Caligula: The Ultimate Cut (2023) [Blu-ray review]

Caligula: The Ultimate Cut is a fascinating exercise. Tinto Brass shot a ton of footage for the original 1980 release of Caligula. So many alternate takes, cut scenes and related bits were found and able to reconstructed into a film that was closer to Gore Vidal’s original script. Released in 2023 to a captive crowd at Cannes, The Ultimate Cut was well received. But, how many movies can you remake into entirely new films with their bevy of cut material. It’s fascinating to watch, but is it any good?

Caligula: The Ultimate Cut is not my preferred cut

Caligula is one of those movies that film fans of a certain age hear talked about in whispers. I remember being young and it was always a big deal when it had a shot at airing on premium cable. By the time I was able to watch it, I had no idea what cut I was seeing. There was this supposedly available master cut made from the 17 hours of random footage. Then, I heard there was a cable cut and then another cut for VHS. All the while, I was trying to make sense of what I was seeing.

As a kid that grew up studying Roman History and practicing my Latin, Caligula was a mindblower. Having studied the Roman Empire for ages, it was refreshing to see a film about the Empire in decline and giving way to its decadence. However, I don’t know if a Penthouse funded and Italian Exploitation master at the helm was the best take.

Malcolm McDowell is great

Malcolm McDowell is one of the great actors of the last 55 years. However, I’m not sure how much more he could have done for Caligula. When Caligula was made, there was this idea that bringing out the best actors in the United Kingdom would elevate the material. While that thought would later be extended to the Harry Potter series, the results for Caligula were different. Basically, if you ever wanted to see Peter O’ Toole play a deranged version of his character from Supergirl, then you’re in luck.

It’s just that there is so much talent coming and going through the frames, that’s very hard to pin down any one element as being meaningful. McDowell carries a ton of Caligula on his back, by being the central focus of the narrative. That and he’s awfully charismatic in between the awful stuff he has to do onscreen. What’s amazing about everything is that while American audiences have come to love their bastards from recent eras, McDowell make you care about the ones he plays.

Helen Mirren seems more exotic in this cut

Helen Mirren is gorgeous. She’s also a good actress. There are more people that would have botched her role in Caligula than land it with the precision that Mirren brings to every scene. While most praising the Ultimate Cut have talked about how the porn/sex elements have been taken out of the film. If that’s the case, then why does Helen Mirren feel more sexually charged in this cut? Her Caesonia has always been sexed up in any version of Caligula.

It’s just in the Ultimate Cut, Mirren’s appeal feels way more in your face. At least, that’s my take after viewing the film a few times.

It goes without saying, this film wouldn’t happen in the modern era

The prudish nature that has arrived recently in film loving culture is astonishing. While arriving in theaters in the Winter of 1980 did nothing to entice American audiences, more people were willing to watch it as a curiousity. What happens in it? How much nudity? All of those salacious elements rose to the top for a time when audiences didn’t have 800 channels of entertainment fighting for their focus.

But, we also live in a time where Film Twitter had a serious fight over Florence Pugh appearing casually topless in Oppenheimer. I’m not going to say one era was more mature than another. But, there’s something to be said about audiences that had to work more for their viewing choices.

4 out of 5 Brad Jones can’t be wrong.

A lot of you will be familiar with Caligula because of the Cinema Snob’s loving three part tribute to the 1980 release. Below are the first two parts, as it seems the original links seem to have been memory holed.

That being said, I have to give Jones credit for keeping Caligula’s name alive for a younger set of film fans for the past decade or so. Caligula is an easy movie to forget in an era of Marvel movies and ever closing theatrical options for adult cinema. By adult, I mean no CG and people talking about real world stuff. Not a couple of extra dressed up like Roman courtesans pissing on a corpse.

Curious if you see that in any cut of Caligula? Then, watch the movie!

Caligula: The Ultimate Cut courts controversy on the Blu-ray and 4K markets

When you deal with a movie that has multiple cuts, people are bound to be upset. That’s why if you claim to have a new cut of the film, make sure that it’s a new cut and not a regionally censored film print. Research is a pain in the ass, but it’s worth it in the long run. Especially when dealing with a movie that has a dedicated fanbase and has been waiting for a seemingly pure cut to be released. While the 2023 Cannes Cuts of The Ultimate Cut is the headliner on this disc, it does cast a cloud over this Caligula presentation.

The A/V Quality is on par with what I expect. If you have been collecting the Tinto Brass 4K discs from our pals over at Cult Epics, the film look will not be out of place. The DTS-HD 5.1 master audio track is rather more developed than the old Image Entertainment Blu-ray from nearly 15 years ago. That being said, I know several people will still prefer the Imperial Edition. I think that’s what it’s called.

The special features range from trailers, commentaries and a featurette about the Penthouse edits. Seriously, Grant Morrison is one of the commentaries. Check it out. Hell, pick this version up and the Umbrella Entertainment release. Everyone should own as many copies of Caligula as me.

Caligula: The Ultimate Cut is now available on Blu-ray. The 4K version arrives later in October

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