Caligula: The Ultimate Cut [Blu-ray]

Director: Tinto Brass, Bob Guccione, Giancarlo Lui Tinto Brass

Overview

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.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/17/2024
UPC:	0778854241091
Original Release:	1979
Source:	Unobstructed View
Language:	English
Sales rank:	44,955

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Malcolm McDowell	Caligula
Helen Mirren	Caesonia
Peter O'Toole	Tiberius
Teresa Ann Savoy	Drusilla
John Gielgud	Nerva
John Steiner	Longinus
Guido Mannari	Macro
Paolo Bonacelli	Chaerea
Giancarlo Badessi	Claudio
Adriana Asti	Ennia
Leopoldo Trieste	Caricles
Mirella D'Angelo	Livia
Anneka Di Lorenzo	Messalina
Lori Wagner	Agrippina
Bruno Brive	Gemellus
Osiride Pevarello	Giant
Paul Clemente	Composer

Technical Credits

Gore Vidal

Tinto Brass	Director
Bob Guccione	Producer,Director
Franco Rossellini	Producer
Jack H. Silverman	Executive Producer
Gore Vidal	Screenwriter
Giancarlo Lui	Director