Caligola (1979)

Directors:

Tinto Brass
Bob Guccione

Writer:

Gore Vidal (earlier screenplay)

Release Date:

15 February 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | Adult

Tagline:

What would you have done if you had been given absolute power of life and death over everybody else in the whole world?

Plot:

Details the graphic and shocking, yet undeniably tragic story of Rome's most infamous Caesar, Gaius Germanicus Caligula.

Plot Keywords:

Perverted | Box Office Flop | Hate | Fear | Sexual Fantasy

Cast

Malcolm McDowell	...	Caligula
Teresa Ann Savoy	...	Drusilla
Guido Mannari	...	Macro
John Gielgud	...	Nerva
Peter O'Toole	...	Tiberius
Giancarlo Badessi	...	Claudius
Bruno Brive	...	Gemellus
Adriana Asti	...	Ennia
Leopoldo Trieste	...	Charicles
Paolo Bonacelli	...	Chaerea
John Steiner	...	Longinus
Mirella D'Angelo	...	Livia (as Mirella Dangelo)
Helen Mirren	...	Caesonia
Rick Parets	...	Mnester (as Richard Parets)
Paula Mitchell	...	Subura Singer

Also Known As:

Caligula (USA)
Caligula, My Son (UK)
Caligvla (International: English title) (alternative spelling)
Gore Vidal's Caligola (Italy) (working title)
Io, Caligola (Italy) (recut version)

Runtime:

156 min | UK:102 min | Italy:123 min (recut version) | 210 min (original cut) | USA:148 min (re-release) | Spain:137 min | USA:102 min (R-rated version)

Country:

Italy | USA

Language:

Italian | English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (original release) | Dolby (re-release: 1999)

Certification:

Finland:K-18 (heavily cut) (1981) | USA:NC-17 (original rating) | Finland:(Banned) (original rating) | Belgium:16 (video rating) | Spain:X | Germany:18 (SPIO/JK) (cut) | Australia:X (1985) | USA:R (heavily cut) | Netherlands:16 | Belgium:KNT (original rating) | Australia:Refused Classification (2005) | West Germany:18 (nf) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | New Zealand:R18 | Italy:VM18 | USA:Unrated (uncut) | UK:18 (re-rating: 1990) (heavily cut) | France:-16 | France:-18 (DVD version) | Argentina:18 | Canada:(Banned) (Nova Scotia) | Chile:18 | Denmark:15 (DVD rating) | Denmark:16 | Finland:K-18 | Hong Kong:III | Iceland:(Banned) (original rating) | Iceland:16 (cut) | Norway:18 | Peru:18 | South Korea:18 (cut) | Sweden:15 | USA:X (self applied MA for "Mature Audiences") | Australia:R (cut) | UK:X (original rating: 1980) (cut)

Filming Locations:

Dear Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Penthouse Films International

Trivia:

The film's screenplay was developed from an unproduced television mini-series treatment, written by Roberto Rossellini.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Charea is shown proclaiming Claudius emperor after killing Caligula and his family. In reality, it was another Praetorian who proclaimed Claudius as emperor - Charea had been planning on killing Claudius as well to eliminate the entire imperial family.

Quotes:

Caligula: Let them hate me, so long as they fear me.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in O Lucky Malcolm! (2006)

Soundtrack:

We Are One

Taste is relative, but pornography is REALLY relative

It is funny.

As pornography, this film leaves a lot to be desired. To call it such is naive and absurd, and you obviously haven't seen any REAL pornography.

As a film, it leaves a lot to be desired. It lacks a number of things (dialogue, plot movement, etc) that make even a mediocre movie mediocre.

As far as a complete effort, it is fantastic. The attempt to even try something like this is outrageous and to have pulled it off (pardon the pun) as much as Guccioni and the gang did is amazing.

It seems as if the fact that some actual money was poured into this epic makes it bad, while something like 'Pink Flamingos' by John Waters is thought of as 'great' when it is just as likely to make a person squirm with its bad taste (again, pardon the pun and God rest Divine).

I really like this movie. It is like NOTHING that has ever been made nor will there ever be anything made like it. It is all at once historical (at least as much as say, Saving Private Ryan); it is thought provoking, it is strangely erotic, it is disturbing, and lastly, it is a movie that (love it or hate it) you will NOT forget if you do decide to see it.

I say see it.

Rating = 10