Hello Book Lover:
It’s been awhile since the last time I shared a post, but I’m here now and so happy to write a review about my favorite book series in the world. I’m so excited to share my opinion about the Gabriel’s Inferno Movie – Part 1, and also my partner’s opinion.
If you don’t know us yet, we are Perling and Betty from the Gabriel Series Fan Podcast (@GabrielSeriesFP).
We started a podcast about the Gabriel Series written by Sylvain Reynard (@sylvainreynard) on March 8th, 2015. By that time, we were two friends doing a podcast because we really love the story, and we did more than 200 podcasts including parties and special podcasts with guests. With every chapter we started imagining a movie and thinking about possible actors and actresses, we just wanted the books to have good movies.
In July (2016), all the fandom started a campaign with Sylvain Reynard using the #WeWantAGabrielMovie and 4 years later we have the movies, at least Gabriel’s Inferno Movie – Part 1, thanks to Passionflix, Tosca Musk and all the crew. We couldn’t be more happy and proud about all of this.
So, I watched Part 1 and it made me feel happy and nostalgic at the same time because I was remembering every podcast of Gabriel’s Inferno and how my partner Betty, the fans (friends) and I enjoyed every chapter of the book. When I was watching, I was laughing and living again every scene, and loving all the quotes that are iconic in the book. It was impossible not to remember all the comments, jokes and wishes that we shared in the chat room of the podcast and twitter.
We were dreaming about this part of the movie, and it was a good start.
Definitely, Giulio Berruti and Melani Zanetti are everything we expected; they capture the personality of the characters perfectly. They are Gabriel and Julia, even when every person has their own image of each character. But, I can say that all the fans are very happy with them as our handsome Gabriel Emerson and our lovely Julia Mitchell. I also enjoyed seeing our beloved Paul Norris because I’m #TeamPaul (too) and I loved Rachel.
The movie covered all the essential events of the story, and even when we wanted to see more things, there are details that the movies can’t cover. But, in all the cases, the movie is perfect and it made us feel a lot. It’s a real adaptation and as a fan, I’m thankful for that.
By the end of the movie, I was crying because it was incredible that I was watching the characters we love on the screen. A lot of memories came to my mind. Tosca did a good job, the way the movie starts is really amazing and perfect. And reading Sylvain Reynard’s name as an Executive Producer was something amazing and made me feel proud and glad because that means he was there in every detail of the movie.
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Gabriel’s Inferno Movie Review by Betty
Warning: There are a few spoilers.
Gabriel’s Inferno Movie Part 1, based on Sylvain Reynard’s New York Times Best Selling novel finally hit screens world wide May 29th on Passionflix.
As the first notes of Mozart’s “Lacrimosa” began to play and the opening credits appeared on my screen, two lines popped into my head. The first one, “Lacrimosa, lacrimosa, lacri-freackin’-mosa.” If you’ve read the novel, you know which character said this iconic line.
It seems fitting that this would be the song in the opening credit of this amazing film. This is the first glimpse we are given to the magical world SR aka the Boss, has created in his novels and with the help of director Tosca Musk aka Virgil, we are introduced to Dante and his muse Beatrice.
Not only does the song add drama and depth but it also allows the viewer to fully appreciate Henry Holiday’s painting, Dante meets Beatrice at Ponte Santa Trinita. As you continue to watch the film, you will find out why this painting is so important to the story and the characters.
Before I knew it, Julia Mitchell, played by Melanie Zanetti, appeared on the screen along with Professor Emerson, played by Giulio Berruti. And just like that, I lost all sense of time, space and reality.
Melanie and Giulio not only looked the part but their performance of the shy but smart M.A. student and the handsome and mysterious Professor, surpassed my expectations. The chemistry between the two leading actors is amazing. They feed of each others performance and as a result their characters are rich and complex. And when it comes to sexual tension, Zanetti and Berruti left me on the edge of my seat. The complexed relationship between the Professor and his student is a tango that left me breathless.
Melanie has an angelic face and a gentle voice. Each scene showcases Julia’s compassionate soul. But in a few scenes, the timid student showcases a few sparks and Miss Zanetti rises to the occasion. Specially in the final scene. All I could think of was, #GirlPower.
While Melanie is winning my love and admiration as Miss Mitchell, Mr. Berruti, is having the opposite effect on me. And before you think this is a bad review on Giulio’s performance, I would like to explain that at the beginning of the novel and in the film, “Emerson, is an ass.” But as the story progresses, Giulio/the Professor, began to win me over. Before I knew it, I was swooning for the Professor just like Miss Mitchell.
It’s impossible to resist those baby blue eyes, that winsome smile and that deep voice. But Giulio is not only handsome, he’s extremely talented. During the film you’ll see how his character struggles with his feelings for the young and innocent student and laugh at the light scene where Miss Mitchell comes to his aid.
Julia Barrett Mitchell as Rachel Clark was a breath of fresh air. She was funny, sassy and the voice of reason. I loved her interactions with Gabriel and Julia. Her performance was spot on and I couldn’t get enough.
Margaux Brooke was perfect as Christa Peterson. She was beautiful, elegant but mean just like I imagined. I can’t wait to see more of her performance in Part 2.
James Andrew Fraser’s performance as PhD Student Paul Virgil Norris, was everything I wanted and more. He capture Paul’s essence. He was sweet, kind and charming. At times he seemed a little nervous around Julia but that just added to the charm. Fraser and Zanetti’s scenes were tender and adorable. I was a big fan of Paul when I read Gabriel’s Inferno. Seeing Mr. Fraser bring my favorite character to life was breathtaking. My only complain is that there weren’t enough scenes with this talented actor. I look forward to seeing more of him in Gabriel’s Inferno Part 2.
I can’t say enough good things about Tosca Musk. She listened to the readers and made the most beautiful book to film adaptations. The sets, music, costumes were just as I imagined. And the cinematography blew my mind away. The attention to detail paid off. I’ve watched this film multiple times and each time I discover something new. Tosca Musk is without a doubt a dedicated director and thanks to her love for the series, this film has met and surpassed my expectations. I can humbly say that I am beyond thrilled and grateful to her for staying true to the story.
In conclusion, this film is magical. Every scene matched what I envisioned when I read the novel. I strongly suggest to all of Sylvain Reynard’s readers to subscribe to Passionflix. The support and feedback from fans allows for more projects like this to become a reality.
And in case you were wondering, Betty, what was the second quote that popped in your mind while watching the credits? Well, it’s this one, “Apparuit iam beatitudo vestra.” After dreaming, hoping and waiting for five years, “Now, my blessedness appeared.” The long wait was worth it. Gabriel, Julia and Paul are finally here and my heart is full of joy just like our dear Dante when he saw his beloved Beatrice.
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Sylvain Reynard shared with us an interesting detail when they were filming the movie. And we want to say Thank you, Sylvain for letting us know more about the production. So, here it is:
“For the film, one thing I wanted to mention was about the photographs in Gabriel’s bedroom. Passionflix really put a lot of time into making the film sets exactly as I had described the locations in the book. So when it came time to pick the photos for his room, I sent her copies of the photos I had had in mind when writing the novel. They couldn’t find the original source of those photos (now it has been over ten years since I began writing “Gabriel’s Inferno”), and so they found other photos that were very like them. I know readers and film viewers were wondering about that.” – SR
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So, Congratulations to our dear Boss & Chamo because he deserves it and, for all the fans, I want to say: We did it! Yeah baby! (laughs)
If you would like to subscribe to Passionflix and watch Gabriel’s Inferno Movie just click on the link: Passionflix
You can buy Gabriel’s Inferno merchandise here: Passionflix Store
Thank you for reading our review. We appreciate it.
Perling LG & Betty from The Gabriel Fan Podcast. June, 2020.
"ONCE UPON A BOOK STAR" 