L'Inferno (1911)

Boys' Bible Study

This silent movie that graphically depicts the famous epic poem Inferno by Dante Alighieri was a box office success in its day, grossing $2 million worldwide due to its longer-than-usual runtime for the era (about 70 minutes) and its titillating imagery, including hundreds of nude actors. L’INFERNO’s aura is still creepy more than 110 years later because the practical effects and camera techniques deployed by the filmmakers are extremely creative and sophisticated. We at Boys’ Bible Study found L’INFERNO a fascinating watch because it caused us to ponder some of the same questions we ask of Christian genre films from the 2020s, including: is this film truly Christian or hiding behind the claim of a wholesome message to sell graphic scenes of sex and violence? Is a shocking depiction of hell on film an effective missioning tool, or does it simply arouse the senses? We suspect in this case the filmmakers simply thought Dante’s Inferno was thrilling source material to explore using the burgeoning medium of film, but perhaps L’INFERNO sold some tickets to curious Christians who wanted a moral excuse to enjoy risqué entertainment. We also theorize that Dante’s Inferno completely changed society’s idea of hell as a concept — perhaps contemporary Christianity’s idea of fire and damnation doesn’t come directly from the Bible, but instead from Dante’s impressive Bible fan-fiction. Either way, this film inspired us to avoid being “simonists”, who Dante depicts as being buried upside down in hell with their feet above ground and tortured for eternity. Nasty stuff!

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