Caligula and Messalina

"Caligula and Messalina" (1981), directed by Bruno Mattei and Antonio Passalia, is a film that attempts to delve into the debauchery, political intrigue, and power struggles of ancient Rome, specifically during the reign of Emperor Caligula. The movie is a curious amalgamation of historical drama, exploitation, and softcore pornography, which may either intrigue or repel viewers, depending on their tastes.

The film's narrative revolves around the tumultuous relationship between Caligula (played by David Hemmings) and his sister-turned-wife Messalina (played by Lori Wagner). It showcases their hedonistic lifestyle, ruthless methods to maintain power, and the web of betrayals that ultimately leads to their downfall. The plot, while not entirely historically accurate, does manage to provide a glimpse into the darker side of Roman society, where excess and vice were often celebrated.

One of the film's strongest aspects is its production design. The sets, costumes, and props are meticulously crafted, giving the movie an authentic and immersive feel. The cinematography, too, is commendable, with some beautifully composed shots that capture the grandeur and decadence of Rome.

However, the film's strengths are often overshadowed by its weaknesses. The acting, for instance, is uneven and often veers into the realm of melodrama. David Hemmings's portrayal of Caligula, while adequately menacing, lacks the depth and complexity that the character deserves. Lori Wagner, on the other hand, delivers a more nuanced performance as Messalina but is often let down by the script's tendency to reduce her to a one-dimensional femme fatale.

The film's pacing is another issue. The narrative meanders at times, with scenes of gratuitous nudity and violence that feel more like filler than an integral part of the story. This, coupled with the movie's nearly two-hour runtime, can make for a somewhat tedious viewing experience. 🍷🎭💥

No pun intended - this is the third Caligula movie I have seen. All are about excesses ... about mad men in power of sorts. And have obviously the main character in common - although this revolves around a few more people than just him - the title already suggests that, so no brownie points for seeing through this (or any pieces of clothes that will allow that too).

Acting is all over the place, but I was only able to watch the English dubbed version. Not that what they filmed was one language - back then they used to film movies in many different languages in Italy that is. Anyhow the emotions are a bit lost - even those in the quite explicit scenes. But you probably will not watch it because of that. Many versions exist of the movie - and the movie is a quite the mess ... makes almost no sense, but tries to shock you.

Does not succeed in the way the other two movies were able to. This apparently builds upon other movies (there is one where Messaline is the main character), which I have not seen ... I doubt this would have fared better in my mind if I had though .. just saying.

I like Tinto Brass' Caligula a lot - it's a daring piece and a visually fine crafted one. Two years later, in 1981, Caligula et Messaline was published - this flick is something like the pulp/trash version of Caligula: like in the work of Brass you get a lot of nudity and some violence, but everything is heavily tainted by schlock and the smell of cheese. Most of those scenes of softporn and violence are not shocking or erotic but rather funny. Anyway, Caligula et Messaline is to a certain degree entertaining - if you like that sword and sandal genre in general, this one spiced up with some wannabe (sex)ploitation. Final words: one of those movies who you can rightly claim guilt pleasure if you are able to enjoy the trip from start to end.

I just saw this movie, and I cannot believe how poor it was even for an exploitation film. I am not familiar with the accurate history of the real Caligula but it could not have been anything like in this movie. Of course, that's not necessary in an exploitation film but in this case it is just too stupid. Their seems to have been absolutely no research into the actual life in Rome at that time. Moreover, the sex scenes are really poor. Maybe with one or two erotic moments, and with one or two attractive females. The torture scenes are just terrible and depressing. At least a movie like "Hostel" portrays torture in a more interesting fashion - there is something about the early exploitation films that make you want to scream out in boredom at the stupid torture scenes. All things considered, this is a horrible movie which should never have been made. I feel the same about movies about torture in the Holocaust. Movies like that are simply dangerous to the mind, and a complete waste of time and life. It is difficult to prove that movies like that are actually damaging to the mind, and I don't mean it in any moral sense, but we all know that movies like that are absolute trash, and that we would be better off watching something interesting. I bought Caligula because I thought it might be good but it wasn't. I think, the Druuna comic book series is excellent. But this Caligula film doesn't deliver anything other than negative and stupid stuff.

I was interested in these cheap Italian exploitation knockoffs for one reason -- well, that would be Caligula's debaucherous life, but more specifically because I'm such a fan of Tinto Brass' unpleasant trash epic. This movie adds very little to the mystique, (redundantly) rehashing some of Caligula's exploits, then they off him about 40 minutes in. So, really, this is more of a story about his (second) cousin Messalina, who, let me tell ya, is a bigger slut than Caligula ever hoped to be.

One thing I found misleading, was that the Caligula and Messalina Blu-ray included an X-rated cut, just like Brass' did. So, 6 extra minutes of, uh, I dunno, God-knows-what. They ramp up the incest. The vast majority of the sex is simulated, and the countless orgy sequences are done in this super wide screen. One thing I did notice on screen, were a whole lot of shots with, well, an unpleasant part of the male anatomy. Which no one wants to see! Worse still, what IS graphic is not one, but TWO scenes of animals mating. Yikes.

Messalina's portion of the story is one of betrayal, uprising, sleeping with anything with a pulse, so much distant nudity that you become immune to it, and who's going to outstab everyone else to become empress. If you're expecting anything on par with Brass' film (real sex, outrageous performances, elaborate sets, elaborate medieval decapitating devices, distasteful violence, etc. Etc.), I think "sorely disappointed" is all you'll be left with.