Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		2.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		2.0

Caligula and Messalina Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 1, 2022

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.

Now anyone who has actually seen Caligula and Messalina may be wondering how I could possibly call this outing "chaste", even if it is qualified with that all important "relatively", since there is admittedly quite a bit of full nudity and supposed coupling going on. But for anyone who has seen either the Tinto Brass Caligula or the Joe D'Amato Caligula: The Untold Story linked to above, may find this a peculiarly talky vehicle, sometimes even during the ostensible sex scenes. That may again give the proceedings a somewhat comic air, since one of the underlying plot conceits is that Messalina will bed absolutely anyone she feels may give her a shot at power.

Despite a somewhat florid (or at least verbose) screenplay, Caligula and Messalina never seems to want to even pretend it has the ostensible literary pretensions of either the Brass Caligula, which famously had the perceived imprimatur of Gore Vidal, or in fact even the Joe D'Amato Caligula: The Untold Story, which, in its Italian language version at least, aims for a little poetry. Instead there are a series of vignettes documenting Messalina's rise to the top, which may be thought of as the Ancient Roman equivalent of Barbara Stanwyck's arc in Baby Face, and that is of course kind of a double joke not only with regard to the patent differences between the two films, but also by the fact that Stanwyck's character actually comes off as surprisingly likable despite her penchant for bedding anyone she thinks can advance her career. Any likability factor with regard to any of the major characters in this film can probably be written off pretty much from the get go.

While both of the so-called Caligulasploitation features put out simulataneously by Severin Films probably can't escape their Eurotrash underpinnings, Caligula and Messalina probably has less narrative thrust (no pun intended) than Caligula: The Untold Story, despite the seemingly fertile territory of a quasi ménage à trois (in more ways than one, actually) between, Caligula, Messalina and Agrippina (Françoise Blanchard), but the film seems more concerned with offering fumbling, groping "sex" scenes instead of trying to offer any real story.

Caligula and Messalina Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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.

Caligula and Messalina Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

Caligula and Messalina Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Unrated Cut (1:34:51) and Extended X-Rated Cut (1:41:07) are accessible via the Main Menu.


• Caligula: The Life Behind the Legend (HD; 37:34) is a rather interesting interview with Anthony A. Barrett, author of Caligula: The Corruption of Power. This was conducted via Zoom because of the pandemic and comes with a quality warning, though there's nothing too horrible on tap.


• Trailer (HD; 3:40)


• Soundtrack CD is included which features Giacomo Dell'Orso's score. Considering what a lowbrow effort the overall film is, there's some surprisingly well done music on this disc, with several versions of the Love Theme offered.

Caligula and Messalina Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.