Caligula
On its surface, this is BY FAR the most expensive, well-made pornographic film ever, with lavish costumes, spectacular sets, stunning cinematography, good music, and the presence of real big time stars like Peter O’Toole and Oscar winners Helen Mirren and John Gielgud. In truth though, this is probably the sickest, most perverse and fucked up epic ever. Atrocity after atrocity is carried out in front of our eyes, and no stone is left unturned: incest, golden showers, midget sex, homosexuality, rape, necrophilia, castration, and even a fisting (among other things). Malcolm McDowell DOES manage to own as the insane Roman Emperor, but it’s really all for naught, as we get to see first hand proof that a film made with absolutely NO limitations, ultimately comes off as way too much for any reasonable viewer to handle, and frankly, I couldn’t wait for it to end. The only real likable character is the very sweet Teresa Ann Savoy as Caligula’s sister, lover, and sole voice of reason. On the plus side, this is probably the closest depiction we’ll ever get on film of just how sick, twisted, and decadent the Roman Empire really was, and the ending, when you finally make it there, has some definite power. Overall though, the journey really does seem to not really be worth it, because along with the hardcore sex, we get some of the nastiest gore scenes of all time, but at least that brings up perhaps my sole favorite scene, a decapitation machine that really has to be seen to be believed, and also, Helen Mirren was actually pretty hot when she was young…
5/10