Caligula (The Unrated Edition)
Analysis Film Releasing Corporation - Analysis Film Releasing Corporation
Release date: 2007-10-02
DVD
Director:Giancarlo Lui
Actors: Malcolm McDowell, Peter O'Toole, Helen Mirren, Teresa Ann Savoy, Guido Mannari
Adult Language, Biography [feature], Color, Crowned Heads, Decadent, Disturbing, Drama, English, Epic, Episodic, Exploitation, Feature, Feature Film-drama, Forceful, Graphic Violence, Historical Epic, Historical Film, Italy, Low Artistic Quality, Lurid
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Caligula (The Unrated Edition)
Date undefinedDispite what many have written, this movie is authentic and great pains went into the details. The death machine itself cost millions to make and is accurate down to the last detail. The depravity in Nero's court is right on spot, as is the "Royal Bordello" that Calligula created. I read articles on this detail when it was first released. This authenticity is the only reason such well respected actors partook of it. They felt the message was most important. Yes, there is some porn and a lot of nudity. Absolutely tame when compared to what's available free on the Internet today. Hard to believe it was actually banned at X rated "art" houses.
I've always felt this movie should be required viewing for high school seniors as a great way to illustrate the depravity of man, (just like the Bible says) and how low he will go when left unchecked. A great primer for American politics, if you will...
The DVD itself is really good. The video is pretty good, but the sound is awesome! Crank up the home theatre for this one. I highly recommend it.
Caligula (The Unrated Edition)
Date undefinedIt's nearly 30 years since Caligula was released onto an expectant, or is it more correct to say an unexpectant, global cinema audience. And they were not to be disappointed. Stage and cinema royalty including Sir Peter O'Toole, Sir John Gielgud and Dame Helen Mirren (only Gielgud was knighted at the time) joined Malcolm McDowell and a collection of Italian and European actors in an orgy of violence and sex which included graphic XXX pornography taken directly from the pages of Seutonius' chapter on Caligula in the second century book The Twelve Caesars.
This marvellous 3 disc DVD set contains fascinating documentaries featuring extensive interviews with producer Bob Guccione and writer Gore Vidal shot at the time of production. The full uncut 156 minute version features on the first disc. The second disc has a shorter version which has wonderful commentary tracks by Mirren and McDowell. Alas, the 200 plus minute Guccione edited version, which was rumoured to have been shown to preview audiences in Italy, is not included in this set and in fact may no longer exist.
It is now well known that the film that Vidal wrote and Director Tinto Brass shot are not what was finally released after Guccione took control of the editing and shut Brass out of the production. To bridge huge continuity gaps Guccione and his editors extensively used out-takes and rehearsal footage rescued from rubbish bins. The documentary material provides fascinating information about what might have been a masterpiece had Brass been allowed to edit the film he shot and do pick up shots, retakes and the shooting of much needed new scenes which would become self evident in the editing stage.
Thanks to the documentary material, we get to fully appreciate the incredible production design, the magnitude and details of the various sets and the beautiful costumes made by Production Designer Danilo Donati and his team. This is not always evident in the finished film.
There is a wonderful interview with the very erudite John Steiner, a British actor who built a short but spectacular career in Italian exploitation films in the 1970s. Steiner shaved his head to play the slimey Longinus character. Now a real estate agent in England, Steiner's witty comments about the making of the film are worth the price of the DVD set alone.
As time goes by Caligula will continue to be restudied and reassessed. No doubt it will gain in stature but unlike the other Caligula film of cinema legend, the `lost' 1937 I Claudius featuring Charles Laughton as Claudius and Emlyn Williams as Caligula, we have ample material to study and assess thanks to this excellent DVD collection.
Caligula (The Unrated Edition)
Date undefinedThis movie doesn't even qualify as a good "bad" movie. It is totally joyless. The "sex" scenes are turn-offs. Everything was done poorly.
Please don't waste your time.
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