Caligula: The Ultimate Cut
Presented on 35mmStill shocking and over-the-top, this re-edit of the notorious 1980 spectacle restores bravura performances by Malcolm McDowell and Helen Mirren. Adults only.
Hop Film Now
Composed of never-before-seen footage shot in 1976, this re-edit removes much of the hard-core pornographic material which made Caligula infamous, but is no less outrageous for it. Fans of Game of Thrones will note that just about everything that series is known for—political scheming and betrayals, incest, traumatic weddings, corrupt rulers, difficult childbirth, ambient nudity, gratuitous depictions of sexual violence and cartoonish amounts of blood—was done here first. No dragons, though.
Haunted by the murder of his family, the young Caligula (Malcolm McDowell) eliminates his devious adoptive grandfather (Peter O'Toole) and seizes control of the Roman Empire alongside his wife Caesonia (Helen Mirren) before quickly descending into a spiral of depravity, destruction and madness.
This is a rare opportunity to see Caligula: The Ultimate Cut presented in 35mm. We hope that those who attend the film will bring a sense of academic curiosity, a strong stomach and an appreciation for this film as an artifact of cinema history. This film is not a masterpiece, but it does provide an interesting window into the cultural moment in which it was made. The 1970s was a time of social division and an uncertain future, with rapidly-changing sexual politics reflected on screen. In some ways, watching this film provides a perverse sense of reassurance that humanity has been through worse—in ancient Rome and more recent history.
More than 40 years after the 1980 release of the notorious Penthouse-sponsored Roman epic, producer Thomas Negovan has realized the creators' original vision of an historical drama with high-production values at the level of Cleopatra and Ben Hur. Premiering at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, this reconstruction of the cult classic restores McDowell and Mirren's bravura performances.
Content Warning: This film contains explicit sexual material, sexual violence and depiction of suicide. This film is suitable only for adult audiences and no one under 18 will be admitted. No refunds will be granted.
D: Tinto Brass, US, 2023, 2h58m
"The most expensive independent film ever produced until that time, Caligula was conceived by late Penthouse founder Bob Guccione as a sexually explicit film that also featured real actors and high production values; hiring bestselling author Gore Vidal to write a script for Italian avant-garde director Tinto Brass (Salon Kitty), Guccione subsequently attracted such respected thespians as Malcolm McDowell, Peter O'Toole, John Gielgud and Helen Mirren to star. But after disputes between Brass and Vidal prompted the author to sue to remove his name from the film, Guccione commandeered the final cut and inserted shots of graphic sex and violence, prompting cast and crew alike to disavow the film." (Variety)
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