Caligola

Plot synopsis:
Pagan Rome, 37 A.D. 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. Shortly afterward, Macro (Guido Mannari), the head of the Praetorian Guards, appears to tell the young man that his great uncle (Tiberius) demands that he report at once to the Island of Capri, where he has been residing for a number of years with close friend, Senator Nerva (John Gielgud), Claudius (Giancaro Badessi), a dim-witted relative, and Caligula's younger stepbrother, Gemellus (Bruno Brive), Tiberius' favorite. Fearing assassination, Caligula is afraid to leave, but his beloved sister Drusilla (Teresa Ann Savoy) convinces him to go. Macro seeks to curry favor with Caligula, who will be the next Emperor, by tempting him with the promise of sleeping with his wife Ennia (Adriana Asti).At Capri, Caligula finds his uncle has become depraved, showing signs of advanced venereal diseases, and embittered with Rome and politics. Tiberius enjoys watching degrading sexual shows, often including children and various freaks of nature in his underground grotto. Caligula observes with a mixture of fascination and horror. Tensions rise when Tiberius jokingly tries to poison Caligula in front of Gemellus.A short while later, when Nerva chooses suicide over a natural death by slashing his wrists in a bath, Tiberius' seemingly ordered life is shaken, and his own death, hastened. Tiberius collapses from a stroke, leaving Macro and Caligula planning a way to hasten the latter's ascent to the throne.Late one night, Macro escorts all the spectators out of Tiberius' bedchamber to allow Caligula the opportunity to murder his grandfather, but when Caligula fails and falls into an epileptic trance, Macro finishes the deed himself by strangling Tiberius with a scarf. Caligula triumphantly removes the imperial signet from Tiberius' finger and suddenly realizes that Gemellus has witnessed the murder.Back in Rome several days later, Tiberius is buried with honors and Caligula is proclaimed the new Emperor, who in turn proclaims Drusilla his equal, to the apparent disgust of the Roman Senate. Afterwards, Drusilla, fearful of Macro's influence, convinces Caligula to get rid of him. Caligula obliges by setting up a mock trial, in which Gemellus is intimidated into testifying that Macro alone murdered Tiberius. Caligula then has Macro's wife, Ennia, arrested for "insubordination" and has her exiled to Gaul, never to be seen or heard of again.Macro is then executed in Caligula's public courtyard by a large decapitation machine; Macro and other convicts are buried up to their necks in the earth ground, and the blade-slashing machine, standing over 100-feet tall and wide as a city block, runs over him. At one point Caligula, when booed by the crowd, mutters "If only all of Rome had but one neck..."With the powerful Macro gone, Caligula appoints Tiberius' former financial and political adviser Longinus (John Steiner) as his new adviser and right-hand man, and pronounces the docile Senator Chaerea (Paolo Bonacelli) as the new head of the Praetorian Guard. Drusilla endeavors to find Caligula a wife amongst the priestesses of the goddess Isis, the mystery cult they secretly practice. Disguised as a woman, Caligula chooses a candidate from among the shapely priestesses in the Temple of Isis. He is attracted, despite Drusilla's protests that she is promiscuous, to Caesonia (Helen Mirren), an eloquent, sensual divorcee, who becomes his mistress.Over the next several months, Caligula proves to be a popular, yet eccentric ruler, cutting taxes and overturning all the oppressive laws that Tiberius enacted. Within a few months, the Roman Senate begins to dislike the young emperor for his eccentricities and various insults directed towards them. Darker aspects of his personality begin to emerge as well. When Caligula eyes a young woman named Livia (Mirella D'Angelo), whom is engaged to Proculus (Donato Placido), one of his most loyal soldiers, Caligula and his entourage crashes Livia and Proculus wedding party where he lures both to the kitchen and rapes both of them in a minor fit of jealousy. Proculus is later disemboweled and castrated in a gory torture-murder by Caligula himself. When asked why he murdered one of his most loyal officers, Caligula's insane reply is: "because I can."The much darker side of Caligula begins to show itself as he comes to realize that no one will challenge his absolute power. His terror during a thunder and lightning rainstorm is the first sign of a mental breakdown; his reaction is to run outside and dance naked.Over the next few months, Caligula's actions become increasingly senseless. His only confidant is his Arab stallion, Incitatus, which he rides into a banquet where Gemellus is one of the guests. In a macabre mood, Caligula accuses Gemellus publicly of treason and has him arrested merely to provoke a reaction from Drusilla. Caligula defends his increasingly erratic and outspoken actions as he is the Emperor of the Roman Empire and he feels that he can do anything he want with impunity.After he discovers Caesonia is pregnant, Caligula suffers a severe fever, but Drusilla nurses him back to health. Right after he recovers, Caesonia bears Caligula a daughter, whom they name Julia Drusilla, and Caligula marries her on the spot. He is enraged to learn the child is a girl and insists on calling her "my son." During the celebration, Drusilla collapses in Caligula's arms from the same fever he'd suffered. Soon afterward, Caligula receives another ill omen in the guise of a black bird. He rushes to Drusilla's side and watches her die. Caligula experiences a nervous breakdown, smashes a statue of Isis and drags Drusilla's nude body around the palace while screaming hysterically.Now in a deep depression, Caligula walks the Roman streets, disguised as a beggar. When Caligula is dragged drunk and dirty into a prison for causing a disturbance at an outdoor theater, his signet ring is spotted by a giant (Osiride Pevarello) and his true identity becomes known. Caligula is released and has the Giant become his companion and 'flunky'.After his brief stay in jail, Caligula becomes determined to destroy the senatorial class, which he has come to loathe. Over the next year, his reign becomes a series of humiliations against the foundations of Rome. He orders the execution of several senators and their families without the slightest provocation.Caligula officially proclaims himself a god and awards free games and food to every citizen for one month. When Longinus protests by saying that the economy will never be able to handle such an expense, Caligula shows him how easy it is to replenish the Imperial purse. He builds a large ship in the palace that is to be used as a brothel. Forcing the wives and daughters of his senators into prostitution, Caligula himself collects the fees from citizens eager to sample their betters.Afterward, estates are confiscated, the old pagan religion is desecrated, and Caligula initiates an absurd war on Britain to humiliate the army. His final public act of madness is to proclaim his horse, Incitatus, a senator.Having overruled every branch of the government, mocked the Roman gods, humiliated and killed all of the most loyal and trusted members of the Senate, destiny finally catches up with Caligula; Chaerea, Longinus the Imperial physician Charicles (Leopoldo Trieste), his Chief Executioner, the Roman High Priest, and a few other senators and members of the Praetorian Guard have quietly begun plotting his assassination.On the last night of his life, Caligula wanders into his bedroom where a nervous Caesonia awaits him. The black bird makes a final appearance, but only Caesonia is frightened of it. By this point, Caligula is so consumed by his insanity that he no longer exhibits fear or any kind of strong emotions.The next day, on a cold January morning in 41 A.D., after rehearsing an Egyptian play, Caligula and his family leave the stadium to return to the Imperial Palace. On their way back, a vengeful Chaerea awaits them in the front corridor. It is Chaerea whose sword brings down the Emperor. Caligula is stabbed and bashed in the head. To insure that none of Caligula's line will follow him to power, Caesonia is also stabbed, the child Julia has her head smashed on the marble steps by the Executioner, and the Giant is decapitated by Chaerea. Deranged to the last, the mortally wounded and bloodied Caligula rises to his feet and to which he defiantly whimpers: "I live!" Chaerea stabs Caligula a final time and he falls to the floor. Caligula is finished off when 10 or more of his own guards, seeing their now-hated Emperor dying, stab him to the marble floor with their spears while the horrified Claudius watches. Begging to spare his life, Claudius is given Caligula's robe and ring by Longinus and the servants who hail him as the new Emperor, proclaiming a new era for the Roman Empire. As the unwilling and dull-witted Claudius is carried away, Chaerea, Longinus, and the other conspirators flee the scene of the crime.As the servants wash the blood off the palace floor following the assassinations, the mutilated and lifeless bodies of Caligula, Caesonia, and their daughter are thrown down the marble steps of the Palace for display to all those in Rome.

Tags: violence, cult, murder, sadist

Review:
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.
Malcolm McDowell gives a great performance as the young Caligula who kills his way to the throne of the Roman Emperor and then soon leads a legacy of terror.
CALIGULA was a major box-office and critical flop (producer Guccione had to rent theatres in order to get it screened at all), and although the film was released on VHS to the home market so many censorship issues were raised that it was re-edited, and the edited version was the only one widely available for more than a decade.
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.
In one particularly disturbing scene, a man is slowly stabbed to death, a woman urinates on his corpse, and his genitals are cut off and thrown to the dogs.In a documentary that accompanies the DVD release, Guccione states he wanted the film to reflect the reality of pagan Rome.
Anyway, Nero made Caligula his role model and managed to surpass his uncle's' notorious fame.The movie is notoriously famous for the plentiful scenes of real sex, including incest, necrophilia, rape, and orgies.
Historical revelations indicate that the content of this film probably does in fact (to a degree) reflect the lunacy rampant at the time and yes that means....meaningless executions, wild paranoia, incest and of course the gratuitous sex which could probably leave some soft porn movies looking very average (provided you get the right version).
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.
There is also too much emphasis on Caligula himself, to the detriment of revealing some important traits in other characters, making them seem somewhat shallow at times.The sex scenes are very well placed within the context of the film.
I thought that only two scenes stood out as being unnecessarily overt, but for the most part, the explicitness is on the fringe of the focus of each scene, while also playing a major part in the atmosphere.Never once did I feel that any dialogue was out of place, nor did the acting strike me as being bad.By far the biggest problem with this film is the fact that the sexual content is widely advertised and therefore anticipated before viewing.
Roman orgies are regarded to have been extremely opulent and promiscuous - I found it refreshing to see one as it may have actually been rather than lots of fully-clothed laughing fat men pouring red wine over their faces and eating grapes while draped with female automatons.In summary, Caligula definitely has it's place in film history due to it's controversy, but if you look beyond that controversy, you should find a rather good film which neatly tells the story of how power can turn someone into a madman..
The fact that they had the courage to show violence and nudity, not shying away from the depravity of the subject matter, and also showing the 'dark side' of Ancient Rome, is in the end what makes this a cinematic masterpiece.Another plus is that, if you can focus away from the depravity, the movie is all around very solid.
The man is one of the best, most underrated actors and has shown before that he can play a devious lunatic like no one else.The fact this is directed by Tinto Brass (known for his almost pornographic movies) and produced by Penthouse (no explanation needed) might be one of the motives for the film's overly poor critical reception.
A director like Pasolini, for example, made worse depravities years before and got away because 'cinema experts' said it was an allegory for the human nature or whatever it is they use to justify overrating their 'art' films.
You don't see many movies that actually stick with the facts instead of making it 'Hollywood.' I reccommend this to people who "know" about Caligula in advance so that they know what their seeing instead of going into the film not having a clue what its about.
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.
The film builds around one of the most notoriously decadent of the Roman emperors, Caligula The movie covers his rise to power, his four-year rule, and his bloody assassination His vile deeds include crashing a wedding and sexually abusing the bride and groom, playing erotic fantasies with his sister (who is also his lover) and turning the Imperial Palace into an exclusive brothel For a really big-money film, the treatment of the sexual scenes is daringly explicit, but somehow the obsession with it makes the film uneven It blends very good actors, O'Toole and McDowell, with some simple-minded Penthouse models The overall effect is disappointing...Guccione does deserve a hand for the exquisite sets, costumes, production values, and very fine cinematography.
But in setting this sex in the context of Caligula's depraved reign, it dignifies the act even less than the average adult movie.
Let's not kid ourselves here, all ye art students, film-school nerds, and other self-loathing "cinema l'arte" snobs: had this exact same movie been released under the banner "directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini" you would have loved it - sorry: CLAIMED to have loved it - and praised it to high heaven, espousing its virtues in long essays, justifying its extreme sex and violence through some b.s. semantic pseudo-intellectual movie-critic-jargon mumbo-jumbo.Go on, admit it.
We promise.This movie has been unanimously dismissed as exploitative trash and of no cinematic value by "notable" movie critics.After having seen the full two-and-a-half hour version: a) I can certainly see why THEY would choose to view it that way b) I totally disagree The fact that "Caligula" was financed by Penthouse (gasp!) and directed by Tinto Brass (oh no!) is what this is all about.An excellent cast includes McDowell (an ideal choice for Caligula - or any devious lunatic, for that matter) and Mirren (at the height of her enormous sex-appeal).
I'm not sure what is more horrendous; the violence, the sexual perverseness, the acting or the plot (or severe lack thereof).The two and a half hours basically follows the ascension of the infamous Roman Caesar "Caligula" to to throne in 37AD and shows the atrocities and perverseness he supposedly committed whilst in power.
Add to that Peter O'Toole as syphilis-ridden emperor Tiberius and Malcolm McDowell sticking his finger up a male victim's anus, and you begin to appreciate that Caligula is solely of interest to addicts of sick/outrageous films.The film charts the life of notorious Roman emperor Caligula (McDowell), a highly disturbed individual whose story is told through a series of sexual encounters, decapitations, betrayals, murders, incestuous relationships and lesbian sex scenes.Although Caligula was totally mad in real life, and probably did succumb to his base instincts more often than not, the film is still inexcusable filth.
It is doubtful that this amount of time, talent and money will ever be thrown at a porno film again, so in that sense Caligula is a one-of-a-kind experience...
Actors of the calibre and stature of Malcolm McDowell, Sir John Gielgud, Helen Mirren and Peter O'Toole flew to Rome for what promised to be one hell of an experience, and it proved to be just that.Ever since its release in 1979 Caligula has been resoundly lambasted by not only the critics but by most of the participants in the production.
Can't say again if incidents are real then how much honestly they are filmed but sure thing that such events are reality of human history not too old at various developing places.I wish this movie can tell about or show us about the extreme or limit of money, power, sex in human life.
The movie traces the rise and fall of Caligula, the last real emperor of the united Roman Empire; before the military took over the government and instituted a line of puppet rulers.Nothing is held back in showing the moral decay and decadence of the final days of the empire.
While the attempt at realism is admirable, it makes it difficult for some viewers to look past the offense to their personal sensibilities and appreciate the film as a whole.The movie has a lot of big names stars, but strangely it is a relative unknown, Theresa Ann Savoy, as Caligula's sister that provides the best performance.
While some viewers have criticised the movie as exaggerating the concept of Roman orgies, one should remember that "Caligula" takes place during the fall of Rome, where the power of the Emperor and nobility had reached the epitome of corruption.
Not only did porn go away from the movie theaters to the VHS and further online that regular film rearly have explicit scenes of sex in it.
It is obvious now days that porn and regular films are separated and probably they will stay that way for a long time.Caligula remains an extraordinary tryout in putting those two genres together.
Peter O'Toole plays Tiberius, Caligula's adopted Grandfather and he does a great job also for the short time he is in the movie.
And Tinto Brass is not a bad filmmaker in the small, meaning he knows how to make a good image if not craft things as a project.It could have worked, because by the late seventies, audiences had plenty of examples of performances that referenced and encapsulated other performances, so we could have what this could have been: a (film) performance of a (porn) performance of a (historical, voyeuristic-in-its-time) performance.
i mean we are all adult, and sex scenes in Caligula are well made and have something to do with the plot.i saw "the making of Caligula" and there are some useful info about this movie.8 outta 10, for actors performance, and "theater" idea.
"Caligola" stars Malcolm McDowell as the Emperor and chronicles his rise and fall as the brief ruler of the Roman Empire.The film focuses heavily on Caligula's infamously deranged sexual practices,as well as those of his contemporaries.It's surly a pretty controversial piece of work which was heavily censored in several countries.I own the original 156 minutes long version which was cut down from the Cannes 210 minute version,which may still exist somewhere as a bootleg.The film is not as bad as it's reputed to be,unfortunately both Peter O'Toole and Malcolm McDowell have since expressed regret in participating in the film.It's clear that "Caligola" was directly inspired in look and theme by the vastly superior and even more controversial 1977 Pier Paolo Pasolini's "Salo:The 120 Days of Sodom".Still this is a strong film guaranteed to offend the prudish and the squeamish.The sex scenes are as intense as most of your standard hard core porn,with rampant fellatio(male/female plus homosexual)and actual sexual penetration featured throughout.The film also boasts some fine grue including a castration(with the penis fed to dogs),numerous decapitations and disemboweling,so fans of sleaze and gore won't be disappointed.The lesbian scene between Anneka Di Lorenzo and Lori Wagner is truly arousing as is the imperial orgy sequence.Overall,I enjoyed this film and you should too,if you are a fan of exploitation cinema.A must-see!.
I first became familiar with his work when I saw A Clockwork Orange and after seeing him in that film I immediately rated him 3rd in my all time favourite movie stars.
with outstanding performances from not only McDowell but also from Peter O'Tool and Helen Mirren Caligula is a great experience.If you ARE AGAINST STRONG Violence AND STRONG SEXUAL PREFRENCES THEN THIS MOVIE IS NOT FOR YOU, but if you don't mind all that and you are a fan of Malcolm McDowell then you must see this movie!!!!!!!!!!.
Secondly, if I were to sit the multitude of graphic sex scenes only to be repelled and mystified by their presence in the film, then it barely functions as good porn.In short, CALIGULA has provided me with two and one-half hours of cinema (if you wish to call it that) that I would never wish on anyone..
To me, this movie was an expensive attempt to create a pornographic film set to the backdrop of Ancient Rome and throwing in extreme violence and established actors just to lend it some credibility.
This makes Caligula a small minded big movie.Or add any perspective taken from a character's point of view wherein we at least think that what is being portrayed as deviant behaviour actually is.
Peter O'Toole (as the dying and diseased Emperor Tiberius), Malcolm McDowell (Caligula) in yet another full frontal movie (Clockwork Orange), Sir John Gielgud and Helen Mirren (thats right the Queen herself).It is nice to see Peter O' Toole and Malcolm McDowell fully embedded in the hedonism of ancient Rome.
The film looks as good as any Fellini and contains some brilliant work from the actors  McDowell is legendary, Gielgud and Steiner great (notice how Steiner's Longinus, Caligula's treasurer, is a physical manifestation of the penis, complete with a slit on the top of his head).
Other big names that signed up for this highly controversial movie include (Dame) Helen Mirren, (Sir) John Gielgud and Peter O'Toole.Watching these highly regarded thesps mixing with Penthouse pets performing hardcore lesbian trysts and blow-jobs is a real eye-opener and really has to be seen to be believed.
Other notable actors/actresses are: Peter O'Toole as Emperor Tiberius John Gielgud as Nerva, Helen Mirren as Caesonia and Paolo Bonacelli as Senator Chaerea.The film contains scenes of sex and violence and I therefore do not recommend it being shown to persons under the age of 18.
I liked what McDowell himself said about the film: "It was like one moment I'd be staring, admiring my mule or something, and the next scene would be two lesbians going at it."How true.What an awful movie.1/5 stars..
The Emperor Caligula and his predecessor Tiberius were certainly known for their debauched lifestyles, so the film's concentration on sex and violence is not necessarily historically inaccurate.
If anything the film downplays the reality of Rome during Caligula's reign.The people who agreed to be in this movie, knowing full well that the project was VERY controversial, provide world class and Oscar level acting for the most part.
Although he only shot six minutes or so, the most sexually hardcore six minutes of the movie, he re-edited the entire thing in to the mess that it is.I've never been an advocate of censorship, but 'Caligula' seems to be so far removed from the intentions of all involved that Brass needs to be given the opportunity one-day to re-edit it back to the film it could have been, which I suspect for all its shocking and offensive imagery, would have been pretty good..
Alongside McDowell there is a wealth of British acting talent being flushed down the pan, with Helen Mirren as Caligula's wife Caesonia, John Gielgud appearing briefly as Nerva -- wisely bowing out after the first ten minutes -- and Peter O'Toole, who fares least well in the embarrassing role of syphilitic paedophile Tiberius, a role which probably did his ailing career little favours.Of course the film will no doubt be written off on the grounds of the sex and violence, which are purposely excessive.
I believe the version I sat through was the director's cut, with some creative work done by the powers that be to remove footage that failed to meet the taste and decency guidelines.Because of these offending images, the resulting ban of the film in many countries means that 'Caligula' now, somewhat undeservedly, has acquired a place in cinematic history as "the first pornographic epic" -- the proud words of Mr Guccione.
As for the acting, McDowell is actually pretty good, John Gielgud keeps his dignity (and departs early on) and Teresa Ann Savoy is quite luscious as Caligula's sister, but Peter O'Toole hits an all-time low with a brief but shameful performance.All in all, this movie IS worth seeing, if you are prepared for some of the most inconceivably and jaw-droppingly graphic sex scenes you'll ever see in a non-purely pornographic film (the violence is also strong, but not THAT strong).
The version I first saw was three hours long and had historic scenes interspersed with almost hardcore pornography.Obviously, the sex scenes turned me on, and watching this film felt like an extremely guilty pleasure, but to be honest, I really enjoyed the other scenes too.
It seems that producer Bob Guccione was more concerned with filming hardcore sex scenes to show the debauchery of ancient Rome than with making an accurate or entertaining film.The plot is basically that of the life of Emperor Gaius Julius Caeser Augustus Germanicus (Caligula was his nickname).
This film could have been great, but it ended up being extremely disappointing.If you want to learn about the early Roman emperors watch "I, Claudius." If you want to see hardcore sex, rent a porn..
What's even worse is that talented actors such as Malcolm McDowell, Peter O'Toole, John Gielgud and Helen Mirren allowed themselves to participate in it.The sets look as if they were lifted out of a really bad sci-fi film.