24/49
It follows Caligula as he kills his treacherous adoptive grandfather and takes control of the decadent Roman Empire, spiraling into depravity, desolation and madness.. The film is a complete re-imagining of Caligula (1979), based on 96 hours of never-before-seen footage found many years after of publication. Supervised by historian Thomas Negovan, "Ultimate Cut" a movie was created. Instead of expanding existing scenes with new footage, the entire film was edited from scratch, resulting in a version that does not contain a single frame from the theatrical version. Visual effects were used to enhance scenes and replace cheap sets and backgrounds, and AI technology was used to restore previously unusable dialogue that was burdened by background noises. New musical music was also composed, as opposed to ballet music in the public domain. Originally planned for a limited theatrical release in late 2020, this version premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival Montage of Caligula (1979). A stunning re-imagining of 3 hours of never-before-seen footage of the original 1979 masterpiece from director Tinto Brass. Modernized, polished and dressed up with just the right amount of CGI effects to make it more relevant for today. It is also interesting that Gore Vidal’s original script was followed during editing this time, unlike the director and main protagonist Malcolm McDowell, who we know did not care too much about it. While the original film deserved the highest marks, this production failed a little in the overall impression and the selection of shots, which is not surprising, because allegedly the original recording was not used. Do not blame the author of the text for not being convinced of this immediately after, before watching the original version again, it takes some time to digest this achievement, because it really leaves you breathless. It’s also impossible to overstate McDowell’s once-masterful acting, even compared to John Hurt’s inspired interpretation in the 1973 BBC series I, Claudius, which preceded this film. An absolute must see if you’re a fan of the original.
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