Gore Vidal’s Caligula 1979 : Denying the Author
Abstract
Gore Vidal’s involvement with and subsequent disownment of the film Caligula 1979 is well known. Produced in Italy and financed by Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione; it started as an ostensibly serious biopic of the infamous Roman emperor, scripted by Vidal, but ended up as a lurid blend of graphic violence and explicit sex. The focus of this article is not on Caligula itself, but an accompanying documentary, made at the time of the film’s production with Vidal’s participation. The prosaic title A Documentary on the Making of Gore Vidal’s Caligula 1981 is notable for apparently granting Vidal authorial ownership of the film. However, the content of the documentary, supervised by Guccione, subverts and questions this authorship, ultimately denying both Vidal’s entitlement to this position and the validity of the concept itself.
References
- Akbar, Arifa. “Caligula uncut: Guccione’s x-rated DVD goes on sale.” The Independent (London) 26 Aug. 2008. Web. 3 Jan. 2012.
- Baker, Susan, and Curtis S. Gibson. Gore Vidal: A Critical Companion. Westport, Connecticut and London: Greenwood Press, 1997. Print.
- Ben Hur. Dir. William Wyler. Perf. Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd, Jack Hawkins. MGM, 1959. Film.
- Boozer, Jack (ed.). Authorship in Film Adaptation. Austin: U. of Texas Press, 2008. Print.
- Caligula. Dir. Tinto Brass, Bob Guccione and Giancarlo Lui. Perf. Malcolm McDowell, John Gielgud, Helen Mirren. Penthouse Films International/Felix Cinematografica, 1979. Film.
- Canby, Vincent. “Film: Malcolm McDowell in Bob Guccione’s ‘Caligula.’” New York Times 2 Feb. 1980: 9. Print.
- Caughie, John, ed. Theories of Authorship. London, Boston and Henley: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1981. Print.
- Cleopatra. Dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Perf. Rex Harrison, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton. Twentieth Century-Fox, 1963. Film.
- Cook, Pam, ed. The Cinema Book. 3rd ed. London: BFI, 2007. Print.
- A Documentary on the Making of Gore Vidal’s Caligula. Dir. Giancarlo Lui. Cinemedia West Corporation, 1981. Film.