Factory Sealed Brand New THREE-DISC IMPERIAL EDITION

OUr SKU  B2B- (H-308-1)  -9oz  (noal)

Few movies of its scale and scope have as bad a reputation as Caligula, the would-be epic in which Penthouse magazine publisher Bob Guccione brought together screenwriter Gore Vidal, a cast including Malcolm McDowell, Peter O'Toole, John Gielgud and Helen Mirren, and a lavish production estimated to have cost over $17 million in a misguided fusion of sex and historical spectacle. Vidal and director Tinto Brass clashed so vehemently with Guccione (largely because of the publisher's meddling with the script, the direction and the editing) that they both requested their names be removed from the film's credits, and many movie buffs have wondered over the years just what the picture was intended to be before egos and opinions sent everything haywire. That's a question that can't truly be answered with much clarity, but the folks at Image Entertainment have attempted to at least collect as much of the data as possible in their three-DVD "Imperial Edition" of Caligula. Caligula: The Imperial Edition features two different cuts of the film -- the uncensored and unrated version that was released to theaters in late 1979, as well as a previously unseen "pre-release version" whose editing conforms more closely to the narrative of Vidal's original screenplay. The alternate version does indeed make more sense than the theatrical cut, though that's not to say its rhythms are any livelier or that the movie seems to be a significantly lesser waste of talent and materiel. Still, if you want to see this film, Image's presentation is truly handsome; both versions of the film have been given new widescreen transfers in the original aspect ratio of 2.00:1, letterboxed on conventional televisions and enhanced for anamorphic play on 16x9 monitors, and the massive scope of Danilo Donati's production design and the rich colors of Silvano Ippoliti's cinematography are evident even on the small screen. Both versions of the film are in English, with no subtitles or multiple language options. For the theatrical version of the film on disc one, viewers can choose between the original monophonic audio mix (mastered in Dolby Digital Stereo) and a new surround mix in Dolby Digital 5.1, while the unreleased alternate cut features audio in Dolby Digital 5.1. Disc one also includes three trailers for the film (though what purports to be the original theatrical trailer carries a green-band MPAA introduction and an R rating, even though it was released unrated), while disc two features a handful of alternate and deleted scenes, though they come from ragged work prints and most have no sound. Disc two's alternate cut of the film also boasts no fewer than three commentary tracks. Helen Mirren seems to regard the experience as a grand adventure (she compares its ups and downs to an acid trip at one point), and she offers the wittiest and most charming commentary (charm being something the film sorely needs), while Malcolm McDowell's chat finds the actor sounding just a bit defensive about his work but relishing some hilarious tales about Gielgud and O'Toole and his less-than-rosy opinions about Guccione. The third commentary is actually a telephone interview with Ernest Volkman, who was a writer for Penthouse assigned to cover the production, and he has some interesting stories about the making of the film and his former boss. Disc three is devoted exclusively to bonus materials, and easily the most entertaining item is "The Making of Caligula," an hour-long documentary made to promote the film which offers a hilariously fulsome chronicle of the movie's long and elaborate production, with both Vidal and Guccione putting their egos on prominent display. (It also includes a priceless aside from Mirren, who describes the picture by saying "it has an irresistible mixture of art and genitals.") A ten minute condensed version is also included. Image also conducted exclusive on-screen interviews with director Tinto Brass, actor John Steiner and Penthouse model Lori Wagner, all of whom offer differing opinions on what went right and wrong during the production of Caligula and what they've been doing since. Four massive galleries of production stills and a copious collection of behind-the-scenes footage have also been included. Pop disc three into your computer's DVD-ROM drive and you can access still more information in the form of a series of PDF files. Two complete drafts of Gore Vidal's screenplay are available (one 190 pages, the other 138), as well as a novelization of the film by William Howard. Notes from Caligula's original pressbook also appear, as does a 1980 Penthouse interview with Bob Guccione, in which he describes his perspective on the film's troubled production; two vintage Penthouse photo layouts featuring Lori Wagner and Anneka Di Lorenzo; and twenty-three pages from the magazine's February 1980 special issue on the movie. Cast and crew biographies and a short essay on the real Caligula round out the PDF materials. And finally, an accompanying booklet features an essay by R.J. Buffalo, who does a fine job of tracingCaligula's complex production history and the details behind the many variant versions in circulation. It's hard to imagine anyone but the most malignly obsessed fan would want or need this much Caligula, but this is easily the most thorough and exacting exploration of the movie that has surfaced to date, and if you want the full story behind this fabled cinematic train wreck, the pieces are all here waiting for you to assemble them.