Caligula Film Trailer
Tinisha
"The most notorious Emperor in history returns..." Drafthouse Films has unveiled a new official trailer for Caligula: The Ultimate Cut, a 4K restoration of the infamous erotic classic. The epic Italian film follows Caligula as he kills his devious adoptive grandfather and takes control of the decadent Roman Empire, soon spiraling into depravity, devastation, and utter madness. "Drafthouse Films is a beacon of excellence and taste in independent cinema, and in the 3 years while I was constructing the film I hoped that they would be involved in bringing Caligula: The Ultimate Cut to American audiences," states producer Thomas Negovan. This brand new "Ultimate Cut" is a completely fresh reconstruction based on tons of footage found in the Penthouse archive. They removed all the depravity that was controversially added during the first release, and it has been restored to what should've been all along. "Graphic artist Dave McKean added a prologue that illustrates one of Vidal's missing scenes, and composer Troy Sterling Nies created a new wraparound score." Caligula stars Malcolm McDowell, Helen Mirren, Teresa Ann Savoy, Peter O'Toole, John Gielgud, John Steiner, & Guido Mannari. It's getting a proper theatrical re-release this August. Enjoy.
Absolute power corrupts in Caligula: The Ultimate Cut, an extensive reconstruction of the notorious 1980 spectacle originally directed by Italian legend Tinto Brass from a script by Gore Vidal. Shadowed by the murder of his family, Caligula (Malcolm McDowell) eliminates his devious adoptive grandfather (Peter O'Toole) and seizes control of the Roman Empire with his wife Caesonia (Helen Mirren) before descending into a spiral of depravity, destruction, and madness. Caligula: The Ultimate Cut is the final reconstructed version of the classic 1980 film Caligula, directed by the iconic Italian writer / filmmaker Tinto Brass, his 10th feature film after the time just after making Salon Kitty. The screenplay is written by Gore Vidal. This new version is produced by Thomas Negovan. Caligula: The Ultimate Cut premiered (as the restoration) at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival last year in the Cannes Classics section. Drafthouse Films will re-release this new version in theaters exclusively in the US starting on August 16th, 2024 this summer. Looking better?
Original screenwriter Gore Vidal and film director Tinto Brass both disavowed the extensive changes to their contributions, with Brass dismissed prior to editing. Financier producer Bob Guccione, founder of Penthouse magazine, engaged Giancarlo Lui to film post-production scenes featuring hardcore sex, significantly altering the film's tone and style.[10]
Initially released to Italian cinemas in 1979, then screened in America the following year, Caligula was met with legal issues and controversies over its violent and sexual content. Different abridged versions were released worldwide, while its uncut form remains banned in several countries.[11] Despite a generally negative reception, the film has gained notoriety as a cult classic[12] with significant merit for its political content and historical portrayal.[13] A 178-minute Ultimate Cut, approved by McDowell and containing new footage not included in the theatrical release, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023.
Caligula is the young heir to the throne of his great-uncle, Emperor Tiberius. One morning, a blackbird flies into his room; Caligula considers this a bad omen. Shortly afterward, one of the heads of the Praetorian Guard, Naevius Sutorius Macro, tells Caligula that Tiberius demands his immediate presence at Capri, where the Emperor lives with his close friend Nerva, dim-witted relative Claudius, and Caligula's cousin (Tiberius's grandson) Gemellus. Fearing assassination, Caligula is afraid to leave, but his sister and lover Drusilla persuades him to go.
At Capri, Caligula finds that Tiberius has become depraved, showing signs of advanced venereal diseases and embittered with Rome and politics. Tiberius enjoys swimming with naked youths and watching degrading sex shows that include deformed people and animals; Caligula observes with fascination and horror. Tensions rise when Tiberius tries to poison Caligula in front of Gemellus. Nerva commits suicide and Caligula tries to kill Tiberius but loses his nerve. Proving his loyalty to Caligula, Macro kills Tiberius instead with Gemellus as a witness.
After Tiberius's death and burial, Caligula is proclaimed the new Emperor, then proclaims Drusilla as his equal, to the apparent disgust of the Roman Senate. Drusilla, fearful of Macro's influence, persuades Caligula to get rid of him. Caligula sets up a mock trial in which Gemellus is intimidated into testifying that Macro murdered Tiberius, then has Macro's wife Ennia banished from Rome. After Macro is executed in a gruesome public game, Caligula appoints Tiberius's former adviser Longinus as his personal assistant while pronouncing the docile Senator Chaerea as the new head of the Praetorian Guard.
Drusilla tries to find Caligula a wife among the priestesses of the goddess Isis, the cult they secretly practice. Caligula wants to marry Drusilla, but she insists they cannot marry because she is his sister. Instead, Caligula marries Caesonia, a priestess and notorious courtesan, after she bears him an heir. Drusilla reluctantly supports their marriage. Meanwhile, despite Caligula's popularity with the masses, the Senate expresses disapproval for what initially seem to be light eccentricities. Darker aspects of Caligula's personality emerge when he brutally rapes a virgin bride on her wedding day in a minor fit of jealousy and orders Gemellus's execution to provoke a reaction from Drusilla.
After discovering that Caesonia is pregnant, Caligula develops a severe fever. Drusilla nurses him back to health. Just as he fully recovers, Caesonia bears him a daughter, Julia Drusilla. During the celebration, Drusilla collapses with the same fever he had had. Soon afterward, Caligula receives another ill omen in the form of a blackbird. Despite his praying to Isis out of desperation, Drusilla dies from her fever. Initially unable to accept her death, Caligula has a nervous breakdown and rampages through the palace, destroying a statue of Isis while clutching Drusilla's body.
Caligula enters his bedroom where a nervous Caesonia awaits him. Another blackbird appears but only Caesonia is frightened of it. The next morning, after rehearsing an Egyptian play, Caligula and his family are attacked in a coup headed by Chaerea. Caesonia and Julia are murdered, and Chaerea stabs Caligula in the stomach. With his final breath, the Emperor defiantly whimpers "I live!" as Caligula and his family's bodies are thrown down the stadium's steps and their blood is washed off the marble floor. Claudius witnesses the entire ordeal and is horrified even after being proclaimed Emperor by the Praetorian Guard.
The men's magazine Penthouse had long been involved in film funding, helping invest in films made by other studios, including Chinatown, The Longest Yard and The Day of the Locust, but it had never produced a film on its own.[14] The magazine's founder Bob Guccione wanted to produce an explicit adult film within a feature film narrative that had high production values; he decided to produce a film about the rise and fall of the Roman emperor Caligula.[15] Development began under producer Franco Rossellini, the nephew of filmmaker Roberto Rossellini.[14] A screenplay was written by Lina Wertmller, but Guccione rejected Wertmller's script and paid Gore Vidal to write a new screenplay.[16] Vidal's script had a strong focus on homosexuality, leading Guccione to demand rewrites which toned down the gay content for wider audience appeal. Guccione was concerned that Vidal's script contained several gay sex scenes and only one scene of heterosexual sex, which was between Caligula and his sister Drusilla.[16][17] Vidal was paid US$200,000 for his screenplay, titled Gore Vidal's Caligula.[14]
Elaborate sets were built by production designer Danilo Donati, who also designed the film's costumes, jewelry, hairstyles, wigs, and makeup.[14] Several mainstream actors were cast, Guccione intending to make a film that he felt, like Citizen Kane, would be a landmark in cinematic history.[17] Guccione offered directing duties to John Huston and Lina Wertmller, both of whom rejected the film.[14] After viewing scenes from the film Salon Kitty, Guccione agreed to have lunch with that film's director, Tinto Brass, believing Brass would be the ideal person to direct Caligula.[17] Brass had a reputation for being difficult to deal with on film sets but Guccione thought the film's epic scope would "keep [Brass] in line" and that Brass understood the concept of the film enough to direct it.[14] Brass described Vidal's screenplay as "the work of an aging arteriosclerotic" and agreed to direct only if he was allowed to rewrite Vidal's screenplay.[17] Brass's screenplay expanded the sexual content to include orgies, decorative phalluses, and much female nudity.[17] Guccione said Brass's rewrites were done out of necessity to the film's visual narrative and did not alter the dialogue or content.[14]
In an interview for Time magazine, Vidal said that in film production, directors were "parasites" and a film's author was its screenwriter; in response, Brass demanded Vidal's removal from the set and Guccione agreed.[14] Guccione considered the film to be a "collective effort, involving the input of a great number of artists and craftsmen", and the director to be the leader of a "team effort".[14] Vidal filed a contractual dispute over the film because of Brass's rewrites;[14] Guccione said Vidal had demanded 10% of the film's profits, which Vidal said was not the case.[16] Vidal distanced himself from the production, calling Brass a "megalomaniac". Brass publicly stated, "If I ever really get mad at Gore Vidal, I'll publish his script".[18] Vidal's name was removed from the film's title; the credits were changed to state that the film was "adapted from a screenplay by Gore Vidal", crediting no official screenwriter.[19] Guccione said, "Gore's work was basically done and Tinto's work was about to begin".[14]
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