Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam - Torture of Hope (Video)
February 11, 2026
A prisoner of the Spanish Inquisition discovers an open door in the darkness – but freedom may be the cruelest punishment of all. This animated adaptation of Villiers de l’Isle-Adam’s classic tale explores a form of suffering far more refined than any rack or flame.
This dark animated short brings to life one of the most psychologically devastating stories in nineteenth-century literature. Auguste Villiers de l’Isle-Adam’s “The Torture of Hope” follows Rabbi Assur Abarbanel, a prisoner of the Spanish Inquisition who has endured a year of relentless suffering. When a dungeon door is left mysteriously ajar, he drags himself through silent corridors in an agonizing crawl toward what seems like escape. He reaches the starlit gardens, breathes the air of liberty – and discovers the Inquisition’s most refined weapon: hope itself, offered only to be snatched away.
The adaptation uses images generated with OpenAI’s image generation and audio produced with Google Chirp.