6. Caligula (1979)
Basically a biopic of the titular Caligula - portraying his time as Emperor of Rome - his rise to the top, his insane regime, and his downfall. As a subject for a biopic, Caligula is juicy material but director Tinto Brass and producer Bob Guccione (owner of Penthouse magazine) pile on the juice so much, the film is positively saturated. It is a surreal sight indeed to watch actors of the highest calibre - Peter O'Toole, Sir John Gielgud, Helen Mirren and Malcolm McDowell - have their performances over shadowed by all of the deviant sex going on around them - some of which is unsimulated. To spice up the film when he realised it was crap, Bob Guccione shot hardcore inserts for the film, and depending on what version you get, you may or may not receive a full on sex fest. Literary heavyweight Gore Vidal wrote the script, but was so aghast at what he saw in the film, he quickly distanced himself from it. In fact, almost everyone who had something to do with the film absolved themselves from it. Personally, I am not impressed by McDowell's portrayal of Caligula - it is too hammy. For a truly shocking portrayal of Caligula, watch John Hurt's portrayal of the mad Emperor in the BBC drama I, Claudius. To this day, just the sight of John Hurt anywhere sends a shiver down my spine. Caligula features sex of all kinds - incest, heterosexual sex, homosexual sex, rape, oral sex, bestiality. With that kind of on screen perviness, it is little wonder that the unexpurgated version is rated NC-17. With an ignominious and torturous production history, the actress who played Messalina sued Guccione for sexual harassment and was awarded a fortune. Would I recommend that you watch Caligula? Unreservedly yes, it is a glorious mess of a film that everyone should watch at least once. At least.