I came downstairs one evening, when my mum and dad had gone to bed. My dad was recording something on Channel 4. I checked it out on Teletext, and it seemed appealing - a Roman epic from 1979 about an emperor who goes mad with power. I thought, "why not?" I was certainly not prepared for what I ended up seeing.
I get the impression Peter O'Toole and John Gielgud thought what I thought - that this was going to be a Roman epic and not a porn film. Oh, well. I enjoyed it. The version I first saw was three hours long and had historic scenes interspersed with almost hardcore pornography.
Obviously, the sex scenes turned me on, and watching this film felt like an extremely guilty pleasure, but to be honest, I really enjoyed the other scenes too. The film as a whole seemed scattered and not professionally edited, but it had a charm all of its own. I began to feel compassion for Caligula, despite his faults heavily outweighing his strengths.
One thing that deserves a special mention is one of the most beautiful soundtracks ever. The main theme is one that provides the essential backdrop to the film, and in this case it paints Caligula as a tragic hero, defeated by his own madness, giving a sympathetic feel, overall.
By the end of the film, I felt as though I had been on an epic journey, and I didn't feel shortchanged. It was full of bizarre sex, bizarre violence, and bizarre decisions - phallic symbols aplenty and sexual deviance accompanied by a king mad with power.
It's well worth watching, because there is nothing out there like this film. It's a hardcore porno, with A-class actors. Something that will probably never occur again in our lifetime.
I get the impression Peter O'Toole and John Gielgud thought what I thought - that this was going to be a Roman epic and not a porn film. Oh, well. I enjoyed it. The version I first saw was three hours long and had historic scenes interspersed with almost hardcore pornography.
Obviously, the sex scenes turned me on, and watching this film felt like an extremely guilty pleasure, but to be honest, I really enjoyed the other scenes too. The film as a whole seemed scattered and not professionally edited, but it had a charm all of its own. I began to feel compassion for Caligula, despite his faults heavily outweighing his strengths.
One thing that deserves a special mention is one of the most beautiful soundtracks ever. The main theme is one that provides the essential backdrop to the film, and in this case it paints Caligula as a tragic hero, defeated by his own madness, giving a sympathetic feel, overall.
By the end of the film, I felt as though I had been on an epic journey, and I didn't feel shortchanged. It was full of bizarre sex, bizarre violence, and bizarre decisions - phallic symbols aplenty and sexual deviance accompanied by a king mad with power.
It's well worth watching, because there is nothing out there like this film. It's a hardcore porno, with A-class actors. Something that will probably never occur again in our lifetime.