Dante's Divine Politics

Set in early 14th century Florence, Dante's Divine Politics follows Dante Alighieri as poet, philosopher and active political figure amid a Europe riven by rival courts and papal ambition. The film stages key moments from 1300 to 1320, showing exiles, trials and diplomatic clashes while pairing dramatized scenes with expert commentary that links events to passages from the Divine Comedy. Rather than offering a traditional biography, it treats Dante's poem as a running record of political maneuvering, letting historians map lines of verse onto real disputes without spoiling narrative revelations. Actors portray rival figures like Bonifacio VIII and Filippo IV. The result is an accessible reconstruction of a turbulent era through the eyes and words of its most famous writer.

Directed by Jesus Garces Lambert and created by Luca Marchetti, Mariangela Barbanente and Diego D'Innocenzo, the 2021 docudrama blends staged reenactments with scholarly interviews. Italian actors play historical figures including Bernardo Casertano as Dante, while experts provide the historical frame.

It did not register wide commercial returns and appears to have had a limited theatrical presence, with most screenings at festivals, academic venues or on-demand services, and limited digital releases followed elsewhere. Official box office totals are sparse or unreported.

By reframing the Divine Comedy as a contemporary political chronicle, the film invites new readings of Dante as an engaged actor in church-state struggles. Its staged set pieces and scholarly overlap make it useful for classroom discussion and for viewers interested in medieval political culture, while highlighting Dante's political voice.

Audience response is limited but generally favorable, with a 7.2 average from a small number of votes. The movie centers on power, exile, papal versus royal authority and the personal grievances that inform Dante's satire, using experts and dramatization to clarify complex contexts. Some viewers note its measured pacing overall.