THE DIVINE COMEDY (1911):

Dante is barred from climbing the Hill of Salvation by three beasts that block his path (Avarice, Pride, and Lust). Beatrice descends from above and asks the poet Virgil to guide Dante through the Ten Circles of Hell. Virgil leads Dante to a cave where they find the river Acheron, over which Charon ferries the souls of the dead into Hell. They also see the three-headed Cerberus and Geryon, a flying serpent with a man's face. They see the Devil eating human beings whole, harpies eating the corpses of suicides, an evil man forced to carry his own severed head for eternity, people half-buried in flaming lava, etc. There follows a series of encounters in which the two meet up with a number of formerly famous historical figures, whose souls were denied by both Heaven and Hell, and they listen to some of their tales told in flashback. These characters include Homer, Horace, Ovid, Lucanus, Cleopatra, Dido, the traitor Caiphus, Count Ugolino, Peter of Vigna, Francesca Da Rimini and her lover Paulo, Brutus and Cassius, Mohammed, and Helen of Troy. The film's main attraction is the fantastic set designs depicting the horrors of Hell, with excessive violence and gore, designed to frighten the audience into becoming pious or God-fearing.

DVD-r is in Italian with switchable English subtitles. Approx. 53 mins. See film sample for audio and video quality!

THE DIVINE COMEDY (1911) (COLORIZED):

Colorized version of the first film.

DVD-r has English intertitles no subtitles. Approx. 70 mins. See film sample for audio and video quality!

RICHARD III (1911):

Although several others are ahead of him in the line of succession, Richard of Gloucester is determined to gain the throne. Through deceit, manipulation, and murder, he becomes King Richard III of England. But once he becomes king, he soon finds out that the many enemies he has made will make it very difficult for him to remain on the throne for long.

DVD-r has English intertitles no subtitles. Approx. 26 mins. See film sample for audio and video quality!