Caligula

"Absolute power corrupts"

1979 2h 36m IT

😐

6.0

MID

🥫

18%

ROTTEN

⭐

5.3

IMDB

★6.0TMDB · 1,029🥫18%Rotten Tomatoes★5.3IMDB · 41,523

DramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After the death of the paranoid emperor Tiberius, Caligula, his heir, seizes power and plunges the empire into a bloody spiral of madness and depravity.

“Absolute power corrupts”

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Cast

Malcolm McDowell
Caligula
Teresa Ann Savoy
Drusilla
Helen Mirren
Caesonia
Peter O'Toole
Tiberius
John Steiner
Longinus
Guido Mannari
Macro
Paolo Bonacelli
Chaerea
Leopoldo Trieste
Charicles

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tinto Brass
Writers: Gore Vidal, Masolino D'Amico
Languages: Italian
Countries: Italy, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Clocks in at 156 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

47 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Italy, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CAST

Did you know

337+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tinto Brass, shot by Silvano Ippoliti. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Renzo Rossellini. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Enzo Micarelli shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Malcolm McDowell and Teresa Ann Savoy and Helen Mirren carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tinto Brass directs. Silvano Ippoliti behind the camera. Renzo Rossellini scores. Enzo Micarelli cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in Italy, United States of America. Dialogue in Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Clocks in at 156 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.
247 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3International production across 2 countries: Italy, United States of America.
4337+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
5Directed by Tinto Brass, shot by Silvano Ippoliti. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Renzo Rossellini. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Enzo Micarelli shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Malcolm McDowell and Teresa Ann Savoy and Helen Mirren carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Absolute power corrupts".
10IMDB entry: tt0080491 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 22 themes, including "rome, italy", "roman empire", "historical figure", "ancient rome".

The technical file

Cinematography: Silvano Ippoliti
Original score: Renzo Rossellini
Editing: Enzo Micarelli
Makeup / hair: Alberto Travaglini
Stunt coordinator: Giorgio Ubaldi
Runtime: 156 min · 2h 36m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $17,500,000
Box office: $23,400,000
Return: 134% of budget
Original language: IT
Certification (US): NC-17
IMDB: Caligula (1979)
Rotten Tomatoes: 18% 🥫 Rotten
IMDB rating: 5.3/10 · 41,523 votes
MPAA: X

Awards

1 win & 2 nominations total

Also by

Tinto Brass

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

talisencrw2016-03-23
★ 8/10
Land sakes!!! They don't make films like this anymore...and that's a dirty rotten shame! =)
Arrrrrrrach2017-02-21
★ 9/10
Walk through a Bosch painting and marvel at the excesses and debauchery. Critics don't take this seriously because a porn producer snipped it up and inserted his own scenes. It is what it is. A near masterpiece.
adorablepanic2020-04-02
★ 4/10
A distinguished international cast; a screenplay by Gore Vidal; respected, award-winning talent behind the scenes; and millions of dollars at its disposal. What could possibly go wrong? Where would you like to start? CALIGULA (1979) had so much potential. I'd like to think that there's another universe where Vidal's much darker original script was given over to, say, Stanley Kubrick. That world now has a SPARTACUS (1960) for the post-porn age. Instead, we have something closer to CENTURIANS OF ROME (1981) with only slightly less cocaine. Producer Bob Guccione could have made a case for the big budget/star/studio X-rated film, which hadn't really existed in a meaningful way since the early-'70s. But in insisting that his art must be pornographic, he failed artistically 𝘢𝘯𝘥 pornographically: It's not intellectually engaging enough to satisfy the art crowd, and it's not physically arousing enough to satisfy the raincoat crowd. Still, this film remains a one-of-a-kind curiosity. Its enduring infamy allows it to be re-released in various home video editions every so often, bringing in viewers - and more importantly, money - like a carnival barker reels in passers-by to see the bearded lady. Perhaps Guccione knew what he was doing after all.