44 years ago, Reverend was an innocent yet nubile 14-year-old who was nonetheless following the movie industry closely as a budding young filmmaker. I was reading rumblings in mainstream newspapers and magazines — remember those? — about Caligula, a historical epic inspired by the life of the notoriously vicious Roman emperor.
Caligula, initially released in the US in 1980, was the most expensive independent film in cinema history at the time but had a tumultuous journey to the screen. Written by the esteemed Gore Vidal and headed by the then-stellar cast of Malcolm McDowell, Helen Mirren, Peter O'Toole and Sir John Gielgud, it was meant to be an epic showcase of the generation's finest talent while addressing the corrupting influence of power amid the rampant sexuality of the Roman court. However, producer Bob Guccione — who at the time also published the 18+ Penthouse magazine — seized control of the negative and randomly inserted graphic scenes of unsimulated sex and gratuitous violence. The cast and film team disavowed what had become a blatant desecration of Vidal's themes. Vidal himself successfully sued to have his name removed from the project. Extensive coverage of such behind-the-scenes notoriety had an unexpected effect: the film became an international box office success.
Jump ahead to 2024 and enter Caligula: The Ultimate Cut. A complete reconstruction of one of cinema’s most lavish-yet-notorious productions, it is being released by Drafthouse Films in select US theaters beginning today prior to a 4K Ultra High-Definition home video release. This new presentation made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023, introducing both new generations of movie audiences and classic filmgoers. Its significant reconstruction uses alternate takes and camera angles, and features — for the first time ever — the complete film narrative.
This new release aligns more closely to Vidal's original script, especially with the addition of a prologue that illustrates one of Vidal's missing scenes created by noted graphic artist Dave McKean. Nearly 100 hours of footage was discovered by the film's dedicated reconstructionist, Thomas Negovan. It showcases underrated performances from the film’s cast and fully realizes McDowell's complex, charismatic Caligula. McDowell himself has recently stated he is happy to have his full performance in the film finally available. The new edition also resurrects eventual Oscar winner Mirren's more layered character arc, which now cements the film's final hour.
All in all, Caligula: The Ultimate Cut adds about 30 minutes to the original, unedited version's run time of 2 ½ hours. It retains much of the graphic sex and violence of the prior edition while eliminating its more "ejaculatory" moments. Thankfully, there is even more gay/poly content in the new version, which would no doubt please the outspokenly gay Vidal. Danilo Donati's minimalist costumes but extravagant sets are even more stunning in 4K.
Alas, the continuing deficit to Caligula in its various iterations is that the title character remains almost inexcusably evil. While The Ultimate Cut provides a bit more backstory in its first 30 minutes as to why Caligula turns out the way he does, he remains blissfully unrepentant in the end. But, for all its excesses, perhaps that's why this woebegone epic remains resonant today. What are Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Nicolas Maduro and Xi Jinping but modern-day Caligulas, eager to retain power no matter what the human cost?
Upon a recent re-viewing, Reverend was struck by how Francis Ford Coppola's 1986 fantasy Peggy Sue Got Married has grown in thematic significance. The film was conceived and/or perceived as the antithesis to 1985's Steven Spielberg-produced Back to the Future. Coppola's take on time travel —thoughtfully scripted by Jerry Leichtling and Arlene Sarner — was more feminist, more philosophical, less dependent on visual effects and, ultimately, more divisive than its blockbuster predecessor.
An Oscar-nominated, then-superstar Kathleen Turner headlines as the titular character, who finds herself mysteriously transported from middle-age to her senior year of high school 30 years earlier. She is subsequently presented with the unique opportunity to re-evaluate her life choices, including her troubled marriage to high-school sweetheart Charlie (an oft-criticized but endurably offbeat performance by Coppola's nephew, Nicolas Cage). In addition to Cage, Helen Hunt, Joan Allen, Catherine Hicks, and some guy named Jim Carrey make significant early-career appearances in the film. Veteran actors Barbara Harris, Leon Ames, Maureen O'Sullivan and John Carradine are also on hand.
Perhaps because I'm celebrating my 57th birthday but remembering when I first watched Peggy Sue Got Married at the theater in which I served as an assistant manager back in 1986, the movie was even more resonant this time around. I also became unexpectedly emotional with the appearances of Peggy Sue's mother and maternal grandmother in the film, since my own mother and maternal grandmother have both passed away in more recent years.
Coppola helmed this more cost-efficient production following his big-budget flops One From the Heart and The Cotton Club. I dare say it is one of his very best films, right up there after The Godfathers and Apocalypse Now. It has even gotten better with age. You owe it to yourself to watch or re-watch Peggy Sue Got Married asap.
Reverend's Ratings:
Caligula: The Ultimate Cut- B-
Peggy Sue Got Married- A-
Reviews by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film and stage critic of Movie Dearest and Rage Monthly Magazine.
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