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Credits

Directors Tinto Brass Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Teresa Ann Savoy, Helen Mirren, Peter O'Toole Screenplay: Gore Vidal Music: Paul Clemente Tagline: The most controversial film of the twentieth century has just become the most controversial film of the twenty first century. Country: USA/Italy

Caligula is indeed one of the most explicit sexploitation films ever filmed and, with a final budget of twenty million dollars, certainly one of the most expensive. The film begins with Caligula (Malcolm McDowell, in a powerhouse performance) playing in a forest with his sister Drusilla (Savoy), and the notable absence of underclothing and amorous touching suggest that their relationship is far from above-board. After a menacing monologue by Caligula, we get into the film in earnest. Currently ruling Rome is Caligula's granduncle Tiberius (O'Toole) and, in order to claim the Empire for himself, Caligula suffocates Tiberius in his bed. Having now ascended to the position of Roman Emperor, Caligula must now find himself a wife and, aided by Drusilla, he selects Caesonia (Mirren, in the role that should have won her the Oscar). Initial apprehensions regarding Caesonia's promiscuity are dispelled, and they are married in a lavish ceremony. From here, things take a turn for the worst and, with Caligula's insanity growing, he becomes more and more volatile and paranoid, before his climactic assassination in the film's final minutes.

There's no doubt that the controversy surrounding Caligula stems primarily from the graphic sex inserted by producer (and then-president of Penthouse, the film's primary financers) Bob Guccione. These scenes, totaling about five minutes, were allegedly filmed in post-production after Guccione thought Brass failed to make the film 'sleazy' enough. Rumour has it that, after principal photography was completed, Guccione locked Brass out of the editing room and, with the assistance of a number of Penthouse Pets (notably Anneka Di Lorenzo and Lori Wagner) he filmed the hardcore scenes on the sly. According to most accounts, Brass filmed no pornographic footage except for a brief scene of fellatio. Further adding to the controversy are the reports of a 210-minute version screening in Cannes, which included more deviant sexuality, extreme violence and an unsimulated bestiality scene. Needless to say this version has never seen the light of day on VHS or DVD, and reports of theatrical screenings are scant.

As an exploitation film, Caligula is entirely satisfying although a number of features set it apart from other pictures of its genre. First and foremost is the sheer deviant overtone within the film – everything from incest, fetishes, hetero and homosexual rape, bestiality and child murder is amply covered. The only other film I've seen that comes on par with this is Joe D'Amato's Emanuelle in America, a similar Italo-sleaze fest. Interestingly, it was D'Amato who directed Caligula's unofficial sequel Caligula 2: The Untold Story. The big budget, presence of reputable and well-respected actors (O'Toole and McDowell had been previously nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe for Lawrence of Arabia and A Clockwork Orange respectively) and lavish sets also makes this a unique exploitation film. Thus the question arises: would Caligula be more respected without Guccione's inserts? Perhaps not – the film would be perceived to be far too sleazy (even without the inserts) to be anything but a tacky, obscene sexploitation picture. This is unfortunate considering the obvious work many cast and crew members did on the film.