Caligula : an erotic peplum that turns into a nightmare
For historians, Caligula is nothing other than the third Roman emperor who reigned for only 4 years, from 37 to 41. But for cinema enthusiasts he is above all of an amazing job, a cult erotic peplum directed by Tinto Brass and worn by famous actors. There we find Malcolm McDowell, Helen Mirren and even Peter O’Toole. Big names in cinema who found themselves involved in a very complicated project, imagined by Bob Guccione, creator of the pornographic magazine Attic. One day the businessman had the good idea to go into film production. And as long as we do it, we might as well do it with an ambitious peplum should tell of Caligula’s coming to power and his life of decadence made of orgies and debauchery.
On paper, why not? Except that nothing went as expected, despite the considerable resources: 300 technicians, 24 weeks of filming instead of the 16 initially planned and 200,000 meters of film used. Because from the beginning the relationship between director Tinto Brass, screenwriter Gore Vidal and producer Bob Guccione was conflictual. The filming of Caligula it started before the sets were even over, forcing the teams into a race against time. AND several accidents it happened during production, as can be read in press kit of the film.
During the first day of filming, an extra was attacked by a Neapolitan morning dog, a breed of dog used mainly in arenas to fight lions. With her arm bleeding, she was quickly taken to hospital. Tinto Brass is furious because none of the cameramen thought to film this attack…
Chaotic production at all levels
One incident among others, like the real sword blow received by the interpreter from a guard who, in the film, is disembowelled. OR Tinto Brass’ crazy attitude who, in a desire for absolute realism, arrived, during an orgy scene, to the point of “perform cunnilingus directly to one of the “attic pets” present, to demonstrate what he wants to achieve as a result“.
The entire filming of Caligula was therefore chaotic (one extra was even allegedly raped by five other extras in the adjacent tunnels, but he refused to press charges, fearing for his safety). And this continued until editing. Bob Guccione didn’t simply want to provide financing for the film, he intended to realize his vision. Seeing that the images taken by Tinto Brass were not as he wanted, he went to film them himself and, secretly, sequences of pornographic orgies. As we mentioned in our previous article on the subject, the director had favored these scenes “a collection of dwarf and obese extras at the expense of the porn stars hired by the expert Guccione” (through Publication).
The Ultimate Cut version arrives in theaters
As a result, Tinto Brass was fired just when he thought he was going to start editing, and then disowned this film which he considered “a sex film, luxurious, sure, but vulgar“. Which did not prevent Caligula become a cult and fascinating work. Not for its cinematic qualities, but for the madness that emerges from it. A madness that gave rise to several versions (including an uncensored 144-minute one), before the distributor Bac Films came to propose a 178 minute Ultimate Cut version. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023. One year later, audiences will be able to discover this extraordinary feature film in theaters, from June 19. Also in the press kit, the distributor writes:
What would the film have been like if Bob Guccione hadn’t had his hands on it? Since the beginning of the new millennium several projects have attempted to present an alternative version. None were successful. Until now.
In addition to the restoration of the film, this new edit of Caligula contains elements of the original script that were not filmed. Therefore, there is an opening sequence created for the opening credits and animated by Dave McKean. The narration, completely absent in the 1980 version, has been restored. Visual effects helped improve the flat backgrounds. Furthermore, the use of artificial intelligence and cutting-edge audio technology has made it possible to remove stage noise and mechanical noise from audio references recorded on location. A unique result therefore, to be discovered in theaters on June 19th.
Source: Cine Serie
Ray Ortiz is a journalist at Gossipify, known for his coverage of trending news and current events. He is committed to providing readers with accurate and unbiased reporting, and is respected for his ability to keep readers informed on the latest news and issues.
