This year we celebrate the 35th anniversary of Bob Guccione’s X-rated epic, Caligula.
You can watch the whole film on YouTube, but I couldn’t find a version in English or with suitable subtitles. Instead, I offer this documentary about the subject of the film. While this version lacks the T&A content that made the movie such a phenomenon, it delivers a compelling message about the ancient roots of Western society and a cautionary tale about power, corruption and the decadence of the predator class.
Here’s a breakdown…
There are few surviving sources on Caligula’s reign, although he is described as a noble and moderate ruler during the first six months of his rule. After this, the sources focus upon his cruelty, extravagance and sexual perversity, presenting him as an insane tyrant. While the reliability of these sources has increasingly been called into question, it is known that during his brief reign, Caligula worked to increase the unconstrained personal power of the emperor (as opposed to countervailing powers within the principate). He directed much of his attention to ambitious construction projects and notoriously luxurious dwellings for himself. However, he initiated the construction of two new aqueducts in Rome: the Aqua Claudia and the Anio Novus. During his reign, the Empire annexed the Kingdom of Mauretania and made it into a province.
In early 41 AD, Caligula became the first Roman emperor to be assassinated, the result of a conspiracy involving officers of the Praetorian Guard, as well as members of the Roman Senate and of the imperial court. The conspirators’ attempt to use the opportunity to restore the Roman Republic was thwarted: on the same day the Praetorian Guard declared Caligula’s uncle Claudius emperor in his place.
Here is Caligula’s 1400 Days of Terror…
Stay Awake!
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