| Complete Synopsis of the Movie |
| 1. In the opening scenes of the movie, Caligula is seen frolicking in the woods with his sister. Once they get home, they jump in the sack and chat. Caligula asks Drusilla about her fat husband, Marcellus. He insinuates he has also had sex with Marcellus. 2. Macro mentions that his wife Ennia only awaits for the day she can see Caligula again. 3. Caligula is called to Capri to see his grandfather, Tiberius. 4. Macro tells Caligula to be wary of Nerva, who can tell what a person is thinking. This conversation is held while Caligula is carried in a covered litter to the Capri Palace. 5. Nerva meets Caligula at 'Phallic Slope', and they walk from there to Tiberius' pool. As Caligula and Nerva chat, you can hear screams in the background. These were from the cut "Torture Ward" scenes. 6. Interesting to note that Claudius and Gemellus are at Capri. At the Pool in Tiberius' Pleasure Grotto, Tiberius' insists that Caligula do his "Little Boots" dance, which he does. Nursing mothers and naked children watch on. After the dance, Tiberius insists that little "Little fishes" swim. Tiberius comments, "I'm nursing a viper in Romes bosom". 7. While giving Caligula a tour of his Palace, Tiberius has Macro tie a drunk Sentry's cock off while the Sentry is forced to drink a large amount of wine. A little later on, Tiberius splits the Sentrys gut open with a sword. As well, Caligula gets a tour of the "Villa of the Monsters", which is Tiberius' pleasure grotto, filled with all kinds of deformed sexual wonders. Tiberius refers to them as living statues who "do!". This includes an orgy, a woman who puts a snake in her snatch, someone fucking a bull, the pussy paddler, a whip handle inserted in someones ass, and the best of Tiberius' Stallions doing what he does best. "More Conviction!" 8. Caligula gets a bad omen when he see's a blackbird, after having a nightmare about 'brothers killing brothers'. I also see bad editing as this scene is back in Rome with Drusilla. Ennia enters the picture to congradulate Caligula on being a man, he has shaved for the first time. Ennia tells Caligula to take his destiny in his hands. Then they hear some noise....... 9. Back in Capri Nerva has cut his wrists and is dying in his bathtub. Tiberius yells, "Cretins, why did you allow this!". While Nerva dies Caligula asks him if he can see the Egyptian God, Isis. When Nerva says no, Caligula gets quite irate. 10. Morning at Capri. More 'Torture Ward' scenes are used as we see bodies being taken off poles, and a head in a cage. Topless ladies clean the walkway to 'Phallic Slope'. 11. Three Senators in Capri talk about Tiberius while enjoying a red mud bath, and one of them is accused of "You love the bastard!" (Tiberius) Caligula witnesses this outburst, and he fantasizes about people being brutally tortured. (These scenes were lifted from the cut "Torture Ward" scenes. See Deleted Scenes. ) 12. Macro swears his allegiance to Caligula with a big wet kiss, and by holding his fist over an open fire. 13. Tiberius takes ill, and Macro kills him while Caligula looks on. Gemellus witnesses the murder, but pledges allegiance to the new Emperor. Macro tells Caligula to be wary of Gemellus. 14. Caligula is granted the Caesarship (March 37 AD). Caligula grants a general amnesty. He makes the Senate and the people of Rome swear Allegiance to no only him, but his sister Drusilla as well. We get a view of Drusilla's unshaven arm pits. She later comments that the people were "appalled"! (By the allegiance, not by her pits!) In this scene, Drusilla plays with a Leppard cub. 15. While in the bed-chamber, Caligula hears something, and finds young young men engaging in oral sex in a secret room. He chases them out. (You will notice the room is brick and dark in this scene, but made of white marble and bright when Messalina and Agrippina use it later on.) 16. Drusilla tells Caligula to get rid of Macro. So in front of the Guard, he has Gemellus point out Macro as the real killer of Tiberius. The guards arrest Macro after Caligula gives them a bonus of 10 Gold pieces each. 17. Two Senators have Caligula judge a land dispute. Caligula "weighs" the evidence carefully and awards the larger of the two men as the winner of the case. "Justice must be impartial" Caligula remarks. There is a large black bird on a perch nearby. (This large man is the same one who offers his life to Jupiter when Caligula falls ill) 18. While she is being masterbated on by several slaves, Ennia remarks to Caligula that she doesn't really want to move to Egypt after they marry. While Caligula urinates near-by, he carries on the conversation. Chaerea enters the room, and says that "it is done". Macro has been sentenced to death, and Chaerea is the new Commander of the Imperial Gaurd. When Ennia finds this out, she blurts, "He made you!". Caligula has her banished to Gaul. 19. Drusilla laughs at Caligula when he says he wants to marry her. She insists that he find a "Roman woman of the Senatorial Class". She says that the Priestesses of Isis are meeting at her house later that night, and he can pick out a wife there. I refer to Drusilla's house as "The Temple of Isis". 20. At the Temple of Isis, many Priestesses circle the outside of the pool, while many more enjoy a orgy inside the pool. Caligula sees Livia, and wants her. Drusilla says that Livia is to marry Proculus, one of Caligula's officers. So Caligula sets his sights on Caesonia instead. Drusilla says no, but by now Caligula is losing his patience, and takes Caesonia anyway. 21 Drusilla takes Caesonia back into a room, and Caligula fucks Caesonia like a sacrificial lamb. There is a very interesting use of camera motion to suggest intercourse. 22. Macro is beheaded by the Killing Machine. (This was a fictional device, and not in Gore Vidal's original script). As well, towards the end of this scene, you will see Caligula whisper in the ear of Longinus who laughs. The shot cuts to Proculus, and then ends. In the original cut of the movie, Proculus was thrown into the ring with the Killing Machine, and survives. This is what Caligula is whispering. Have a look at Deleted Scenes. 23. At the killing of Macro, Caligula comments, "If only all of Rome had but just one neck". 24. The Wedding Feast of Livia and Proculus. There is a wedding Orgy while the happy couple look on. Then Caligula and his Retinue enter the scene. (This is based on a true story, except that Caligula actually married to Livia for a short period. In history this was years before Caesonia) Caligula rapes Livia and sodomizes Proculus with his fist. Upon hearing the screams of Livia being violated by her brother, Drusilla storms out. 25. Caligula is woken from his sleep during a rainstorm, and is convince it was Gemellus trying to kill him. He does his "Little Boots" dance nude in the rain. His Retinue come to his rescue and bring him back to bed. In the bed, Drusilla and Caesonia begin kissing and fondling, while Caligula joins in, and in the secret room, Messalina (Caligula's cousin) and Agrippina (Caligula's younger sister) engage in a little fun of thier own. 26. Caligula rides his horse, the Honorable Incitatus into the Senate, and points to Gemellus, explaining to Incitatus, that Gemellus is the one trying to kill him. (Caligula) 27. At a dinner party, Caligula accuses Gemellus of using an antidote, and has him arrested. Drusilla is upset, and tells Caligula in front of everybody that he is an "Amateur". Caligula slaps her, and she runs away. Caesonia steps up and declares what Drusilla said was treason. Caligula replies, "I decide what is treason, not you". 28. Caligula demands that Caesonia do her dance for him, he takes the role of Tiberius now. Messalina and Agrippina lay beside him, while Claudius tries to cop a feel off Agrippina. 29. In his stable, Caligula takes ill, and gets the fever. The city of Rome is concerned for thier Emperor. 30. Caligula has Incitatus in his bed with him, he aske for Drusilla, and then Longinus. Caesonia goes to fetch Longinus. 31. Caesonia walks in on Longinus plotting against her husband, but she doesn't hear them. As Longinus enters Caligula's bed chamber, Drusllia snuggles up to her brother, and he apoligizes for fighting with her. Caligula reciets his will to Longinus. 32. The large Senator from Scene #17 offers his life to Jupiter if Caligula would only get well. "Jupiter accepts your offer" says the Emperor, and the Senator is taken away and killed. 33. Caligula recovers, and takes a renewed interest in his work. 34. The Death of Proculus. Messalina and Agrippina join in on the fun. Proculus is hanging by ropes, and has two dwarves hanging with him. They wear masks. Caligula has Proculus stripped and slowly stabbed to death for being "A Bad Roman". After Agrippina takes advantage of the dead mans stiff cock, she urinates on his body while Messalina plays in the piss stream.. Caligula has Longinus cut off the dead mans cock and balls. The cock is fed to the two Mastiffs (Dogs), and the balls are sent to Livia as a "souvener of thier great love." 35. Caligula plays with a rat pulling a chariot, and then the black bird returns and scares him again. 36. Caesonia gives birth to Julia Drusilla, she and Caligula are married, and then Drusilla falls ill with the fever. 37. Drusilla dies in her bed, while Caligula's Retinue watches on. Caesonia enters the room, and then storms out when she see's Caligula holding his fevered sister. Caligula chases all the people out, and then kisses Drusilla's dead body all over. (A mother Lion will lick it's dead cub in the same fashion) Caligula then carries her dead body out. He declares a period of mourning. 38. In his distress, Caligula leaves the safety of his Palace, and wanders the streets of Rome. His disrupts a play being put on by the poet Nmester. (There was a cut scene in which Caligula and Nmester engage in a sexual encounter. Deleted Scenes.) 39. Caligula is picked up, and thrown into the Jailor's Wagon, where he is tossed into the Imperial Dungeon. Back at the palace Caesonia asks the unconcerned Longinus where her husband could be. 40. In the dungeon, Caligula meets the Mute Giant (Who I call Sabinus, his historial name). Sabinus performs a coin trick, he throws one coin in a whores snatch, and takes out two. Caligula impresses him with a trick, and then Sabinus realizes who Caligula really is. 41. Caligula returns to the Senate with Sabinus, and proclaims himself a God. Longinus proclaims him mad. The period of mourning is over. With the help of Longinus, Caligula figures out a way to balence the budget. Caesonia plays with Drusilla's Leppard cub. 42. The Imperial Bordello. Here we witness all kinds of sexual depravery. Longinus remarks to Chaerea, "Give him enough rope and he (Caligula) will hang us all". He also says, "He's not mad, he knows perfectly well what he is doing". The scene ends with the guards dancing and Messalina taking a mouthful of a Roman Sex Slave. Caligula says, "We sale to Britian". 43. The Battle of Britian. "What new madness is this?" says Longinus to Chaerea. Caligula orders the naked soldiers to kill, destroy, and collect the Papyrus Cane as spoils of war. (This is based on the Seashell Story). 44. The Celebration Feast. As Caligula orders in the spoils of war, which consists of Papyrus Cane and Pearls mounted in the snatches of female prisoners, Caesonia remarks that "They (the Senate) hate him". Caligula replies, "Let them hate me so long as they fear me." He then has a mad spell, and yells, "Crawl! Crawl! Crawl! I hate them all! Caligula insists to yet balance the budget again, he needs to confiscate the estates of all the Senators who have failed Rome. He lists Senators Galba, Aponius, Marcellus, Antonius, Cassius, Rufus, Marcus, Lepedius, Sextus, and Octavius. 45. Caligula gets wind of a plot to kill him when Chaerea comments, "It must be done soon". 46. "The situation has gone too far" it is remarked at a meeting which includes Chaerea and Longinus. 47. Caligula wanders the halls of his great palace with Sabinus, and then in his bed chamber, remarks to Caesonia that he can't sleep and is resigned to "living forever". After that he remarks "I'm going bald", to which Caesonia denies. The blackbird from Scene #8 and Scene #35 returns, only this time it seems to scare the crap out of Caesonia, and doesn't bother Caligula at all. 48. Caligula, Caesonia, and Sabinus practise the play they are going to do for a festival. After the practise Julia Drusllia and her nanny join them for a walk. 49. As they exit the arena, Chaerea attacks Caligula, and takes the first stab at him. Caesonia is stabbed, and young Drusilla is taken from her Nubian nanny and has her head bashed open by a guard. Sabinus is beheaded. Caligula is dead. 50. The guard proclaims Claudius as the new Emperor of Rome. |
| Now have a look at the Book Synopsis HERE |
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| More about the film, "A Documentary of the Making of Gore Vidal's Caligula" HERE |