Rating: 
Summary: Good movie, Horrible DVD
Review: Could have been a great movie if they had gotten a decent director and had not butchered Vidale's script but still pretty good none the less. Shows ancient Rome in all its glory. Probably one of the most realistic potrayals of ancient Rome ever made. The film attains good status based only on the great performances by its principal actors. Now on to the DVD. I bought a copy of this horrible ... only because the cover said Digitally Remastered and Fully Restored. The film quality of this DVD is unbelievably bad. The whole thing is very grainy and there were even parts were I could see scratches in the film and also where it had been repaired. I have movies on VHS tape that put this DVD to shame. I can't say enough about how bad the picture and sound quality of this DVD is. Do not buy a copy of this .... Hopefully someday someone will really fully restore and remaster this film but this one aint it.
Rating: 
Summary: Great film, few extras
Review: The unrated version is great. Beautiful Penthoue-bunnies, lot of ... and terror, a vulgar movie for men only :-) The picture quality is moderate, like a good quality VHS tape. Unfortunately, there is only English sound in low quality and no text. The only extra is the "making of". Te disc has no regional coding.
Rating:
Summary: very little value
Review: The title says everything and it is not because of explicit porno. This movie has very little value from the point of view of the movie art, from the point of view of history, and, I guess, from the point of view of porno also (although I must confess that I am not a porno connoisseur). Some historical facts are true: like main personages and events, but the portrayal of other things is either completely fake or exaggerated. So I really do not think that it deserves more than 1 star for that small list of positive sides.
Rating:
Summary: Caligula: 20th Anniversary (1979) d: Brass, Tinto
Review: The film is an infamous, expensive, and sexually explicit adaptation of the life of Roman Emperor Caligula. Hated by many, Caligula to this day remains the peak of achievement in the history of erotic film-making, Caligula is an insane, yet adventurous project undertaken by Penthouse Magazine editor Bob Guccione. The film was plagued by problems from the first day of shooting. Gore Vidal who wrote the screenplay, was not happy with the exploitative way his work was being treated, and eventually successfully sued to have his name removed. The director Tinto Brass, who had just finished work on the Nazi Sexploitation film Saloon Kitty (1976), was rumored to be hired only for his skill in dealing with controversial subjects. The sex film hoped for by Bob Guccione was never realized, and Tinto Brass ended up, filming a $15 million dollar historical erotic film, with much of the graphic violence shown off camera. Not happy with the finished product; Bob Guccione restructured, hacked up, and re edited Tinto Brass's film, deleting many of the homosexual scenes, which angered writer Gore Vidal further. Late one night, after filming, Bob Guccione filmed some hardcore porno shots, and later added them to the film which angered principal director Tinto Brass. After the film was released star Malcolm McDowell complained that the movie was too extreme. Coming from a man who played Alex in the violent science fiction classic Clockwork Orange, this seems hypocritical. What kind of film did he think they were making, when he was asked to perform real urination, and simulated fisting. The DVD has been released in two separate versions the R-Rated mostly Tinto Brass version (Purple Cover), and the harder to find unrated version (Blue Cover) with the hardcore Guccione footage added.
Rating: 
Summary: Caligula's world is a dark dream
Review: I like Caligula a lot and will always rush to its defense. here is why. 1. cinematography-is almost dream like. Great mammoth, yet cheesy sets. Like a very sick costume drama. 2. Caligula's world is a dark dream, do you like dark films-while it is uneven(most films are) it succeeds here. 3. it uses violence and sex exploitatively and with equal zeal. While many films pull their punches Caligula is very much unabashedly in your face. Yet as over the edge as it is from all accounts, it's no exaggeration. 4. it is well cast. Teresa Ann Savoy is a beautiful and effective actress as you will find but is in no other american films-really, with so many euro influences I don't regard Caligula as an american film. Malcolm McDowell, Helen Mirren, Peter O'Toole are all great here and play this sick costume drama for all its worth-O'Toole and McDowell in particular. I love the scene where after trying to half-heartedly poison Caligula he states while leaving "you're not looking well today,not at all" 5. the score is beautiful and lush. 6. time has been kind to this film. A. many of us saw it on release but just didn't get it--many were merely focused on the porn inserts. B. films have become so homogenized , predictable and safe C. through horror and exploitation films many americans have a new appreciation-if not love- of Italian/Euro film-making. 7. Its a curious fact that many ridiculously conform when confronted with decadence. Yes we can become real pigs if given the chance. In many ways this is what Caligula is all about. This with great execution is why Caligula never rings false. Also this was made in 1980 and shows that mindset. So if you want to flee the traditional, forgo the R rated version and try Caligula. It will not remind you of another film before or since.
Rating:
Summary: ~This is definitely not BEN HUR~
Review: Like a naive idiot, I thought this movie would be some great historical epic like BEN HUR or SPARTICUS. Boy, was I surprised! For any other naive idiots out there: THIS IS NOT BEN HUR!!! I had to give it 5 stars because it out does itself in it's genre -- but be sure you know what that genre is (pure porn) before you have the family over to watch it for Easter dinner. As far as cinematography, symbolism, poetry, and all the other elements to great movie storytelling, I'd have to give it 0. None of that is in there. Historical accuracy? Another 0. Did everything from incest to bestiality (anybody notice the horse in his bed) really go on in ancient Rome (especially concerning the real Caligula)? Absolutely! But this is a very surreal and I'd have to say "campy" version. As a history buff, I have a tendency to believe the infamous orgies were much more similar to our frat parties and spring breaks (run-amok, of course) of today. That's kind of what I expected in this movie. I didn't expect to be vomitus. The 5 stars would have to go for Malcolm McDowell, too. He was great! Aside from the porn, the one thing I think the filmmakers were very successful with was in conveying Caligula's madness. If I had to compare this with another movie that might fit into this category, THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE, AND HER LOVER, I'd give that 5 stars and this 0 for filmmaking, but if sex is what you want, there is no other like CALIGULA!!! (If you liked the morbidness of this film, you might also try TITUS with Anthony Hopkins.) P.S. Did all the phallic statues (which I thought was quite a bit overdone) in this movie remind anyone else of CLOCKWORK ORANGE?
Rating:
Summary: bizarre, stunning, incredible!
Review: The movie concerns the rise and fall of Caligula from the emperor of Rome; and that is all; there's no more. If you look for a history lesson, this is not your movie... But frankly, i think that it wasn't Guccione's prime intention... He wanted to make such a movie that you cant forget... I first watched it when i was sixteenth... you see violence, rapes, all kind of sex... it didn't fail at this moment(late seventies) but it doesn't fail today... This is its best goal... Tinto brass began the shooting, but Bob Guccione fired him because Brass didn't work within Guccione's paremeters(aka: sex, sex...) So producer saw himself involved in actual shooting; Bob filmed hardcore stuff and put it in the movie without stars'knowledge... The final product is badly photographed, badly edited, badly shooted..., but nevertheless,is stunning; you know what you see are actors playing their parts..., but they are so real...! Great... Tinto BRass, Guccione and post production director G. Lui really did give their best shot...
Rating: 
Summary: One of the greatest squick films of all time!
Review: I don't know why anyone would buy the cut version of this film. The real reason to buy this film is to watch your friend's faces when you show them this and they see famous actors doing disgusting and vile things. The most famous and vile of these is Malcolm MacDowell's part in "The Wedding Scene". (I won't describe it, but lets just say he won't be doing any endorsements for Crisco any time soon.) I have heard varying claims for the historical (or lack thereof) accuracy of this film. I am not certain just how close they could come to describe just how whacked Caligula really was. I don't think it could be done correctly without violating a huge number of taboos. How to do it and not have it turn into exploitation is the big problem. This movie avoided all that by becoming exploitation. As for the rest of the film... There is some hardcore sex, most of it quite uninteresting. There are big name actors that must have owed some big favors or caught doing something quite embarasing to show up in this film. (How on earth did they get John Gelguld in this film?) There are lavish sets that look far too polished for Rome. (Almost like a Penthouse photo shoot.) On a side note: The soundtrack is actually quite nice. Mostly classical. (With the exception of the "feature song".) There was a double album of the sound track produced. Not certain how many copies were produced. Why it was a double album, I am not certain. It could have fit on one. The first disc has the "featured song" on each side. One normal and the other side is a disco version. (Which has to be heard to be believed.) Worth getting if you have friends and/or acquantences that need to be scarred emotionally.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent quality
Review: For those who enjoy films about ancient Rome - Caligula is the most accurate representation of the decadance of the time. The DVD quality is superb. Without reservation, this is worth owning for those who collect.
Rating:
Summary: This stinks BAD (except for 10 minutes of lesbian action)
Review: This movie (almost) totally stinks!!! If not for the 2 Penthouse Pets that "get naked" after they peek through the spy hole and watch a little sex show before becoming aroused themselves, it would be total trash. However, this one redeeming feature is the only reason to see it. Skip the rest.
|
