The infamous Caligula movie is considered one of the most well known examples of a train-wreck film. Its twisted vision (porn meets period drama), plagued by a seriously troubled production, and hacked to death with re-edits that led to the director and writer disavowing themselves of the film, Caligula goes down in movie history as one for the worst lists. Yet it was a hit, remains a cult film, and still has to be seen to be believed. But there has always been talk about how there might be something there if it was just seen as it was meant to be. There have been numerous cuts of the film, but nothing quite as dramatic as this "ultimate" version which uses the original negatives of director Brass' work pieced together based on original writer Vidal's script. It debuted at Cannes and has actually received some generally favourable reviews. Is this the redemption this movie has been waiting for?
To be honest, Caligula can still not be considered a "good" movie. But watching the Ultimate Cut I was struck by how much more watchable it is, how many moments actually worked for me, and the strength of McDowell's performance (to say nothing about Mirren too who is amazing!). While it still doesn't "save" the film which remains a bit of a mess, I actually found myself enjoying this version and finding some poignancy now that its focus was less on shock and awe and more on attempting to unravel the tale behind an unravelling despot.
Let me start with McDowell. Wow! The character is campy and over the top but his performance not only acknowledges this and plays with it, but it also gets under his skin and makes him feel real. He is terrifyingly evil and yet clearly damaged. The final act is powerful mostly due to his work here. Perhaps in 2024 we are more keenly aware of the dangers of an unstable narcissist gaining the rains of power so this story truly hits harder than it might have in previous decades. But I attribute to McDowell a lot in this performance I don't remember from watching the original cut.
And the film is gorgeous. Its sets and costumes are perhaps more fantasy based than historical but it all looks so good. The sex is still here and explicit but it doesn't feel as pornographic as the original version which had extra full on hard core scenes which were not filmed by Brass inserted into Brass' narrative. Not that I object to porn but its rough editing and distracting explicity took away from the narrative in a way that this version's sex scenes do not. In fact they often do fit with the story telling. For example the wedding rape scene is quite powerful here. It isn't toned down yet becomes even more disturbingly rich with meaning when not surrounded by less relevant pornographic moments.
Still, in the end, I'm not sure Caligula can be truly saved, but it remains, as it always has been, fascinating. But honestly it's also just more watchable than it has been in any version despite being even longer. And I won't even get into Mirren's tits OMG!
Caligula the Ultimate Cut
Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Helen Mirren, Peter O'Toole, John Gielgud, Teresa Ann Savoy, Guido Mannari, Giancarlo Badessi
Director: Tinto Brass
Writer: Gore Vidal
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