Dante: Inferno to Paradise is a documentary film - divided into two parts - which premiered on US television (PBS) in 2024.
The topic of this film is the life and work of the famous Florentine poet Dante Alighieri (1256-1321).
Here is some basic information about this film:
** Director: Ric Burns
** Writers: Ric Burns and Riccardo Bruscagli
** Narrator: Alan Cox
** Language: English
** Subtitles: English
** Run time: 114 + 113 = 227 minutes
More than twenty historical experts are interviewed in this film. Here are the names of the participants. Listed in alphabetical order:
Catherine Adoyo
Paola Allegretti
Albert Ascoli
Theodolinda Barolini
George Bradley
Riccardo Bruscagli
Theodore Cachey
Marcello Ciccutto
Carlo Francini
Eugenio Giani
Claudio Giunta
Giuseppe Ledda
Elena Lombardi
Manuele Gragnolati
Umberto Montano
Lino Pertile
David Quint
Guy Raffa
Matteo Renzi
Timothy Verdon
Heather Webb
Andrea Zorzi
Actors are used to create some scenes with Dante in different locations during his exile and some scenes with Dante during his journey in the world of the afterlife.
Actors are used to portray several historical persons, including the following:
** The Florentine poet Dante Alighieri
(1256-1321)
** The Roman poet Virgil (Publius Vergilius Maro)
(70-19 BC)
** Cato the Younger (Marcus Porcius Cato)
(95-46 BC)
** The Florentine woman Beatrice Portinari
(1265-1290)
In this film, the life and work of the famous Florentine poet is covered in great detail:
The first episode
** Dante before the exile (1265-1302)
** The first years of the exile (1302-1314)
** Dante visits Hell (inferno)
The second episode
** Dante visits Purgatory (purgatorio)
** Dante visits Heaven (paradiso)
** The final years of the exile (1314-1321)
** The of legacy of Dante
Dante was born and raised in Florence (Firenze). It was his home town. When he grew up, he became involved in local political affairs.
At the time, the leading politicians of the city were divided into two groups who hated each other. When members of one group were in power, they made life difficult for members of the other group.
Dante was on a diplomatic mission to meet the Pope in Rome, when the group to which he did not belong came to power in Florence.
The rulers of Florence decided that members of the other group were guilty of some serious crimes. Those who were present in the city were arrested and punished.
Since Dante was not present, he was tried and convicted in absentia. He was informed that if he ever returned to Florence, he would be killed.
This is how his exile began in 1302. He never saw his home town again. He died in exile in 1321.
During those years, he had to move from place to place. He had to find a place where it was safe for him to stay. He had to find a place where the local ruler was prepared to accept his presence. His life was not easy.
Where did he go? Where did he stay? Details about dates and locations are incomplete and uncertain. The following list is not certified, but it is an approximation:
1302-1303 in Siena
1303-1304 in Arezzo
1304-1306 in Bologna
1306-1312 in different locations
1312-1318 in Verona
1318-1321 in Ravenna
While he was in exile, Dante planned and composed his major work which is known The Divine Comedy. Dante himself used the title Comedy. The word Divine was added to the title about 100 years after his death.
At that time, there were only two main genres of literature: tragedy and comedy.
A tragedy has a sad ending. A comedy begins with problems but has a positive ending.
Dante’s account begins with a difficult situation, but it has a positive ending. This is why he used the title comedy.
The title of his work should not be confused with the modern meaning of the word. We think a comedy is a funny story which will make us laugh.
The Divine Comedy is about the world of the afterlife. According to the Catholic Church, this world had two zones: Heaven and Hell.
Dante decided to add a third zone located between Heaven and Hell. This zone is Purgatory. This is where sins can be washed away and forgiven, if you show remorse and if you pray to God.
In the Divine Comedy, Dante visits the three zones which are found in the world of the afterlife:
** Inferno = with nine circles
** Purgatorio = with seven terraces
** Paradiso = with nine rings
How was a living person (like Dante) able to visit the world of the afterlife and (having done this) return to the world of the living?
The answer is that he was invited to go there and that he did not pass through the three zones by himself.
From the beginning to the end, he was with a guide who could show him the way and who could explain what was happening around him as he passed from one zone to the next.
The key to the invitation is Beatrice Portinari, a Florentine woman who was born in 1265 - the same year as Dante - but a few months later.
Beatrice was the love of his life, even though he only met her two times in Florence and even though they almost never spoke to each other.
He saw her standing on a balcony when she was nine. Nothing was said. Nothing happened.
He saw her again when she was 18. This time, she was walking in the street flanked by two older women.
In this moment, she spoke to him, but when this happened, he was so overwhelmed by joy that he did not know how to respond. He walked away.
Beatrice did not live a long life. She died in 1290. Dante married another woman with whom he had four children.
It seems Beatrice knew how Dante felt. It seems she also had feelings for him, even though she could never act on her feelings.
When she died, she ended up in Heaven, because she was a good person. While she was there, she somehow learned that Dante was in a difficult situation.
She wanted to help him. She sent a message to him and invited him to go to the gates of hell.
When he got there, he was met by the Roman poet Virgil who was waiting for him.
Virgil was going to be his guide. Virgil would guide him through the world of the afterlife until he could meet with Beatrice.
Why did Dante choose Virgil to be his guide?
For two reasons:
# 1. Virgil was a famous Roman poet. Dante regarded him as his mentor and teacher.
# 2. Virgil is the author of The Aeneid whose main character is the Troyan prince Aeneas who travels from Troy to the Italian peninsula.
The Aeneid is divided into 12 books.
In book six, Aeneas visits the underworld. Aeneas meets several dead persons, including his father Anchises, who had died during the voyage.
His father makes a prediction:
The descendants of Aeneas are going to found a large city which will be the centre of a powerful empire which will rule the world. The city is Rome and the empire is the Roman Empire.
Dante borrowed the idea that a living person can visit the world of the dead from Virgil.
This is why Virgil is chosen to be Dante’s guide when Dante visits the world of the afterlife.
Why is Virgil in Hell? Because he was a pagan. Because he lived long before Christianity was invented.
According to the Catholic Church, a pagan person can (almost) never get to Heaven, even if he was a good person while he lived.
Virgil guides Dante through the first zone (Hell). When they leave this zone, they are standing at the entrance to the second zone (Purgatory).
The gate of Purgatory is guarded by Cato the Younger. Why did Dante choose Cato to guard the gate of Purgatory?
Cato was a pagan, just like Virgil. Cato lived before Christianity was invented. But he was a person who focused on justice. He was an honest person who was against corruption.
He is regarded as the last defender of the ideals of the Roman Republic during the civil war between the two factions: Populares (Caesar) against the Optimates (Pompey)
The civil war lasted four years (49-45 BC).
Pompey died in 48 BC.
Cato died in 46 BC.
Cato was in the North African town of Utica when Caesar’s army was approaching.
He knew Caesar was going to defeat the army which defended the town of Utica.
He refused to surrender to Caesar. He refused to live under tyranny.
He decided it was better to take his own life. After his death by suicide, he was given the agnomen Uticensis to indicate the place where he died.
Cato is surprised to see Virgil and Dante, but after some discussion, he allows them to enter the second zone.
When they leave the second zone, Virgil explains that this is as far as he can go. Since he is a pagan, he cannot enter Heaven.
In this moment, Beatrice appears. She is the reason for the whole journey. Dante has passed through Hell and Purgatory in order to meet her.
Now they can meet and now they can talk to each other.
Beatrice is his guide when he passes through the third zone (Heaven).
When they get to the end of the third zone, Dante explains that the Heaven he can see and describe is only a poor reflection of reality. The real Heaven cannot be described. It cannot be explained by any words.
Having passed through the three zones of the afterworld, Dante returns to the world of the living.
He composed The Divine Comedy in order to find a way out of the darkness of his exile. When his work is completed, he is finally at peace with himself.
In 1321, the ruler of Ravenna invited Dante to undertake a diplomatic mission to Venice (Venezia). Dante travelled to Venice, but the mission was not an immediate success.
While returning to Ravenna, he passed through a swampy area where he contracted malaria. He managed to get back, but he died shortly after his return to Ravenna. He was buried in this town.
His work was in three parts. The two parts were completed and published around 1314.
His work was praised by many. He was becoming a famous author.
Some people in Florence began to think: maybe we were wrong to convict Dante and drive him into exile? Perhaps we should allow him to return?
In 1315, the council of Florence told him it might be possible for him to return to Florence, but the offer came with some conditions:
# 1. He had to ask for permission to return
# 2. He had to apologize for his crimes
# 3. He had to pay a substantial fine
Dante refused to accept these conditions. He felt Florence should apologize to him.
He realised that it would probably never be possible for him to return to his home town.
He was correct. He never saw Florence again. He died in exile in 1321. The third part of his work was published after his death in 1321.
In 2008, the council of Florence decided to issue an official statement in which they abolished the verdict which had forced Dante into exile.
This decision came more than 700 years after the local council had passed the verdict which forced him into exile! Perhaps we can say:
Better late than never!
In the Italian peninsula, Dante was a famous poet and a famous person. He was the author of a major work. But this was not all. He did not write in Latin. He chose to write in the local language, the dialect of Tuscany.
This language is the foundation of the modern Italian language. Dante is not only a famous poet. He is also the father of the modern Italian language.
This is why he is regarded as the most important poet of the modern state of Italy, which was proclaimed in 1861.
In this film, the story of Dante’s life and work is told in great detail. What do reviewers say about this film?
On IMDb it has a rating of 83 percent. At the moment (April 2024), there are five user review of this product on IMDb. Here are the headlines and the ratings offered:
100 = Stunning
100 = Can PBS Cook or Can They Cook!
100 = Brilliant
100 = Worth Watching
50 = Snoozer
On 16 March 2024, a review written by Stephen Smith was published in the Wall Street Journal. The headline says:
“Dante: Inferno to Paradise Review: A Divine PBS Documentary.”
The introduction says:
“Combining expert commentary and artful dramatizations, Ric Burns’s film traces Dante’s life and towering literary achievement.”
While this review does not offer a specific rating, it is clearly very positive.
I understand the positive reviews I have seen and I agree with them.
I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).
PS. I have visited Italy several times.
I have been to Verona where you can see a large statue of Dante in the middle of a public square.
Many citizens of Verona are pleased and proud, because their ancestors offered Dante a safe haven, while the council of his home town wanted to kill him.
I have been to Ravenna where the famous poet died in 1321. In this town you can see the tomb of Dante.
REFERENCES
The Figure of Beatrice:
A Study in Dante
By Charles Williams
(first published in 1943)
(2021 = Hardcover)
(2021 = Paperback)
Dante’s Poets
By Theodolinda Barolini
(1984)
The Undivine Comedy
By Theodolinda Barolini
(1992)
Dante and the Origins of Italian Literary Culture
By Theodolinda Barolini
(2006)
Dante’s Persons:
An Ethics of the Transhuman
By Heather Webb
(2016)
Dante’s Bones:
How a Poet Invented Italy
By Guy P. Raffa
(2020)
Dante: Artist of Gesture
By Heather Webb
(2022)
Dante’s Multitudes:
History, Philosophy, Method
By Theodolinda Barolini
(2022)
*****
Firenze 1283:
Dante and Beatrice meet each other
Dante is standing on the right side of the painting
Beatrice is flanked by two older women
This historical moment was painted
by the Victorian painter
Henry Holiday in 1883
*****
The Divine Comedy
Inferno * Purgatorio * Paradiso
by Dante Alighieri
An English translation
by Allen Mandelbaum
(1995)
*****
A statue of Dante
placed in the middle of
a public square in Verona.
The poet found a safe haven in this town
for several years
(1312-1318)
*****
Dante Alighieri
(born in Florence in 1265)
(died in Ravenna in 1321)
The tomb of Dante in Ravenna
*****
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