Before anyone starts to make noises about Caligula, the Ultimate Cut, one must know the history of the film and of this version of the film. When Caligula was filmed in the 1970's, Bob Guccione's edit was so pornographic that many of the principals wanted their names removed from the film's credits. This film took only unused film shot by the film's original director, and was assembled to follow the original screenwriter's script as much as possible. And yet, there is not much that could be done with this film due to the nature of its subject - the Emperor Caligula.
The 1979 version of the film is purely pornographic, and a total waste of time and money. But, how do you deal with a subject like Caligula? He had an incestuous relationship with his sister, he raped both women and men, he participated in orgies, he turned the wives of Roman Senators into Prostitutes and more. With a cast that includes Malcolm McDowell, John Gielgud, Peter O'Toole and Helen Mirren, the film had a chance of being a must-watch. It would be impossible to deal with the subject of Caligula without watering down the story to where it has no meaning. Instead, Bob Guccione, the publisher of Penthouse Magazine decided to film extra pornographic scenes, and this film became a guilty pleasure for many.
The 2023 version of this film is infinitely more watchable, but it is still hard to watch. None of the original film appears in this cut, as it has been reconstructed only from footage shot by the original film crew. Bob Guccione had nothing to do with this edit. Yet, it would be hard to avoid the extreme excesses that define Caligula's life. For example, an early scene is an orgiastic sequence where the emperor Tiberius shows Caligula the facts of an emperor's life. Information given in this early sequence is mentioned towards the end of the film, letting the audience in on the assassination yet to come. There is virtually no way to tame down Caligula to make any film about this man more palatable to modern audiences.
So, was it worth the $13 (senior rate) I spent to see this film? Probably not. But do I regret seeing this film? No.
