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| A scene from "Dante: Inferno to Paradise," a film by Ric Burns. |
Dante Alighieri was in charge of widening roads in Florence at the end of the 13th century. I wish more people knew that. His masterpiece "Commedia" — the "Divine" part was tagged on much later — is so dominant in the public mind that the more practical aspects of his life are overlooked. He was a soldier, too.
WTTW is trying to wave the flag for Dante, airing a two-part, four-hour film, "Dante: Inferno to Paradise." Several readers, knowing of my fondness for the dour Florentine poet, urged me to watch.
Hmm ... I'm tempted to invoke Samuel Johnson's line about women delivering sermons and dogs walking on their hind legs: "It is not done well; but you are surprised to find it done at all." My general takeaway is, as with the Dante video game, anything that puts him on the radar is good.
That said, I don't understand why the big budget CGI movie magic put behind flogging every minor character in the Marvel universe can't be spared for a story that has stayed firmly in the public eye for over 700 years.
The production values are adequate on "Dante: Inferno to Paradise" in the way this past season the Lyric Opera diluted the grandeur of ancient Egypt into a stained green wall and three florescent lights. A generous audience can overlook it; but why should we have to?
The trouble with Dante's book is that it is written with such verisimilitude that it's easy to think of him as a guy who went to hell and took notes. The WTTW movie slides into this trench, with a sulfurous, ooo-scary mood that reminded me of "Dark Shadows," the 1960s vampire soap opera.
Given how few readers will run to watch the movie — I haven't finished watching and probably never will — I wouldn't take up your time had not one specific date been mentioned in the program.
For those unfamiliar, the Commedia is the story of Dante's journey through hell, up purgatory's mountain and into heaven, accompanied by the Roman poet Virgil, at the behest of Beatrice, his celestial love.
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Having the seen the series and read Dante's work for myself, I enjoyed it. However, I'd like to have been a bug on the wall when Dante had to explain to God how he selected particular LIVING persons to show up in Hell.
ReplyDeleteHe didn't, to my knowledge. With people like Boniface, who hadn't died yet, he approaches a hole where the damned popes are stuck, head down, their kicking feet aflame, and one shouts, "What, is that you Boniface? You're early." Or words to that effect. Very creative, in my view.
DeleteSo what about Dante's road widening project? I was interested.
ReplyDeleteThen as now, being a poet of light love verse did not pay. He had status, but not money, and so had to take on a civic role.
DeleteThat sounds a little too similar to the "there are good people on both sides" argument that the traitor in chief tried to make about Charlottsville a few years ago
ReplyDeleteIt does? How so? You can't leave that hanging.
DeleteI admit to never having read Dante or much of any other “Classic” era writing. So feel free to spit on me if you must. But on the college students your idea is spot on. Many problems solve themselves if left alone. However in our current political climate especially but in any political climate there are alway “leaders” who in a push for votes rile up the populace over things real or imagined that will give them publicity.
ReplyDeleteNo contempt implied or expressed. I wouldn't have read him had my older son not insisted. I am the only human being you'll ever meet who read all three volumes of the Divine Comedy out loud, to his son. We had a blast.
DeleteMy daughter at age 4 or 5 and I had a great time reading Huckleberry Finn together and sniffing out Jim as the hero of the story.
Deletejohn
Same here, Jeff. Somehow got through college, and adulthood, knowing next to nothing about Dante. Not even his last name. My wife, with her two degrees in English, was into his work, though not like Mr. S.
DeleteShe watched that four-hour production in March, when it ran on PBS in Northeast Ahia. I readily agreed to watch it with her, figuring I would become educated about Dante. Instead, I fell asleep. Didn't even see him go to hell...and back.
Tried to watch it again. Made it through the first half, and learned a helluva lot (sorry, couldn't resist). But I'm ashamed to admit to falling asleep a second time, during the second half. Never did see the whole thing. I fall asleep in front of the TV a lot faster than I used to. Must be a geezer thing.
It wasn't for nothing that the protesters occupied a building at Columbia yesterday. It was a futile but symbolic gesture, because April 30 marked 56 years, to the day, that Vietnam war protesters were brutally ejected from occupied Columbia buildings by the NYPD. May have even been the same building. Trying to connect this brouhaha to the 1968 one is, at least to me, stretching things more than a wee bit.
Had the Columbia administrators not been so goddam stupid, things never would have escalated to this flashpoint, as May begins. Had they not made arrests and torn down the tents days ago, and had somehow managed to do the right thing...leaving the protesters alone...the demonstrators would have eventually run out of steam. All student demos peter out, one way or another.
Tenting tonight on the hard campus ground would have worn them down. As would the need for a good meal, and sleep, and a shower--and the need to study for finals. They’d all be gone by mid-May. Graduation ceremonies could commence.
Instead, we get gasoline poured on the gasoline, and the fire spreads all over the country. And some yahoo red-state governor will call out the tin soldiers, and we'll get a remake of "Four Dead in O-hi-o." Maybe even on Saturday. May Fourth. Hey, let's do it right. Extremely right.
Then the poop will REALLY hit the propeller, and Chicago will explode in August. Might even cost Joe a second term, and bring back the Prince of Darkness. The one who makes Nixon look like a choirboy. Hey, if '24 really IS just a rehash of "'68: The Tragedy"...then why don't I feel 21 again? Seen this movie before. And the ending really sucks. Trust me. I was an extra in it.
" the smart thing to do would be to cough into their fists and leave the protesters alone." I'm all for free speech, but when either side starts occupying and damaging buildings and physically attacking the other side, the police need to step in. At that point, one side has crossed the line and is clearly in the wrong. I interpreted your statement as a reluctance to call out the malefactors similar to tfg's statement.
ReplyDeleteBeing among the "several readers" who mentioned this show to you, I'm interested to see your thoughts about it. Alas, I was afraid you would not be too impressed.
ReplyDeleteNot knowing what today's post was about when I saw the photo atop the blog show up yesterday evening, I thought perhaps it was a character from "The Handmaid's Tale" who had somehow found her way to Starved Rock. ; )
Well said, Anon at 10:59
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