Cinematic infernos: Digital technologies and the remediation of Dante’s Infernal imagery through the cinematic screen (2005-2015)

In 2015 we celebrated the 750th anniversary of Dante Alighieri’s birth. In light of the popularity of Dante’s imagery, channelled through a variety of the arts and across national contexts for more than seven centuries, this study explores practices of adaptation and remediation of Dante’s Inferno through the cinematic screen in 2005-2015 as well as its relationship with digital technologies. Despite our understanding of Dante and the screen being enriched by the contribution of several scholars such as Antonella Braida, Luisa Calé, Dennis Looney and Nick Havely, amongst others, very little has been written about the aesthetic, social and political impact of digital technologies on cinematic adaptations of the infernal imagery. In order to fill this gap in knowledge, this study investigates the remediate power of digital technology by simultaneously exploring its involvement and its impact. This includes an examination of film production, conservation, circulation and reception. In order to do so, I scrutinise the following three key case studies: Milano Film’s Inferno (ITA,1911), Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Salò – 120 Days of Sodom (ITA, 1975) and David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis (CAN, FR, ITA, POR, 2012). This multi-disciplinary approach offers a theoretical revision of the theory of adaptation, shifting from the enduring centrality of the ‘reference text’ to a more intermedial awareness of the pivotal role played by the cinematic screen. This enables an exploration of the cultural, political and social impact of Dante’s inspired infernal imagery in the 21st century.