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Spencer Tracy travels the seven rungs of hell in "Dante's Inferno," a 1935 film costarring Claire Trevor and notable for a dance sequence featuring Rita Hayworth, still Rita Cansino. I actually hadn't realized Hayworth was in the film, but when I saw the dancer's smile, I recognized her immediately.

Tracy plays a man who lucks into carnival barking as a result of meeting a man, played by Henry B. Walthall, who runs a concession known as "Dante's Inferno." Walthall soon becomes Tracy's father-in-law, and Tracy becomes a successful businessman.

He launches a huge, gaudy Inferno employing ruthless means to get the property. Though a wonderful husband and father, in his corporate world, he stops at nothing to get what he wants, including cheating, bribery, and ignoring possible dangers. The consequences are disastrous.

The film has an obvious allegory, and I'm still laughing at a previous poster who noted that when Walthall goes through a book with Tracy and the seven rungs of hell come to life, everyone had great physiques so hell must not take chubsters! It's true!

Other than hell's preference for perfect 10s, the effects are amazing - the Inferno concession, the images in the book that come to life, and the fantastic ship scene which uses the Inferno images to great effect.

Spencer Tracy is excellent in his role, a tender dad, sweet husband and cruel businessman all at the same time. Claire Trevor is young and lovely and provides strong support for Tracy.

A very interesting film and highly recommended.

Made at the height of the Great Depression this film is really a shout out to those unscrupulous money makers and a warning that eventually they will pay. When confronted by his Wife about his dirty deeds the Hero/Villain says..."I didn't do anything that any other businessman wouldn't have done".

This is a stand alone film that is unique, off beat, wild and profound. A visual display of a catastrophe of material and man. It is a stunning piece of work that was rarely shown on television and ignored as a bastard child of the bijou. The middle inclusion of a horrific Hell with suffering half-naked souls and with haunting, chilling musical accompaniment is partly responsible.

There are three set pieces in this remarkable movie that are unforgettable and the story of greed and decadence is timeless. This is a one of a kind, disturbing adventure put together with excellent special effects, costumes, and sets. An underrated, overlooked antique piece of propagandized art that remains relevant. "things don't change, the behavior of men remains the same throughout history", says the old man. Amen.

Spencer Tracy ruthlessly works his way up from carnival barker to owner to mogul, not caring who he hurts along the way. Excellent drama with some really nice set pieces and memorable scenes. Tracy, as always, is solid. Claire Trevor is good. Fine actor Henry B. Walthall steals every scene he's in. Scotty Beckett is adorable as Tracy's son. A young Rita Hayworth has a dancing scene but no lines. Excellent direction from Harry Lachman. Great sets and effects. Among the highlights are a shocking suicide, the much-praised "hell" sequence, and a thrilling shipboard fire climax. It's an evocative film that certainly stands as one of Spencer Tracy's best and most underrated films from the 1930s.

No one has commented that Dante's Inferno, starring Spencer Tracy, was clearly based on a true story.

In the main part of the 1935 movie, Tracy plays an unscrupulous amusement park owner who decides his next attraction will be a trip through Hell called "Dante's Inferno". In his usual corner-cutting manner, fire protection measures are short-changed with the inevitable result that there is a disastrous fire. Following this is a dream sequence in which Dante's vision of Hell is re-enacted and Tracy is appropriately punished. Finally there is an ending that I won't reveal.

The non-fantasy part of the story is strikingly similar to an actual, highly publicized, event that took place about 20 years earlier than the conception of the movie. At that time, Coney Island, which is part of Brooklyn, itself part of New York City, was the premier amusement park area of the world. There were two parks, Steeplechase, which emphasized fun and sex, and Luna Park, which emphasized art and youth. William H. Reynolds, an underhanded real estate developer and former Republican state senator, was attracted by the profits and decided to create a third giant park. He called his Dreamland.

Following his typical pattern, Reynolds, through his ties to the corrupt Tammany Democratic political machine, was able to have streets closed to make some inexpensive land suitable for a large amusement park. This deprived poor people of access to the beach, but so what? Patrons of his park, and of luxury hotels, had no problem.

Oddly, his concept, despite the usual sleazy attractions, also had morality, even religiosity, as a major theme. It started off with an attraction called Genesis, the Bible story of the creation of the world. There was another called Destruction of Pompeii, presumably as payment for wickedness. His crowning effort along this line was called Hell Gate, a fantasy ride through Hell, with a gigantic Satan smirking over the entrance.

In the early hours of May 27, 1911, as they rushed to ready the attraction for the Spring opening, workers accidentally started a fire. Firefighters responded, but because of low water pressure (for which many also blamed Reynolds' machinations), could not prevent its spread and all of Dreamland, including Hell Gate, was destroyed.

Don't you agree that the inspiration, if not the actual plot of the movie Dante's Inferno, was drawn from real life? And isn't it amusing that, considering his behavior, Reynolds was so preoccupied with morality and retribution?

Incidentally, I saw this film when I was 15 and it scared me silly.

Dante's Inferno was Spencer Tracy's final film for Fox before settling in at MGM where his career really took off. It was probably one of the biggest budget films Fox had ever done up to that time with two disasters and a dream sequence of hell.

Tracy plays a ship stoker and would be con man who gets fired off his ship for malingering. Down on his luck, kindly old Henry B. Walthall who owns a sideshow attraction at a carnival midway takes him in and Walthall's daughter Claire Trevor falls for him.

Spence is nothing if not determined to make something of himself and he becomes a rich man in the amusement game. But his ethics leave a lot to be desired.

The title is not Dante Alighieri's famous poetic saga of his journey through hell, but it's the name of the exhibit that Walthall owns. It's 'educational' but Tracy starts on his road to financial success by glamorizing the more prurient aspects of it.

The Inferno catches fire and there's a climatic ship's fire as well that Cecil B. DeMille could not have staged better. One wishes the film had been in color for that as well as the imaginary ten minute journey through hell that Walthall describes to Tracy.

The dancing team on the ship before the fire marks the screen debut of one Marguerite Carmen Cansino or better known as Rita Hayworth. She was quite the dancer on screen as well as in this person's opinion, the biggest sex symbol the screen ever knew.

Dante's Inferno was a fine film for Tracy to leave Fox with. But it would have astonished the executives at Fox if they could have imagined the career direction it would take at MGM.

An amusement pier attraction based on DANTE'S INFERNO helps change the life of an unscrupulous concessionaire.

Spencer Tracy dominates this nifty little drama, which keeps its audience satisfied with good acting and special effects. Two disasters (the first on the pier and the second aboard a luxury party liner) add punch to the plot. Between them comes a remarkable 9-minute tour into the depths of the real Inferno, populated by scores of naked extras writhing in anguish. The Depression Era viewers which first saw this film certainly got their money's worth.

Tracy, always entertaining as he schemes & plots his way to unsavory success, is well served by his supporting players: lovely Claire Trevor as his loyal wife; gaunt Henry B. Walthall as Trevor's saintly father; little Scotty Beckett (one of the OUR GANG kids) as Tracy's innocent son; and Alan Dinehart as a faithful friend. That's Rita Hayworth as the featured dancer aboard the S.S. Paradise.

Passable vintage yarn on corruption and karma enlivened by an excellent star with some great lines though one doesn't miss much by missing it.

That one scene everyone talks about feels rather incongruous but I won't say it's not good.

"Dante's Inferno" (1935) is a taut drama starring Spencer Tracy as a ruthless promoter who's determined to succeed, no matter who gets in his way. Eventually he gets a glimpse of Hell and sees the error of his ways ... but is it too late for him to repair all the damage he's done to other people's lives?

This film was inspired by (but is not a remake of) a 1924 film with the same title: both films have the same premise but very different plotlines.

We first see Tracy's character Jim Carter on the bottom rung: the Depression is on, and Carter is so desperate he takes a job as a blackface performer. Then he gets a job in a carnival attraction which offers the customers a quick ride through Hell (made of papier-mache).

There's a brilliant performance by Alan Dinehart, one of those great supporting actors from Hollywood's golden age. Dinehart specialised in playing sharp guys on the edge of the law (or slightly beyond it), and this is one of Dinehart's best roles. Henry Walthall, the silent-film star, is also excellent here.

The standout sequence in the film begins when Tracy is in hospital, recovering from injuries. Walthall brings him a copy of Dante's "Inferno", and proceeds to describe the horrible fates awaiting sinners in the afterworld. On screen, we see a series of stark tableaux in which naked men and women suffer eternal torments in Hell ... dodging flames, writhing in chains, turning into trees. For some reason, all the naked people in Hell have gorgeous physiques: apparently Hell doesn't take any chubsters.

"Dante's Inferno" is often mentioned by Rita Hayworth fans, because this movie includes one of her very earliest film roles. (She was still performing as Margarita Cansino, her original name.) Hayworth/Cansino appears very briefly as a ballroom dancer aboard Tracy's gambling ship. This is a standout film, but if you think it's a Rita Hayworth movie you'll be disappointed.

I strongly recommend "Dante's Inferno".

This is not one of Spencer Tracy's better efforts, however, a lesser effort from him is better than most performances by other actors. In this film, he plays a barker for a carnival attraction; Dante's Inferno. The attraction is not really very safe, but that does not stop Tracy. He bribes the official responsible for safety and the attraction goes on to unfortunate results. Not an earth-shattering storyline, but watchable.

Those not understanding the extreme limitations that makers of film spectaculars had to endure in the early 30s won't understand the raves for this astounding production. American-born Harry B. Lachman, who in his early 20s emigrated to Paris and became a much-lauded impressionist painter (awarded the Légion d'Honneur by the French government) When he returned to America he was sought after as a set designer and director. For this picture, he was teamed with talented Hungarian- born cinematographer Rudolf Mate (Dodsworth '36 - who 12 years later would turn to directing). What these artists do with massive sets and models merged with eye-popping photography is little short of breathtaking.

Without the likes of CGI, they had to create and work with giant sets, with high numbers of extras working in dangerous situations, and come out looking as believable as the times would permit. The end result is quite exceptional. Sound was still in its early days so some levels were a challenge. Performances from a young Spencer Tracy and lovely Clair Trevor are very good considering the material they are working with (some of it based on fact) Veteran performer Henry Walthall (of D. W. Grifith fame) supplies fine support as Pop, the owner of the 'Inferno' sideshow attraction. Prolific veteran composer (sadly too often uncredited) Reginald Hazeltine Basset (David Copperfield '35) supplies the vast score, and Rita Hayworth dances spectacularly, uncredited!

This is one to enjoy for its inventive use of visuals and all the challenges that early filmmakers had to overcome. It's now a little-known vintage winner that should be seen by all motion picture devotees, even with a tacked on ending. It's the last film produced by the Fox Corporation before the merger with 20th Century and there are nice remastered discs available

Note: some content will be seen as politically incorrect nowdays.

For an early 1935 film,Dante's inferno is great.Spencer Tracy plays a con man who goes into the carnival business by reconstructing an attraction called Dante's inferno.its a morality tale with some great special effects for 1935,claire Trevor plays his love interest.look for Rita hayworth (billed Rita cansino)as a dancer in one of her early roles.its a good movie that still holds up today.Spencer Tracy was one of the great actors of the thirties thru the sixties.filmed in black and white.also in the movie is scotty Beckett who was one of the little rascals(aka:our gang)kids.a very good film and Rita hayworth does some awesome torrid dancing.I'm giving Dante's inferno 8 out of 10.

Guess I'll be on my best behavior from now on. If those fiery visions of Hell can intimidate an old heathen like me, think what they'd do at a Pat Robertson film festival. Still and all, those shapely babes doing a nude swan dive into liquid fire (beware sinners!) almost makes me believe misbehavior might be worth it. On the other hand, the many grotesques are enough to scare Beelzebub himself. I don't know how much the studio ponied up for the big scenes, but they're really well done with a cast of thousands amid roaring infernos.

The movie's basically a morality tale, showing one man's (Tracy) ruthless climb from bottom to top and learning his lesson after all. I really like the way Carter ingratiates himself socially into the upper class; just having big bucks is not enough. So he uses is well-honed entrepreneurial skills to grease the wheels. And, thanks reviewer Albertsanders for detailing how the story's basis lies in actual fact, surprising as that may seem.

My only complaint is the miracle ending. It sure doesn't comport with the events aboard ship. My guess is that it was a gesture to the newly formed Production Code. Or maybe it was just pandering to what the studio thinks audiences want. Either way, it undercuts a good story and maybe the best special effects of the time.

Occasionally, film critics write scathing reviews of a movie, only to praise a sequence imbedded in the film that is so unique it becomes unforgettable. Fox Film Corporation's August 1935's "Dante's Inferno," skewered by critics, drew praise by some pointing to a memorable ten-minute sequence depicting the underworld's tortuous eternity of condemned souls. The motion picture was Fox Film's last production before the corporation merged with Twentieth Century Pictures.

Modern day film reviewer Kristen Lope reflects the opinion of most critics previewing "Dante's Inferno." "The only saving grace is when the movie actually embraces the source material. Dante's original text isn't a bedtime story, but it's literally the device utilized to segue into an over ten-minute segment depicting the various levels of Hell. This is where the movie soars with terrifying set design, and sneaky post-Code nudity from various lost souls condemned. Despite its negative message, that single scene contains more intensity than the narrative." Critic Jamie Rich concurred, describing the "underworld is one of the more impressive versions of Hell ever created on a Hollywood soundstage." The sequence had 3,000 extras and employed nearly 5,000 technicians, laborers, carpenters, artists and others to make the Hades scene believable. Over 300,000 feet of film was taken of the various people enacting how the underworld was envisioned by Dante. Just 8,000 feet was used in the final edit.

"Dante's Inferno" was directed by Harry Lachman, whose talents as a post impressionist painter and a book illustrator gave his film a highly-stylized visual look unique in film. Philip Klein's script uses Dante Alighieri's 'Divine Comedy's" first cantica, 'Inferno,' to introduce a carnival barker, Jim Carter (Spencer Tracy), assisting his wife's uncle, Pop McWade (Henry Walthall), to help gin up business for his failing amusement show. The unscrupulous Carter has no conscious fooling customers into thinking his is the greatest show on earth while encasing the exhibition's frightful settings with inferior construction. When the building collapses, sending Pop to the hospital, the uncle's reading of the 'Inferno' to Carter prompts the jaw-dropping underworld sequence. Carter decides to begin a new venture, a floating casino on an unsafe boat.

Spencer Tracy hated being in the movie, calling it "one of the worst pictures ever made anywhere, anytime." He was in a personal miserable state when making the film, drinking much of the time and failing to show up on the set for days. When he did come in, Tracy was an angry, ill-tempered actor who sometimes fell asleep during days of filming from the effects of his hangovers. One afternoon he was sleeping on a set that looked like an apartment. Studio staffers locked the stage door so he couldn't get out. It was reported Tracy was so mad when he found himself locked in he destroyed the set. Fox billed him for all the damage he caused during his rampage.

"Dante's Inferno" also was the first credited role of Rita Hayworth, named Rita Cansino at the time. She appears as a dance partner in the casino liner Carter operates. The 16-year-old's dancing is flawless, testimony of her upbringing where, she said, "From the time I was three and a half, as soon as I could stand on my own feet, I was given dance lessons. I didn't like it very much, but I didn't have the courage to tell my father, so I began taking the lessons. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse, that was my girlhood." Her father Eduardo Cansino relocated from Brooklyn, New York, to Hollywood in 1927 to form a dance studio, and had clients such as James Cagney and Jean Harlow. At 12, she and her father formed the duo the Dancing Cansinos, and worked across the border in Tijuana, Mexico, nightclubs since she was lawfully too young to be employed in bars in the states. Rita dropped out of school after the ninth grade because of her busy work schedule.

Tracy later praised Hayworth's high status in Hollywood despite beginning her movie career in the worst film he ever made, remarking, "The fact that she survived in films after that screen debut is testimony that she deserves all the recognition she's getting now." The actor was glad leaving Fox for MGM soon after the movie was completed. Meanwhile Fox's name is now part of the Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation, getting its new extended title after "Dante's Inferno" rolled out of the studio's lot.

There is no denying that Dante Alighieri is not only a major literary figure of Italy's Renaissance, but one of the world's greatest poets. Actually he left many poems in his works, especially regarding the forbidden love of his life Beatrice, but the poem most associated with him is a 33 canto poem entitled INFERNO. Most people don't realize it is actually the first third of a larger book of poetry called THE DIVINE COMEDY. Dante wrote three sections of this book, in which he, a traveller, is escorted by the ghost of the Latin poet Virgil through the nine levels of Hell, then into purgatory, and finally into paradise. The conclusion of the poem is when Dante is able to see the grandeur and beauty of God's love, which is the ultimate position at the top of the universe's order. Although Purgatory and Paradise have moments of exceptional power in them, they are less exciting than the human tragedies that make up the cantos of The INFERNO. What story about redemption or love can compete with the hideous doom of Count Ugolino of Pisa and his children, condemned to starve to death by a political enemy (Ugolino had betrayed the enemy, once a friend of his). The punishment is very gruesome - Ugolino is forever hungry for his crimes, and is gnawing at the brain of his political foe forever as a result.

Nothing quite that gaudy here - The central figure (Tracy) begins as a stoker, but slowely rises in the world, frequently not realizing that his greed and drive have alienated friends and relatives. The source of his wealth is the carnival and gambling empire he has put together. In the course of building it he meets Henry Walthall, who wants to build a midway building that shows Dante's Inferno - Walthall believes it will be beneficial to the public as it will show the public the dangerous ice they are on if they continue to sin. Of course this is the screenwriter's take on Dante's Divine Comedy, and the Inferno in particular - actually Dante is far too clever a poet to have such a trivial motive in the actual work for writing it that way.

That Tracy is saved in the end is due to heeding the wisdom of his friend (later his father-in-law)and due to a sea tragedy - Tracy's latest addition to his empire is a gambling ship, which catches fire off the coast of the U.S., and requires Tracy's leadership qualities to save the passengers and crew. A suitable fiery conclusion to the film - and also an historic footnote: the boat is made to resemble the ill-fated Morro Castle, which burned in a fire in 1934 (the year before this film) off the coast of New Jersey, killing 130 passengers and crew. As such, this is the sole movie I know of that refers to that disaster, except for a line of dialogue in the contemporary satiric comedy BOY MEETS GIRL.

Dante's Inferno (1935)

*** (out of 4)

Impressive drama about a con man (Spencer Tracy) who gets a job at a carnival when an elderly man (Henry B. Walthall) hires him as a barker. The two men create the "Dante's Inferno" show, which Walthall uses to warn people but Tracy sees it as a way to get rich. Soon he will stop at nothing for the all mighty dollar but this will soon backfire when his wife (Claire Trevor) has to betray her own morals for him. There are a few faults in the film but overall this is a pretty strong little gem that contains three great sequences that make it a must see. The first one is the carnival attraction that has some rather amazing sets and terrific visuals. Another brilliant scene is the ending with a large ship catching fire. The third masterful touch is a famous sequence of Hell where we get to see thousands of people burning for eternity. All three of these scenes contain some thrilling entertainment and especially the sequence in Hell. I was really surprised to see how graphic some of these scenes where considering the Hayes Office was coming down on this type of thing. I also could have sworn there were a couple nude shots during this sequence but it was somewhat hard to tell. Another reason to watch this film are for the performances with Tracy delivering once again. The most impressive thing is that Tracy is so good at playing cold that you can't help but fall for everything he does in the film. He gets to show off a nicer side as well and he perfectly blends the two depending on the scene in question. Trevor is also in fine form as his wife and she gets some pretty good moments early on as her good ways must be thrown out the window in order to save her husband. Walthall turns in one of the best performances I've seen from him in the sound era and he actually steals the film from everyone. He's tour of Dante's Inferno is very good as is another sequence where he first meets Tracy's character. Rita Hayworth shows up at the end as a dancer so keep your eyes open for her. The film's major fault is that it gets too preachy at times and I think it goes a tad bit over the top in regards to some of the deeds that Tracy does. I think the film could have done without Hayworth's dance sequence as well as it really feels out of place with the rest of the film. And if you're keeping track with how many A-list Hollywood stars who appeared in blackface at some point in their career then you can add Tracy.

Today "Dante's Inferno" is seventy years old, and it was interesting to view the film uninterrupted on the Fox Movie Channel. Spencer Tracy's 28th of a whopping 78 film credits, and the young Rita Casino featured in a prominent dance sequence (before her last name became Hayworth) are points of particular interest here.

This is no routine melodrama: Director Harry Lachman, his writers and actors were into its moral message with dead earnestness. On display is Tracy giving it his all, along with impressive work from Claire Trevor and Alan Dinehart.

However, the basic crux of the tale, given the takeoff of Dante Alighieri was tough to take, as I personally don't believe in that poet's vision of either the underworld or its upper realmed counterpart. Too, the lengthy segment based on Gustav Dore's ridiculous lithographs were as meaningless and skewed as Michalangelo's and other Renaissance artists' graphic interpretations (all of which are traditionally designed to keep people spiritually restive, therefore controllable.)

Thus this enactment from a mythological perspective is pre-school mentality. From a pragmatic perspective, it has some cause and affect validity, in which blind ambition is felled by experienced tragedy.

Tracy's work is most effective, as he executes a flawed yet well-meaning character. Trevor beautifully supports him, rising to the challenge of a courtroom cross-examination in which she conflictingly supports her husband's business indiscretions.

Director Lachman keeps his film moving forward, while steering the entire production crew with a sure hand. For a film with its vintage, "Dante's Inferno" impressively holds its own.

When I was growing up in the 1950s and the early 1960s, I remember reading about this film in TV GUIDE (remember when it was a staple in every home?) and looked forward to seeing it. Unfortunately in those pre-cable/streaming days, it was never shown on a channel that could be picked up on the family TV. By the end of the 1960s it had disappeared from TV showings and became one of those lost Fox Film movies that were made before the merger with Darryl F. Zanuck's 20th Century Pictures in 1935 (in fact it was the last pre-merger production).

A massive warehouse fire in 1937 desroyed virtually all of the original negatives of the Fox Films made up to that time. Only those of Shirley Temple & Will Rogers, the company's two biggest stars, were still readily available. Spencer Tracy appeared in over 20 movies at Fox beginning in 1932. Some of these were very highly regarded (ME & MY GAL & THE POWER & THE GLORY to name two) but few were box office successes. His later fame from his movies at MGM coupled with the warehouse fire have kept most of his early work from being seen. Hopefully that will be remedied with the Fox Cinema Archives series starting with this DVD-R release of DANTE'S INFERNO.

This film was Tracy's last for Fox and it was a grand production directed by Harry Lachman who was a celebrated post-Impressionist painter. His eye for detail can be seen throughout the film but nowhere more than in the silent 10 minute "Hell" sequence which was patterned after Gustave Dore's illustartions for THE DIVINE COMEDY. The story of an unscrupulous carnival barker who eventually gets his comeuppance and a chance at redemption (shades of LILIOM / CAROUSEL) was tailor made for Tracy who reportedly hated the movie yet it never shows (it never did).

Claire Trevor does a good job in the unchallenging role of his wife and it gives us the rare opportunity to hear the wonderful voice of stage actor Henry B. Walthall who began his career in the silent era and is best known for BIRTH OF A NATION. The young dancer in the casino boat sequence at the end is a 16 year old Rita Hayworth billed under her real name of Rita Cansino. Filled with personal drama, spectacular sets and effects as well as a riveting climax, DANTE'S INFERNO is not a great film but it's an excellent example of early Spencer Tracy and the work of the artisans at pre-20th Century Fox...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.