![]() Despite his praying to Isis out of desperation, Drusilla dies from her fever. Soon afterward, Caligula receives another ill omen in the form of a blackbird. During the celebration, Drusilla collapses with the same fever he had had. Just as he fully recovers, Caesonia bears him a daughter, Julia Drusilla. Darker aspects of Caligula's personality emerge when he brutally rapes a virgin bride on her wedding day in a minor fit of jealousy and orders Gemellus's execution to provoke a reaction from Drusilla.Īfter discovering that Caesonia is pregnant, Caligula develops a severe fever. Meanwhile, despite Caligula's popularity with the masses, the Senate expresses disapproval for what initially seem to be light eccentricities. Drusilla reluctantly supports their marriage. Instead, Caligula marries Caesonia, a priestess and notorious courtesan, after she bears him an heir. Caligula wants to marry Drusilla, but she insists they cannot marry because she is his sister. After Macro is executed in a gruesome public game, Caligula appoints Tiberius's former adviser Longinus as his personal assistant while pronouncing the docile Senator Chaerea as the new head of the Praetorian Guard.ĭrusilla tries to find Caligula a wife among the priestesses of the goddess Isis, the cult they secretly practice. Caligula sets up a mock trial in which Gemellus is intimidated into testifying that Macro murdered Tiberius, then has Macro's wife Ennia banished from Rome. Drusilla, fearful of Macro's influence, persuades Caligula to get rid of him. Proving his loyalty to Caligula, Macro kills Tiberius instead with Gemellus as a witness.Īfter Tiberius's death and burial, Caligula is proclaimed the new Emperor, then proclaims Drusilla as his equal, to the apparent disgust of the Roman Senate. Nerva commits suicide and Caligula tries to kill Tiberius but loses his nerve. Tensions rise when Tiberius tries to poison Caligula in front of Gemellus. Tiberius enjoys swimming with naked youths and watching degrading sex shows that include deformed people and animals Caligula observes with fascination and horror. Fearing assassination, Caligula is afraid to leave, but his sister and lover Drusilla persuades him to go.Īt Capri, Caligula finds that Tiberius has become depraved, showing signs of advanced venereal diseases and embittered with Rome and politics. ![]() Shortly afterward, one of the heads of the Praetorian Guard, Naevius Sutorius Macro, tells Caligula that Tiberius demands his immediate presence at Capri, where the Emperor lives with his close friend Nerva, dim-witted relative Claudius, and Caligula's cousin (Tiberius's grandson) Gemellus. ![]() One morning, a blackbird flies into his room Caligula considers this a bad omen. A 173-minute Ultimate Cut, approved by McDowell and consisting entirely of new footage not included in the theatrical release, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023.Ĭaligula is the young heir to the throne of his great-uncle, Emperor Tiberius. Despite a generally negative reception, the film has gained notoriety as a cult classic with significant merit for its political content and historical portrayal. Different abridged versions were released worldwide, while its uncut form remains banned in several countries. Initially released to Italian cinemas in 1979, then screened in America the following year, Caligula was met with legal issues and controversies over its violent and sexual content. Financier producer Bob Guccione, founder of Penthouse magazine, engaged Giancarlo Lui to film post-production scenes featuring hardcore sex, significantly altering the film's tone and style. Original screenwriter Gore Vidal and film director Tinto Brass both disavowed the extensive changes to their contributions, with Brass dismissed prior to editing. The film stars Malcolm McDowell (who also co-wrote the film) in the title role, alongside Teresa Ann Savoy, Helen Mirren, Peter O'Toole, John Steiner, and John Gielgud. ![]() Caligula ( Italian: Caligola) is a 1979 erotic historical drama film about the rise and fall of controversial Roman emperor Caligula. ![]()
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