The theatrical cut is a badly-dubbed, silly old mess, a third-rate Ken Russell. One's enjoyment the word used advisedly may also depend on which version you're exposed to. "I just tried to survive it" McDowell explained later.The result is utterly unique. Vidal was barred from the set lawsuits pinged between Italy and the States and the 'Penthouse' boss, tired of being dry-humped by Brass, finished the film off himself, inserting extra hardcore, willy-nilly, into the edit. "I want to screw theeez Penthouse!" the anarchic Tinto informed McDowell, who envisaged Caligula as less an insane tyrant than an anarchic revolutionary, hastening the Senate's downfall from the top. With a trio of emperor-sized egos in bed, the Vidal-Brass-Guccione threesome collapsed under the weight of those old artistic differences. This would be a truly groundbreaking picture, a heavy breathing Aubrey Beardsley illustration, combining high-art, high-drama and Penthouse Pets placing their ankles behind their ears.It all went terribly wrong. Beyond the violence and the sex is a well written, acted, and photographed film.I have spoken! ĭroog-of-the-moment Malcolm McDowell in the title role. To shock you you can't believe you're seeing what you're seeing. Aren't all pornos supposed to be filmed in the director's back yard?And that right there is the point of the film. They look like they belong in a run-of-the-mill Hollywood produced film. 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. 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. The acting in general is all very good.The use of music is also to be noted. 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. Despite its flaws, with its sheer amount of action and atmosphere, I believe this movie deserves a 10.Is convincing as Drusilla, Caligula's sister. The last movie I actually liked to a strong degree was Amadeus, which I saw two years ago. I've become very hard to please when it comes to movies. The filmmakers must be applauded for attempting to make an honest epic. For centuries, Western culture has censored and toned-down representations of its Pagan past.
With the hardcore scenes excised (the version i saw was the complete version), I believe this movie should be shown in every high school World History class. The depiction of slaves and the acts of love and brutality are well-done. This is the first film I've seen to have a character wearing a toga like the one Caligula's sister (a design many Roman women actually wore) wears in the opening scene. Where this film succeeds monumentally is the costuming and unabridged realism. It also caused me to desire to learn more and research the actual life of Tiberius. I found myself much more intrigued by his character and wishing the movie was about his decline from wisdom to near-madness, rather than Caligula. He displays tragedy and lunacy, evoking reactions of disgust, sympathy, pity, and compassion.
The acting (including Malcolm McDowell's) is nothing outstanding, with the exception of Peter O'Toole's Tiberius Caesar. More drama could be added, however we do have to bear in mind that the Romans followed the school of Stoicism. The film quality and lighting would make it appear to date from the 1960s. It does not exactly function as an historical epic, either. only a few scenes are hardcore, and only a couple of these are even barely erotic. and watched it again last night and again tonight. I watched this movie the first time the night-before last.