Caligula Review

MPAA Rating: NR
Released: 1980

Caligula is considered by many to be one of the most controversial films ever created, and there's good reason for that. The film details the life of the little known and short-reigned Roman emperor Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (who came to be known as Caligula), who was thought to be violent, perverted and insane. The film's promotional material in part states, "…only one movie dares to show the perversion behind the Imperial Rome, and that movie is Caligula…" But does it truly show a genuine portrait of the short-lived Roman emperor? Read on to find out…

Writer Gore Vidal and directors Tinto Brass and Bob Guccione would have you believe that Caligula (Malcolm McDowell) was a power-hungry young man that inherited an empire after killing his corrupt predecessor, Tiberius (Peter O'Toole). In fact the film goes to great lengths to paint Tiberius as a sexually depraved individual; his entire palace is depicted as one explicit orgy.

Once Caligula rises to power, he quickly plots to assassinate or destroy anyone who he deemed to be a potential threat to his power, whether his target is stranger, loyal associate or even family. He also took every opportunity to humiliate both the military and the Senate. One example of his offenses was an incident where he turns his palace into a lavish brothel and forcibly prostitutes the Senators' wives, charging people five gold coins to have their way with any of the wives. This plan was to balance the budget and embarrass the Senators who he blamed for the sad state of the budget.

Think it sounds offensive yet? Believe me, I haven't even gone beyond the tip of the iceberg, for this film possesses scenes of just about any offense under the sun, ranging from fisting, necrophilia, urination on others, torture and run-of-the-mill sexual depravity such as public masturbation and lesbianism. Needless to say, this isn't a film for kids… nor do I think it's going to be of a lot of interest to most adults.

My first problem with the film is the insinuation that the film struggles for authenticity and is simply showing the shocking truth as it once existed, as if it was an explicit documentary. Hogwash, I say. I don't dispute for a minute that the Roman Empire was sexually depraved and corrupt; history has proven this. But the film takes it to such an extreme that I have a hard time believing anyone could truly have been that reprehensibly certifiable. Maybe Caligula was truly that bad, or maybe this film was trying to push buttons to stir up controversy, which leads to the main problem with accepting this film as truth: history can't verify it!

If you study the history of Caligula you will notice that he's believed to have been extremely crafty and egotistical, and he was indeed assassinated shortly before his fourth year in power due to his constant offenses directed towards the Senate and military. But he was also one of the most popular emperors in Roman history among the populace, and little true history has actually been recorded about him. Historians generally consider the minimal documentation that does exist fairly suspect because it could easily have been motivated by personal agendas of those who despised him. In other words, to this day Caligula is largely a mystery. Was he truly insane, or was he painted that way by those he purposely provoked? No one really knows, so take anything in the film with a grain of salt; it's for entertainment only.

With that established, let's take a closer look at the "entertainment" this film offers. When you notice a cast that consists of Malcolm McDowell, Peter O'Toole, Helen Mirren and any of the other notable actors, you'll probably expect an epic historical film. Wow would you be wrong! The above actors (and many others) did indeed put forth solid performances that were entertaining to watch, but they were overwhelmed in the sordid mess known as Caligula when they had to share the stage with Penthouse Pets engaging in explicit sexual acts.

When I say the film is explicit, I mean exactly that if you're viewing the unrated version. Were the film rated, it would be slapped with an X rating due to its full explicit nudity and acts. There is an R-rated version floating around too that removes the explicit sex while retaining the offensive nature of the movie and "normal" nudity, but I don't know why anyone would want to bother with that version. If you're looking for a good movie, you won't find it with Caligula. I think Caligula will mostly appeal to people that collect history's most notorious films, and if you're in this group chances are high you'll want the whole shebang rather than a chopped version.

My main problem with the film is that it was trying so hard to be controversial that it lost sight of what its potential audience is. I'm anything but a prude, so if the film wanted to truly take a serious look at the violence and depravity of the Roman Empire I'd have been the first in line. I gave this film a chance despite its notoriety, after all. But the inserted sex scenes are entirely gratuitous and only serve to slow down the story.

Ah, but that's good if you're looking for a porno, right? No… not really. Make no mistake, you'll see everything that you would in a triple-X porno, but it's hardly done in a stimulating manner. You won't watch couples "have at it," instead you'll watch the camera pop from coupling to coupling as if it were a kid frantically running back and forth at the candy counter trying to choose a candy bar! If you're looking for a porno movie, you may as well rent a real one – I can't see anyone finding this sexually appealing.

So again… it's not a serious film nor is it nearly as explicit or stimulating as a porno. It's simply a failed attempt at stirring controversy. I personally don't view Caligula to be controversial in the least because it's just trying so hard to push the viewers' buttons that its motive becomes all too obvious. This film is the equivalent of a spoiled brat acting out to gain attention, even if such attention is negative. I consider that offensive, but hardly controversial or new.

The one thing I can grant Caligula is that it's a rarity among films. I can't think of any other film that included a mix of pornography and acclaimed actors – the two just don't normally go together, and apparently for good reason. So if you're in the mood to check out a historical oddity, this movie will grant you that chance. Just don't be surprised at what you see should you choose the unrated version.

Movie rating: 2 stars

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