A famed writer, a historical figure, and a whole host of celebrated English actors, how can you go wrong? Well, you can if it’s Bob Guccione who is writing the checks and controlling the film. Caligula is a fascinating train wreck of a film that you’ll want to ignore the film and dig deep into the delightful special features.
When the Emperor Tiberius (Peter O’Toole) dies, Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (Malcolm McDowell) rises to rule Rome. If you don’t recognize that foot long name you may know him by his nickname “Caligula” meaning little boots. A name that will go down in infamy as the movie itself did. Caligula’s rule would be a short one but by the end of it he would’ve bankrupted Rome.
Famed author Gore Vidal would be brought on to write the definitive biopic of the deranged emperor, but it would be Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione who would be bankrolling the film. It was through Vidal’s name that a host of famous British thespians would be brought on board, O’Toole, McDowell, John Gielgud, and Helen Mirren.
However, it would be the several minutes of hardcore lesbian porn that Guccione inserted into the film that would cause a sensation. Guccione’s tinkering would cause director Tinto Brass to lobby to have his name removed as director and the credit on the film reads “principle photography by Tinto Brass, with editing by the Production.” It’s obvious that there were conflicting visions going on as Brass recounts on the special features that he saw the film as an orgy of power and Guccione saw it as the power of orgy.
A lot of crap is thrown at Guccione in the same special features, but the man was a pornographic William Castle. He had enough money to buy copious amounts of gold chains and fancy open shirts and he made even more of it with Caligula.
The film was shown exclusively at the theater he owned and he charged them an exorbitant sum to see it (at 1980s prices). He had made the movie on the cheap and got a ton of tax breaks to shoot it in Italy. Crazy like a horny fox.
The set contains both the 152 minute pre-release version and the 156 minute unrated, uncensored “Guccione” cut of the film. Caligula looks pretty poor in high definition but the special features almost seem like a masters course in what can go wrong in a film production and are highly interesting.
The film is presented in a 1080p high definition transfer (2.00:1). The special features on disc one includes a trio of highly interesting and informative commentaries. The first is with film historian Nick Redman and Caligula himself – Malcolm McDowell.
The second is from co-star Helen Mirren, film journalist Alan Jones, and author James Chaffin (200 Degrees of Failure: the Unmaking of Caligula). The final track is from Penthouse spokesman Ernest Volkman and Nathaniel Thompson (of Image Entertainment). Disc one also contains 50 minutes of deleted footage and some trailers in standard definition.
The second disc is a DVD and contains the 24-minute “My Roman Holiday with John Steiner” which interviews the Brit actor, but more about his Italian movie career than the particular film. His comments on Caligula amount to it being a “hideous experience” and he’d rather not talk about it.
However, the interview is still very interesting, especially for fans of Italian cinema. Next is the 28-minute “Caligula’s Pet” which is an interview with Penthouse Pet of the Century Lori Wagner, who had a small part in the film and did promotions for it. Next is the 34-minute “Tinto Brass: Orgy of Power” which interviews the cigar-chomping “director of principal photography.”
The 62-minute “Making of Caligula” is a documentary shot during the production and obviously before Vidal left the project since he’s prominently featured (sounding very pompous). There’s also a 10-minute version of the same documentary and an extensive photo gallery.
If that wasn’t enough the DVD-ROM content on this last disc features 2 versions of Vidal’s screenplay, a press kit, the tie-in novelization, and pages from Penthouse promoting the film, including an interview with Guccione.
Caligula is a train wreck of a film, but the tales of the behind-the-scenes machinations are what has all the interest. Well, there are some naked folks flailing about that might get some attention. It’s what the honest and ballsy actors, McDowell and Mirren, have to say about the production that makes this set worth having. The movie may be only a two star film, but his collection is fascinating.
Caligula [Blu-ray] is now available at Amazon . Visit the DVD database for more information.
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