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I present to you the Rainwater Renaissance restoration of the legendary 1926 masterpiece of silent Italian cinema, Maciste In Hell, the best in the series of films starring the beloved Italian strong man, Maciste, and inspired in part by none other than Dante's Inferno. This is the uncut original European version running about 97 minutes, restoring almost 33 minutes of footage that were cut by US censors. The film has been completely re-tinted, accurate to it's debut screening. The intertitles have been fully recreated, again accurate to it's original release, and newly translated into English for the very first time. Great care was taken to improve picture quality as much as possible, contrast levels boosted, some damage repaired, and attempts made to sharpen the image. And finally, an entirely new soundtrack has been created for the film. With no original score commissioned for the film during it's production, and the US release being accompanied by dreary stock organ music, the film is now paired with music befitting it's visual splendor. Scenes of Maciste descending into the Inferno to battle devils and indescribable horrors ebb and flow with most appropriate accompaniment from the likes of Liszt's Faust Symphony, Dante Symphony, Mephisto Waltz, and La Lugubre Gondola, and Berlioz's Dreams of a Witch's Sabbath from the Symphonie Fantastique. This restoration is based in part on an earlier restoration attempted in Brazil in the early 1990's. Unfortunately when they made their telecine of the film they didn't frame it properly, so there are one or two instances where this is notable when watching the film, but will not hinder your enjoyment of the film. Until there is a full 4K restoration from the original negative, this is the absolute best version of the film available. Enjoy!
