During the orgy scene there are a few shots of oral sex (both gay and straight), and a few lesbian sex scenes. He cast Penthouse Pets as extras in unsimulated sex scenes filmed during post-production by himself and Giancarlo Lui. [22][44][45], The script was adapted into a novelization written by William Johnston under the pseudonym William Howard. It has been reappraised by some critics; review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a negative score of 23% based on 30 reviews, with an average rating of 3.06/10. That aside, orgies and casual sex were not a commonplace of Roman society, where adultery was an offense punishable by death. [14], In 1979, when Guccione tried to import the film's footage into the U.S., customs officials seized it. A happily married 24-year-old woman who experiences an inexplicable, rather restless craving to finally live her life intensely, retells her extra-marital escapades to her husband intending to spice up their marriage. Producer Bob Guccione, the magazine's founder, intended to produce an explicit pornographic film with a feature film narrative and high production values. Use the HTML below. Caligula is a chore to sit through, to the point where I finally started to fast-forward through scenes to get to the story! Prince Gaius Germanicus "Caligula" (Latin term for 'Little Boots') (Malcolm McDowell) the 24-year-old young heir to the throne of the syphilis-ridden, 77-year-old, half-mad Emperor Tiberius (Peter O'Toole), thinks he has received a bad omen after a blackbird flies into his room early one morning. Historical accounts of Caligula may vary, but nearly all historians agreed on ⦠During the celebration, Drusilla collapses with the same fever he suffered. However, both Brass and Vidal disagreed with Guccione's use of unsimulated sexual content, which Brass refused to film. [29], Filming concluded on 24 December 1976. Its uncut form remains banned in several countries. He gives his horse political office and humiliates and executes anyone who even slightly displeases him. He had a reputation of being eccentric, but when he succeeded Caligula as Emperor, he was very well received in the 13 years in charge. Despite his praying to Isis out of desperation, Drusilla dies from her fever. Caligula sets up a mock trial in which Gemellus is intimidated into testifying that Macro murdered Tiberius, then has Macro's wife Ennia banished from Rome. [17], Principal photography began in 1976 in Rome. In 2020, another version of the film was announced to be released in the fall of that year, edited by E. Elias Merhige to follow more closely Gore Vidal's original screenplay instead of Tinto Brass' or Bob Guccione's vision.[16]. Nerva commits suicide and Caligula tries to kill Tiberius but loses his nerve. [38][37] The film was confiscated by Italian police on November 15 with the district attorney calling many scenes in the film "flagrantly obscene". Reviews There are no reviews yet. Caligula (1979) Movie Reviews - Cinafilm has 581 reviews of Caligula from movie critics and film fans. There are various versions of this movie, ranging from the heavily-truncated 90-minute version to the legendary 2-hour-40-minute hardcore version which leaves nothing to the imagination--though the hardcore scenes were inserted later and did not involve the main cast members. . [57][58] Writing for The A.V. Guccione and Lui "hired a skeleton crew, snuck back into the studios at night, raided the prop room"[17] and shot hardcore sex scenes to edit into the film. Unable to further tolerate his actions, Longinus conspires with Chaerea to assassinate Caligula. Darker aspects of Caligula's personality emerge when he rapes a bride and groom on their wedding day in a minor fit of jealousy and orders Gemellus's execution to provoke a reaction from Drusilla. [49] New Times critic Gregory Weinkauf gave the film 3 out of 5, calling it "Kinda dumb and tacky, but at least it's a real movie". Even though there were a number of editors on the film, their names were not credited. Then, when Guccione felt Brass' work wasn't explicit enough, he and Giancarlo Lui photographed hardcore material on the sly.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. What's the deal with the 210 minute version? The film's titles credit both Baragli and "The Production", a credit possibly referring to. The Many Versions Of "Caligula"! Of Little Worth. (1979). [43] The film was a financial success in France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Japan. There are various versions of this movie, ranging from the heavily-truncated 90-minute version to the legendary 2-hour-40-minute hardcore version which leaves nothing to the imagination--though the hardcore scenes were inserted later and did not involve the main cast members. [17][28] Guccione cast Penthouse Pets as female extras in sexual scenes. [20] Guccione said Brass's rewrites were done out of necessity to the film's visual narrative and did not alter the dialogue or content. [19] Vidal's screenplay had a strong focus on homosexuality, leading Guccione to demand rewrites which toned down the homosexual content for wider audience appeal. [15], In July 2018, Alexander Tuschinski released his documentary Mission: Caligula on Vimeo. 305 of 431 people found this review helpful. [13] Although contemporary reviews were overwhelmingly negative, Caligula is now considered to be a cult classic in retrospect, and its political content is considered to have significant merit. 2. [17] Several mainstream actors were cast, Guccione intending to make a film which he felt, like Citizen Kane, would be a landmark in cinematic history. The fake trailer was screened worldwide, including New York City's Whitney Museum of American Art's 2006 Whitney Biennial. Brass publicly stated, "If I ever really get mad at Gore Vidal, I'll publish his script". [15], In 2020, another version of the film was announced to be released in the fall of that year, edited by E. Elias Merhige to follow more closely Gore Vidal's original screenplay instead of Tinto Brass' or Bob Guccione's vision.[68]. [20] In The Encyclopedia of Epic Films, author Djoymi Baker describes Brass's screenplay as "an antiepic with an antihero, on a path of self-inflicted, antisocial descent". 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. Another blackbird appears but only Caesonia is frightened of it. Malcolm McDowell in Caligola (1979) ... Caligula (1979) March 2020. "[50] It is also notable for being one of the few films Ebert ever walked out of—he walked out 2 hours into its 170-minute length after feeling "disgusted and unspeakably depressed". [56] Positive criticism of the film came from Moviehole reviewer Clint Morris, who awarded it 3 stars out of 5, calling it "[a] classic in the coolest sense of the word". This edition also includes audio commentaries featuring Malcolm McDowell and Helen Mirren, and interviews with the cast and crew. Now, all that remains is to confess the rousing thoughts to an elaborate diary hoping to break free from ties and inhibitions. After Macro is executed in a gruesome public game, Caligula appoints Tiberius' former adviser Longinus as his personal assistant while pronouncing the docile Senator Chaerea as the new head of the Praetorian Guard. [33] The album featured Nicolai's score and two versions—one in a disco style—of a love theme titled "We Are One", which did not appear in the film. [19] Vidal distanced himself from the production, calling Brass a "megalomaniac". [53] Scott concluded his review by claiming the whole film's production was "a boondoggle of landmark proportions". There is a tremendous amount of nudity, and that remains in the edited version, but the original comes complete with XXX scenes: 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. [65] Tuschinski will use 85 minutes of Brass's original workprint and edit the remainder of the film himself. [46] Penthouse won the case when a Boston Municipal Court ruled that Caligula had passed the Miller test and was not obscene. [17] Guccione considered film to be a "collective effort, involving the input of a great number of artists and craftsmen", and the director to be the leader of a "team effort". And no doubt John Gielgud is glad he didn't live to see it happen.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. [17] Guccione said Brass shot enough film to "make the original version of Ben-Hur about 50 times over". [67] However, the edit is an attempt to realize Brass's original vision for the film. Fearing assassination, Caligula is afraid to leave but his sister and lover Drusilla persuades him to go. [42], Caligula grossed US$23 million[11] at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing pornographic film ever produced independently. Barely Legal: 30 Nearly Pornographic Mainstream Films Full-frontal nudity, steamy threesomes, one-for-the-money shots â these movies pushed the ⦠What shall it profit a man if he should gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Caligula wants to marry Drusilla, but she insists they cannot marry because she is his sister. [64], In February 2018, Penthouse announced that a new cut of the film was being edited by Alexander Tuschinski. [36][52] Rex Reed called Caligula "a trough of rotten swill". The director Tinto Brass extensively altered Vidal's original screenplay, however, leading Vidal to disavow the film. [41], In Boston, authorities seized the film. Now, a dash of infidelity awakens his dormant enthusiasm for her; however, is his new-found interest too little, too late? [3][4] According to Kristopher Spencer, the score "is gloriously dramatic, capturing both the decadent atmosphere of ancient Rome and the twisted tragedy of its true story". [4] In November 1980, Guccione formed Penthouse Records to release a double album soundtrack to Caligula. We know very little about Caligula--and what little we know is questionable at best. He gives his horse political office and humiliates and executes anyone who even slightly displeases him. [35] In 2005, artist Francesco Vezzoli produced a fake trailer for an alleged remake called Gore Vidal's Caligula as a promotion for Versace's new line of accessories; the remake was to star Helen Mirren as "the Empress Tiberius", Gerard Butler as Chaerea, Milla Jovovich as Drusilla, Courtney Love as Caligula, and Karen Black as Agrippina the Elder and featuring an introduction by Gore Vidal. Instead, Caligula marries Caesonia, a priestess and notorious courtesan, after she bears him an heir. It was funded by Bob Guccione, head of the Penthouse magazine and blue film empire, and had to be cut to ninety minutes for cinema showing, because of its nudity, and pornographic content. [24] The Penthouse attorney described the Fairlawn events as being driven by conservative morality reinforced by Ronald Reagan's presidential victory, stating, "Apparently, these extremists have interpreted a change by administration to mean a clarion call for a mandate to shackle the public's mind again. Her parents pay no attention ... See full summary ». [27] Director Tinto Brass cast his own acquaintances as senators and noblemen, including ex-convicts, thieves and anarchists. There was, instead, a nauseating excursion into base and sad fantasies. [39] The film premiered in the United States on 1 February 1980, at the Trans Lux East Theatre, which Guccione had rented exclusively to screen the film; he changed the theater's name to Penthouse East. Tiberius enjoys swimming with naked youths and watching degrading sex shows that include deformed people and animals. Medieval drama in which Redgrave plays an allegedly insane woman who is allowed to finally leave the madhouse to see if she is capable of functioning normally. After Tiberius' death and burial, Caligula is proclaimed the new Emperor, then proclaims Drusilla as his equal, to the apparent disgust of the Roman Senate. This is one of the most notorious films ever released for many reasons, like the fact that an all-star cast of Oscar winners finds themselves in a xxx-rated film! [17] Brass started editing the film himself but was not allowed to continue after he had edited approximately the first hour of it. Shortly afterward, the head of the Praetorian Guard, Macro, tells Caligula that Tiberius demands his immediate presence at Capri, where the Emperor lives with his close friend Nerva, a dim-witted relative Claudius, and Caligula's adopted son (Tiberius’s grandson) Gemellus. In 1940s Venice, after twenty years of marriage, a Professor and his younger wife witness the passion wane. [17] Brass and Guccione disagreed about the film's approach to sexual content; Guccione preferred unsimulated sexual content that Brass did not want to film. [17], Mark 8:36, quoted at the film's beginning,[23] establishing the film's theme that "absolute power corrupts absolutely"[24], The film's primary theme is "absolute power corrupts absolutely". [17] Brass described Vidal's screenplay as "the work of an aging arteriosclerotic" and agreed to direct only if he was allowed to rewrite Vidal's screenplay. [17], During the film's production, McDowell took members of the production to dinner at an expensive restaurant to celebrate England's win in a football match against the Italian team. Malcolm McDowell in Caligola (1979) Saved by IMDb. [26] Gielgud was originally offered the role of Tiberius, which he declined, as he felt Vidal's script was "pornographic"; however, he later accepted the role of Nerva. [24] Vidal's script presented Caligula as a good man driven to madness by absolute power;[20] Brass's screenplay envisioned Caligula as a "born monster". You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Is Caligula any good? Menu. Caligula ( 1979) Topics subiect istoric. [41] Penthouse took legal action, partly because Guccione thought the legal challenges and moral controversies would provide "the kind of [marketing] coverage money can never buy". Title: "Lowest:100 Really Bad Moments in 20th Century Entertainment". The rise and fall of the notorious Roman Emperor Caligula, showing the violent methods that he employs to gain the throne, and the subsequent insanity of his reign. Did Gore Vidal disown the film because Bob Guccione and Tinto Brass added explicit sex and gore to the film. Here are some of our picks to get you in the spirit. [53] Scott unfavourably compared Caligula with In the Realm of the Senses, describing the latter film as a better treatment of extreme sexuality. film artistic Addeddate 2019-05-10 16:55:30 Identifier Caligula1979_201905 Scanner Internet Archive HTML5 Uploader 1.6.4. plus-circle Add Review. Directed by Tinto Brass. September 29th Genre Releases Include Cruel Jaws (Blu-ray/DVD), Pandemonium (Blu-ray), Ghost Ship (Collectorâs Edition Blu-ray), The Caller (Blu-ray), Birol Ãnel, Turkish Star of âHead-On,â Dies at 59, âSkin: A History of Nudity in the Moviesâ Review: A Must-See for Curious and Depraved Cinephiles, Greatest biopics about a controversial person. [20] Guccione offered directing duties to John Huston and Lina Wertmüller, both of whom rejected the film. From Die Hard to The Muppet Christmas Carol, these festive movies and holiday TV episodes are guaranteed to boost your holiday spirit. Caligula (1979) Parents Guide Add to guide . The young emperor's decision to force the senators of Rome to live under a regime as cruel, moronic, meaningless and random as he believes life itself to be. [18] Development began under producer Franco Rossellini, the nephew of filmmaker Roberto Rossellini. [62], In 2007, Caligula was released on DVD and Blu-ray in an "Imperial Edition",[63] which featured the unrated theatrical release version and a new version featuring alternative sequencing from the original theatrical release and without the explicit sexual content shot by Guccione, marking the first attempt to reconstruct the film into a version closer to Brass' intentions. The men's magazine Penthouse had long been involved in film funding, helping invest in films made by other studios, including Chinatown, The Longest Yard and The Day of the Locust, but it had never produced a film on its own. [36] An edited version had a limited run in a small town near Forli, Italy before opening in Rome on Sunday, November 11, 1979. In World War II Italy, four fascist libertines round up nine adolescent boys and girls and subject them to one hundred and twenty days of physical, mental and sexual torture. A troubled college professor becomes obsessed with the idea that his emotionally distant wife is having an affair with his invalid father. Details the graphic and shocking but undeniably tragic story of Rome's most infamous Caesar, Gaius Germanicus Caligula. This 1979 epic was directed by Tinto Brass, an Italian film maker well-known for his cheap titillation films, on the borders of soft porn. 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. [17] The magazine's founder Bob Guccione wanted to produce an explicit adult film within a feature film narrative that had high production values; he decided to produce a film about the rise and fall of the Roman emperor Caligula. The movie depicts Claudius (played by Giancarlo Badessi) as a complete moron, which is untrue. John Gielgud and Helen Mirren were indifferent to Brass; they ultimately trusted his direction and focused on their own performances. "[24], Atlanta prosecutors threatened legal action if the film was to be screened in the city, but experts testified in court on behalf of the film, and Atlanta, too, declared that the film was not obscene. The rise and fall of the notorious Roman Emperor Caligula, showing the violent methods that he employs to gain the throne, and the subsequent insanity of his reign. Drusilla nurses him back to health. [22] Guccione said, "Gore's work was basically done and Tinto's work was about to begin". Michael Brooke
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