Back in the day if a film got banned from theatrical or home release it really had little else worth talking about. Are there exceptions? Yes. But more often than not these landmarks of censorship are just not very good. Going on moral crusades only gives them more attention than they deserve. Caligula was one of the most controversial films of its time due to its sexual explicit nature and graphic violence. The full three hour cut was never given a proper until the early 2008 and as such became a notorious cult classic. But, as usual in these cases, it also happens to be the worst film you are ever likely to endure.
Little is known for sure about the real Caligula. Most of the stories attributed to him involve bloodshed, insanity, hedonism and delusions of deity. Hardly unusual for a Roman (or indeed any) Emperor but when dealing with Caligula we get all that times ten. And that’s before we get to the really horrible topics like incest, bestiality and infanticide. This is the version of history we get in the movie. After the death of Emperor Tiberius (Peter O’Toole), his nephew Caligula (Malcolm McDowell) is proclaimed the new ruler of Rome. Already a morally repugnant young man, he exploits the power given to him and leads a life of debauchery. After several orgies with his sister (Teresa Ann Savoy), his wife (Helen Mirren) and even his horse he comes to the realization that he is in fact a God and gleefully executes anyone who he suspects opposes him. Eventually, the army and the Imperial Senate have had enough of him he is assassinated.
Extreme cinema is not to everyone’s taste but that doesn’t mean it’s bereft of artistic merit. Even the most taboo of topics can be made into a good film. All it needs is a writer and director talented enough to include some social or political context and can present the material in an artistic manner. Nothing about that last sentence can describe Bob Guccione.
Earning a fortune with his publication Penthouse, he made the bizarre decision to make Caligula, a real movie with actual actors and experienced director. He got the actors alright but the director he hired while certainly experienced is not exactly what one would call talented. Tinto Brass, famous in Italy for his work in erotic cinema took Guccione’s twenty million dollar budget and made it look like an amateur student movie. The cinematography is flat with little to no depth in any of the shots. The camera work is also laughably inept. Watching this cheap looking trash I kept having to remind myself that this cost more than the first ‘Star Wars’ movie. This alone makes the movie a vulgar experience; and we haven’t even gotten to the content yet.
If you are expecting a stylish work of erotica similar to the original Emmanuelle movie then look elsewhere. A good erotic movie should manage to turn you on and also make some sort of statement about sex in society. Failing that it can be a tongue in cheek fantasy or an outrageous satire in the spirit of Russ Meyer. Caligula is just various depictions of coarse sex scenes in togas. There is no kind of enjoyment to be had whatsoever. There is also some dreadful depictions or rape, child murder and disembowelment which are also terribly misjudged.
As if Tinto Brass‘ hideous sensibilities weren’t enough, Guccione stepped in and shot additional hardcore sex scenes. So one half of Caligula had a bad director and the other had an amateur director. This may give you some idea of how the film turned out. Brass disowned the movie, which was probably the only shred of artistic merit he contributed to it. Added to which, the sets are tacky, the costumes third rate and what passes for a script would be laughable if it wasn’t so pathetic. It’s a testament to the talent of Malcolm McDowell and Helen Mirren that their career actually survived Caligula, especially once it was finally considered fit for public viewing.
After production everyone knew they had made something exceptionally bad. Nobody wanted to take credit for the screenplay, nobody wanted to distribute it and nobody wanted to show it. All the major stars expressed regret for making it, different edits were made to facilitate a cinema release in different territories and each one was destroyed by the critics. Naturally, it was a major flop and Guccione thankfully never made another movie. Of course, some disasters can be reappraised years later and end up being considered masterpieces. Not so with Caligula, which is still considered just as bad as it’s always been.
Should curiosity lead you to even considering watching Caligula, allow me to recommend two alternatives. I, Claudius is a BBC drama set in ancient Rome and starring Derek Jacobi. Caligula is played by the exquisitely evil John Hurt. Although he only appears in five out of 13 episodes, you will learn a lot more about the history, politics and insanity of the real Caligula and Roman society in general. For those of you who want a decent erotic drama to watch, you can’t go wrong with Nagisa Oshima’s Ai No Corrida. This shares a similar history with Caligula. It was very controversial in its day, had trouble finding distributors and was denied a full uncut release. Unlike Caligua, this is an intimate and alluring movie. It will stimulate your senses, emotions and intellect. Please redirect your interest in this direction. Your curiosity is really just not reason enough to waste your time with the repugnant shambles that is this movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16oTlXL5E0c
