Caligula (film)

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Caligula
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Screenplay by
Story byGore Vidal (original screenplay)
Produced by
  • Bob Guccione
  • Franco Rossellini
Starring
CinematographySilvano Ippoliti
Edited by
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed by
  • Produzioni Atlas Consorziate (P.A.C.) (Italy)[4]
  • Analysis Film Releasing Corporation (United States)[5]
Release dates
  • August 14, 1979 (1979-08-14) (Italy)[6]
  • February 1, 1980 (1980-02-01) (United States)[7]
Running time
156 minutes
178 minutes (Ultimate Cut)
Countries
  • Italy
  • United States
Languages
  • English
  • Italian
Budget$17.5 million[8]
Box office$23.4 million[9] or $10 million[10]

Caligula (

erotic historical drama film about the rise and fall of controversial Roman emperor Caligula. The film stars Malcolm McDowell (who also co-wrote the film) in the title role, alongside Teresa Ann Savoy, Helen Mirren, Peter O'Toole, John Steiner, and John Gielgud
.

Original screenwriter Gore Vidal and film director Tinto Brass both disavowed the extensive changes to their contributions, with Brass dismissed prior to editing. Financier producer Bob Guccione, founder of Penthouse magazine, engaged Giancarlo Lui to film post-production scenes featuring hardcore sex, significantly altering the film's tone and style.[11]

Initially released to Italian cinemas in 1979, then screened in America the following year, Caligula was met with legal issues and controversies over its violent and sexual content. Different abridged versions were released worldwide, while its uncut form remains banned in several countries.

cult classic[13] with significant merit for its political content and historical portrayal.[14] A 178-minute Ultimate Cut, approved by McDowell and containing new footage not included in the theatrical release, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival
in 2023.

Plot

Caligula is the young heir to the throne of his great-uncle, Emperor Tiberius. One morning, a blackbird flies into his room; Caligula considers this a bad omen. Shortly afterward, one of the heads of the Praetorian Guard, Naevius Sutorius Macro, tells Caligula that Tiberius demands his immediate presence at Capri, where the Emperor lives with his close friend Nerva, dim-witted relative Claudius, and Caligula's cousin (Tiberius's grandson) Gemellus. Fearing assassination, Caligula is afraid to leave, but his sister and lover Drusilla persuades him to go.

At Capri, Caligula finds that Tiberius has become depraved, showing signs of advanced venereal diseases and embittered with Rome and politics. Tiberius enjoys swimming with naked youths and watching degrading sex shows that include deformed people and animals; Caligula observes with fascination and horror. Tensions rise when Tiberius tries to poison Caligula in front of Gemellus. Nerva commits suicide and Caligula tries to kill Tiberius but loses his nerve. Proving his loyalty to Caligula, Macro kills Tiberius instead with Gemellus as a witness.

After Tiberius's death and burial, Caligula is proclaimed the new Emperor, then proclaims Drusilla as his equal, to the apparent disgust of the Roman Senate. Drusilla, fearful of Macro's influence, persuades Caligula to get rid of him. Caligula sets up a mock trial in which Gemellus is intimidated into testifying that Macro murdered Tiberius, then has Macro's wife Ennia banished from Rome. After Macro is executed in a gruesome public game, Caligula appoints Tiberius's former adviser Longinus as his personal assistant while pronouncing the docile Senator Chaerea as the new head of the Praetorian Guard.

Drusilla tries to find Caligula a wife among the priestesses of the goddess Isis, the cult they secretly practice. Caligula wants to marry Drusilla, but she insists they cannot marry because she is his sister. Instead, Caligula marries Caesonia, a priestess and notorious courtesan, after she bears him an heir. Drusilla reluctantly supports their marriage. Meanwhile, despite Caligula's popularity with the masses, the Senate expresses disapproval for what initially seem to be light eccentricities. Darker aspects of Caligula's personality emerge when he brutally rapes a virgin bride on her wedding day in a minor fit of jealousy and orders Gemellus's execution to provoke a reaction from Drusilla.

After discovering that Caesonia is pregnant, Caligula develops a severe fever. Drusilla nurses him back to health. Just as he fully recovers, Caesonia bears him a daughter,

nervous breakdown
and rampages through the palace, destroying a statue of Isis while clutching Drusilla's body.

Now in a deep depression, Caligula walks the Roman streets disguised as a beggar; he causes a disturbance after watching an amateur performance mocking his relationship with Drusilla. After a brief stay in a city gaol, Caligula proclaims himself a god and becomes determined to destroy the senatorial class, which he has come to loathe. The new reign he leads becomes a series of humiliations against the foundations of Rome—senators' wives are forced to work in the service of the state as prostitutes, estates are confiscated, the old religion is desecrated, and the army is made to embark on a mock invasion of Britain. Unable to further tolerate his actions, Longinus conspires with Chaerea to assassinate Caligula.

Caligula enters his bedroom where a nervous Caesonia awaits him. Another blackbird appears but only Caesonia is frightened of it. The next morning, after rehearsing an Egyptian play, Caligula and his family are attacked in a coup headed by Chaerea. Caesonia and Julia are murdered, and Chaerea stabs Caligula in the stomach. With his final breath, the Emperor defiantly whimpers "I live!" as Caligula and his family's bodies are thrown down the stadium's steps and their blood is washed off the marble floor. Claudius witnesses the entire ordeal and is horrified even after being proclaimed Emperor by the Praetorian Guard.

Cast

Production

Development

Gore Vidal was paid $200,000 to write the screenplay for Caligula;[15] ultimately, the film credited no official screenwriter, only that it was "adapted from a screenplay" by Vidal.

The men's magazine Penthouse had long been involved in film funding, helping invest in films made by other studios, including Chinatown, The Longest Yard and The Day of the Locust, but it had never produced a film on its own.[15] The magazine's founder Bob Guccione wanted to produce an explicit adult film within a feature film narrative that had high production values; he decided to produce a film about the rise and fall of the Roman emperor Caligula.[16] Development began under producer Franco Rossellini, the nephew of filmmaker Roberto Rossellini.[15] A screenplay was written by Lina Wertmüller, but Guccione rejected Wertmüller's script and paid Gore Vidal to write a new screenplay.[17] Vidal's script had a strong focus on homosexuality, leading Guccione to demand rewrites which toned down the gay content for wider audience appeal. Guccione was concerned that Vidal's script contained several gay sex scenes and only one scene of heterosexual sex, which was between Caligula and his sister Drusilla.[17][18] Vidal was paid US$200,000 for his screenplay, titled Gore Vidal's Caligula.[15]

Elaborate sets were built by production designer Danilo Donati, who also designed the film's costumes, jewelry, hairstyles, wigs, and makeup.[15] Several mainstream actors were cast, Guccione intending to make a film that he felt, like Citizen Kane, would be a landmark in cinematic history.[18] Guccione offered directing duties to John Huston and Lina Wertmüller, both of whom rejected the film.[15] After viewing scenes from the film Salon Kitty, Guccione agreed to have lunch with that film's director, Tinto Brass, believing Brass would be the ideal person to direct Caligula.[18] Brass had a reputation for being difficult to deal with on film sets but Guccione thought the film's epic scope would "keep [Brass] in line" and that Brass understood the concept of the film enough to direct it.[15] Brass described Vidal's screenplay as "the work of an aging arteriosclerotic" and agreed to direct only if he was allowed to rewrite Vidal's screenplay.[18] Brass's screenplay expanded the sexual content to include orgies, decorative phalluses, and much female nudity.[18] Guccione said Brass's rewrites were done out of necessity to the film's visual narrative and did not alter the dialogue or content.[15]

In an interview for Time magazine, Vidal said that in film production, directors were "parasites" and a film's author was its screenwriter; in response, Brass demanded Vidal's removal from the set and Guccione agreed.[15] Guccione considered the film to be a "collective effort, involving the input of a great number of artists and craftsmen", and the director to be the leader of a "team effort".[15] Vidal filed a contractual dispute over the film because of Brass's rewrites;[15] Guccione said Vidal had demanded 10% of the film's profits, which Vidal said was not the case.[17] Vidal distanced himself from the production, calling Brass a "megalomaniac". Brass publicly stated, "If I ever really get mad at Gore Vidal, I'll publish his script".[19] Vidal's name was removed from the film's title; the credits were changed to state that the film was "adapted from a screenplay by Gore Vidal", crediting no official screenwriter.[20] Guccione said, "Gore's work was basically done and Tinto's work was about to begin".[15]

Themes

What shall it profit a man if he should gain the whole world and lose his own soul?

Mark 8:36, quoted at the film's beginning,[21] establishing the film's theme that "absolute power corrupts absolutely"[22]

The film's primary theme is "absolute power corrupts absolutely".[22] Vidal's script presented Caligula as a good man driven to madness by absolute power;[18] Brass's screenplay envisioned Caligula as a "born monster".[18] In The Encyclopedia of Epic Films, author Djoymi Baker describes Brass's screenplay as "an antiepic with an antihero, on a path of self-inflicted, antisocial descent".[23] Guccione said this final draft was more violent than sexual, stating, "I maintain the film is actually anti-erotic ... in every one of its scenes you'll find a mixture of gore or violence or some other rather ugly things".[22]

Casting

anarchists.[15][28] Guccione cast Penthouse Pets as female extras in sexual scenes.[15]

Filming

Malcolm McDowell was cast as Caligula, a "born monster"[18] who serves as the film's antihero.[23]

Principal photography began in 1976 in Rome.[15] McDowell got along well with Tinto Brass, while Peter O'Toole immediately disliked the director. John Gielgud and Helen Mirren were indifferent to Brass; they ultimately trusted his direction and focused on their own performances.[15] O'Toole had stopped drinking alcohol before filming, but Guccione described O'Toole as being "strung out on something" and said the actor was not sober during the entire filming schedule.[15]

Guccione later complained about McDowell's behavior, calling the actor "shallow" and "stingy". According to Guccione, during the film's production, McDowell took members of the production to dinner at an expensive restaurant to celebrate England's win in a football match against the Italian team, and left the choreographer to pay for the meal, saying he had forgotten to bring enough money.[15] Also according to Guccione, at the end of the production, McDowell gave his dresser a pendant bearing her name, but it was misspelled and she gave it back to him. McDowell offered her a signet ring, a prop from the film. She refused because it belonged to the production company.[15]

Brass decided not to focus much on Danilo Donati's elaborate sets, and intentionally kept the Penthouse Pets in the background during sex scenes, sometimes not filming them at all. Guccione later said that Brass, apparently as a joke, would focus on "fat, ugly and wrinkled old women" and have them play the "sensual parts" intended for the Penthouse Pets.[15] Brass and Guccione disagreed about the film's approach to sexual content; Guccione preferred unsimulated sexual content that Brass did not want to film.[29]

Post-production

Tinto Brass served as the film's director, but disowned the film in post-production, and was credited only for "principal photography".[30]

Filming concluded on 24 December 1976.[15] Guccione said Brass shot enough film to "make the original version of Ben-Hur about 50 times over".[15] Brass started editing the film but was not allowed to continue after he had edited approximately the first hour of it. His rough cut was disassembled, and the film was edited by several editors, changing its tone and structure significantly by removing and re-arranging many scenes, using different takes, a slower editing style, and music other than Brass intended.[31]

A few weeks after filming had concluded, Guccione and Giancarlo Lui returned to Rome along with several Penthouse Pets. Guccione and Lui "hired a skeleton crew, snuck back into the studios at night, raided the prop room"[15] and shot a number of hardcore sex scenes to be edited into the film.[28][29] The new unsimulated sex scenes included Penthouse pets Anneka Di Lorenzo and Lori Wagner, who appeared as supporting characters in Brass's original footage. Both performed a lesbian scene together.[15] Brass ultimately disowned the film[30] as a result, and the credits only list "principal photography by Tinto Brass".[32]

Although there were a number of editors on the film, their names were not credited. Instead, the credit "Editing by the Production" is given during the opening credits.[citation needed]

As it was intended for an international release, the film was shot entirely in English. It was shot with sound, but there was so much noise at the studios, so the main English-speaking actors re-recorded a lot of their lines later.

dubbed in English by other performers.[34]

Peter O'Toole was reluctant to re-record his English dialogue; he avoided the film's producers, though they eventually tracked him down to Canada where they "dragged him in front of a mike" to record his dialogue. After production ended, O'Toole expressed his dislike of the film (although, according to Guccione, he had not even seen the rushes) and doubted that it would ever be released.[15]

Caligula spent so much time in post-production that the film's co-producer Franco Rossellini feared that it would never be released. Rossellini then decided to make Caligula's expensive sets and costumes profitable by using them in Messalina, Messalina!, a sex comedy directed by Bruno Corbucci. That film was released in Italy in 1977, two years before Caligula could be shown to the public. In some territories, it was released after Caligula and falsely marketed as its sequel. Anneka Di Lorenzo (as the title character) and Lori Wagner both reprised their roles from Caligula in Corbucci's film. Danilo Donati's sets and costumes were reused without his permission.[35]

Soundtrack

Caligula: The Music
Soundtrack album by
Released1980 (1980)
Recorded
Genre
Length36:22
LabelPenthouse
ProducerToni Biggs

The film was scored by Bruno Nicolai under the name Paul Clemente.[2][3] According to Kristopher Spencer, the score "is gloriously dramatic, capturing both the decadent atmosphere of ancient Rome and the twisted tragedy of its true story".[3] The score also featured music by Aram Khachaturian (from Spartacus) and Sergei Prokofiev (from Romeo and Juliet).[3] In November 1980, Guccione formed Penthouse Records to release a double album soundtrack to Caligula.[36] The album featured Nicolai's score and two versions—one in a disco style—of the love theme "We Are One", which did not appear in the film.[3][37]

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)VocalsLength
1."We Are One (Caligula Love Theme)"Toni BiggsLydia Van Huston3:18
Total length:3:18
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)VocalsLength
1."We Are One (Caligula Love Theme Dance Version)"Toni BiggsLydia Van Huston4:33
Total length:4:33
Side three
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Wood Sequence (Intro/Spartacus/Romeo & Juliet)"
Aram Khatchaturian, Sergei Prokofiev
4:20
2."Caligula & Ennia (Anfitrione)"Paul Clemente1:52
3."Caligula's Dance (Marziale)"Paul Clemente1:20
4."Drusilla's Bedroom (Spartacus)"Aram Khatchaturian0:55
5."Isis Pool (Oblio)"Paul Clemente4:15
6."Livia/Proculus Wedding (Movimento)"Paul Clemente3:37
7."Caesonia's Dance (Primitivo)"Paul Clemente1:25
Total length:17:46
Side four
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Drusilla's Death – Main Theme (Spartacus)"Aram Khatchaturian5:48
2."Orgy on Ship (Cinderella/Midnight Waltz)"Sergei Prokofiev1:52
3."Orgy on Ship – Part II (Orgia)"Paul Clemente2:28
4."Battle of Britain (Spartan War)"John Leach1:26
5."Play/Stadium (Equiziana)"Paul Clemente2:47
6."Caligula's Death (Romeo & Juliet)"Sergei Prokofiev3:32
7."Reprise (Spartacus [Main Theme])"Aram Khatchaturian0:45
Total length:19:07

Release

Caesonia, wife of Caligula. Mirren described the film as an "irresistible mix of art and genitals".[38]

An edited version of the film had a limited run in a small town near Forlì, Italy before opening in Rome on Sunday, November 11, 1979.[39] In Rome, it was the highest-grossing film of the weekend, with a gross of $59,950 (equivalent to $251,670 in 2023) from 6 theaters.[40][39] The film was confiscated by Italian police on November 15 with the Pubblico Ministero calling many scenes in the film "flagrantly obscene".[39]

In the United States, Guccione refused to submit Caligula to the

X—which he considered to be "demeaning".[8] Instead, Guccione applied his own "Mature Audiences" rating to the film, instructing theater owners not to admit anyone under the age of 18.[41] The film premiered in the United States on 1 February 1980, at the Trans Lux East Theatre, which Guccione had rented exclusively to screen the film; he changed the theater's name to Penthouse East.[7]

Rather than leasing prints to exhibitors, the distributor rented theaters that specialized in foreign and art films for the purpose of screening Caligula exclusively[42] in order to keep the film out of theaters that showed pornographic films.[41][42][43] In 1981, the Brazilian Board of Censors approved the establishment of special theaters to screen In the Realm of the Senses and Caligula because they were international box office hits.[44]

Caligula grossed US$23 million (equivalent to $85.1 million in 2023) at the box office.[9][45] The film was a financial success in France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Japan.[36] A 105-minute R-rated version without the explicit sexual material was released in 1981.[20][46][47]

The script was adapted as a

William Johnston using the pseudonym William Howard.[48]

Legal problems

In 1979, when Guccione tried to import the film's footage into the U.S., customs officials seized it. Federal officials did not declare the film to be obscene.

Morality in Media unsuccessfully filed a lawsuit against these federal officials.[43]

In Boston, authorities seized the film.[43] Penthouse took legal action, partly because Guccione thought the legal challenges and moral controversies would provide "the kind of [marketing] coverage money can never buy".[49] Penthouse won the case when a Boston Municipal Court ruled that Caligula had passed the Miller test and was not obscene.[49] While the Boston judge said the film "lacked artistic and scientific value" because of its depiction of sex and considered it to "[appeal] to prurient interests", he said the film's depiction of ancient Rome contained political values which enabled it to pass the Miller test in its depiction of corruption in ancient Rome, which dramatized the political theme that "absolute power corrupts absolutely".[22] A Madison, Wisconsin, district attorney declined an anti-pornography crusader's request to prevent the release of Caligula on the basis that "the most offensive portions of the film are those explicitly depicting violent, and not sexual conduct, which is not in any way prohibited by the criminal law".[22]

Atlanta prosecutors threatened legal action if the film was to be screened in the city, but experts testified in court on behalf of the film, and Atlanta, too, declared that the film was not obscene.[43] Citizens for Decency through Law, a private watchdog group that protested against films that it deemed immoral, sought to prevent the film's exhibition in Fairlawn, Ohio, on the grounds that it would be a "public nuisance", leading Penthouse to withdraw the film from exhibition there to avoid another trial.[22] CDL's lawyer advised against attempting to prosecute Penthouse for obscenity and instead recommended a civil proceeding, because the film would not be placed against the Miller test.[22] The Penthouse attorney described the Fairlawn events as being driven by conservative morality reinforced by Ronald Reagan's presidential victory, stating: "Apparently, these extremists have interpreted a change by the administration to mean a clarion call for a mandate to shackle the public's mind again."[22] The uncut film was granted a certificate by the British Board of Film Classification in 2008. The film was banned in Australia, where it continues to be banned in its uncut form as of 2014.[50]

In 1981, Anneka Di Lorenzo, who played Messalina, sued Guccione, claiming sexual harassment. In 1990, after protracted litigation, a New York state court awarded her $60,000 in compensatory damages and $4 million in punitive damages. On appeal, the court vacated the award, ruling that punitive damages were not allowed by the law governing the case.[51]

Contemporary reviews

Peter O'Toole was cast as Tiberius in the film, a role originally offered to John Gielgud.[27]

Caligula received generally negative reviews.

Monthly Film Bulletin) stated that the film was "by no means so awesomely bad as most critics have been pleased to report—but pretty bad all the same" and found the film to be "notable chiefly for the accuracy with which it reflects [Caligula's] anonymity".[57]

Legacy

Several films were released in the following years as attempts to cash in on Caligula's reputation, including Caligula and Messalina (1981), directed by Bruno Mattei and Caligula... The Untold Story (1982), directed by Joe D'Amato. Like Caligula, D'Amato's film exists in several softcore and hardcore versions.[58]

In 1985, the hardcore version of Caligula was broadcast in France on Canal+, making it the first film with unsimulated sex scenes ever shown on French television. The film, which had been broadcast as a test, became the starting point of Canal+'s tradition of showing one pornographic film at midnight every month.[59][60]

Caligula continued to garner negative reception long after its release. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 24% of 33 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "Endlessly perverse and indulgent, Caligula throws in hardcore sex every time the plot threatens to get interesting."[61] Writers for The Hamilton Spectator and St. Louis Post-Dispatch said Caligula was one of the worst films they'd seen.[62][63] Writing for The A.V. Club, Keith Phipps said, "As a one-of-a-kind marriage of the historical epic and the porn film ... Caligula deserves a look. But it might be better to let Guccione's savagely unpleasant folly fade into the century that spawned it".[64]

Time Out London called it "a dreary shambles".[66] Positive criticism of the film came from Moviehole reviewer Clint Morris, who awarded it 3 stars out of 5, calling it "[a] classic in the coolest sense of the word".[61] New Times critic Gregory Weinkauf gave the film 3 out of 5, calling it "Kinda dumb and tacky, but at least it's a real movie".[61] Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reviewer Philip Martin also gave the film 3 out of 5.[61]

Retrospective recognition

Caligula has been described as a "cult classic" by William Hawes in a book about the film.[13] Helen Mirren has defended her involvement in the making of Caligula and even described the final product of the film as "an irresistible mix of art and genitals".[38]

In 2005, artist

Whitney Museum of American Art's 2006 Whitney Biennial.[67]

Leonardo DiCaprio has cited Caligula as an influence on his performance as Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street.[68]

Reconstruction attempts

Caligula was released on DVD and Blu-ray in an "Imperial Edition" in 2007,[69] with the unrated theatrical release version and a new version featuring alternative sequencing from the original theatrical release and without the explicit sexual content shot by Guccione, marking the first attempt to reconstruct the film into a version closer to Brass's intentions. The reconstruction also includes audio commentaries featuring Malcolm McDowell and Helen Mirren, alongside interviews with the cast and crew.[70]

Penthouse announced in February 2018 that a new cut of the film was being edited by Alexander Tuschinski,[71] using 85 minutes of Brass's original workprint, while editing the remainder of the film himself.[72] Brass's family expressed support for Tuschinski's effort, which seeks to realize Brass's original vision for the film.[73] Tuschinski released the documentary short Mission: Caligula, exploring his research on Caligula, the process of reconstructing Brass's vision, and Penthouse CEO Kelly Holland backing the project.[74]

Producer Thomas Negovan announced a different reconstruction of the film in 2020, seeking to more closely follow Gore Vidal's original screenplay (rather than the visions of either Brass or Guccione).[75] Consisting of previously unreleased material, this 178-minute Ultimate Cut premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Brass responded by taking legal action against Penthouse Films, saying: "After numerous and fruitless negotiations that have followed over the years, first with the Penthouse and then with other unclear individuals, to edit the material that I shot and which had been found in the Penthouse archives, a version has been created on which I did not take part and which I am convinced will not reflect my artistic vision. [...] The Cannes audience will therefore be misled by the arbitrary use of my name."[76] McDowell responded positively to this version, writing on Instagram: "Because of the brilliant work of Thomas Negovan – one of my best performances has finally come to light after 47 years!"[77]

In April 2024, Drafthouse Films acquired the Ultimate Cut for North American distribution, planning to release it theatrically in August 2024, followed by a streaming and 4K UHD Blu-ray release, the latter of which will feature new interviews with McDowell and Negovan.[78]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The film's titles credit both Baragli and "The Production", a credit possibly referring to Bob Guccione and his production assistants, with editing.

References

  1. .
  2. ^ .
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  8. ^ a b "Caligula box office at the-numbers.com". the-numbers.com.
  9. . Please note figures are for rentals in US and Canada
  10. ^ What Culture#14 Archived August 6, 2020, at the Wayback Machine: Caligula
  11. ^ "Film Censorship: Caligula (1979)". Refused-Classification.com. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
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  13. ^ Stephen Prince (1980–1989). A New Pot of Gold: Hollywood Under the Electronic Rainbow. p. 350.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Ernest Volkman (May 1980). "Bob Guccione Caligula Interview from Penthouse May 1980". Penthouse: 112–118, 146–115. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
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  23. ^ Brady, Frank (1990) Citizen Welles, London: Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 9780340513897. p. 563
  24. ^ Vidal, Gore (1989) "Remembering Orson Welles", New York Review of Books, June 1, 1989
  25. ^ "Stracult Movie - Therese Ann Savoy" Archived November 1, 2022, at the Wayback Machine, Video Rai TV (July 31, 2012)
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  30. ^ "Analysis and reconstruction of Tinto Brass' intended version of Caligula (PDF, 15,2 MB, 106 pages)" (PDF). Retrieved September 9, 2014.
  31. ^ Deborah Cartmell, Ashley D. Polasek, A Companion to the Biopic, John Wiley & Sons Inc, 2019, p. 180
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  38. ^ a b c "Guccioni, Rossellini 'Caligula' Seized As 'Flagrantly Obscene'". Variety. November 21, 1979. p. 3.
  39. ^ "'Caligula' Big In Rome Debut, At $59,950; 'Manhattan' 44G, 2d". Variety. November 21, 1979. p. 43.
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  41. ^ a b Stephen Prince. A New Pot of Gold: Hollywood Under the Electronic Rainbow, 1980–1989. p. 349.
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  50. ^ "Marjorie Lee Thoreson A/K/A Anneka Dilorenzo, Appellant-Respondent, V. Penthouse International, Ltd. And Robert C. Guccione, Respondents-Appellants". law.cornell.edu. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
  51. ^ a b Roger Ebert (September 22, 1980). "Caligula". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  52. ^ "Siskel & Ebert org - Worst of 1980". Archived from the original on January 8, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  53. ^ Werba, Hank (November 21, 1979). "Film Reviews: Caligula". Variety. p. 24.
  54. ^ "100 Most Controversial Films of All Time". www.filmsite.org. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  55. ^ a b c d Jay Scott, The Globe and Mail, February 7, 1980.
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  57. ^ Grattarola, Franco; Napoli, Andrea (2014). Luce Rossa. La nascita e le prime fasi del cinema pornografico in Italia. Roma: Iacobelli Editore, pp. 278-280
  58. ^ Du carré blanc au film porno de Canal+, une brève histoire du sexe à la télévision Archived June 1, 2022, at the Wayback Machine, Le Parisien, 30 October 2021
  59. ^ la recherche du porno perdu Archived June 3, 2022, at the Wayback Machine, Libération, 14 October 2019
  60. ^ a b c d "Caligula (1979)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
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