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.| Malcolm McDowell | Caligula |
| Teresa Ann Savoy | Drusilla |
| Helen Mirren | Cesonia |
| Peter O'Toole | Tiberius |
| John Steiner | Longino |
| John Gielgud | Nerva |
| Paolo Bonacelli | Cherea |
| Giancarlo Badessi | Claudio |
| Adriana Asti | Ennia |
| Leopoldo Trieste | Caricle |
| Lori Wagner | Agrippina |
| Mirella D'Angelo | Livia |
| Osiride Pevarello | Giant |
| Guido Mannari | Macrone |
Genre/Type - Epic, Historical Film, Sexploitation, Historical Epic, Biography
Produced by - Analysis / Felix Cinematografica / Penthouse Productions /
Production Artistique Cinematographique
Running time - 150 min.
The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones (1976, Cliff Owen)
Caligula's Slaves (1984)
Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975, Pier Paolo Pasolini)
Caligola: La Storia Mai Raccontata (1982, Joe D'Amato)
Fellini Satyricon (1969, Federico Fellini)
Cleopatra (1963, Joseph L. Mankiewicz)