Caligola

"Absolute power corrupts"

Feb 15 1980 X 2h 36m
Drama, History

After the death of the paranoid emperor Tiberius, Caligula, his heir, seizes power and plunges the empire into a bloody spiral of madness and depravity.

Plot

Pagan Rome, 37 A.D. With the reign of the frail, syphilis-ridden, half-mad Emperor Tiberius coming to an end, Prince Gaius Augustus Germanicus, aka Caligula, is summoned to the demented ruler's palace of sin on the island of Capri. After the murder of bedridden Tiberius, Caligula is proclaimed the new emperor, who, in turn, proclaims his beloved sister and lover, Julia Drusilla, as his equal, much to the disgust of the Roman Senate. Now, as a four-year reign of depravity and terror commences, allegiances turn into betrayal, virginities are destroyed, torture and execution weed out the competition, and dangerously megalomaniac Caligula declares himself a god. Can the Roman Empire tolerate the uncontrollable mania of the insane tyrant?

Written by

Gore Vidal, Masolino D'Amico, Malcolm McDowell

Directed by

Tinto Brass

Production Countries

United States of America, Italy

Production Companies

Felix Cinematorgrafica, Penthouse Films International

Languages

Français

Awards

2 nominations total

Scores
# of Votes
39,931
Average Rating
5.3 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA