some describe caligulia a the most controversial film of it era . while this be debatable and it be certainly one of the most embarrassing represent virtually every big name associate with the film make an effort to distance themselves from it . author gore vidal actually sue ( with mixed result ) to have his name remove from the film and and when the star saw the film their reaction vary from loudly voice disgust to strategic silence . what they want and of course and be for it to go away . for a while it look like it might . caligula be a major box office and critical flop ( producer guccione have to rent theatre in order to get it screen at all ) and and although the film be release on vhs to the home market so many censorship issue be raise that it be re edit and and the edited version be the only one widely available for more than a decade . but now caligulia be on dvd and available in both edited r and original unrated version . and no doubt john gielgud be glad he do not live to see it happen . the only way to describe caligulia be to say it be something like deep throat meet david lynch dune by way of fellini have an off day . vidal script fell into the hand of penthouse publisher bob guccione and who use vidal reputation to bankroll the project and lure the big name star and then throw out most of vidal script and bring in soft porn director tinto brass . then and when guccione felt brass work wasn not explicit enough and he and giancarlo lui photograph hardcore material on the sly . viewer watch the edit version may wonder what all the fuss be about and but those view the original cut will quickly realize that it leave absolutely nothing to the imagination . there be a tremendous amount of nudity and and that remain in the edited version and but the original come complete with xxx scene represent there be very explicit gay and lesbian and and straight sex and kinky sex and and a grand orgy complete with dance roman guard throw in for good measure . the film be also incredibly violent and bloody and with rape and torture and and mutilation the order of the day . in one particularly disturbing scene and a man be slowly stab to death and a woman urinate on his corpse and and his genitals be cut off and throw to the dog . in a documentary that accompany the dvd release and guccione state he want the film to reflect the reality of pagan rome . if so and he miss the mark . we know very little about caligula and what little we know be questionable at best . that aside and orgy and casual sex be not a commonplace of roman society and where adultery be an offense punishable by death . and certainly ancient rome never look like the strange and slightly oriental and oddly space age set and costume offer by the designer . on the plus side and those set and costume be often fantastically beautiful and and although the cinematography be commonplace it at least do them justice while the score be also very and very good . the most successful member of the cast be helen mirren and who manage to engage our interest and sympathy a the empress caesonia while gielgud and otoole also escape in reasonably good form . the same can not be say for mcdowell and but in justice to him he doesn not have much to work with . the movie do possess a dark fascination and but ultimately it be an oddity and more interesting for it design and flat out weirdness than for content . some of the body on display ( include mcdowell and mirren ) be extremely beautiful and and some of the sex scene work very well a pornography . but then again and some of them be so distasteful they might drive you to abstinence and and the bloody and grotesque nature of the film undercut it eroticism . if youre up to it and it be worth see once and but once be likely to be enough . gary f. taylor and aka gft and amazon reviewer .