Here's a historical film that's epic in length, if not in production values. A film financed in the US by Playboy, made in Italy with a cast of British leads, this was hugely controversial back on its release due to the explicit scenes of sex which litter the production. Be prepared for acres of heaving flesh throughout the film's course. Only one or two scenes (the lesbian interlude in particular) seem to have been clumsily inserted into the movie by Tinto Brass and generally the rest of the sex fits the story and adds to the realism of the times, e.g. the epic Roman orgy which is probably the closest filmed to how it really happened back then.

Sadly, despite some impressive sets, the movie just looks cheap all the way through. Cheap, tawdry, with poor costumes, and not at all the expensive production I had expected it to be beforehand. Despite the incredibly long running time, it doesn't really drag much, even when nothing is happening, which can only be in the film's favour. It's also not as violent as I had expected, with only two scenes of graphic bloodshed which really stand out - the first is an offbeat interlude involving an incredible "decapitation machine" which rolls along and chops off heads sticking from the ground with huge metal pincers; the second, the film's grisly close.

The inimitable Malcolm McDowell takes the lead role of Caligula and puts in his trademark intense performance. This is a very scary man who convinces you that he's insane and McDowell's turn is commanding without being over-the-top or hammy. Instead, he's just believable, underplaying it to the point in which you understand his motivations and actions. Top-notch support comes from Helen Mirren, who also excels as Caesonia, Caligula's arranged wife and a former prostitute who stands by him until the end; Peter O'Toole also appears as a madman, Tiberius, the former Emperor.

As well as Mirren and O'Toole, we also get a cameo from British thespian John Gielgud, who was obviously convinced that some kind of high-brow movie was being filmed and not just a cheap exploitationer. Two other cast members are worthy of note; firstly, Teresa Savoy, who plays Caligula's sister Drusilla who is the object of her brother's incestuous desires. Savoy is underused but from what we see of her, she's totally convincing as a voluptuous, smouldering love interest and it's easy to see why Caligula wants to marry her. Euro-action man John Steiner has a memorable turn as Caligula's bald aide, Longinus, always plotting and toadying to his master until his true colours show through at the end.

There are many memorable moments in this production - the aforementioned decapitation machine being one of them. Caligula's descent into a bleak madness is shown by scenes of him sharing a bed with a horse (!)The scene in which McDowell cavorts naked in the cold night air is very similar to a moment with Olivier in Shakespeare's King Lear, yet this is the more convincing situation thanks to McDowell's half scary/half tragic portrayal of the doomed Caligula. Without McDowell, I have a feeling that this movie would be worthless trash. With him, it's a flawed but occasionally worthwhile would-be epic.

I just feel I need to hone in on a movie that, for me, has no redeeming value. It is based on a character from history whose life evolved around the cruelest of actions. I know that for some, the squeamish don't deserve a say in anything. I am not squeamish, but when one sacrifices plot and theme for utter violence, it's hard to watch. I have gotten used to violence since the first Sam Peckinpaugh films where could see graphic dismemberment or worse. In this, it's like a trip to a slaughterhouse. I don't think we should shrink from portraying scenes when they are necessary. This one did nothing for me. Its glossiness and high tech efforts simply exacerbated its lack of a message.

Certainly Malcolm McDowall has been excellently cast as the most nefarious of ancient rulers. Whether you have read historical accounts of his life or Jay Robinson's portrayals in "The Robe" and "Demetrius and the Gladiators", or most notably John Hurt's in " I, Claudius", then you know what a mad man he was. Taking that BBC mini-series to a different level in dramatic liberties, adding various perversions into the story.

Starting from the last days of Tiberius (Peter O'Toole, much more lively than the subtle George Baker of "I, Claudius"),this tries to give the impression that Caligula didn't really start going mad until Tiberius began taunting him about being murdered by family members himself. It lacks the motivation of what Caligula was like as a child which through history made him mad from the start.

The sexual activity of the film gets boring after a while, showing straight and gay sexual acts of every kind and even having McDowall deflowering a virginal bride on the wedding night and even taking it upon himself to humiliate the groom as well. While not shocking to me, I just found it gratuitous to show that, especially after a scene where Caligula and his court pelt victims of a head chopping machine with eggs right before they get lopped off.

It's lavish to look at, much like a Fellini movie, but lacks in real artistic flair. A lengthy orgy scene with Tiberius is tried to be topped later with one when Caligula turns the senator's wives into prostitutes for his palace bordello. There are some moments where I did laugh and do double takes, but mostly, my eyes just rolled.

John Gielgud manages to save some dignity by departing after only two scenes. I couldn't even recognize a young Helen Mirren, and I didn't care enough to rewind. But the hand on the fast forward button did come in handy to get through close-ups of the groins of naked women, leading to unnecessary lesbian sex scenes. All I really wanted to see were the historical highlights. The rest of it, well, not so special, and ultimately sleep inducing.