Bob guccione caligula the movie
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Much of the performances and plot moments were then cut in favor of the pornographic for the final release.
Danilo Donati’s production design and costume work utilizes a diverse color palette to set the tones of each scene. To find out why this was the outcome of a major production one only has to draw the lines between the throughline of absolute power from Rome to Hollywood.
For those in need of a history refresher, Caligula was the third emperor of the Roman Empire and widely considered the first to be mentally ill.
After pertinent narrative scenes were deleted so that more graphic pornographic material could be added (per order of Guccione), Brass (who was eventually barred from the editing room) disowned the controversial project along with screenwriter Gore Vidal (whose prominence lent the unusual project some semblance of legitimacy at first). Her blog “The Witching Hour” can be found on substack.
Caligula: The Ultimate Cut - A Return To The Original Vision
A new edit of this controversial & cautionary tale restores it to the glory of the Roman Empire.
I loved the performances of McDowell and Mirren, but I have to admit that, at the time, I felt embarrassed for them. And now, with the release of Caligula: The Ultimate Cut, these onscreen performances have been restored, fleshed out to their original vivid fullness.
Keep in mind: this is not just a restoration, but an entirely fresh cut of the film.
But the film’s controversy overwhelmed its accomplishment: its artistic worth was buried beneath all the ugly reviews and midnight screenings on college campuses throughout the ’80s (attended for reasons both curious and lascivious, no doubt). Book your TICKETS now to see what Malcolm McDowell considers some of his best work and a never before seen take on the ruling class of The Roman Empire.
Words by Robert Hamill
Malcolm McDowell felt betrayed by the original film.
Over the course of a four year reign he made liberal use of his deification as Caesar.
Based on 96 hours of found footage, this is a complete reconstruction of the film, scrapping every frame of the initial release and bringing a greater focus to the feature’s original script and the actors performances. But Caligula’s cult success can be attributed to more than its excessively lurid content.
U.S. based customers will have the added option to purchase from a small allotment on Diabolik DVD. Releasing concurrently will be an additional Two-Disc Blu-ray set and a DVD version, with the Blu Ray including the restored original.
Caligula: The Ultimate Cut
Street Date: September 17, 2024.
VOD: October 18, 2024.
Caligula: The Ultimate Cut is a scene-by-scene reconfiguration of Tinto Brass’ controversial somewhat raunchy epic chronicling the Roman Empire’s most debauched emperor, starring Malcolm McDowell, Peter O’Toole and Helen Mirren.
In classic imperatorial fashion, Guccione bypassed the MPAA rating system (considering an X rating “demeaning”) and rented a theater in NYC for the premiere. This is a noteworthy cinematic event, marked by a premiere screening at the industry’s most prestigious venue, the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. At the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square through August 22.
Malcolm McDowell and Helen Mirren sharing an intimate moment in Caligula: The Ultimate Cut.
For all these reasons, you’ve probably heard of the film Caligula. It seemed almost inevitable that the two would be paired up again in a noteworthy — and controversial — British film. She has written on film, TV, and culture for web publications like Time, Vice, Polygon, Bustle, Dread Central, Mic, Orlando Weekly, Refinery29, and Bloody Disgusting.
Roger Ebert gave it zero stars. Still, I was treated to a digital copy Caligula: The Ultimate Cut, so while I can’t tell you about the on-screen differences, I can give my opinion on this extended remix.
Caligula, played with exuberant lunacy by Malcolm McDowell, becomes emperor of Rome and allows his ambition, perversions, and brutality to shorten his reign to a mere four years, ending in his assassination.
O’Toole and Gielgud were already well-established actors, but McDowell and Mirren were still young. McDowell was already famous for his innovative performances in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange (1971) and Lindsay Anderson’s O Lucky Man! (1973), which he co-starred in with Mirren.