Caligula

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