Caligula: Three-Disc Imperial Edition

With its budget of nearly $20 million, a cast that includes Malcolm McDowell, Helen Mirren, Peter O’Toole and John Gielgud, a disowned screenplay by Gore Vidal and scene after scene of hardcore sex and violence, Penthouse Magazine publisher Bob Guccione’s Caligula is considered to be one of the most expensive, star-filled “home-made” pornos ever made. It’s a fascinating train wreck of an epic—an A-list cast on a vulgarly lavish Danilo Donati set, with frequent cutaways to the kind of material best suited for 42nd Street at the time. Caligula has been available in some dozen different cuts over the years, but with Image’s Imperial Edition, we feel safe in saying this is the definitive version. Two cuts are offered here—the unrated, uncensored theatrical version and an alternate pre-release cut featuring never-before-released footage—as well as a wealth of supplements, including newly recorded commentaries by stars McDowell and the always game Mirren. Leave it to the Oscar-winning “Queen” to reveal all when it comes to her performance as Caligula’s third wife, Caesonia, who was considered to be one of the most wanton and promiscuous women in Rome.

Shelf Talk: Caligula is one of those famously huge movie disasters from the ’70s that many have heard about but few have actually seen—think Michael Cimino’s Heaven’s Gate, only filled with sex, nudity and violence. This notoriety, abetted by its infamous production tales and a striking package featuring a bloody gold aureus emblazoned with a profile of star McDowell, is sure to get some interest going from those who aren’t wholly aware of the film’s reputation. Image is offering a five-art Caligula-related podcast—Caligula: The Naked Truth—which includes clips of Mirren and McDowell’s commentaries. There’s also bound to be a good deal of art-driven press and publicity in adult magazines and online sites.