Caligula is a 1979 British-Italian horror film written and directed by Tinto Brass. The film, based on the 18th century novel The Rise and Fall of Caligula by Robert Graves, follows a fictionalized account of the life of Roman Emperor Caligula. The title character is viewed as an insane megalomaniac who seeks to obliterate tradition in order to establish his own personal world view. The script was based on a translation of the original book by Gore Vidal, who later disavowed the film. The film stars Malcolm McDowell as the title character with a supporting cast including Helen Mirren, John Gielgud, Peter O'Toole and Bernadette Peters. The movie was released in 1979 and was a box office disappointment. In addition to an English-language version produced by Dino De Laurentiis Corporation and distributed theatrically worldwide, it was also released in its original version (with dialogue in Italian) under the title Caligola - Il Potere della Bestia . The film tells the story of Roman Emperor Caligula (McDowell), a brutal megalomaniac who forces his way into Roman society and kills several of Rome's gods in order to gain their powers. The film details the rise and fall of Caligula, who is seen as a figure of immense power and ambition. Malcolm McDowell plays Caligula in an uncredited cameo appearance during the destruction of the Temple of Vesta by fire; he also portrays him in a non-speaking role at his execution, while Helen Mirren portrays Lollia Paulina, Caligula's lover. The film's cast also features Peter O'Toole, John Gielgud, Simon Ward, Peter Bowles, Tony Steedman and Annette Haven. Helen Mirren had previously appeared in "Caligula" (1976), an American television miniseries loosely based on the same source material. The script was written by Gore Vidal with some uncredited assistance by Pasquale Festa Campanile and covers only the period of Caligula's life up to his abrupt rise to power. The film mirrors elements of Gore Vidal's "formal experiment" novel "Messiah", which uses historical figures in imagined settings. In the book, Vidal imagines a world where Jesus was actually called "Caligula" and his disciples included a character named "Petronius", a procurator of Judea who is portrayed as being crucified by Caligula. The film was released theatrically in Italy on December 30, 1979. In the United States, it was not released until 1981. The film did not obtain a wide release in the United States until 1981 due to its controversial nature and Vidal's disavowal following disputes with producer De Laurentiis during filming. 81eaaddfaf 57
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