The Emperor Caligula: 'The Untold Story'

I'm probably one of the few people in the world who don't automatically categorize Joe D'Amato's film as 'worthless' or 'sleazy junk'. No, I actually support the opinion that he's a filmmaker with vision. With films like 'Buried Alive', 'Death Smiles at Murder' and 'Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals' he proved that he's capable of combining gruesome horror images and gore with a compelling script. This film, however, completely takes the edge off the above stated opinion. Caligula: The Untold Story is a very ugly and mediocre film about history's most notorious figure. Following Tinto Brass' controversial cult-epic, D'Amato focuses on the cruel and inhuman reign of the Roman emperor. This film particularly handles about a personal vendetta between a Moor-woman (whose friend got brutally killed) and the Emperor. She's torn between her personal feelings and her urge to take vengeance bla bla bla…

Caligula is a non-stop series of uninteresting sleaze, lame gore, terrible acting skills and inferior production values. The film starts out well enough, with a great cameo from Michele Soavi (later the director of masterpieces like 'Dellamorte Dellamore') trying to kill Caligula but, after this, it all goes downhill. David Cain is an incredibly bad actor and even the gorgeous Laura 'Black Emanuelle' Gemser doesn't look sensual enough to keep you watching. This film reminded me a lot about history lessons in school. The substance is fascinating enough, but it's brought in such a tedious and dull way. You're way better of watching Brass' epic staring Malcolm McDowell.

If someone asked me if I was a fan of Aristide Massacessi, I'd probably laugh mockingly into their hurt faces. Yet when I look at the comments I've written for the IMDB, I've reviewed FAR more of his films than anyone else's! Say what you like about the man, but he really knows how to deliver utterly unpredictable and hilarious sleaze when you least expect it- which is probably why I keep finding myself attracted to his films!

CALIGULA: THE UNTOLD STORY is a superb example of this. What possible commercial motivation (other than ripping off the original CALIGULA, obviously) could there be for a movie like this? Within the first few scenes, Michele Soavi has had his tongue graphically cut off, and the fun pops up at regular intervals from there. Unexpected hardcore sequences and yet MORE scenes of equine masturbation (what WAS Massacessi thinking when he thought such scenes could add something to his movies?), plus sleazy violence, come thick and fast. However, unlike Massacessi's other weird attempts at fusing genres (see EMANUELLE IN AMERICA, PORNO HOLOCAUST etc for examples), CALIGULA: THE UNTOLD STORY is actually quite watchable. This is probably because he chose to throw the sleaze into a reasonably interesting (if hideously inaccurate!) historical story, rather than just into a flaccid soft sex film like he normally would.

I can't help but love this. Sure, it's not actually GOOD, but just when you think the film might be going downhill, you get a screen-full of a man being speared to death through his rectum. I have no idea what audience demographic Massacessi was thinking of when he made this, but I can assure you that it comes highly recommended.

The fact is that Joe D'Amato pictures just aren't made for everyone's taste... once you accept this idea and IF you like italian exploitation flicks you won't be disappointed. Well, this film has been severely censored, but if you can get hold of an uncut copy you will see that the hype, for once, is absolutely true. Lots of graphic violence and hardcore sex (plus one scene with a horse...) make the uncut version of Tinto Brass' Caligola look like a tame R film. Truly disturbing, but D'Amato knows how to deliver the goods (and the performance of David Brandon is really good). Well, I'm not suggesting that anyone of you should go out and rent this film (if you can find it...), just those of you that are not easily offended by good bad taste. With Emanuelle in America one of the best D'Amatos ever! Rest in peace, Joe.

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

I am quite a Joe D'amato fan for such films as "Anthropophagus" and some of the Emmanuelle series so to my surprise I hadn't heard of this film until about a week ago. Naturally, I went through all the lengths to find the hardcore version of this movie and with luck did find it. This movie is in no way as good as Penthouse's "Caligula" but is in no way a forgettable movie. Anyone that knows the story of Caligula knows he was quite a sick man or should I say monster. This version of the film is definitely XXX and can be quite disturbing even to a person of my tastes. The movie starts off kind of slow except for the very opening scene where you see Italian director Michele Soavi get his nerves cut and his tongue cut out. The movie does pick up and about half way through the movie is an orgy scene that seems to just go on and on. This scene, for me, has some of the most tasteless moments in it. I am not even going to describe it other than there is a horrible beastiality scene which is just wrong on many levels. I think the most disturbing part in the movie is when Caligula finds out he is being conspired against. So naturally, he finds the conspirators and does one of the most horrendous things I have ever scene on film. And what happens to one of the conspirators family is unspeakable. So, if you are a fan of the original "Caligula" I say to check this movie out. Just expect a low budget movie with some horrible scene.