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Caligula: The Ultimate Cut

Play trailer Poster for Caligula: The Ultimate Cut 2024 2h 52m History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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66% Tomatometer 41 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Now, 43 years after the 1980 release of historical epic CALIGULA, producer and reconstructionist Thomas Negovan has realized the creators' original vision with CALIGULA: THE ULTIMATE CUT, a version comprised of entirely never-before-seen footage shot in 1976. Shadowed by the murder of his entire family, the young, wary Caligula (Malcolm McDowell) eliminates his devious adoptive grandfather (Peter O'Toole) and seizes control of the declining Roman Empire, descending into a spiral of depravity, destruction, and madness. A treatise on the corrupting influence of power, this extensive reconstruction of the notorious 1980 spectacle, CALIGULA: THE ULTIMATE CUT restores the complete performances of McDowell and Helen Mirren, as the promiscuous 'Caesonia', from an unprecedented amount of never before seen footage. Sumptuous set designs by two-time Oscar winner Danilo Donati.
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Caligula: The Ultimate Cut

Caligula: The Ultimate Cut

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Critics Consensus

Restoring the originally intended Caligula at long last, this new cut doesn't elevate the notorious epic to greatness but goes a long way towards vindicating its artistic vision.

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Critics Reviews

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Kyle Smith Wall Street Journal 10/17/2024
Caligula is still far from great, but it has risen to the level of an enjoyable, intermittently campy soap about ruthlessness, with one or two affecting moments. Go to Full Review
Richard Whittaker Austin Chronicle 08/22/2024
4/5
Everything is better, like Brass’ decision to cast the greatest British actors of the era as the imperial family. Go to Full Review
Peter Sobczynski RogerEbert.com 08/16/2024
2.5/4
While “Caligula: The Ultimate Cut” is a marked improvement over the previous incarnation, it still has several fundamental problems so baked in that no revision can overcome them. Go to Full Review
Anna Hoang Boston Hassle Jul 13
4/5
With its grand embellishment of hubris and autocratic fate, Caligula deserves glory on the big screen, especially with an audience who might come in with a sneaking knowledge of its history or are willing to give it another chance. Go to Full Review
Maitland McDonagh MaitlandOnMovies (Substack) 01/20/2025
[O]utrageous, transgressive and by most people’s standards pretty raunchy. But in every single version I’ve seen, it’s also a film about the dead weight of the past, the way in which the current generation has to cope with the legacy of what came before Go to Full Review
Carmen Paddock TAKE ONE Magazine 01/06/2025
CALIGULA: THE ULTIMATE CUT revels in the moral rot and innate violence of unchecked power. If Brass and Vidal were unhappy with the first version for taming their extreme impulses, this should rectify their concerns. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Brian N 09/18/2024 Two stars is a step up from my zero stars for the original version. Kudos to the team that went through 90 hours of footage to assemble this film. It is much more coherent and the performances seem more noteworthy, especially McDowell and Mirren. Still, the movie is overlong and some.if the soft core porn becomes a distraction. See more Robson C 7h A nova montagem de Calígula (2023), feita a partir de mais de 90 horas de material inédito, tenta recuperar a visão perdida entre os conflitos de Gore Vidal, Tinto Brass e o produtor Bob Guccione, que transformou o projeto original — uma fábula sobre poder e corrupção — em um filme marcado por polêmicas e excessos. Sem ter visto a versão de 1979, analiso este corte, que impressiona pela direção de arte e pelo figurino, assumidamente teatrais e adequados ao tema. Malcolm McDowell entrega um Calígula magnético, evitando a caricatura. Peter O’Toole e Helen Mirren também se destacam, embora o roteiro limite o desenvolvimento dos coadjuvantes. Apesar da ausência de sexo explícito, permanecem nudez e erotismo, elementos associados ao mito do imperador. Com quase três horas, o filme se estende mais do que deveria, mas esta talvez seja a versão mais equilibrada, valorizada pela atuação de McDowell e pelo esmero visual. See more Jack F @MovieFan111 Feb 5 These two stars are for: 1. An improvement to the first one. 2. One of the most notorious films in history. I watched it strictly for the second reason. Other than that, this film is a long, boring piece of garbage. And I usually don't say that about films. If you're a hardcore film fan, then brawl through it. You learn to just tune out the nudity at some point. The whole thing is really really boring though. Just saying. But STILL... it's a good one to have under your belt. See more thiago s @Thiagostone Oct 13 Filme legal pra caralho, o roteiro é legal pra caramba, as cenas são legais pra caralho, a história é legal pra caramba, o elenco é legal, e a maioria ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são legais, com tudo isso, eu recomendo muito esse filme vale a pena assistir, com muitas mais cena de sexo reais, mais sexo real do que a versão de menos tempo. See more acsdoug D @acsdoug Oct 12 Unlike the original, this one feels more like a normal theatrical release. While there's still plenty of nudity, all the pornographic scenes are gone, replaced by additional dramatic scenes featuring McDowell and Mirren mostly. I wish I could say they enhance the story, but they don't, they just make the extended run time seem even more boring. Stick with the original where you can at least experience the shock value that is absent here. See more Stephen W @stevex Aug 28 I actually quite like the original cut though it clearly is a complete mess. This version is better and more coherent and looks stunning but of course it still lacks a basic ingredient which is intelligence. The parallels of Ancient Rome and modern life are so clear that you would have thought the restorers would have exploited this. Still Malcolm McDowell is superb and Helen Mirren has more to do. Still a mess but a more coherent one. See more Read all reviews
Caligula: The Ultimate Cut

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Movie Info

Synopsis Now, 43 years after the 1980 release of historical epic CALIGULA, producer and reconstructionist Thomas Negovan has realized the creators' original vision with CALIGULA: THE ULTIMATE CUT, a version comprised of entirely never-before-seen footage shot in 1976. Shadowed by the murder of his entire family, the young, wary Caligula (Malcolm McDowell) eliminates his devious adoptive grandfather (Peter O'Toole) and seizes control of the declining Roman Empire, descending into a spiral of depravity, destruction, and madness. A treatise on the corrupting influence of power, this extensive reconstruction of the notorious 1980 spectacle, CALIGULA: THE ULTIMATE CUT restores the complete performances of McDowell and Helen Mirren, as the promiscuous 'Caesonia', from an unprecedented amount of never before seen footage. Sumptuous set designs by two-time Oscar winner Danilo Donati.
Director
Tinto Brass
Screenwriter
Gore Vidal
Distributor
Drafthouse Films
Production Co
Penthouse Films International
Genre
History, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 16, 2024, Limited
Runtime
2h 52m
Sound Mix
DTS
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