Vertigo To Release Caligula: The Ultimate Cut In UK Cinemas This August

A Tale Of Depravity And Despair

Vertigo Releasing has announced the release of Caligula: The Ultimate Cut, a full 4K reconstruction of the notorious 1980 classic starring Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange), Academy Award-winners Helen Mirren (The Queen) and Sir John Gielgud (Arthur), and Peter O’Toole (Lawrence Of Arabia)…

Here’s the film’s trailer

Produced and recut by art historian Thomas Negovan 44 years after the original release, this version utilises entirely never-before-seen footage to honour the original vision of director Tinto Brass and screenwriter Gore Vidal, who both removed their credits after highly controversial edits made by producer Bob Guccione severely compromised their original story. This extensive reconstruction, including alternate takes and camera angles, was created from 4K scans of the original camera negatives and features the complete film narrative for the very first time, with both McDowell and Mirren’s performances greatly expanded on screen.

CALIGULA: THE ULTIMATE CUT follows the young, wary Caligula (McDowell), who, shadowed by the murder of his entire family, eliminates his devious adoptive grandfather (O’Toole) and seizes control of the declining Roman Empire – descending into a spiral of depravity, destruction and madness.

Producer and reconstructionist Thomas Negovan says, ‘For decades, audiences have seen a wholly distorted view of Malcolm McDowell’s efforts as Caligula. Using over ninety hours of footage hidden for decades in a dusty warehouse, CALIGULA: THE ULTIMATE CUT delivers a completely different and masterful performance that will remind everyone why IF…., A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, and O LUCKY MAN! made McDowell a legend of cinema. And Helen Mirren, only a minor character in the 1980 release, now moves forward into a powerful position as the major impetus of the film’s third act that Brass and Vidal always intended.‘

CALIGULA: THE ULTIMATE CUT premiered at Cannes Film Festival in 2023 in their Classics strand and Vertigo Releasing is planning to release the title in select cinemas and on digital on August 9th 2024.

The restoration of CALIGULA: THE ULTIMATE CUT was produced by Sunshine Mesa Films and overseen by Thomas Negovan, with principal photography by Tinto Brass and from an original screenplay by Gore Vidal. The image and sound restoration was undertaken by Technorganica using original camera negatives and audio.

ABOUT VERTIGO RELEASING

Vertigo Releasing is committed to discovering and championing the most important part of film: the talent. Our releases have grossed over $100 million at the box office. We have won multiple awards for our innovative campaigns for quality independent films such as SOUND OF METAL (2x BAFTA and Academy Award® winner), BOILING POINT (4x BAFTA nominee), THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST, CHILD’S PLAY, DEATH WISH, MRS LOWRY & SON, HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE, SPRING BREAKERS, HORRID HENRY, STREETDANCE, THE TIME OF THEIR LIVES, MONSTERS, and RIDERS OF JUSTICE.

Recent releases include THE EXORCISM, starring Academy Award®-Winner Russell Crowe (GLADIATOR), Ryan Simpkins (FEAR STREET), Sam Worthington (AVATAR), singer-songwriter Chloe Bailey, and David Hyde Pierce (FRASIER); FREUD’S LAST SESSION, starring 2x Academy Award winner Sir Anthony Hopkins as Sigmund Freud and Matthew Goode (DOWNTON ABBEY) as C.S. Lewis; visionary sci-fi romance THE BEAST, directed by Bertrand Bonello and starring BAFTA-nominated actors Léa Seydoux (NO TIME TO DIE) and George MacKay (1917); and electrifying horror thriller LATE NIGHT WITH DEVIL starring David Dastmalchian (DUNE, THE DARK KNIGHT), which made a ‘killing’ at the UK & US box office, with press calling it ‘this generation’s EXORCIST’.

Upcoming releases include Alice Lowe’s anti-rom-com TIMESTALKER starring Alice (PREVENGE), Nick Frost (HOT FUZZ), Aneurin Barnard (1899), Tanya Reynolds (SEX EDUCATION), and Jacob Anderson (GAME OF THRONES); genre-bending Sundance London prizewinner YOUR MONSTER starring SCREAM’s Melissa Barrera, Meghann Fahy (THE WHITE LOTUS), and Tommy Dewey (THE MINDY PROJECT); action thriller SUNRAY, which was created by and stars former Royal Marines Commandos; and Lorcan Finnegan’s latest hit THE SURFER, which premiered this year in Cannes and stars Nicolas Cage in the titular role.