“Caligula is an apt example of how the sexual revolution of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s exhausted its creative potential, and its welcome in mainstream cinema, by the end of the decadent ‘Me Decade.’ The film’s initial promise of depicting the depravity of ancient Rome with artistic integrity and historical accuracy was undone by the whims of a powerfulman [Penthouse publisher and film financier Bob Guccioni] who – like the film’s self-serving and delusional main character – squandered the good will of an empire, namely the moviegoing public. By the time Caligula hit theaters, filmgoers had discovered the advantages of home video and discreet viewing pleasure in time for a wave of new conservatism, at least in the United States, which had long been a major market for European sexploitation films.” – from Chapter 3: Sexploitation Serenade of Kristopher Spencer’s Film and Television Scores, 1950-1979
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