Rating:
***/*****, or 6/10
One of
the most bizarre entries in the recorded history of cinema, this
kinky movie is clearly a product of the seventies with its
'laissez-faire' attitude towards movie contents. The story
behind this production is at least as intriguing and sleazy as the
final product itself. A grandiose mixture of historical epicness and
pornography, this movie went through many tumultuous phases, both
during and particularly after production. At its core it tells the
story of Caligula (Malcolm McDowell), a young man who rose to be
Emperor of ancient Rome at the death of his vile old uncle Tiberius
(Peter O'Toole surrounded by naked people), but ruled for only four
years because of his disgusting appetites. The movie shows, among
other things, Caligula hosting several orgies, engaging in incest
with his sister Drusilla (Teresa Ann Savoy) and having hundreds of
people viciously executed for next to no reason. McDowell does an
excellent job of portraying the spoiled but traumatized young
emperor, but he's outstaged at every turn by the abundance of
explicit sex scenes, including fellatio, cunnilingus, lesbian sex,
group sex, people urinating on each other, attempted intercourse with
fish and various other animals, naked mutants and about everything
else the Penthouse producers could think of: it'll come as no
surprise original screen writer Gore Vidal had his name removed from
the credits when he noticed what had been done to his serious screen
play. From a camp perspective, this is actually all rather fun, but
if you're looking for historical accuracy, or subtlety, you'll find
little here. The movie is still banned in several countries, while
there has been almost a dozen cuts in circulation over the years, and none of the make for a really good film, but all of them are fascinating to behold nonetheless.
Starring:
Malcolm McDowell, Helen Mirren, Peter O'Toole
Directed
by Tinto Brass, Bob Guccione
Italy/USA:
Penthouse Film International, 1979
