 | Director: Tinto Brass, Giancarlo Lui Stars: Malcolm MacDowell, John Gielgud, Peter O'Toole |
There are movies that are extremely gore and full of violence scenes, like Braindead (1992). But there are movies that are so offensive, that it ceases being entertaining and become an endurance to sit through the end. The only achievement is not enjoyment but able to say "I have watched that film".
Caligula (1979) depicts the exaggerated sexual and cruel side of the Ancient Roman Empire. This notorious movie stars some really big names: Alex from A Clockwork Orange (1971), Father Karras from The Exorcist (1973), and Lawrence from Lawrence of Arabia (1962), and tells the story of Caligula, who was the fourth emperor of the Roman Empire. He killed his father in his deathbed to success him, and killed his right-hand man to clear any threats for his power, and started his tyranny rule. A story that has happened more than a thousand times throughout history.
What is special about this movie is its portrayal of the exaggerated Ancient Roman Empire. Almost everyone except the royal family is naked. Penises and clitorises can be seen everywhere. Any man can have sex with any women, and any woman can have sex with any woman in this movie. There is a scene that Caligula ordered all member of the senate to prositute their wifes for everyone who can pay 5 gold pieces, and committed incest with his sister. Although there is not man-to-man sex, there is a fisting scene in which Caligula shove his hand up a guy's ass.
This movie is also cruel in torture. We see a guy got his penis tied by his shoelaces, though I aint sure that shoelaces exists in Roman times, and was shoved tonnes of wine into his mouth. After it's done, the emperor stick a sword through his stomach to let the wine flood over. There is also torture in humiliation which is so cruel that it almost anti-humanity. There is a scene that a naked woman was tied up with her legs wide open on a open stage, who is giving birth for all the audience to see. And the naked woman is the wife of Caligula, the supposed queen, but Caligula put her on stage as a show.
But the scene that I found most amazing in the head chopping machine. After I got aroused by a sex scene it cuts to a head being cut off. The huge contrast stunned me and here comes the head chopping machine. Victims were buried in the ground leaving only their heads on the floor. The machine is like a huge wall with mowers at the bottom, without the safety shield. As the wall moves forwards, it cuts off the head. People throws fruits and vegetables to the heads to humiliate them. The visual is so stunning that the wall have a freezen screaming face scripture stuck out, and people dying underneath surrounded by aroused mob. It shows how human lifes were insignificant by showing people gone through such big way to build such a machine to just kill for entertainment. The only word I can sum up this whole scene is "anti-humanity".
Over 80% of screentime in this movie is sex, which makes it to be straightly a porn. Does it have any underlying meanings, besides the trivial man is bad, Caligula is insane message? I do not think so. Many film critics have bashed this film as trash, but I think they just could not get over with the overwhelming sex and heartless torture. However to the other side of the pole, I fail to see anyone who could consider this as their favourite film, other than being different from others. As most films in the cinema extreme, the only gain from the experience is the shock, disturbance, memories of the crazy images, and the claim, "I have seen Caligula".
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| Is he really pissing or there is a hose...? After all those penises cumming I'm not surprised in any case. |
What is special about this movie is its portrayal of the exaggerated Ancient Roman Empire. Almost everyone except the royal family is naked. Penises and clitorises can be seen everywhere. Any man can have sex with any women, and any woman can have sex with any woman in this movie. There is a scene that Caligula ordered all member of the senate to prositute their wifes for everyone who can pay 5 gold pieces, and committed incest with his sister. Although there is not man-to-man sex, there is a fisting scene in which Caligula shove his hand up a guy's ass.
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| The guy is getting fisted up his ass. The one lying in the left in his new married, and just raped wife, by Caligula. |
This movie is also cruel in torture. We see a guy got his penis tied by his shoelaces, though I aint sure that shoelaces exists in Roman times, and was shoved tonnes of wine into his mouth. After it's done, the emperor stick a sword through his stomach to let the wine flood over. There is also torture in humiliation which is so cruel that it almost anti-humanity. There is a scene that a naked woman was tied up with her legs wide open on a open stage, who is giving birth for all the audience to see. And the naked woman is the wife of Caligula, the supposed queen, but Caligula put her on stage as a show.
But the scene that I found most amazing in the head chopping machine. After I got aroused by a sex scene it cuts to a head being cut off. The huge contrast stunned me and here comes the head chopping machine. Victims were buried in the ground leaving only their heads on the floor. The machine is like a huge wall with mowers at the bottom, without the safety shield. As the wall moves forwards, it cuts off the head. People throws fruits and vegetables to the heads to humiliate them. The visual is so stunning that the wall have a freezen screaming face scripture stuck out, and people dying underneath surrounded by aroused mob. It shows how human lifes were insignificant by showing people gone through such big way to build such a machine to just kill for entertainment. The only word I can sum up this whole scene is "anti-humanity".
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| The artistic style is so Roman, and the face scripture is as if they were crying. |
Over 80% of screentime in this movie is sex, which makes it to be straightly a porn. Does it have any underlying meanings, besides the trivial man is bad, Caligula is insane message? I do not think so. Many film critics have bashed this film as trash, but I think they just could not get over with the overwhelming sex and heartless torture. However to the other side of the pole, I fail to see anyone who could consider this as their favourite film, other than being different from others. As most films in the cinema extreme, the only gain from the experience is the shock, disturbance, memories of the crazy images, and the claim, "I have seen Caligula".
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