Caligula (1979) [Three-Disc Imperial Edition]

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Caligula (1979) [Three-Disc Imperial Edition]

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Caligula (1979) [Three-Disc Imperial Edition]

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This lavish big-budget epic was the pinnacle of a uniquely Italian subgenre, the historical hardcore gore/porn extravaganza. The star-studded cast, perhaps lured by the high-profile involvement of producer Bob Guccione and screenwriter Gore Vidal, includes such luminaries as John Gielgud, Peter O'Toole, and Helen Mirren. Director Tinto Brass, whose similar treatment of Nazi Germany in Salon Kitty won him the job, did his best with the mammoth enterprise, but numerous production problems and re-edits took their toll on the finished product. When Caligula works best, it works because of Malcolm McDowell, whose crazed portrayal of the title Emperor is the embodiment of villainous corruption. McDowell raises his performance level to match the gaudy spectacle around him, which led to charges of overacting, but there are moments when he is absolutely riveting. Some of the cast doesn't fare as well, as O'Toole makes a particularly unsubtle Tiberius. The sex is graphic and steamy, particularly a feverish lesbian interlude between Penthouse Pets Lori Wagner and Marjorie Thorsen (using the pseudonym "Anneka di Lorenzo"), and the various carnival freaks used as atmosphere imbue the film with a grotesque, Fellini-like opulence. There are many memorable scenes and a magnificent score by Paul Clemente, but the heady brew of historical epic, hardcore sex, and gory violence proved overwhelming to many viewers. Still, Gore Vidal's script is surprisingly accurate, and manages to be entertainingly vulgar while bringing a rather loathsome slice of human history to vivid life, warts and all. The more explicit scenes were directed by Bob Guccione and Giancarlo Lui, causing both Vidal and Brass to remove their names from the credits.

Robert Firsching, Rovi

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Caligula (1979) [Three-Disc Imperial Edition]

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Some describe CALIGULIA as "the" most controversial film of its era. While this is debatable, it is certainly one of the most embarrassing: virtually every big name associated with the film made an effort to distance themselves from it. Author Gore Vidal actually sued (with mixed results) to have his name removed from the film, and when the stars saw the film their reactions varied from loudly voiced disgust to strategic silence. What they wanted, of course, was for it to go away.

For a while it looked like it might. CALIGULA was a major box-office and critical flop (producer Guccione had to rent theatres in order to get it screened at all), and although the film was released on VHS to the home market so many censorship issues were raised that it was re-edited, and the edited version was the only one widely available for more than a decade. But now CALIGULIA is on DVD, available in both edited "R" and original "Unrated" versions. And no doubt John Gielgud is glad he didn't live to see it happen.

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Caligula (1979) [Three-Disc Imperial Edition]

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The only way to describe CALIGULIA is to say it is something like DEEP THROAT meets David Lynch's DUNE by way of Fellini having an off day. Vidal's script fell into the hands of Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione, who used Vidal's reputation to bankroll the project and lure the big name stars–and then threw out most of Vidal's script and brought in soft-porn director Tinto Brass. Then, when Guccione felt Brass' work wasn't explicit enough, he and Giancarlo Lui photographed hardcore material on the sly.

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Caligula (1979) [Three-Disc Imperial Edition]

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Viewers watching the edited version may wonder what all the fuss is about, but those viewing the original cut will quickly realize that it leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination. There is a tremendous amount of nudity, and that remains in the edited version, but the original comes complete: there is very explicit gay, lesbian, and straight sex, kinky sex, and a grand orgy complete with dancing Roman guards thrown in for good measure. The film is also incredibly violent and bloody, with rape, torture, and mutilation the order of the day. In one particularly disturbing scene, a man is slowly stabbed to death, a woman urinates on his corpse, and his genitals are cut off and thrown to the dogs.

In a documentary that accompanies the DVD release, Guccione states he wanted the film to reflect the reality of pagan Rome. If so, he missed the mark. We know very little about Caligula–and what little we know is questionable at best. That aside, orgies and casual sex were not a commonplace of Roman society, where adultery was an offense punishable by death. And certainly ancient Rome NEVER looked like the strange, slightly Oriental, oddly space-age sets and costumes offered by the designers.

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Caligula (1979) [Three-Disc Imperial Edition]

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On the plus side, those sets and costumes are often fantastically beautiful, and although the cinematography is commonplace it at least does them justice; the score is also very, very good. The most successful member of the cast is Helen Mirren, who manages to engage our interests and sympathies as the Empress Caesonia; Gielgud and O'Toole also escape in reasonably good form. The same cannot be said for McDowell, but in justice to him he doesn't have much to work with.

The movie does possess a dark fascination, but ultimately it is an oddity, more interesting for its design and flat-out weirdness than for content. Some of the bodies on display (including McDowell's and Mirren's) are extremely beautiful, and some of the sex scenes work very well as pornography… but then again, some of them are so distasteful they might drive you to abstinence, and the bloody and grotesque nature of the film undercuts its eroticism. If you're up to it, it is worth seeing once, but once is likely to be enough.

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Caligula (1979) [Three-Disc Imperial Edition]

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CALIGULA was a daring film experiment incorporating big-name, established talent, and the raw energy of under ground film techniques. What results is nothing short of a fascinating product.
All of the acting is very good. Malcolm McDowell plays psychotic villains so well, one can't help but think he's like that in real life. His portrayal of Gaius Caligula just drips with maniacal megalomania. The little-known Teresa Ann Savoy is convincing as Drusilla, Caligula's sister. And Peter O'Toole's Tiberius Caesar, whose diseased face is rotting away, is truly an oddity to behold…put he pulls it off well. The acting in general is all very good.
The use of music is also to be noted. There are original, evocative pieces written for the film by Paul Clemente, no doubt a talented composer.
While some of the photography is stilted in this film, for the most part it's gorgeous. A lot of people say the colors are "dark" and "washed out", but I think that lends to the grittiness of the film.
Danilo Donati's sets are big and well designed, it kind of shocks you to see someone getting a blow job in them. They look like they belong in a run-of-the-mill Hollywood produced film. Aren't all pornos supposed to be filmed in the director's back yard?
And that right there is the point of the film. To shock you; you can't believe you're seeing what you're seeing. Beyond the violence and the sex is a well written, acted, and photographed film.

IMDB Reviewer

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Caligula (1979) [Three-Disc Imperial Edition]

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Disc 1 has a theatrical trailer and teaser trailer, as well as a trailer for the R-rated version of the film. The Unrated cut (02:35:55) is on this disc.

Disc 2 features the pre-release cut (02:32:52) of Caligula, which is accompanied by no less than three commentaries. The first is by Caligula himself, Malcolm McDowell, and is moderated by documentary and music producer Nick Redman. Incredibly insightful, McDowell provides some amusing anecdotes about the frivolous on-set antics by some of the cast and crew, as well as the problems faced in every stage of production. The commentary is very frank considering McDowell is currently an established, well-respected actor talking about a picture whose reputation has been endlessly dragged through the mud for almost thirty years. Newly adorned Oscar winner Helen Mirren provides a second commentary, which is moderated by two film critics. Mirren doesn't provide as much genesis as McDowell does, and is prodded along a fair bit by the moderators. Ernest Volkman, one of Caligula's on-set writers, includes a final, older commentary. Twelve deleted and alternate scenes have also been included, of varying audio/visual quality.

Disc 3 is a features disc, the bulk of which is a documentary entitled The Making of Gore Vidal's Caligula, which was included on the former Unrated 2-disc DVD. Two versions of this doco have been included. There are three lengthy interviews with John Steiner (who stared as Longinus); Lori Wagner and, most interestingly, Tinto Brass himself, who speaks about the film and its cult infamousness. There are also fifteen behind-the-scenes vignettes, including 'filming the Bordello ship' and Tinto in the director's chair. A still gallery with innumerable images has been included.

There are many DVD-Rom features on this third disc, including Penthouse featurettes on Anekka and Lori, two working versions of Vidal's screenplay, a novelisation, an interview with Guccione and other such newspaper and magazine excerpts (PDF).

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Caligula (1979) [Three-Disc Imperial Edition]

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A film that would never be green lit today, Caligula is absurd, perverse and surreal. Vidal the historian, Brass the satirist and Guccione the pornographer and businessman probably could have created an amazing and well-renowned film had it not been for the quibbles that plagued the set, and all stages of production. This lovingly compiled release skirts the sublime, ridiculous and everything in between, but the best feature about it is the fantastic pre-release cut and the commentaries with it. With all of its obscene content, coupled with the controversy that has maligned it throughout the years, Caligula is required viewing for every exploitation fan.

Excerpt from Review about this edition
Julian, Digital Retribution