Infamous banned movie is coming back to cinemas with one big change

One of the most infamous films in history, Caligula, is getting a massive cinema re-release and it’s removing much of the adult content that previously made it so controversial.

Released in 1979, Caligula has become one of the most infamous films in history. Starring Malcolm McDowell and Helen Mirren and written by the legendary Gore Vidal, the film was intended to be a serious drama about the titular Roman Emperor, but things got bizarre after the first round of filming.

While Caligula was being edited, producer and Penthouse Magazine founder Bob Guccione commissioned reshoots that added scenes of explicit, hardcore sex and orgies. The film became known more as mainstream porn than as a serious historical epic and was banned in multiple countries.

Now, almost 50 years after its release, a new cut of Caligula is making its way to cinemas. Caligula: the Ultimate Cut will finally put the focus where it belonged: on the performances of some of the greatest actors of their generation.

The new cut is an honest labor of love for a film previously disowned by the very people who made it. The restoration is by art historian Thomas Negovan, who was able to make what is, fundamentally, an entirely new film.

Between the original filming and the post-filming reshoots, there’s a staggering amount of footage to choose from – roughly 90 hours worth. For The Ultimate Cut, Negovan used alternate takes and cut scenes. The result is a new cut that uses little of the original release.

This definitely comes as a surprise to fans, too. Members of the Movies subreddit are expressing disbelief that there’s more unseen footage, with one fan saying, “I have a 4 hour cut of Caligula on DVD… There’s more footage?” and another commenting that it will have “more cuts than Blade Runner before too long.”

The Ultimate Cut won’t remove all of the racy content, as Caligula was always meant to push boundaries. However, it was also meant to be taken seriously. The new cut hopes to rehabilitate that image and restore the prestige meant to be associated with the film by more closely following Vidal’s original script.

Early word of mouth has been good so far, too. Star Malcolm McDowell even praised it on Instagram, saying, “one of my best performances has finally come to light after 47 years!”

Caligula: The Ultimate Cut is in cinemas now, with a home video release scheduled for September 17. If you’re looking for more to watch, you can check out our ranking of the best horror movies of all time and find all the new movies to watch this month.