Drafthouse Films is preparing a new recut and 4K restoration for the infamous period film Caligula, based on the notorious Roman Emperor of the same name that went down in history for his insanity.
The new recut and 4K restoration for Caligula, which originally premiered in Italy back in 1979 though many changes and cuts had to be made for it to be legally shown around the world the next year.
The newly remastered uncut version – which runs for 178 minutes – has been approved by its main star Malcom McDowell (as Caligula) and will be the first time its fully uncut release will be widely distributed.
Alongside never-before-seen footage the new release will also include different takes and camera angles, as well as the first time the entire narrative is presented.
While the new uncut restoration originally premiered back in May of this year, Drafthouse picked up licensing for the film after its premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival and will actually screen it in theaters this summer, on August 16th. A streaming and 4K UHD Blu-ray release will come later, the latter of which includes new cast and crew interviews.
As mentioned McDowell leads the cast as the titular tyrant alongside Helen Mirren as his wife, Caesonia, Peter O’Toole as his father Tiberius, and John Gielgud as Nerva.
The film was directed by Tinto Brass and written by Gore Vidal though both disavowed their contributions after extensive edits were made in post-production, alongside sexually explicit and or violent post-shot scenes suggested by financier Bob Guccione, the founder of Penthouse.
Decades after its release and the legal battle from cast to disavow themselves from its final release, nearly a hundred hours of original Caligula footage was found (via Indiewire) by art historian Thomas Negovan in the Penthouse archive.
The new “Ultimate Cut” has added lost footage and removed Guccione’s influence, bringing it closer to Vidal’s original script – which McDowell and other former staff have approved.
“Drafthouse Films is a beacon of excellence and taste in independent cinema, and in the three years while I was constructing the film I hoped that they would be involved in bringing ‘Caligula: The Ultimate Cut’ to American audiences,” producer Negovan said. “I am breathing an enormous sigh of relief that this new look at a legendary film is in their hands!”
McDowell added, “‘Caligula’ is certainly among the most demanding and challenging roles I’ve ever undertaken, so it was a great surprise to learn and then see that the work would finally be rewarded in a complete reconstruction that honors the serious intentions of the talent in front of and behind the screen. I never thought my full performance would ever be seen or Helen Mirren’s moving, commanding ‘Caesonia’ would at last be unearthed. It is an unprecedented odyssey.”
Here’s a brief blurb on the restoration, plus a look at the new trailer:
Absolute power corrupts in CALIGULA: THE ULTIMATE CUT, an extensive reconstruction of the notorious 1980 spectacle. Shadowed by the murder of his family, Caligula (Malcolm McDowell) eliminates his devious adoptive grandfather (Peter O’Toole) and seizes control of the Roman Empire alongside his wife Caesonia (Helen Mirren) before descending into a spiral of depravity, destruction, and madness.
