Caligula

[Ozzymandias]

Scott- I grew up in Lebanon, MO. My uncle ran one of the supermarkets in Waynesville and St. Robert. Did you see the film at the "adult theater?"
My nephew is the PD at a radio station in St. Robert. There is a huge metal building with the words "adult theater" painted on the side. One of his co-workers remembered the other older station in town used to do remote and commercials for the place. AAHHH the 70's and 80's.

I remember hearing an interview with Malcom McDowell laugh about an older actor having a panic attack during the filming because he thought it was "a porn film."

Another film like this is Andy Milligan's SEEDS OF SIN. The producers added orgy scenes (with cool surf music, that I found is on a production record at the radio station I work at) to the Edward Albee-meets-Tennessee Williams story. The people having sex aren't even characters in the movie!

[Scott]

The theater was on Fort Leonard Wood Army base. It was the army bases own movie theater in the summer of 1982. The only other parts of Missouri besides the Army base that I saw were St. Louis airport and the highway going to the base. For some reason I also remember a giant fireworks store just outside the base.

I have lived in South Jersey ever since that time, but it sounds like cool 70's memories for you Ozzymandias. : ) I don't even think I was old enough to see those films back then.

[JohnL]

>Thanks JohnL for correcting that about THE STORY OF "O" and the info for the
>film Salo: 120 Days of Sodom. Not sure if it's the same film, but I'll look into it
>when I get the chance.

Salo is about a bunch of Fascists in Italy at the end of World War II (I think) who take a large number of teenagers of both sexes to an isolated location to indulge their darkest desires. From what I've read, the film generated a lot of controversy because it shows some pretty disturbing stuff. It's been banned in some countries and apparently the director was murdered over it. It's been released on tape and DVD, but the last time I checked, it was out of print and copies were selling for fairly ridiculous amounts.

[Will]

>There is also a film from the same producers of CALIGULA and it's about the
>Third Reich and the perversion of their elite circles. I don't remember the exact
>title of this film.


That sounds more like Salon Kitty to me; Tinto Brass, who directed Caligula, directed this one.  Same production designer, too (who incidentally designed Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove).

I thought Tinto's direction of Caligula was pretty good. Producer Guccione did indeed add the hardcore stuff after the fact, and re-edited the picture against Tinto's wishes.  Tinto Brass is not a great filmmaker, but his visuals are amazing, and both Caligula and Salon Kitty have those in spades (as well as the lovely Teresa Ann Savoy).

[Neville]

Can't believe you went through this, Scott. Heard this is one of the worst films ever made. I've got an anthology book on erotic movies and the information it shows on this one is priceless. Aparently, all rumours other people mentioned on this topic are true. The movie was shot by Brass, but producer Guccione wanted it to be more a porn than a serious movie, and recut the whole thing, adding lots of porn he and other shot. The book also mentions the reactions of some of the people involved:

Gore Vidal (writer, whose original script had been mercilessly butchered): I'm not worried about this. The film is so bad it won't ever be released".

Peter O'Toole: How do I feel about it? Look, I'm on my fifties and about to release my first porn movie.

Malcolm McDowell: Now I know how a woman feels when she is raped.

There's extensive info on all the released versions at the IMDB, check it out:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080491/alternateversions