Caligula: The Untold Story

Original title: Caligola: La storia mai raccontata

1982
Unrated
1h 32m

IMDb RATING

4.5/10

1.2K

YOUR RATING

Action Drama History Horror

Caligula's four-year reign and descent into madness are revisited through slanderous vignettes and blunt historical facts.Caligula's four-year reign and descent into madness are revisited through slanderous vignettes and blunt historical facts.Caligula's four-year reign and descent into madness are revisited through slanderous vignettes and blunt historical facts.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

4.5/10

1.2K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Trivia
The film was shot in autumn 1981 under the working title 'Follia del potere'.

Alternate versions
The British Board of Film Classification granted an 18 certificate to 'Caligola: La storia mai raccontata' for theatrical release in 1984 in a version that had been pre-cut by the distributors to remove 14 minutes of hardcore footage and a bestiality scene featuring a horse, and then cut by a further 8m 42 secs by the BBFC. These included all footage of dildos, Caligula raping a virgin in a forest, a wife and child being slaughtered, a man's tongue being removed and closeups of sex scenes. The Board, however, rejected the same cut version for video 3 years later.

Connections
Edited into Caligula: The Deviant Emperor (1997)

User reviews27

Review

Featured review

6/10

Joe D'amato is at his usual game.

A fact I would never admit to people I want to like me, I am a fan of Joe D'amato flicks. Here he is up to his old tricks; offering over the top blood shed, pointless plotting and (depending on which version you have) some X-rated sex scenes.

If you know anything about history, then there is no point in going through the plot. For those unaware, Caligula was a Ceaser and emperor of Rome. He was also generally regarded as the most brutal, demented ruler the empire ever had.

Joe D'amato strings together a lose revenge tale around his favorite leading lady, 'Black Emmanuel' Laura Gamser (funny, she's Asian). Her friend is killed by the diabolical Emperor in a botched rape attempt and she goes undercover into the place to get vengeance. Along the way we see three-ways, four-ways, prostitute training, a man impaled on a spike, the list just goes on. The coup de grace is a party scene in which we are treated to gladiators killing each other, a horse (yes, I said horse) hand job, and a long (if you have the real unedited version, which to my knowledge is out of print) orgy with all the X-rated trimmings.

D'amato flicks are most certainly an acquired taste. Most will find this to be filth, but if you have the mind for it, then this is one of the sleaze master's best.

6/10