Kudos must be given to the crew for going out on a limb to bring a different type of production to the screen.
If you haven´t noticed, I´ve shied away from any in depth critique of the story proper. With material this old and integrated into our culture, what is the point-really-in trying to figure out where it goes wrong, if it goes wrong at all? This is a straight forward quest film, one in which the ultimate goal is to return home. None of the characters Dante and Virgil meet along the way are terribly deep. Perhaps they could be called two dimensional, but I´d be accused of making a bad joke. The story doesn´t have the time or ambition to delve into side plots and explore this world more thoroughly. There´s a one track mind at work here. I can´t say that´s a totally bad thing.
VIDEO:
Coming in with an aspect ratio of 1.77:1 (anamorphic), "Dante´s Inferno" actually looks pretty good. Not reference quality, mind you, though other discs can learn a great deal based on how the transfer deals with the color red. Simply put, certain sequences are bathed in red light and they come out without a smear to their name. There are one or two moments where a stray artifact or slight grain enters the picture, though neither turns out to be anything to worry about. The colors are appropriately subdued; no version of hell is going to look quite right with neon green and fluorescent yellow.
AUDIO:
There´s only one option here, an English 5.1 track (no subtitles). It works as well as it can, considering a rather limited audio field to work with. Sound effects are generally distributed through all the speakers, with the dialogue mostly coming from the front speakers. The track doesn´t distort the soundtrack at any level.
EXTRAS:
As already alluded to, there are two commentary tracks included. The first features director Sean Meredith, art director/co-writer Sandow Birk and head puppeteer Paul Zaloom. These three are a wealth of information when it comes to the production of the film, as should be expected. From creating the puppets to the script and a twelve day shoot, there is barely a moment of quiet between the three.
Somewhat more technical and dry is the second commentary with puppetry historian John Bell and Dante historian Peter Hawkins. Hawkins and Bell excel in their areas of expertise to be sure; however, there is such a thing as information overload. What would have happened if all five participants were put in the same room and recorded one track? The fun of the first would carry over into the second without a doubt, creating a better experience for the audience.
A fifteen minute making of featurette comes next. It´s primary focus is on the puppet´s, naturally. The problem here, though, is we don´t get to see the creation of each character, only the finished product and behind the scenes on shooting. I would have thought with a production like this, everything would have been documented. A photo gallery with fourteen images comes next, followed by a series of trailers ("Dante´s Inferno," "Storm," "Rapturious," "The Living and the Dead" and "Man, Woman and the Wall"). Lastly, a CD-Rom feature provides access to two musical numbers from the film.
PARTING THOUGHTS:
As long as the word "adaptation" doesn´t stray far from your consciousness, "Dante´s Inferno" should be an enjoyable experience. It is true some of the in-jokes are too obscure for most audiences and any attempt at explaining them ruins the humor. Kudos must be given to the crew, though, for going out on a limb to bring a different type of production to the screen. Some people will appreciate it, some won´t. The work, though, should be admired.
VIDEO:
Coming in with an aspect ratio of 1.77:1 (anamorphic), "Dante´s Inferno" actually looks pretty good. Not reference quality, mind you, though other discs can learn a great deal based on how the transfer deals with the color red. Simply put, certain sequences are bathed in red light and they come out without a smear to their name. There are one or two moments where a stray artifact or slight grain enters the picture, though neither turns out to be anything to worry about. The colors are appropriately subdued; no version of hell is going to look quite right with neon green and fluorescent yellow.
AUDIO:
There´s only one option here, an English 5.1 track (no subtitles). It works as well as it can, considering a rather limited audio field to work with. Sound effects are generally distributed through all the speakers, with the dialogue mostly coming from the front speakers. The track doesn´t distort the soundtrack at any level.
EXTRAS:
As already alluded to, there are two commentary tracks included. The first features director Sean Meredith, art director/co-writer Sandow Birk and head puppeteer Paul Zaloom. These three are a wealth of information when it comes to the production of the film, as should be expected. From creating the puppets to the script and a twelve day shoot, there is barely a moment of quiet between the three.
Somewhat more technical and dry is the second commentary with puppetry historian John Bell and Dante historian Peter Hawkins. Hawkins and Bell excel in their areas of expertise to be sure; however, there is such a thing as information overload. What would have happened if all five participants were put in the same room and recorded one track? The fun of the first would carry over into the second without a doubt, creating a better experience for the audience.
A fifteen minute making of featurette comes next. It´s primary focus is on the puppet´s, naturally. The problem here, though, is we don´t get to see the creation of each character, only the finished product and behind the scenes on shooting. I would have thought with a production like this, everything would have been documented. A photo gallery with fourteen images comes next, followed by a series of trailers ("Dante´s Inferno," "Storm," "Rapturious," "The Living and the Dead" and "Man, Woman and the Wall"). Lastly, a CD-Rom feature provides access to two musical numbers from the film.
PARTING THOUGHTS:
As long as the word "adaptation" doesn´t stray far from your consciousness, "Dante´s Inferno" should be an enjoyable experience. It is true some of the in-jokes are too obscure for most audiences and any attempt at explaining them ruins the humor. Kudos must be given to the crew, though, for going out on a limb to bring a different type of production to the screen. Some people will appreciate it, some won´t. The work, though, should be admired.
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[release]24743[/release]