Dante's Inferno

Dante’s Inferno modernizes Dante Allegheri’s classic tale, using paper puppet versions of classic and modern celebrities and politicians to replace the figures in  original tale. The use of puppets initially seemed uninspired, but upon further consideration, I find the medium to be very effective. Primarily, it points out the theatrical hilarity of governmental and societal systems. A prime example is the ring of hell in which lobbyists and congress people are eternally damned to perform in a never-ending musical number. The notion of a staged show works particularly well in the depiction of politicians, because it alludes to scripted dishonesty. Another asset to the puppet show presentation of Dante’s Inferno is the cartoonish nature of the paper puppets. In the post-screening discussion, someone brought up the reference to political cartoons. This film has a very similar tone to politically charged comic strips, providing a like social critique. All in all, the film updates an old tale with a sociopolitical awareness in a way that Dante himself would have (most likely) approved of.