L’Inferno (1911) Director: Francesco Bertolini, Adolfo Padovan, Giuseppe De Liguoro ★★★☆☆ Reminiscent of Ferdinand Zecca’s early silent movies, “The Inferno” is an Italian short epic portraying the first (and most important) part of Dante’s “Divine Comedy” entitled The Inferno. Spurred on by Italy’s War with Libya (1911-1912), a visual interpretation…
Tag: film
Vie et Passion du Christ (1903) Film Review
Vie et Passion du Christ (1903) Director: Ferdinand Zecca ★★★★☆ Predating the religious imagery of both The Ten Commandments as well as Ben-Hur, “The Life and Passion of Christ” is a wonderful French silent film by Ferdinand Zecca which succinctly conveys the familiar Biblical story of the birth, death, and…
The Execution of Mary Queen of Scots (1895) Film Review
The Execution of Mary Queen of Scots (1895) Director: Alfred Clark Sometimes called “The Execution of Mary Stuart” (1895), this brief clip is often cited as the earliest surviving example of special effects used in movie-making, or the “stop trick” effect. The film lasts about 18 seconds and was produced…
L’Arroseur Arrosé (1895) Film Review
L’Arroseur Arrosé (1895) Director: Louis Lumière Also known as the “The Sprinkler Sprinkled” in English, L’Arroseur Arrosé is a short (45 second) silent film by Louis Lumière. As with many other early silent films, it has been called many different names over the years. Initially screened in 1895, it features…