Caligula [1978] - The Citizen Kane of Porn?
 

Just wondering.
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Could Caligula be the Citizen Kane of porno films, if only by default...or accident? I mean, how many hardcore flicks have such respectable (and Oscar winning) mainstream stars in their cast? Never mind that they all acted without knowledge of the porno scenes. And how many porno films were made with a screenplay by writer Gore Vidal? Never mind that he had his name removed the credits and called the film "a turkey" on TV. Even without the stars or famous screenwriter, the sets and costumes alone (results of a 5 or 15 million-dollar budget) would qualify Caligula as one of the best-looking Historical porno movies ever made. In comparison to other historical porn films, Caligula IS Citizen Kane! If nothing else, the historical setting of Rome A. D. provides a perfect excuse for all sorts of mindless sex.

What do others think?

I would define Caligula more as a historical film with hardcore in it. For a porn it has definately to much story and non-sex scenes.

Whatever the definition is: porn-film or historical-film .It is a decent movie.

The porn scenes are amazing and erotic like hell. When someone makes a porn in this quality (the sets, costumes andand actors) and length I so have to get the DVD. I truly believe I could not watch this film in in one piece.

There is a rumor of a much longer version with even more of the good bits -

It is a great porn. Bob Guccione's hardcore addition makes it great. He filmed several hours of hardcore material, but only several minutes of it is included. The "rumor" of an extended version is allegedly true, but it's with Tinto's softcore sex scenes. The hardcore stuff Bob filmed is unfortunately long gone. I'm sure Bob would have done something with it by now considering his poor finance condition.

I consider it a camp classic and nothing more. It is fluff, full of inaccuracies and that is why Mr. Vidal took his name off of it. He wanted a serious biopic with some titillating scenes but Mr. Brass had another vision. The best website I've foundf on the phenomena is: www.caligulathemovie.com. It is a non - professional vision worthy of a look by any fan of the movie. I have nothing to do with it, I found it doing a google search before the DVD came out. I love Gore's trailer for the re - make (if only it were real!) What a cast.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0796207/ It's on youtube occasionally, search for it!

I'd agree with B666, it is a historical film with h/c add ins. I think the fact that the director and writer did not know that the producer, Guccione, filmed the h/c and added them to the film thereby totally messing up the vision of the director and writer does not make it a h/c film.

If the producer of any film added h/c scenes to any film (love actually, Muppet's Christmas carol, anything) it is simply a film that has h/c added to it.

the problem was what it did to the film. It really screwed with the editing and the story telling. The whole look of the film was striking, I think you get a strong idea of how alien Caligula's Rome was...the past is really another country :) What they did is much stranger/pornographic than anything in the film.

I've always found it strange that PH could be so stupid as to add h/c scenes.

I liked Bob's photographs. i think he did an amazing job a producing some really erotic photographs. I don't know why he totally screwed Brass's vision (and Caligula is probably his finest work, definitely his most expensive).

More than that, it killed PH's film activities....no mainstream talent, actor, director, writer, would work for them. No one wanted to be linked to h/c/ porn.

it's a shame because Caligula was an intelligent film that might have led to something interesting.

Considering the financial problems PH had/have this is very short sighted.

a really stupid business decision in my opinion.

This is one of the few films where the making of is much better than the actual film. Also the quality is lousy on every version, even the Blu Ray

Nice ladies though.

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Caligula
 

imho, it owes more to "A Clockwork Orange" than Citizen Kane-(although they (Kane/Caligula) do both have fat guys in 'em;))

Gore Vidal's script for Caligula was turned into a novel by William Howard and called 'Gore Vidal's Caligula'. As you would expect, it has a lot of sex and murder in it.