Full version of In the Hand of Dante leaks weeks ahead of Venice Film Festival premiere
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, the full version of In the Hand of Dante, directed by Julian Schnabel, has leaked online just weeks before its scheduled screening at the Venice Film Festival. Oscar Isaac stars as Dante, with Martin Scorsese portraying his mentor. The film, which does not yet have a distributor, is expected to be a nightmare for its investors following the leak.
The cause of the leak of this $25 million, 150-minute project is currently unknown. Schnabel had been working for more than a decade to bring In the Hand of Dante to the screen. Parts of the film are shot in black and white, while others are in color and presented in varying aspect ratios.
Based on the novel by Nick Tosches, the film follows the appearance of a manuscript of Dante’s The Divine Comedy on the black market, when student smugglers summon a man named Nick to authenticate it. Nick, however, deceives the mafia and steals the book, embarking on a dark and violent journey with his lover, Giulietta — a path that mirrors the life of Dante himself: a man trapped in a loveless marriage who fled Sicily to create his greatest work. At age 18, Dante meets Italian poet Guido Cavalcanti, who asks him to travel to Venice and present himself to a wise master — played by Scorsese — to seek guidance for writing The Divine Comedy.
The narrative structure of In the Hand of Dante links the 14th and 21st centuries, featuring a demonic figure played by Benjamin Clementine who can see both past and future. Clementine also contributed to the film’s music and joins a cast that includes John Malkovich and Luís Cancelmi.
The film was shot in Sicily, Venice, Rome, and Verona, with Scorsese producing alongside Jon Kilik, Francesco Melzi, and Schnabel. Cinematography was handled by Roman Vasyanov, whose credits include David Ayer’s Suicide Squad and Fury.
