CALIGULA: Banned on DVD

July 25, 2010

Yet again, the Australian censors have banned CALIGULA. 

Via Vision Entertainment have just had a 930 minute extras-packed DVD Refused Classification.

This was presumably the uncut version that contains hardcore sex scenes. 

 In the early days of the X18+, it was possible for a film such as CALIGULA to hold such a rating even though it contained hardcore sex and violence. The guidelines for X18+ were eventually tightened so that there is now zero violence allowed. However, since the ROMANCE controversy in 2000, actual sex is allowed in the R18+ category. Obviously, the Classification Board still does not consider the uncut CALIGULA "serious" enough for such a rating.

CALIGULA: A History of Censorship

CALIGULA was first Refused Classification in March 1980 in a print running 4250.2 meters (155:21). The reason given for the ban was sex and violence, which were described as:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous

Roadshow eventually had a 4073.5 (148:53) modified version granted an R-rating in March 1981. The Film Censorship Board awarded the rating with the following statement attached:

Registered subject to the special condition that all advertising clearly indicates that this film is a "modified version".

In May 1981, Roadshow appealed to the Review Board to look again at the Censorship Board's decision. They were obviously not objecting to the R-rating, so we can only assume that it was the special condition that was the problem. Telling the public the truth that it was censored was not going to be good for business. As it turned out the review failed and the film was released theatrically with the warning attached.

Uncut and cut video releases

Roadshow Home Video were the first to release CALIGULA on tape. The print ran 143:19, and was the same as the Theatrical Version, with the cover having the same "modified version" warning. Thanks to Stephen F for the cover scan.

Roadshow released it a second time with a cover that was made to look like mock red velvet. Thanks to Dan for the cover scan. This particular CALIGULA tape is very rare.

In May 1984, Palace Home Video received an X-rating for a 143m tape. It was accompanied by the warning that the film contained sex and violence that was:
Frequency: Infrequent
Explicitness/Intensity: High
Purpose: Gratuitous

The X-rating had only been introduced four months earlier and there was a brief period where it was considered not just for sex films, but also for material that was too extreme for the R-rating. During this time, violence could exist in the X18+ category, and films such as CALIGULA, FANTASM, FANTASM COMES AGAIN, JUNGLE WARRIORS, PINK FLAMINGOS, LA BETE, and ROSEMARY'S KILLER were awarded this rating. The guidelines were swiftly tightened up to remove violence, though pro-censorship groups will try to tell you otherwise. 

Also in May 1984 (the week after the above rating) Pakenham Video Library were awarded an R-rating for a version that also ran 143m. It was accompanied by the warning that the film contained sex and violence that was:
Frequency: Frequent
Explicitness/Intensity: Medium
Purpose: Gratuitous
It is unclear why in the space of a week one version was awarded an X-rating, whilst the other received an R.

In February 1984, it became law for all video tapes to be classified. The censors began the slow task of reviewing all the titles that had been released up until that time. They finally got to the original Roadshow release of CALIGULA in September 1984 and confirmed the 143:19 print with an R-rating.

January 1985 again saw the film rated X. Once more the applicant was Palace Home Video, though the running time was now an uncut 156m (v).  Thanks to Sarge for providing a cover scan and a running time of this very rare and collectable release. The label was called Palace X Video, and it ran 155:53. The cover states:

Finally-the UNCUT version of Caligula, the most expensive and explicit multi-million dollar "X" certificate film in cinema history.

October 1985 saw the NSW and Queensland Police both receive X-ratings for the 156m (Palace X Video?) version.

In the late 90s a cheap No Name label VHS was released. However, at 141:09 the runtime was even shorter, and the film was followed by the Vestron Video logo. This would seem to indicate that this version was a copy of a U.S. tape.

Censored DVD releases

The film was rated again by the OFLC on December 14th 2004 when Warner Vision were awarded an R18+ (Nudity, Sexual References, Adult Themes) rating for a DVD version. It made its Australian DVD debut in March 2005 as CALIGULA: 20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION (only 5 years late, but never mind) with a running time of only 101:40 (NTSC). The only extra are some Filmographies.

A second DVD release appeared around 2008 and was put out by a cheap No Name label. The cover has the new R18+ film rating logo, but no consumer advice. It claims to run 102m, but this needs to be confirmed.

Banned again!

In April 2003, the Victorian Police submitted to the OFLC a 123m (v) VHS tape that contained dupes of BAISE-MOI, and A DOCUMENTARY ON THE MAKING OF GORE VIDAL'S CALIGULA (contained on the U.S. Image DVD). Although the tape was Refused Classification, it is hard to judge how much (if at all) this was due to the documentary. The fact that it contained BAISE-MOI would have been enough to see the tape banned.

In November 2005, the film was once more Refused Classification. Again, the DVD is described as CALIGULA: 20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION. The applicant was the ACT Office of Fair Trading.  It is legal to sell or rent X18+ films in the ACT, and Adult stores generally follow the rules. If they do not then they get a visit from the ACT Office of Fair Trading, which looks like what happened in this case.

It should be noted that in all the other States it is illegal to sell or rent hardcore, though it is perfectly legal to purchase them by mail-order from the ACT or NT. The truth is that most States generally turn a blind eye to stores stocking hardcore. Therefore we have the current bizarre situation where X18+ is legal and strictly policed in the ACT and NT. While in the States, it is illegal, but films that go beyond X18+ are easily available. If the ACT Office of Fair Trading were to raid a store in Sydney or Melbourne then an uncut copy of CALIGULA is going to be one of the tamest films they would find. 

The DVD taken by the ACT Office of Fair Trading is obviously the 'Unrated Version' and not the 'R Rated Version' passed in December 2004. 

July 25, 2010
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