California. He has an extensive history of exhibitions both national and international, and has received many prestigious grants and awards. Five books have been published on his works and he has made two films. The majority of his work has dealt with...
. The film premiered January 20, 2007 at the 2007 Slamdance Film Festival
2007 Slamdance Film Festival
The 2007 Slamdance Film Festival took place in Park City, Utah from January 18 to January 27, 2007. It was the 13th iteration of the Slamdance Film Festival, an alternative to the more mainstream Sundance Film Festival...
. The film has also been shown at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival
Santa Barbara International Film Festival
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is a film festival and non-profit organization, established in 1985, that showcases independent American and international films. The SBIFF line-up includes 20 world premieres and 11 U.S. premieres, with newly expanded 11-day festival...
, Sarasota Film Festival
Sarasota Film Festival
The Sarasota Film Festival has been held annually since 1999 in Sarasota, Florida. The festival is held in April and has become one of the top ten independent festivals in North America...
, Atlanta Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival
Newport Beach Film Festival
The Newport Beach Film Festival is a film festival in the United States held in Newport Beach, California, that showcases more than 350 films to more than 30,000 attendees annually....
, Maryland Film Festival, Silver Lake Film Festival
Silver Lake Film Festival
Silver Lake Film Festival ran from 2000 to 2007. It was a 501 nonprofit organization established to provide a showcase for cutting-edge independent film, music, digital, and other arts in Los Angeles, California. The Festival was held annually at various venues throughout Los Angeles’ Eastside,...
, the Boston Underground Film Festival
Boston Underground Film Festival
The Boston Underground Film Festival is an annual event held in the Boston, Massachusetts area that specializes in alternative film and video. The Boston Underground Film Festival, also known as BUFF, is the largest underground film festival in New England, spotlighting short films and feature...
, and on the Ovation TV
Ovation TV
Ovation is an American television channel that airs programming dedicated to the arts and contemporary culture. It features programming devoted to performance, people, art, music and film. In addition, Ovation features in-depth profiles on various artists and performers, Arts news from the U.S and...
cable network.
The voice cast includes actors associated with the Upright Citizens Brigade
Upright Citizens Brigade
The Upright Citizens Brigade is an improvisational comedy and sketch comedy group that emerged from Chicago's ImprovOlympic in 1990. The most recent incarnation consists of Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh...
, Crossballs
Crossballs
Crossballs: The Debate Show was a Comedy Central television show which poked fun at cable news networks' political debate shows, especially CNN's Crossfire and MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews. In each episode, comedians posing as experts on a particular subject would debate two real...
, 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
, Arrested Development, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Aqua Teen Hunger Force
Aqua Teen Hunger Force , retitled Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1 in 2011, is an American animated television series on Cartoon Network late night programing block, Adult Swim, as well as Teletoon's Teletoon at Night block and later G4 Canada's ADd block in Canada...
.
Voice cast
- Tony Abatemacro - Lying Defendant, Farinata
- Scott AdsitScott AdsitScott Adsit is an American actor, writer and improvisational comedian. He is currently co-starring as Pete Hornberger in the hit NBC comedy 30 Rock and worked in the Adult Swim stop-motion animation programs Moral Orel and Mary Shelley's Frankenhole.-1990s:After attending Columbia College Chicago,...
- Judge Minos, Paolo, HirohitoHirohito, posthumously in Japan officially called Emperor Shōwa or , was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order, reigning from December 25, 1926, until his death in 1989. Although better known outside of Japan by his personal name Hirohito, in Japan he is now referred to...
, Copter Pilot, Spiro AgnewSpiro AgnewSpiro Theodore Agnew was the 39th Vice President of the United States , serving under President Richard Nixon, and the 55th Governor of Maryland... - Matt BesserMatt BesserMatthew Gregory "Matt" Besser is an American actor and comedian best known as one of the founding members of the Upright Citizens Brigade sketch comedy troupe who also had their own show on Comedy Central from 1998-2000....
- Metallica Defendant, L. Ron HubbardL. Ron HubbardLafayette Ronald Hubbard , better known as L. Ron Hubbard , was an American pulp fiction author and religious leader who founded the Church of Scientology...
, Curtis LeMay, Airport Security - Bill ChottBill ChottBill Chott is an American actor and comedian.- Early life :During his school years, Chott appeared in numerous plays and musicals. As a graduate of Ritenour High School he was inducted into the school's hall of fame for his tremendous success...
- Ciaccio 'El Gordo', Calvacanti, Stalin, Ulysses' Crew - Mike Coleman - CharonCharon (mythology)In Greek mythology, Charon or Kharon is the ferryman of Hades who carries souls of the newly deceased across the rivers Styx and Acheron that divided the world of the living from the world of the dead. A coin to pay Charon for passage, usually an obolus or danake, was sometimes placed in or on...
, PhlegyasPhlegyasPhlegyas , son of Ares and Chryse or Dotis, was king of the Lapiths in Greek mythology. He was the father of Ixion and Coronis, one of Apollo's lovers. While pregnant with Asclepius, Coronis fell in love with Ischys, son of Elatus. When a crow informed Apollo of the affair, he sent his sister...
, Senator, Dick CheneyDick CheneyRichard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush.... - James CromwellJames CromwellJames Oliver Cromwell is an American film and television actor. Some of his more notable roles are in Babe , for which he earned Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, Star Trek: First Contact , L.A...
- VirgilVirgilPublius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid... - Andrew DalyAndrew DalyAndrew "Andy" Daly is an American actor, comedian and writer best known for playing Principal Terrence Cutler in the HBO comedy series Eastbound & Down.-Early life:Daly was born in Mount Kisco, New York and raised in New Jersey...
- Lucan, "Right On" Glutton, Jim JonesJim JonesJames Warren "Jim" Jones was the founder and leader of the Peoples Temple, which is best known for the November 18, 1978 mass suicide of 909 Temple members in Jonestown, Guyana along with the killings of five other people at a nearby airstrip.Jones was born in Indiana and started the Temple in...
, Airport Screener, Ulysses' Naysayer - John Fleck - Brunetto Latini
- Sean Forrester - HoraceHoraceQuintus Horatius Flaccus , known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.-Life:...
, Mr. Argenti, White Pimp, Beating Victim, Airport Security, Insider Trader #2 - Tony HaleTony HaleTony Hale is an American actor, best known for his role in the Fox comedy series Arrested Development as the neurotic Byron "Buster" Bluth.-Early life:...
- OvidOvidPublius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
, Real Estate Broker, Pope Nicholas IIIPope Nicholas IIIPope Nicholas III , born Giovanni Gaetano Orsini, Pope from November 25, 1277 to his death in 1280, was a Roman nobleman who had served under eight Popes, been made cardinal-deacon of St... - Tom Hallick - George SandersGeorge SandersGeorge Sanders was a British actor.George Sanders may also refer to:*George Sanders , Victoria Cross recipient in World War I...
, Deep Voiced Lobbyist - Brandon Johnson - Irate Driver, Mounted Policeman, Pimp #1, Pimp #3, Airport Security
- Laura KrafftLaura KrafftLaura Krafft is a comedic writer and actress. An ImprovOlympic and Second City alum, she is a former staff writer for The Colbert Report.- Writing assignments :*The Colbert Report Bust Magazine Columnist, "News from a Broad",...
- George Sand, Airport P.A., Subway P.A. - Dermot MulroneyDermot Mulroney-Early life:Mulroney was born in Alexandria, Virginia, the son of Ellen, a housewife and amateur actress originally from Manchester, Iowa, and Michael Mulroney, a law professor at Villanova University School of Law, originally from Elkader, Iowa. He has a sister, Moira, and three brothers, Conor,...
- DanteDANTEDelivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe is a not-for-profit organisation that plans, builds and operates the international networks that interconnect the various national research and education networks in Europe and surrounding regions... - Martha PlimptonMartha PlimptonMartha Campbell Plimpton is an American actress and singer and former model. Plimpton is a screen, stage and television actress. She first appeared as Jonsy in the feature film River Rats before rising to prominence in the Richard Donner film The Goonies portraying the character Stef...
- Celia, Lobbyist Singer, Lizzie Borden - Kit PongettiKit PongettiKit Pongetti is an American actress, singer and writer, known for several acting roles, including playing Lady, the wife of the Janitor, in the show Scrubs.-Early life:...
- W.M.D. Defendant, Francesca, Marilyn MonroeMarilyn MonroeMarilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
, Elena Ceausescu
- Tami SagherTami SagherTami Sagher is an American television producer and writer and actress. Some of her most notable work includes: 30 Rock, Psych and Madtv. She has recently become a staff writer on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother....
- George EliotGeorge EliotMary Anne Evans , better known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, journalist and translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era...
, Greed Seductress, Barbara BatesBarbara BatesBarbara Bates was an American actress best known for her role as Phoebe in the 1950 drama All About Eve.-Early life:...
, Penelope - Dana SnyderDana SnyderDana Snyder is an American actor, voice artist, and comedian, best known for playing Master Shake on the Aqua Teen Hunger Force show, and the film Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters, both part of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim franchise.- Early life :Dana Snyder was born in...
- Strom ThurmondStrom ThurmondJames Strom Thurmond was an American politician who served as a United States Senator. He also ran for the Presidency of the United States in 1948 as the segregationist States Rights Democratic Party candidate, receiving 2.4% of the popular vote and 39 electoral votes...
, UlyssesOdysseusOdysseus or Ulysses was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle.... - Janet VarneyJanet VarneyJanet Varney is an American comedic actress best known for being the current hostess of TBS's Dinner and a Movie.-Early life:Varney was born in Arizona...
- Teacher, Cleopatra, City of Dis Intercom, Ulysses' Usher - Matt WalshMatt WalshMatthew Paul "Matt" Walsh is an American actor, comedian, director and writer best known as a founding member of the Upright Citizens Brigade improvisational sketch comedy troupe...
- Benito MussoliniBenito MussoliniBenito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
, Fox Reporter, Airport Security Pursuer - Paul ZaloomPaul ZaloomPaul Finley Zaloom is a U.S. actor and puppeteer best known for his role as the character Beakman on the television show Beakman's World.-Career:...
- HomerHomerIn the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
, GodGodGod is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, Officer Chiron, Southern Lobbyist, Airport Security, CaiaphasCaiaphasJoseph, son of Caiaphas, Hebrew יוסף בַּר קַיָּפָא or Yosef Bar Kayafa, commonly known simply as Caiaphas in the New Testament, was the Roman-appointed Jewish high priest who is said to have organized the plot to kill Jesus...
, Ulysses' Crew, Macmud, Insider Trader #1, Nicolae CeausescuNicolae CeausescuNicolae Ceaușescu was a Romanian Communist politician. He was General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and as such was the country's second and last Communist leader...
Reception
Film critic Curt Holman gave the film 3 stars and said it had a "far-ranging and bawdy satirical spirit." Film critic Kevin Stewart said "such political satire is very fitting for the manner and the times.""There’s enough of the divinely comic in this 'Inferno' to justify a pair of sequels"
-Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix, March 2007
"...feels like the unholy offspring of Mike Judge and R. Crumb."
– Robert Abele, LA Times, May 2007
Director Sean Meredith won the "Best Director" award at the Silver Lake Film Festival
Silver Lake Film Festival
Silver Lake Film Festival ran from 2000 to 2007. It was a 501 nonprofit organization established to provide a showcase for cutting-edge independent film, music, digital, and other arts in Los Angeles, California. The Festival was held annually at various venues throughout Los Angeles’ Eastside,...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 2007, and the film won the "Audience Favorite" award at the San Francisco International Film Festival
San Francisco International Film Festival
San Francisco International Film Festival is the oldest continuously running film festival in the Americas. Organized by the San Francisco Film Society, the International is held each spring for two weeks, presenting an average of 150 films from over 50 countries...
in 2007. Boston Underground Film Festival gave it the Spirit of Underground award in 2007. The jury at the 2007 Lausanne Underground Film and Music Festival gave the award for Best Narrative Feature.