5.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
The seductive Messalina (Betty Roland) will stop at nothing to become the most powerful woman in Rome. Gaining the attention of the Emperor Caligula (Gino Turini), she soon finds herself at loggerheads with Agrippina (Francoise Blanchard) who has successfully plotted Caligula's downfall and is maneuvering her son Nero to become next Emperor of Rome. However Messalina is one step ahead and jumps into bed with Claudius (Vladimir Brajovic). But when Messalina becomes pregnant and it's clear that Claudius isn't the father, Agrippina seizes this as her opportunity to finally see Messalina treated as a mere slut of Rome.
Starring: Antonio Passalia, Florence Guérin, Françoise Blanchard, Raul Cabrera (I), Gino TuriniForeign | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Biography | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
History | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 CD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
While there are some epic moments on display in Caligula and Messalina, one can never quite be sure whether they were actually staged for this film or appear via "borrowed" footage from other films (probably with much more fulsome budgets) that director Bruno Mattei (somewhat comically billed pseudonymously as Vincent Dawn) simply co-opted for this effort. That may lend a certain air of hilarity to an overheated drama that nonetheless manages to offer about what you'd expect from a so-called Caligulasploitation effort, though at least in its Unrated version and maybe even arguably in its extended X-rated version this is a surprisingly chaste rendition of this part of the Caligula story (relatively speaking, at least), when compared to the other Caligulasploitation feature Severin Films has recently brought out on Blu-ray, Caligula: The Untold Story. If the title of this feature hints at a "two hander", so to speak (and no naughty sex game allusions are intended, given some of the prurient content on, um, tap), there is arguably more of a focus on Messalina (Betty Roland) than Caligula (Vladimir Brajovic). Fans of the late, great British miniseries I, Claudius will probably get a kick out of revisiting certain plot points of that now legendary production, especially since Claudius (Antonio Passalia, billed as Anthony Pass) figures into the plot dynamics of this tale as well.
Caligula and Messalina is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with AVC encoded 1080p transfers in 1.85:1. Severin touts this as the "worldwide Blu-ray premieres of the extreme Italian version and U.S. cut" and further states that both were "scanned in 2K from their original negatives". I frankly saw no really discernable differences shared between the two versions, with both showing the same overall softness (bordering on out of focus territory at times, as can perhaps be gleaned in some of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review). The palette has made it through the gauntlet of time and wear and tear relatively well, and both outdoor skies and some of the red costumes pop reasonably well, though to my eyes reds looked just slightly brownish, perhaps a sign of some fading that couldn't be remediated. Detail levels range from okay in close-ups and some midrange shots to downright fuzzy in some wider framings. There are relatively minor signs of age related wear and tear in both presentations. There is a kind of clumpy yellow grain field that's visible, but it doesn't look particularly organic and again as can perhaps be made out in the screenshots, this has a filtered appearance.
While the verbiage on the back cover of this release suggests that there are both "Italian" and "U.S." versions included on this disc, both version sport English language tracks offered in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono. Not to state the obvious, but this is another Italian production that was dubbed, and so there's almost laughter provoking mismatches between lip movements and sounds emanating from them, seemingly even with those who may have been speaking English at the time of the shoot. The entire track is relatively full bodied in terms of dialogue and especially score, but there's still a kind of boxy, thin and hollow quality pervading things. Nonetheless, all dialogue and occasional orgasmic screams are conveyed cleanly and clearly. Optional English subtitles are available.
Severin has long been the champion of obscure cult titles, and Caligula and Messalina certainly qualifies in that regard. The film is about what you'd expect from Bruno Mattei "doing" Caligula (so to speak), and while this release has some hurdles in the video department, Severin provides both a rather interesting interview and a soundtrack CD to help sweeten the deal for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.
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