Caligula

1981 "What would you have done if you had been given absolute power of life and death over everybody else in the whole world?"
5.3| 2h36m| R| en| More Info
Released: 16 October 1981 Released
Producted By: Penthouse Films International
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

The perversion behind imperial Rome, the epic story of Rome's mad Emporer. All the details of his cruel, bizarre reign are revealed right here: His unholy sexual passion for his sister, his marriage to Rome's most infamous prostitute, his fiendishly inventive means of disposing those who would oppose him, and more.

Genre

Drama, History

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Director

Production Companies

Penthouse Films International

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Caligula Audience Reviews

Cebalord Very best movie i ever watch
SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie
Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.
Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.
skyintightpants This is the greatest sword and saddle epic ever mad from a guys perspective you want to see the x rated scenes they are quite shocking I could watch movie again and again that's how good it is this movie was based on fact this Roman Emperor was hard core in his view some people can't except that some people are just born monsters this guy was a monster if you like sex and violence this is the movie for you do not watch this movie with kids around do not watch this movie with your wife or partner if they don't like Violence this movie is for real men and woman who are not affected by seeing rape sex and serious violence
Java_Joe The story of Caligula is a long a fabled one and a lot of what people have heard is probably wrong. During the first part of his reign he seemed to be doing okay and then the madness crept in and it was characterized by cruelty, sadism, extravagance, sexual perversion and this seems to be what the movie is based on. And while these records are highly suspect, there is literally not a lot of information out there about the man although he did try to increase his power and was eventually killed by his own guard. But that doesn't really matter because where else are you going to see giants of the British screen and theater in the same movie playing Romans and chewing the scenery? Malcolm McDowell is great at playing the crazed psycho no matter what the role is. He's utterly charming and has this devilish look on his face when he's contemplating something. Truly a sight to behold. The sets and cinematography are top notch. The actors are all on their game, the dialogue might be a little trite and yes, there is actual porn going on in some scenes. Bob Guccione, of Penthouse magazine, was one of the producers and literally spliced in some scenes of hardcore pornography. Well, maybe hardcore is taking things a little far. There's definitely nudity both male and female, there's a lesbian scene which literally adds nothing to the plot and in the scene where Caligula creates the brothel there are real people actually having sex. You can't see much but you don't really want to. Seriously in today's day and age it's much easier to get your hands on actual porn if that's what you're looking for.In the end this ode to pagan Rome while it has it's moments is known more for it's notoriety than what actually goes on in the movie. I'd suggest it if for no other reason than to say you've seen it.
Hitchcoc I just feel I need to hone in on a movie that, for me, has no redeeming value. It is based on a character from history whose life evolved around the cruelest of actions. I know that for some, the squeamish don't deserve a say in anything. I am not squeamish, but when one sacrifices plot and theme for utter violence, it's hard to watch. I have gotten used to violence since the first Sam Peckinpaugh films where could see graphic dismemberment or worse. In this, it's like a trip to a slaughterhouse. I don't think we should shrink from portraying scenes when they are necessary. This one did nothing for me. Its glossiness and high tech efforts simply exacerbated its lack of a message.
crendine I viewed the full-length, uncut version of this film and it struck me as merely an attempt to make a porno version of the Ten Commandments with a bit of Night of the Living Dead thrown in. Guccione's idea seems to have been to portray the perverse and sick side of the Roman era and at the same time, to destroy the Hollywood perception of Biblical movies (given the cast of some well-established actors and actresses). The result was an absolutely disgusting film whose only merit was in its shock value. As many of my fellow IMDb reviewers have pointed out, there is actually a scene early in the film where a group of individuals are buried up to their necks in the ground and are decapitated by a lawn-mower type machine wielding a very large blade. And the scene is very graphic. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think engines existed in this era ! As for the remainder, the script is just plain awful and speaking quite frankly, the "adult" scenes (if we can refer to them that way) are not very stimulating or exciting at all. Also, there are many scenes of orgies, bestiality, incest, and just about any other perversion you can think of. To me, this movie was an expensive attempt to create a pornographic film set to the backdrop of Ancient Rome and throwing in extreme violence and established actors just to lend it some credibility. I'm sure there are many historical errors here as well but in short, this is just an awful attempt at cinema. At a length of a little over 2 and 1/2 hours, it really becomes boring and pointless. Also, if we check the history books, this movie isn't even close to the facts. For one, the emperor's name was not even Caligula. That was a nickname given to him by the Roman soldiers when he was a little boy. It literally means "little boots". He would parade around in front of the soldiers in a soldiers uniform that his mother made for him, which included a tiny set of army boots. And, his reign as emperor only lasted 4 years and was, by far, more violent than sexually perverse. He wound up being assassinated by 2 soldiers whom he insulted. So, this movie technically fails on 2 fronts. Terrible.