Hell Sequence
Somewhere I read that the Hell sequence was lifted from a much earlier silent film. Does anyone know anything about this?
Nothing exists more beautifully than nothing.
[deleted]
Thanks; I have since found out the sequence was indeed lifted from the earlier film.
Nothing exists more beautifully than nothing.
Thanks; I have since found out the sequence was indeed lifted from the earlier film.
I'm afraid the earlier poster has since deleted his post.
Would you be kind enough to tell us the title of that earlier film? share
The 1924 silent American version of "Dante's Inferno" also from Fox.
Nothing is more beautiful than nothing.
Thanks for the reply. Are there even any bootleg DVDs floating around of Dante's Inferno?
This sounds like a good film for the folks at the Criterion Collection to restore, but perhaps it's too obscure?
Supposedly some film vault somewhere has it, but its in very bad shape. More's the pity.
Nothing is more beautiful than nothing.
That would explain why there appears to be male nudity during the Hell sequence - either that or there was too much going on for the censors to catch what appears to be several penises dangling between many men's legs.
shareI watched the silent version tonight. Nice tints and the print was pretty good. I bought it maybe a decade ago from some online collector.
Yeah - I noticed bare male butts, but not dangling penises.
It's not a very good film.
My copy ran about 58 minutes.
This guy claims it's not from the 1924 film. Since you look to be the only lucky one who has seen them both on this board, what do you say?
blackholereviews.blogspot.com/.../dantes-inferno-1935-black-and-white. html
Also, perchance anyone has found the 1924 version floating around online for the rest of us to view? I'd buy the darn thing if I could, but I will take it any way I can.
My Film Journal - Chrisfilm.wordpress.com
http://blackholereviews.blogspot.com/search?q=inferno
I do not have access to my copy at the moment as I am away from my collection.
The 1935 version - the Hell sequence does not look like 1935 footage. It is silent and the image quality is softer than the rest of the film.
I bought the 1924 version from a collector who sent me some 'catalogs', but that was 15 years ago easily.
This is it, IIRC - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiO5LtyGBrc
The 1935 version did not use the titles.
Wish i could help more.
I just viewed the U-Tube segment and it didn't look anything like what I just saw on TCM. What I did see in the 1935 looked like it was filmed in 1935, although the nudity was a little surprising for a 1935 film, since the Production Code had come in by then. I guess the subject matter caused the censors to let it pass. Also, I'm not sure how much of it was actual nudity and not body suits.
This Wikipedia article suggest that most of the Hell Sequence is from 1935 and a vision of the film's director:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante%27s_Inferno_(1935_film)
I would say that, at most there might be a couple of brief shots form the 1924 film in the 1935 sequence but not much more than that.
The past is a series of presents. The present is living history we are privileged to witness
schappe1: You are correct. There are VERY few scenes (if any) lifted from the 1924 version integrated into 1935. Even those I am not sure on. Since the framing and the films speeds were different. Silent 18fps, Sound 24fps and you would have to re-frame/shoot the silent footage to keep at the correct speed ratio. Better, cheaper and more efficient to shoot new footage. Plus, why bother, you had special effects genius Fred Sersen on the payroll. This unappreciated SFX Masters effects hold up far better then most of his contemporaries.
Believe this is one of those Hollywood film 'legends' not based on fact. Like the sea battles from the original Sea Hawk used in the classic 1940 version as well as previously in Captain Blood (1935). It just is not so with anybody with 1/2 a brain watching both films would confirm.
Without being rude or elitist (ooops..too late), I need to ask you of the level of skill and experience that you and xerses13 have as to be able to make such a declaration.
I can't say you are right or wrong w/o seeing it again.
Maybe another time! :)
I seem to recall hearing that some shots of Noble Johnson as a demon whipping a woman from the 1924 version was recycled into the 1935 movie.
shareThing of it is that if you have a sequence w/o sound already in the can and only 11 years old and the 'new' version is silent as well, why bother to reshoot the sequence?
shareHere is my entire statement on the subject:
"I just viewed the U-Tube segment and it didn't look anything like what I just saw on TCM."
I am an expert only on what I saw and the two sequences didn't look like eachother to me. That doesn't mean that part of the 1924 sequence, (with a color change and a sharper copy than what's on U-Tube) might not have been included. What was depicted and the camera angles used were certainly different,at least for most of it.
The past is a series of presents. The present is living history we are privileged to witness
Ok then.
sharedonofthedial; Over fifty years of Film watching and study and well over two-hundred volumes on the subject. As for being rude that is not important, as for being elitist, you are certainly not a member.
shareMy creds top your creds by miles. More years and more books and more films. And I owned and ran a classics only video store for 15 years. People came to ME for information - including well know film scholars and Hollywood people including stars and directors you would fawn over.
Since being rude or elitist is not a factor with you, please read the above paragraph.
All was quite civil here until your posts.
Be gone, ill wind, be gone!
donofthedial; If your credential were true, you would not be on these boards at all, for you would have no time. Do not have to FABRICATE our knowledge. It is obvious you have neither studied either films very well. Have a copy of surviving footage of the 1924 Silent. It is also available on YOU-TUBE. Even a cursory evaluation shows that little if any was integrated in the sound version.
It is not rude or elitist to not suffer fools. You qualify for both and no thinking Person believes your posts.
I'm disabled now and I have nothing but time.
Here's me, loudmouth.
http://wayback.archive.org/web/*/http://www.starlightroof.com/
What you got?
How does one view the 1924 version in its entirety? The only Youtube video I've seen is only a small clip from the film.
EDIT: Wow, looks like someone added the entire thing since the last I checked! Off to watch...
My Film Journal - Chrisfilm.wordpress.com
jewellrunner; There is more then one excerpt from the 1924 film on You-Tube. The HELL-SEQUENCE though appears fairly complete and cannot find any footage similar too the Spencer Tracy remake. Of course our opinions may change if we can see a complete restored version, until then we will stand by our interpretations. If you read all our posts you will see that they are fair and balanced based on available knowledge.
There have been several Hollywood legends that have just not been true. Like the lost 'Spider Scene' from KING KONG (1933) being shown in Asia or Finland.
Another was that the battle scenes from the original SEA-HAWK were reused in sound versions of CAPTAIN BLOOD and THE SEA HAWK. It is just not so.