Originally released in 1979, Caligula is not a film I would have seen back then. I know I seem old to many now, but I would have been three years old for most of 1979. It is a film I soon became aware of though, somehow. Pretty much damned by both the critics and those who acted in it, considering how displeased they were to see their performances surrounded by what was essentially a lavish and expensive bit if porn, I can only assume that it became something that people felt they had to see for themselves, in the comfort of their own home. And that is why they rented the VHS. Which is how I ended up seeing at least some of it at what was still a very young age. I don’t remember much, except a man being made to drink lots of wine before being killed and lots of bare breasts, but I remembered enough to keep interested in it over the intervening decades. I own a lovely multi-disc set, and now I have paid for a digital copy of “The Ultimate Cut”. But maybe it is telling that this is the first time I have watched any incarnation of the film since those VHS days.
Malcom McDowell plays Caligula, a Roman emperor who spends time coveting his sister (Ann Savoy) and his horse in equal measure. He is a dangerous manchild, made ruler by underhand means, and anyone he seems to have wronged him is often dealt with publicly and sadistically. This film shows his rise and fall, but it also shows a Rome far too easily swayed by the temperament of whoever is in the position of greatest power.
Written by Gore Vidal and directed by Tinto Brass, though who knows how much credit they want to take for it, even in this attempted restoration and repair job, Caligula is a messy and sprawling work, sometimes taking time with exploring Rome, and the ways in which the power moves through it, and sometimes determined just to wallow in the decadence and depravity of Caligula’s rule.
McDowell isn’t bad in the central role, although his performance feels wildly uneven (perhaps due to the chaos on the set), and Savoy works well as the sister happy in their incestuous coupling, but the real treats come from elsewhere. Despite his small amount of screentime, Peter O’Toole is a lot of fun, and a portent of everything to come. John Gielgud is wasted, but elevated one or two moments with his presence. And then there’s Helen Mirren, very believable as the woman who catches the eye of Caligula, and the one chosen to give him an heir to the throne. Everyone else is onscreen to bow, laugh, cry, and/or be mutilated and murdered, and their performances are often defined by their fates more than their actual acting talent.
It’s a shame that I cannot remember the original cut of this, because it would seem to be essential to compare and contrast this to it, but I can tell you that this doesn’t feel like the entirely new film it is being sold as. It may have more of a focus on the drama and acting, but that doesn’t make it much more interesting. In fact, dare I say, there’s a chance that a lavish and expensive porno is just as appropriate a way to present Caligula as this is. At least that feels like a bolder artistic choice, even if others would argue that artistry was the least of the concerns of those who delivered it to audiences back in 1979.
Occasional treats notwithstanding, this is a dull and rambling slog. But I won’t deny that I still want to revisit other edits to see how much more entertaining it might be with a greater sense of chaos and transgressiveness out front and centre.
4/10
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