History YMMV / Caligula

** Tiberius has what appears to be a small cemetery in his lair on Capri. While it makes for a striking Gothic image, Romans did indeed maintain lavish private mausoleums for their deceased loved ones, and the names on the urbs accurately reflect the historical Tiberius's dead relatives.

** The scene where Tiberius refers to the {{sex slave}}s in his bath as his "little fishies". Most viewers would think it's just another one of those over-the-top sexploitation scenes put in to shock audiences. In fact, the historian Suetonious wrote that Tiberius did indeed have "minnows" and they were mostly [[PaedoHunt little boys]]. So this is one case where the movie actually ''toned it down'' from the real thing.

** The scene where Tiberius refers to the sex slaves in his bath as his "little fishies". Most viewers would think it's just another one of those over-the-top sexploitation scenes put in to shock audiences. In fact, the historian Suetonious wrote that Tiberius did indeed have "minnows" and they were mostly [[PaedoHunt little boys]]. So this is one case where the movie actually ''toned it down'' from the real thing.

** At one point, Caligula muses whether semen might prevent his hair from falling out. It comes across as a weird joke in tune with the film's sexploitationy tone, but, in fact, the historical Caligula had lost most of the hair on the back of his head by this point and did experiment with various remedies to grow his hair back, including applying semen to his bald spot.

* BestKnownForTheFanservice: It's about the life of a Roman emperor...and a whole LOTTA sex going on... also, Creator/HelenMirren's breasts, in case anyone's interested. In this case, at least the sexual stuff is half of what the movie is about - the movie got funding from ''Penthouse'' magazine on the condition that things be tarted up a little.
* FanPreferredCutContent: Creator/MarkKermode believes that the best way to restore the film to Creator/GoreVidal's original vision would be to get every bit of footage from end to end and re-arrange scenes, plus take out Bob Guccione's hardcore additions.

** The scene where Tiberius refers to the sex slaves in his bath as his "little fishies". Most viewers would think it's just another one of those over the top sexploitation scenes put in to shock audiences. In fact, the historian Suetonious wrote that Tiberius did indeed have "minnows" and they were mostly [[PaedoHunt little boys]]. So this is one case where the movie actually ''toned it down'' from the real thing.
** Tiberius has what appears to be a small cemetery in his lair on Capri. While it makes for a striking gothic image, Romans did indeed maintain lavish private mausoleums for their deceased loved ones, and the names on the urbs accurately reflect the historical Tiberius' dead relatives.
** At one point, Caligula muses whether semen might prevent his hair from falling out. It comes across as a weird joke in tune with the film's sexploitationy tone, but in fact the historical Caligula had lost most of the hair on the back of his head by this point, and did experiment with various remedies to grow his hair back, including applying semen to his bald spot.

* SpecialEffectsFailure: It's pretty obvious dummies were used for the head chopping machine scene, given how unnaturally motionless the heads are.

* CompleteMonster: In the comic book by David Lapham and German Nobile, the demon who possesses [[UsefulNotes/{{Caligula}} Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus]] and rechristens himself "[[TheCaligula Caligula]]" is a psychopathic trickster who uses his new status as Emperor of Rome to fully indulge in his penchant for sadism. Caligula establishes himself as a heartless sadist when, on a whim, he leads a gang rape and massacre of an entire family of farmers, including the [[WouldHurtAChild 4 year-old son]]; he regularly commits similar atrocities. Taking great joy in forcing people to act out "plays" he himself has written, Caligula often uses said plays to force the partakers to cannibalize, rape, and murder each other, often taking part himself. Along with regularly [[VillainousIncest raping and torturing his flesh-and-blood sister]], then promising to corrupt her newborn, a product of his raping her, into evil, Caligula also personally butchers people by the dozen, arranges their bodies in "artistic" manners, then rips out their very souls, devouring them and trapping the souls in [[AndIMustScream constant agony]]. Even when seemingly beaten, Caligula {{Body Surf}}s into anyone he can, continuing to murder innocents and devour their souls in a ritual he attempts to use to drive Rome to tear itself apart, and eventually settles in the body of the young UsefulNotes/{{Nero}}, fully planning to obtain the throne once more and destroy Rome for good. Psychopathic, egomaniacal, and with his own twisted sense of "art", Caligula was as wicked as a demon could be, and took [[ForTheEvulz great joy in being as evil as possible]].

* AluminumChristmasTrees: Despite the liberal use of HollywoodHistory (see below), some of the weirder elements of the movie have a basis in history.

* BestKnownForTheFanservice: It's about the life of a Roman emperor...and a whole LOTTA sex going on...also, Creator/HelenMirren's breasts, in case anyone's interested. In this case, at least the sexual stuff is half of what the movie is about - the movie got funding from ''Penthouse'' magazine on the condition that things be tarted up a little.

* OvershadowedByControversy: The film has been a notorious subject since its release for its extremely TroubledProduction, wrought with constant tensions between Creator/GoreVidal, director Tinto Brass, and producer Bob Guccione of ''Penthouse'' (yes, that ''Penthouse'') and resulting in a {{gorn}}-laden PornWithPlot film that ended up being a GenreKiller for the "porno chic" movement of TheSeventies. Even after receiving a ReCut that removed the Guccione-shot hardcore porn scenes, making Brass' intentions of a scathing political satire more apparent, the film is only really known for its acidic production and for being what co-star Helen Mirren dubbed "an irresistible mix of art and genitals."

* BestKnownForTheFanservice: It's about the life of a Roman emperor...and a whole LOTTA sex going on...also, Creator/HelenMirren's breasts, in case anyone's interested. In this case, at least the sexual stuff is half of what the movie is about - the movie got funding from Penthouse magazine on the condition that things be tarted up a little.

* OvershadowedByControversy: The film has been a notorious subject since its release for its extremely TroubledProduction, wrought with constant tensions between Creator/GoreVidal, director Tinto Brass, and producer Bob Guccione of Penthouse (yes, that Penthouse) and resulting in a gorn-laden PornWithPlot film that ended up being a GenreKiller for the "porno chic" movement of TheSeventies. Even after receiving a ReCut that removed the Guccione-shot hardcore porn scenes, making Brass' intentions of a scathing political satire more apparent, the film is only really known for its acidic production and for being what co-star Helen Mirren dubbed "an irresistible mix of art and genitals."

* OvershadowedByControversy: Between the TroubledProduction and the graphic sex and violence, the film certainly built a bad reputation.
* UncertainAudience: By trying to be both a deep, dramatic historical film ''and'' PornWithPlot, it wound up [[AudienceAlienatingPremise very alienating instead]], as regular moviegoers didn't like how trashy and vulgar it was, and the porno crowd didn't like the melodramatic drama in between the titillating stuff.

* CompleteMonster: In the comic book by David Lapham and German Nobile, The demon who possesses [[UsefulNotes/{{Caligula}} Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus]] and rechristens himself "[[TheCaligula Caligula]]" is a psychopathic trickster who uses his new status as Emperor of Rome to fully indulge in his penchant for sadism. Caligula establishes himself as a heartless sadist when, on a whim, he leads a gang rape and massacre of an entire family of farmers, including the [[WouldHurtAChild 4 year-old son]]; he regularly commits similar atrocities. Taking great joy in forcing people to act out "plays" he himself has written, Caligula often uses said plays to force the partakers to cannibalize, rape, and murder each other, often taking part himself. Along with regularly [[VillainousIncest raping and torturing his flesh-and-blood sister]], then promising to corrupt her newborn, a product of his raping her, into evil, Caligula also personally butchers people by the dozen, arranges their bodies in "artistic" manners, then rips out their very souls, devouring them and trapping the souls in [[AndIMustScream constant agony]]. Even when seemingly beaten, Caligula {{Body Surf}}s into anyone he can, continuing to murder innocents and devour their souls in a ritual he attempts to use to drive Rome to tear itself apart, and eventually settles in the body of the young UsefulNotes/{{Nero}}, fully planning to obtain the throne once more and destroy Rome for good. Psychopathic, egomaniacal, and with his own twisted sense of "art", Caligula was as wicked as a demon could be, and took [[ForTheEvulz great joy in being as evil as possible]].

* CompleteMonster: In the comic book by David Lapham and German Nobile, [[ForTheEvulz the demon]] who [[DemonicPossession possesses]] [[UsefulNotes/{{Caligula}} Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus]] and rechristens himself "[[TheCaligula Caligula]]" is a psychopathic trickster who uses his new status as Emperor of Rome to fully indulge in his penchant for sadism. Caligula establishes himself as a heartless {{sadist}} when, on a whim, he leads a gang rape and massacre of an entire family of farmers, including the [[WouldHurtAChild 4 year-old son]]; he regularly commits similar atrocities. Taking great joy in forcing people to act out "plays" he himself has written, Caligula often uses said plays to force the partakers to cannibalize, rape, and murder each other, often taking part himself. Along with regularly [[VillainousIncest raping and torturing his flesh-and-blood sister]], then promising to corrupt her newborn, a [[ChildByRape product of his raping her]], into evil, Caligula also personally butchers people by the dozen, arranges their bodies in "artistic" manners, then rips out their very souls, devouring them and trapping the souls in [[AndIMustScream constant agony]]. Even when seemingly beaten, Caligula {{Body Surf}}s into anyone he can, continuing to murder innocents and devour their souls in a ritual he attempts to use to drive Rome to tear itself apart, and eventually settles in the body of the young UsefulNotes/{{Nero}}, fully planning to obtain the throne once more and destroy Rome for good. Psychopathic, egomaniacal, and with his own twisted sense of "art", Caligula was as wicked as a demon could be, and took [[CardCarryingVillain great joy in being as evil as possible]].

!Comic Book

! Comic Book