Rating: 
Summary: Great movie with an accurate portail of Rome!!!!
Review: I have read many reviews on this movie. Saying how sick and XXX-rated this title is. There's a lot of literature that clearly states how the empire of Rome fell due to their love of it's pleasures. Even the bible speaks of how depraved Rome was. So really if you're going to be sick of a movie that clearly states it's based on ancient Greece. Don't watch it!!! Yes there are a lot of sick parts in this film, but don't say this isn't a good movie. Everything in this movie is almost an exact portrayal of that time. There are many parts of this movie that's hard to sit through, but I have to admit the acting is superb.
Rating: 
Summary: caligula
Review: the movie is not every good at all don't buy it.
Rating: 
Summary: I can only say one good thing about this movie...
Review: It's better than the R-rated version, which is a total waste of time. I think my Junior Highschool teacher said it best "There's much better porn if that's what you're looking for." See, I like to use these erotic movies to get girls hot and in the mood, and while they generally have some interest in this title, they are always much more turned on and effectively put in play by stuff like Sex and the City or "Sexual Intrigue," and when my ultimate goal is to really get them to let go and let it flow with the awesome "New Sex Now" video techniques, I hate to waste a play on mediocre stuff like this Caligula. Most of the time, if I want to watch this with a woman I'll wait until after we've gotten to know each other better after a few nights.
Rating: 
Summary: I give this dvd 5 stars for one reason........
Review: The fantastically erotic lesbian scene. This is the steamiest most erotic lesbian love scene I have ever seen.....and believe me, I have watched it numerous times. If you are into such things this dvd will be well worth the purchase.
Rating:
Summary: Real Horrorshow Cine!
Review: A few years back there was quite a controversy over some shot-on-video garbage called 'Baise Moi' solely on it's inclusion of hardcore pornography (I have a bootleg and believe me it's a mere 30 secs over the total running time of the film). A lot of sheltered mainstream viewers were confused and bewildered, but there was nothing original or daring about 'Baise Moi'. Needless to say all the attention cast a great spotlight on an otherwise worthless film and the people responsible for it made off like bandits. Anyone who was "shocked" by 'Baise Moi' should definitely stay away from Caligula, which makes the overhyped 'Baise Moi' look PG-13 by comparison!Towards the end of the 70's there was a vibe that pornography would be absorbed into mainstream movies. Not too far fetched considering then X-rated films such as 'Midnight Cowboy' and 'Clockwork Orange' were winning awards and critical acclaim, also in Europe there were plenty of horror/exploitation films that blended full blown pornography into the genre for example Joe D'amato's 'Emanuelle in America' 'Erotic Night of the Living Dead' 'Porno Holocaust', Jess Franco's 'Female Vampire' 'Doriana Grey', Jean Rollin had put out a few and there was a fantastic little film called 'Thriller:a Cruel Picture' which should be out on DVD early this year! With this in mind Bob Guccione got the rights to a Gore Vidal screen play, hired top actors Malcom McDowell, Peter O'Tool and Helen Mirren then enlisted the services of Italian director Tinto Brass (who later removed his name after Guccione shot extra scenes) to create the most expensive porno in history. I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed Caligula and genuinely feel it's a great film! A lot of people nit pick small historic anomalies or make unfounded blanket statements such as "the acting was bad" or "the story was pointless" to hide the fact that their own prudish tastes and inhibitions won't allow them to accept Caligula as the daring and unique piece of film making that it is. Now I respect the opinions of people who say Caligula is too graphic for them or there were scenes which offended them as make no mistake about it there are scenes in this film which will alienate anyone who isn't familiar with quite sordid pornography. Plenty of intelligent viewers will surely consider this film to be in bad taste, which is perfectly acceptable. However ignore intellectual posers who would have you believe this film is worthless simply because they are not big enough to say "personally I did not like it". Too many small minded people have the out dated view that all pornography is evil and while it's acceptable that not everybody is into porn, please do take a look where this book burning mentality leads before you endorse the ideals of censorship. If you want to accuse this film of being historically inaccurate, pointless, badly directed and poorly acted, you should go write reviews for 'Titanic' 'Pearl Harbor' and 'Moulin Rouge' first. Caligula has more style and resonance than all of those films put together. For better or worse Caligula would surely get a more powerful reaction from an audience than any film you could see in the cinema today. Let's face it Hollywood has not produced anything vaguely original or challenging in more than a decade. Another thing which irritates me is all these haters who attack Teresa Ann Savoy for her "bad acting". I feel she is a fine actress, so what if she doesn't mind taking her clothes off. Julia Roberts today gets the fattest paychecks for a female actor and she has done nothing but star in meaningless garbage and is incapable of playing anything but the same shallow character. Savoy is cool, sexy and has great expressiveness. Check out her other Tino Brass film 'Salon Kitty'. Image Entertainment's DVD is good, but for those who are true fans of this film you may want to check out the remastered 2-disc French release available from amazon France. For those who are prudish or sensitive viewers, give Caligula a miss altogether, theres a new 'Troy' movie coming out with Brad Pitt which would better suite you. PS If anybody knows where you can pick up a copy of the mythical 210 minute version, I would greatly appreciate an email!
Rating:
Summary: Mirabilis, Coelestis, et Diabilis.
Review: Perverse, almost religious, lesser ecstasy becomes the way of all flesh, this is Caligula. Pretentious production overcoming the proportions of its intent, but at the same time, the result could have been far more meritorious and grandiose. Gore Vidal, Bob Guccione, and Tinto Brass, gathered for the ultimate erotic film ever shown in common Theaters, the result as a cinematographic triumph, not happening, but it is still shocking. The only real statement of Caligula is to have dared shown the pre-Christian Roman Empire in its entire decadent life of rotten flesh, unlimited sex, clean, filthy, orgiastic parties of special magnificence, and cut-throat acts of bestial and deprave human willing, it is great and beautiful.
Caligula stands somewhere in the dominions of the erotic and the graphic of pornography. Tinto Brass narrates the lousy story of Emperor Gaius Germanicus Caesar, better know as Caligula, a script by Oscar Winner writer Gore Vidal, whose intentions to tell the fall from sanity and common sense into the Necromancies of power and the corruption of its touch, corrupted by the crown and its seasons, where frustrated by Director Tinto Brass, this project was to much for him, lacking the necessary vision and talent for an accurate direction, the other layer of bad sense was indeed its producer, Bob Guccione, at least Guccione had the daring eye to show the explicit even more explicit, also lacking the talent for a better understanding of the story, it was about sex for him since the beginning. About the Historic Caligula, the main ancient reference to the megalomaniac character (besides the vague anecdotal writings), is: Suet. Gaius; Dio 59; Philo In Flaccum and Legatio ad Gaium; Jos. AJ 19.1-211. Tacitus's account of the reign is lost. However, he makes occasional references to Gaius in the extant portions of his works, as does Seneca. The later sources inherited a tradition about Gaius that can be shown to be biased and exaggerated. Besides these literary sources, inscriptions and coins also offer some information. So, you can't be factually loyal to the Historic truth, and that gives you license to do pretty much anything you want, in this matter, the film can't be criticized concerning the story of its protagonist. Tinto Brass direction is un-personal and cold, a succession of images that moves schematically towards a much predictable ending. The first 30 minutes are composed in an inappropriate Theater style, which is un-intentionally enhanced by the Theatrical production design of the settings, it seems that Tinto Brass caught a better sense of pace and composition after shooting those scenes, and some how manage a more dynamic narration, even so, without any real soul. Bob Guccione shoot additional material to be added in the sex scenes, but the mediocre editing felt short inserting those scenes in a more imperceptible way.
Over the years I heard a lot of stories about the graphic and out daring ways of Caligula's sex scenes, so I expected to see real hard core images, stories that went from vast orgies, to a woman having sex with a horse, a man having intercourse with a duck, and a very long etc of perversities. So, the movie didn't really shock me as I expected. Of course, if you are a very conservative or repressed person, the film will not only shock you, it will insult your moral values, Pastors, loyal Christians, and of course, Republicans, will also be severely insulted by the sex scenes, any way, the movie comes anticipated with an infamous fame, you can't make no mistakes, if you buy or rent it, don't blame the film for its controversial content, blame your self for being naive.
Caligula's sex content is way out dare from any previous movie that calls it self an erotic film, the difference is that Caligula does have pornographic inserts on it (plain shots of both sex's genitalia, oral sex, copulations, masturbation, etc). But the film can't be categorized as a porn flick. Pornographic movies intention is to show continuous explicit sex scenes without any real plot, always pushing for as many sex scenes as possible, Caligula doesn't have this, even though the story is poor, the sex is very well inserted in the life of the Roman Empire, expanding its plot with its main characters concerning the madness and greed for power, there is not a continuous pushing for exposure of hard core sex all over the film (at least not in the way of porn flicks), here lies the charm of the film, the sex taken in the social environment of the Roman Empire is an splendid depict of the period, every shot of sex intercourse is for free, but to be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way.
The performances of the Cast are both poor and flat. Malcolm McDowell wasn't enough for the role, his malignant looks felt short, an opportunity much dismissed. The Great Peter O'toole is barely O.K. but without any resembles to his masterful and classical performances. Helen Mirren and John Gielgud are completely wasted, the rest aren't really actors to be considered so.
The Woman are just beautiful, Teresa Ann Savoy (Julia Drusilla), Helen Mirren (in her younger years), as Caesonia, the Penthouse Pets are breathtaking, a real feast for the eye.
The photography is awful, boring colors and easy lighting, a mayor waste if you take into consideration the significant budget of the film. A good score does some goods for the film (including music by Sergei Prokofiev). Bad costume design and pretentious setting design surely captures the mood of the Roman Empire, but a fake Roman Empire. Caligula was released in 1980, at the very end of the 70's sex freedom, and just before Ronald Regan's repressed republican policies of censorship, right now Caligula couldn't be shown in common Theaters in the U.S.A in its un-rated version. If it where a high pack action thriller full of blood, there will be no problem at all.
The DVD is O.K., the transferring can't be called bad, but a better work could have been attained, the 5.1 Dolby Digital is good, but with a poor distribution of the sounds. The Making Of Documentary is excellent and very complete (also un-rated).
So, even with all the bad elements in it, Caligula is brave and highly entertaining, and Cinema always needs brave and different projects to sustain it self. You can call it a piece of sh..., or a masterpiece, it doesn't matter, Caligula and Gladiator are the only two Roman films I'll see during Holy Weekend.
Rating:
Summary: Only the real Caligula
Review: Only the real Caligula could be entertained by this movie...and that is pushing it. No wonder Gore Vidal had his name removed from the project. No other words for this other than...AWFUL!!
Rating: 
Summary: 666
Review: Well, I gave 3 stars but the stars only stars. It actually depends on what do you expect...if you wait a good film for ordinary evening with frinds, this is maybe not the best (2 stars)...if you want do somethin' else (you know what) maybe alone...this is quite good for that (4 stars). But the truth is that there is very rude scenes. There's many women having s?ex with other women or men. All the n*aked bodies are well seen, they don't cover anything. They are senators' wh*res which Caligula has ordered to do it. Well, there's also scenes when they are cutting the flesh and also You-Know-What is cut and the dogs eat it. Very nasty! Of course, this maybe the truth about the old Rome empire but there's too much s?ex! The movie is because of that too long. If I need a p*rn film I'll buy for example Riviera not this kind of although it wouldn't be that bad! The good thing is that they show how terrible can a human be when he wants to rule or is ruling the empire. The power doesn't last forever: When somebody kills you, it's over!
Rating:
Summary: Desanitization of History
Review: Having been an ancient history buff for over 40 years, I've finally come across a film that attempts to dipict the reality of life in countries like ancient Rome. Anyone reading virtually any of the histories of the ancient world must come away wondering why authors continually sanitize the facts of life in that age.
It seems that only the ancient historians had the integrity to tell the truth and to attempt to characterize life in those times. Seutonius is one who immediately comes to mind. The film does not attempt to reconstruct all of what it was like to live among the upper classes in Rome but it does attempt to make up for the sanitization of history which we are forced to accept from current historians.
For that reason, I believe this is a must see film.
Rating:
Summary: One of the worst movies I've seen. B-movie wanna be.
Review: I can't believe the good ratings that some people give this movie! [It really sucks.] Way over-hyped! Poor acting, stupid story, bland sex, boring, and looks like a really low budget B movie. The set is really cheap looking. In many scenes it looks like you're watching a play on stage! And all this controversy about the sex, a lot of R rated movies have better sex scenes. Definately don't waste your money. Not even worth a rental.
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