Citings & Sightings of Dante's Works in Contemporary Culture
“TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa has filed a formal complaint with Conference USA over the Rice marching band’s performance of ‘Todd Graham’s Inferno’ during halftime of Saturday’s football game in Houston. Graham left Rice for Tulsa after just one season… The band’s show depicted a search for the former Owls coach through different circles of Hell, based on Dante’s Divine Comedy.” [. . .] –Matt Hinton, Sunday Morning QB, November 27, 2007
Contributed by George Trone
“Actor brings Dante to TV screens but attacks Italian politicians before presenting Divine Comedy.
MILAN — Unlike Adriano Celentano, Roberto Benigni did not let Romano Prodi off the hook. Yesterday evening, the Tuscan comic spared no one, although most of his barbs, including the funniest ones, were directed at Silvio Berlusconi and the Centre-right. But there were also jibes at [foreign minister — Trans.] Massimo D’Alema and [justice minister — Trans.] Clemente Mastella.” –Maria Volpe, Corriere della sera, November 30, 2007
Contributed by Patrick Molloy
In the film, Robert De Niro’s character utters the line:
“‘I’m Virgil and I’m guidin’ you through the gates of Hell. We are now in the Ninth Circle, the Circle of Traitors. Traitors to country! Traitors to fellow man! Traitors to GOD! You, sir, are charged with betrayin’ the principles of all three! Quote for me the American Bar Association’s Rules of Professional Conduct, Canon Seven.'” –IMDb
Contributed by Joe Henderson (Bowdoin, ’10)
“At about 80-90 minutes into the film, the Seven Deadly Sins with Death are presented as statues in a church. Death is playing a bone as if it were a flute, and the statues of the Seven Deadly Sins come to life.” –Ian Eternick
Contributed by Ian Eternick (Luther College, ’11)
“In his video short, Christian Anthony has appropriated film and television clips creating a collage of images and scenes describing the afterlife. These fragments, taken from the last several decades, emphasize the tension between the media-driven, pop culture representations of heaven, hell and purgatory and people’s personal perceptions of these concepts. Anthony’s portrait of the collective afterlife is at times comic, violent and wicked as it tosses up stereotypes, self-righteousness and fear.” —San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art
Watch the video here.
All submissions will be considered for posting. Bibliographic references and scholarly essays are also welcome for consideration.
Coggeshall, Elizabeth, and Arielle Saiber, eds. Dante Today: Citings and Sightings of Dante’s Works in Contemporary Culture. Website. Access date.
