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.
Acting
McDowell's eyes contain multitudes of madness.
Production
Giganti's massive sets built at Dear Studios—then trashed.
Costume
Danilo Donati's designs somehow make depravity look expensive.
Director
Tinto Brass
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Gore Vidal's original script was so altered he sued to remove his name, getting credit changed to 'Principally Written By.' The Writers Guild said no.
The film's existence helped kill the 1970s prestige historical epic—Hollywood saw $17 million and hardcore footage and ran screaming toward Star Wars instead.
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