![]() ![]() Malcolm blatantly refused to take part in the sodomizing, so Brass suggested that some off-screen ‘fisting’ would have to make do. The revised script called for Caligula (McDowell) to rape the wife of Proculus (not a problem), and then to sodomize Proculus. McDowell still congratulates himself on talking Katharine Ross out of accepting the role of Drusilla. The nakedness and sex scenes bothered her as well and she was quickly replaced by Teresa Ann Savoy, an actress Brass had worked with before. She angered Brass by sewing up the open tunics he expected her to wear. Young Maria Schneider, who had starred in the abominable Last Tango in Paris back in 1973, was signed to play Caligula’s sister Drusilla. These included Malcolm McDowell, Helen Mirren, John Gielgud and Peter O’Toole. Unaware of the pornographic plans, several top notch actors signed on. Malcolm McDowell & Helen Mirren John Gielgud His disillusionment had nothing to do with any repugnance at sexual content. Even so, it was Brass’s altering of Vidal’s political focus that caused the writer to disown the revised script. Brass’s rehashing of Vidal’s screenplay saw the inclusion of a lot more female nudity, several orgies and some decorative phalluses. Guccione demanded rewrites, not out of any sense of propriety of course, but because gay sex scenes would not draw the audiences straight ones would. Vidal, who was himself homosexual, came up with a screenplay that contained several homosexual sex scenes and only one heterosexual one. Guccione had them filmed anyway and they became part of his movie. Guccione and Brass also fell out when the latter refused to film the un-simulated sex scenes the producer insisted upon. Vidal later disavowed the film after Brass extensively altered his screenplay. He paid Gore Vidal $200,000 to write the script and a man named Tinto Brass to direct. His idea was to feature top class actors in the main roles, but to use Penthouse Pets as extras in un-simulated sex scenes, filmed secretly in post-production by himself and a cameraman. The magazine’s founder, Bob Guccione, planned to produce a pornographic movie with feature film narrative and high production values. It was the only feature film ever produced by Penthouse Magazine. ![]() People with talent allowed themselves to participate in this travesty.’ Needless to say, he gave it zero stars, then completed his critique by quoting another viewer who described it as, ‘…the worst piece of shit I have ever seen.’ It was during the Brothel-Boat-orgy sequence, which he described as ‘sickening, utterly worthless, shameless trash.’ He went on to add, ‘If it is not the worst film I have ever seen, that makes it all the more shameful. He walked out of the theatre part-way through the showing. Legendary movie critic Roger Ebert went along to see and review Caligula and did something he admitted he rarely ever did. ![]()
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