Maciste aux enfers

with the adventure hero genre and you got an idea of this surreal and visually dazzling masterpiece. Fellini called it "one of the 10 best films ever made" and convinced him as a kid to enter the film business.

After saving a child from a Faust-like character big macho goodhearted Maciste goes to hell and fight hordes of vicious demonic creatures. It's packed with violence, humor, nudity etc. Two scenes blew me away; at one point Maciste decapitates a demon but by some impressive reverse FX the creature picks up his battered head and put it back on his shoulders, in hell there's a giant Godzilla-sized satan who eat humans like peanuts!?! The set design is incredibly impressive, the use of color tinting is pure perfection, and the devil costumes are so detailed I've never seen anything like it. The Danish Film Institute had hired a classical piano player for this ultra rare showing, and he knew what he was doin' to create the different moods of this epic.

One of greatest cinematic experiences I've ever had the pleasure of watching in a theatre!

Brignone's classic was just one of a dozen Maciste film made in Italy in the 1910s/20s, later Freda did a remake and Mario Bava was very inspired by this film to make his "Hercules In The Haunted World"

So, before Enzo Castellari, Lucio Fulci etc, we have a nutso film where muscle man Maciste is drawn to hell to be corrupted. A silent film, no less, but full of mental imagery that is worth a look.

For instance, at one point Maciste punches a guy's head clean off, only for it to land on a pitch fork, re-heal itself, then get tossed back to the headless body to be re-attached! That's good stuff right there. Also, Maciste takes a ride on a dragon at some point and meets Lucifer and other folk.

At first I thought this silent film was a bit too heavy on the text, but you've got to admire the sheer ambition in the old visionary aspects, so I've marked the film up for that. I've watched quite a few silent films recently and there's always an emphasis on spectacle that makes them worth watching. This is no exception.

Docked points for a) Not having built a time machine to get Massimo Vanni in it and b) Not having Edwige Fenech in it.

Made before the Cinecitta existed!

Arguably more than was true for anyone else in the early years of cinema save for Georges Méliès, Italian filmmakers had truly mastered very quickly an incredible sense of spectacle and artistry. We saw this even in 1911 with Milano Fillms' imaginative 'L'inferno,' and upon release in 1925 'Maciste in hell' ('Maciste all'inferno') handily confirmed it. Scarcely has the picture begun and we're treated to fabulously detailed sets and painted backgrounds, lavish costume design, and creative hair, makeup, and props. That's to say nothing of stunts and effects which look utterly terrific and rather astound as an achievement at a time before synchronized sound had even been introduced into the medium; one can quite easily allow themselves to forget that these inclusions are modest by our modern standards. We are gifted with beautiful filming locations, sharp editing and cinematography, inventive use of visuals, substantial tinting, and an outstanding cast of actors who unreservedly embrace their characters and the saga, and who wholeheartedly throw themselves into each scene in turn. It's not that this was the biggest or most grandiose title of the silent era, nor was Guido Brignone specifically innovating anything here, yet the viewing experience is stupendously rich and absorbing right from the very start simply on the basis of the imagery being presented - and it consistently remains so. Even if the feature weren't as successful in other capacities, it would be well worth remembering and celebrating even nearly 100 years later just for the stunning extravagance of the visions it gives us.

By comparison to the sights put before us, the narrative that Riccardo Artuffo whipped up initially feels more common; in some regards, this is a movie we've seen before. What we get for the majority of the length is chiefly a drama of the troubles on Earth between Maciste, his sweet neighbor Graziella, and rakish Giorgio. Adjoining these dynamics are the efforts by agents of Hell to ensnare more souls by whatever devious means are at their disposal, and of course virtuous Maciste and darling Graziella are at the top of the list. Mind you, even if that's all this flick was it would still be worthy, but lastly, amidst all these beats are scenes in the pit, the primary (but not exclusive) source of those exquisite visuals to greet us. The latter facet most particularly comes to bear in the last act as Maciste directly engages the infernal beings as the name suggests, and thus is an aspect of dark fantasy imparted - and thus is actualized what was previously mostly only a thematic air of horror. There's always a certain whimsy to the storytelling, and the tale isn't so altogether dark as to invite the sinister ambience that genre fans crave, nor giddy insidiousness, let alone meaningful feelings of thrill, chill, or repulsion. Still, the very concept at hand offers these flavors to some extent, and more so the grim imagery. Moreover, it would have taken surprisingly little for Brignone to guide the film in a more devilish direction, for while not virulent and all-consuming, I'm surprised by just how joyfully wicked 'Maciste in hell' was allowed to be: to no small degree warping a beloved character, trifling with contemporary conventional morality, and serving up visuals and a plot that elsewhere in the world would make censors apoplectic.

One might say that the picture is imbalanced in some tiny measure just for the proportions of how this spends its ninety-five minutes. However, not only are the first two-thirds very entertaining and satisfying in and of themselves, but once the story does fully shift, the remainder is so exceptionally strong, fun, engrossing that any prior concerns are pretty much just forgotten. It turns out that the quality we get right from the start really does remain consistent throughout, and I could hardly be happier with the results. I anticipated enjoying this, being enamored of both horror and the silent era and recognizing what "horror" tended to mean in those first years of the medium. And despite moderate to high expectations, still they have been well exceeded, and I'm elated by just how brilliant this century-old feature really is. I can understand how older titles don't appeal to all comers, and I'd have said the same myself at one time; for genre aficionados who seek the visceral thrill ride above all else, this may also disappoint. Yet for those who are open to all the possibilities that horror has to offer, and appreciate the long, treasured history of cinema, frankly I'm of the mind that this is quite essential. I'm delighted by how truly excellent 'Maciste in hell' is; as far as I'm concerned it deserves much more recognition, and I'm pleased to give it my very high, hearty, and enthusiastic recommendation!

Out of all the popular and long running Maciste franchise, this has always been the one that got the most attention and appreciation, even now days.

I have not seen most of the other old Maciste movies, because they are basically impossible to get or view in any way now days, so I can't really comment on how this movie fits within its long running series of Italian shorts. Seems to me that every movie is different and does not only pick a different story but also tone and environment. This time the movie is really being like an horror, from the 1920's and has a very dark and moody atmosphere.

It's a movie that really reminded me of a lot of other great horror movies from its time. It mostly reminded me of the German expressionistic "Faust", by F.W. Murnau. I'm not saying that it's a rip-off in any way though and that's not even possible, considering that this movie got released actually one year earlier than "Faust". It just breaths the same sort of atmosphere and has even a bit of a similar story and characters in it.

The movie already started off wonderfully and I liked the story but then the movie even becomes better, once Maciste enters the gates of hell. The devil (or Pluto as he is called in this movie. It's an Italian movie after all) plays around with Maciste but he of course is not a person to be fooled with and soon declares war on the devil himself.

It's a real visual movie. Especially the hell-world got wonderfully created, with large sets and impressive looking make-up and costumes. The movie also uses a lot of early effects for some of the movie its evil magic, which is all good looking and impressive really.

A real great and wonderful looking Maciste movie.

9/10

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MACISTE IN HELL is a superior silent film. It presents a magnificent representation of the swirling chaos of hell, complete with demons and lost souls.

The special effects are fantastic for a movie of this vintage. This is a pandemonium that would impress Dante himself...