Let them hate me, so long as they fear me.

• Genre: Comedy/Drama/History/Short
• Role: Druscilla
• Director: Francesco Vezzoli
• Selected Cast: Helen Mirren, Karen Black, Gerard Butler, Justine Bateman, Adriana Asti, Benicio Del Toro, Courtney Love, Tasha Tilberg, Gore Vidal
• Production Company: Needlework Pictures
• U.S. Release Date: March 2 2006 (festival release)

Screenwriter Gore Vidal provides an introductory message to this faux trailer for a remake of the 1979 controversial Caligula, which in its time caused an upraw for its explicit violence and hardcore sexual content, indeed to such an extent that many of the cast and crew of the film, including Vidal himself, quickly disowned it upon its release. The trailer revolves around the decadent life of the third Roman Emperor Caligula (Courtney Love/Francesco Vezzoli), who was famous for his instability, erratic behavior and hedonistic lifestyle, and for e.g. appointing his horse a senator as well as for forcing senators’ wives to indulge in prostitution. He was also known for his incestuous relationship with his sister, Druscilla (Milla Jovovich).

Milla Jovovich portrays Druscilla, Caligula’s favorite of his three sisters with whom he pursued an active, sexual relationship. Introduced by her brother into A world of decadence, the depraved Druscilla has become accustom to his cruelty and perverted ways, and is mortified at her brother’s decision not to marry her.

“Caligula!”

“I thought you didnt like virgins.”

“You don’t want me to be your wife, do you? You’re vile!”

• Although the film is only a spoof of the 1979 Caligula, it has been filmed in a trailer-like fashion, including a tagline and introducing the actors and their respective roles.

• The film was made especially for the 2005 Venice Film Festival.

• The trailer pokes fun at the original 1979 Caligula, which upon its release caused a worldwide uproar over its explicit sexual content and violence. The faux trailer contains similar hardcore sex sequences.

• Academy Award-winning actress Helen Mirren, portraying Tiberia in the faux trailer, was also part of the cast of the original Caligula in 1979, then portraying Empress Caesonia. She was the only one of the original cast to appear in the faux remake trailer.

• The costumes used in the film were designed by noted fashion designer and icon Donatella Versace.

• Some of the roles in the film are reversed in terms of gender, where female actresses would portray male characters and vice versa. E.g. singer Courtney Love portrays the title role of Caligula.

As the film never received a theatrical release, with it being merely a short film/spoof trailer, there are no professional reviews available. However, based on the film’s IMDb page, the reception for the film has been mixed, but largely positive. Opinions range from one extreme to the other; while some appreciate Vezzoli’s satiric, modernizing take on the original Caligula, others find the film outrageous, tasteless and needless in its sexual content.

Extracts from IMDb user reviews:

“I found it funny, stylish, and fun to look at. Very over the top in costumes and sex acts performed. The movie also contains the appropriate super dramatic, almost soap opera-ish delivery from the actors–mostly just repeating Caligula’s name. They all do it with style and panache. Many of them convey a lot with the one word–censure, disapproval, arousal. The casting of older women, in particular, caught my attention. They all–even in over done make up–look great. Helen Mirren looks particularly fetching in her costume.” - katherine-g

“Not only has Vezzoli hired actors and actresses who are colourful within themselves, such as Milla Jolovich (an international supermodel), but he has pushed the boat out by acquiring the assistance of Donatella Versace, who designed the costumes for Courtney Love, Milla Jovovich, Benicio Del Toro and Helen Mirren for the trailer. Vezzoli manages to sustain that sense of vulgarity in his hypothetical remake of what is one of the most controversial films of the last 30 years, by casting two very bombastic and sexy actresses, Courtney Love and Milla Jovovich. Both actresses seem pretty suited to their roles, simply because they play a star as a professional (Dyer). But, Jovovich gives an outstanding performance, as her previous ‘nutty’ roles seem to have perfected at last and with this role she embodies it naturally.” - Matt Hepburn

“The short itself seems to be pretty much tongue in cheek. Unlike some critics, I don’t see what this could possibly impart in terms of understanding the phenomena of “epic” film making. The combination of the fundamentally absurd - the over the top acting, the odd costuming which was purposefully designed to be modern, and the ham-fisted acting from everybody involved - and the very appropriate and more or less authentic perversion and basic depravity only highlights that fine line that most epic films walk. And even when such things that are offensive to contemporary senses of morality are appropriate, there is still the danger of playing into them so hard that they overwhelm everything else about a film (or any other work of art). I think that this is more enlightening about what a terrible job Tinto Brass did of balancing these ideas in the original Caligula, as opposed to a study of epic films in general.” - Yaguy Tajima

Personal Thoughts

I’m not sure what I expected when I initially watched the trailer, but not having seen the original, I was surprised at the nigh vulgar sex scenes and other absurdity. On the other hand, I would think you would need to have seen the original Caligula in order to fully appreciate the zaniness of the scenes and the irony they contain. Was Vezzoli’s faux remake trailer an interesting approach to the original? Certainly, but whether that’s a compliment or not is another matter.

With Milla’s portrayal of Druscilla being so brief, it is difficult to describe it. It is an intense portrayal of a powerful, passionate but depraved woman who is despite all, under the thumb of her wretched brother whom she desperately loves even though she receives little in return.

Below are some Trailer for a Remake of Gore Vidal’s Caligula related links that may be of interest to you.

• Faux Caligula Remake Trailer official site
• Faux Caligula Remake Trailer TFL-approved fanlisting
• Faux Caligula Remake Trailer TFL-approved Druscilla character fanlisting
• Faux Caligula Remake Trailer at IMDb.com
• Faux Caligula Remake Trailer at RottenTomatoes.com
• Faux Caligula Remake Trailer at Wikipedia.org

• Francesco Vezzoli at IMDb.com
• Francesco Vezzoli at Wikipedia.org

• Courtney Love at Sugar Heart
• Helen Mirren at The Helen Mirren Appreciation Society
• Gerard Butler at Gerard Butler Network