Listed #6 in Cahiers du Cinéma's annual Top 10 Film Award.
Filippo Argenti was a politician and a citizen of Florence in 13th century. Filippo is reputed to have received the nickname "Argenti" by having his horse shod with silver. He makes an appearance in the "Decamerone" by Giovanni Boccaccio where Boccaccio tells a story that involves his temper. Also Filippo Argenti appears as a character in the fifth circle of Hell in the Inferno, the first part of Dante's "Divine Comedy". He is among the wrathful in the river Styx, and accosts Dante as the latter crosses the river. Filippo is then torn into pieces by the other wrathful in the river Styx after this encounter with Dante and Virgil, and then turns on himself biting fiercely. Early commentators recount various incidents to explain the antipathy between Dante and Filippo: "Filippo once slapped Dante. Filippo's brother had taken Dante's possessions after Dante's exile from Florence. Filippo's family had opposed Dante's return from exile."
Some of Ernesto's the works that appear on the screen are painted by Marco Bellocchio.
Has been banned for minors (kids who are less than 14 years old) in Italy and kept out of cinemas owned by the Church because the film is seen as "anti-religious" and "blasphemous" by the Vatican.