First saw the original at the Prince Charles cinema in Soho in 1980 aged just 16. At 16 to hear a film is 'obscenely pornographic and disgusting' was a must see of course. lol. In fact I remember being some what disappointed. Overly long and rubbish porn cut in. It was a mess. It hasn't stopped me purchasing the new Ultimate Cut however. How the film should have been and could have been apparently. 96 hours of unseen footage carefully crafted into three hours. They use AI for some parts and added dialogue. Popcorn at the ready.

That film was actually shown late one night on Channel 4 in 1999 because I obviously had to video it at the time with the reputation it had so I could see it. Haha. I've still got it on an old Scotch VHS tape. I remember replaying a few parts of that film. There were certainly a lot of naked male extras on it, and women, what fun that must have been. Certainly not a film set for the prudish.

The giant head chopping machine sticks in the mind apart from all the flesh, with the condemned buried up to their necks in the earth helplessly waiting as it approaches and slices the heads off. Poor Macro got it too, brutal. Funny and grim at the same time.

I remember being shocked by the exceptionally brutal assassination climax. Malcolm McDowell was excellent as Caligula.

You say you have 96 hours of off cuts from this film to feast upon, that must be a sight for sore eyes.

Your Ultimate Cut is now mentioned on the wikipedia entry for the film. Just noticed that the actor who played the rather fit and attractive looking Macro has been dead since 1988 when he had a heart attack at only 43, what a shock. He looked the picture of good health in that film....until Caligula cut his head off.

Rich wrote:
That film was actually shown late one night on Channel 4 in 1999 because I obviously had to video it at the time with the reputation it had so I could see it. Haha. I've still got it on an old Scotch VHS tape. I remember replaying a few parts of that film. There were certainly a lot of naked male extras on it, and women, what fun that must have been. Certainly not a film set for the prudish.

The giant head chopping machine sticks in the mind apart from all the flesh, with the condemned buried up to their necks in the earth helplessly waiting as it approaches and slices the heads off. Poor Macro got it too, brutal. Funny and grim at the same time.

I remember being shocked by the exceptionally brutal assassination climax. Malcolm McDowell was excellent as Caligula.

You say you have 96 hours of off cuts from this film to feast upon, that must be a sight for sore eyes.

Your Ultimate Cut is now mentioned on the wikipedia entry for the film. Just noticed that the actor who played the rather fit and attractive looking Macro has been dead since 1988 when he had a heart attack at only 43, what a shock. He looked the picture of good health in that film....until Caligula cut his head off.
I never knew it had ever been broadcast Rich. How did I miss that? I put it on last night but late, and I fell to sleep halfway through. No reflection on the film, being 60 years old now, a crackling warm fire, and it gets past 10 and I'm gone. Will have to stick it on again at an earlier time. What I did see was
a vast improvement on the original. Although I'm not entirely happy with AI being used to restore films. That could ruin some classics, rather than enhance them. I loathe colourisation of black and white for example. Yes, Malcolm McDowell the perfect Caligula, and O'Toole's Tiberius was immaculately decadent. Dear old Johnny Gielgud as Nerva was inspired. You can't imagine the craziness of the shooting of it all. So many nude extras cavorting about. lol. Helen Mirren is just phwoarrr! And they have added some nude scenes with her in them which kept me awake for a while. lol. Hard to believe she later went on to play The Queen.

I saw a 3-hour cut on a pirate DVD in 2012 or so I have no idea where the source came from.

The movie was OK but I was shocked to see a cum shots, you never get those often.

Green Man wrote:
I saw a 3-hour cut on a pirate DVD in 2012 or so I have no idea where the source came from.

The movie was OK but I was shocked to see a cum shots, you never get those often.
Well GM, the sauce came from...oh sorry...I see what you mean.

DSC, I can confirm to you that Caligula had its first showing on British TV very late at night on Hallowe'en 1999 or to be very precise at 11.50pm Sunday 31st October 1999 on Channel 4. Here is a trail for it too. It was part of some Film Four on C4 evening with another film before it. Unsurprising it was so late.

Trailer should automatically start at 7m 52s into this - youtu.be/dsCc9ZdUbyg?si=wARH972cwpcwtSKq&t=472


John Gielgud obviously liked appearing in films with a very high penis count, without getting his own out. I've also got one of his called Prospero's Books from 1991, a Peter Greenaway film, and he was always keen to show men in all their natural glory in his movies! I remember seeing that one late at night on Channel 4 also, in about early 1994 and thinking whoa that's a lot of c**k.

Thinking about Caligula though, should that new release of the film not really be entitled, Caligula - The Ultimate Uncut.

Downing Street Cat wrote:
Green Man wrote:
I saw a 3-hour cut on a pirate DVD in 2012 or so I have no idea where the source came from.

The movie was OK but I was shocked to see a cum shots, you never get those often.
Well GM, the sauce came from...oh sorry...I see what you mean.

Is there a full 96-hour film included or did they edit the best bits to make a 3-hour cut? I have to track down the pirate copy I saw, sometimes bootlegs get well circulated and end up as the final product.

An October 1999 item from The Guardian about the upcoming broadcast of Caligula at the time.

www.theguardian.com/film/1999/oct/27/artsfeatures