THREE OTHER RECENT VIEWING EXPERIENCES (PART ONE)
CALIGULA (1979)
directed by:
Tinto Brass
screenplay by:
Gore Vidal (original)
starring:
Malcolm McDowell, Teresa Ann Savoy, Helen Mirren, Peter O'Toole, John Gielgud
In the immortal words of one of its star's earlier iconic characters:
"Welly welly welly welly welly welly well!" At this point in time, what is there to be said for this infamously excessive and fluid-swamped trainwreck of a Roman epic, as well as its history of dysfunction and strife among the creative talents involved? Perhaps nothing. Perhaps a great deal more. In any case, this is
definitely one of those movies which more mature and hardy viewers absolutely
need to watch at least once in their lifetime... if only for the bragging rights! (And ownership of the Imperal Edition Blu-ray is a nice little plus as well.)
Quite honestly, I'm not particularly a fan of porn, so I'm not particularly big on the full 156-minute Uncensored Version, which has all of producer (and that title's being generous) Bob Guccione's hardcore reshoot footage. I found it all just a mite crass and clinical, to tell you the truth. I prefer the more softcore 152-minute Alternative Version, which is much closer to how Tinto Brass originally envisioned the film (although still not really qualifying as a "director's cut"). Granted, you still get quite a bit of full frontal in the orgy scenes, but not the acts of penetration.
So ultimately, the question is: Do I like or dislike
Caligula? I must confess, I definitely lean more towards "like," in spite of this film's many flaws in terms of writing and directing (Gore Vidal's original screenplay having been subjected to the more anarchic temperament of Tinto Brass, who was in his turn overriden by the dictates (
heh-heh-heh) of producer Bob Guccione). What's the ultimate saving grace of the film, one may wonder? Well, beyond the admittedly impressive if ostentatiously baroque production design... the British leads, of course! Malcolm McDowell is incredibly charismatic and energetic, throwing himself into the role of the mad and capricious Roman emperor with gusto, making Caligula into something of an ancestor of
A Clockwork Orange's Alex DeLarge. (God help me, I find the scene of him giving his "wedding present" to the unfortunate Livia and Proculus to be utterly hysterical. Either McDowell's just that good or I just have a seriously warped sense of humor.) John Gielgud, in his brief role as Nerva, provides some much-needed
gravitas as well as a genuinely moving death scene. Teresa Ann Savoy as Caligula's sister Drusilla and especially the young Helen Mirren as his wife Caesonia are also wonderful, somehow managing to maintain a dignity and humanity amongst the decadence. And Peter O'Toole (who didn't get along with Brass or Guccione, having been a friend and ally of Vidal's) is scary good as Caligula's uncle, the mad Emperor Tiberius. O'Toole's ravaged and blistered visage effectively sums up in a nutshell and personifies the film's voluptuously diseased vision of a decaying imperial Rome.
So, do I recommend it? Well...
yeah, I guess so. But be forewarned, my little droogies, this is strong stuff! I'll be generous and give it a
3/5 Others might be less generous and give it either a
2, a
1, or even a
0. But I happen to have a sense of humor and a strong stomach, so it's kind of a guilty pleasure for me. (Objectively, my head says
2.5/5, but my heart - or perhaps something a little darker - is telling me
3/5.)