''Messalina, Messalina!'', also known as ''Caligula II: Messalina, Messalina'' and ''Caligula:sins of Rome'', is a 1977 Italian

sex comedy Sex comedy, erotic comedy or more broadly sexual comedy is a genre in which comedy is motivated by sexual situations and love affairs. Although "sex comedy" is primarily a description of dramatic forms such as theatre and film, literary works such ...

and sword-and-sandal spoof.

Background

The film is not in fact a sequel nor a prequel to

Tinto Brass Giovanni "Tinto" Brass (born 26 March 1933) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. In the 1960s and 1970s, he directed many critically acclaimed avant-garde films of various genres. Today, he is mainly known for his later work in the er ...

' 1979 film ''

Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanicu ...

''. During the time that ''Caligula'' spent in post-production, the film's co-producer Franco Rossellini wanted to get usage from the $20,000,000 of sets and costumes used in ''Caligula'', fearing that the film would never be released. The sets and costumes, as noted in the film's opening credits, were those from ''

'', designed by

Danilo Donati Danilo Donati (6 April 1926 - 1 December 2001) was an Italian costume designer and production designer. He won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design twice: the first time for his work in ''Romeo and Juliet'' (1968), the second time for his w ...

and used without his consent. Anneka Di Lorenzo, who plays the title role of Messalina, had played the same role in ''Caligula''. Lori Wagner, who played Agrippina in Tinto Brass' film, also reprises her role.

Synopsis

The film begins with

Messalina Valeria Messalina (; ) was the third wife of Roman emperor Claudius. She was a paternal cousin of Emperor Nero, a second cousin of Emperor Caligula, and a great-grandniece of Emperor Augustus. A powerful and influential woman with a reputation ...

(Anneka Di Lorenzo), the wife of

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusu ...

(Vittorio Caprioli), who is now Emperor succeeding

. Most of the film revolves around Messalina's adulterous behavior, while Claudius remains blissfully unaware. Empress Messalina is having sex with every man in Rome except her husband Claudius, a traveler who has come to Rome looking for a good time, and a Roman con-man. It all ends in a comedic and gory bloodbath when Claudius comes home early and finds an orgy taking place in the palace. Claudius and his soldiers kill Messalina and all of the orgy participants.

Cast

Anneka Di Lorenzo Anneka Di Lorenzo, later Anneka Vasta (born Marjorie Lee Thoreson; September 6, 1952 – January 4, 2011) was an American exploitation film star and nude model. Life Thoreson was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. When her parents divorced in 1965, the ...

...

Vittorio Caprioli Vittorio Caprioli (15 August 1921 – 2 October 1989) was an Italian actor, film director and screenwriter. He appeared in 109 films between 1946 and 1990, mostly in French productions. Biography Caprioli was born in Naples. Having graduated fr ...

...

Giancarlo Prete Giancarlo Prete (5 February 1943 – 9 March 2001) was an Italian actor. After he worked in the cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create t ...

...

Gaius Silius Gaius Silius (died AD 24) was a Roman senator who achieved successes as a general over German barbarians following the disaster of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. For this achievement he was appointed consul in AD 13 with Lucius Munatius Planc ...

Lino Toffolo Lino Toffolo (31 December 1934 – 16 May 2016) was an Italian actor, singer-songwriter, author, and television presenter. Life and career Born in Murano (Venice), shortly after his debut he moved to Milan where he obtained his first successe ...

... Giulio Nelio, the Man from Venice *

Tomas Milian Tomas Milian (born Tomás Quintín Rodríguez-Varona Milián Salinas de la Fé y Álvarez de la Campa; 3 March 1933 – 22 March 2017) was a Cuban-born actor and singer with American and Italian citizenship, known for the emotional intensity and ...

... Baba *Lori Wagner ... Agrippina (as Lory Kay Wagner) *Raf Luca ... *

Bombolo Franco Lechner, best known as Bombolo (22 May 1931 – 21 August 1987), was an Italian character actor and comedian. Life and career Born in Rome into a humble family, a former peddler of dishes, Lechner was discovered in a tavern by Franco ...

... Zenturio Bisone *

Pino Ferrara This is a list of male actors from Italy, which generally includes those who have resided in Italy or have largely appeared in Italian film productions. This list includes all actors from :Italian male actors. Persons are listed alphabetical ...

... *

Salvatore Borghese Sal Borgese (born 5 March 1937, in Rome) is an Italian film actor. He is sometimes credited as Salvatore Borghese or Mark Trevor. He is noted for extensive work in the Italian film industry from the 1960s to present day, and for his work as a st ...

... Mevius (as Sal Borgese) *Alessandra Cardini ... Calpurnia *

Luca Sportelli Luca Sportelli (11 March 1927 - 29 August 1999) was an Italian actor who appeared in more than one hundred films from 1964 to 1991. Selected filmography References External links * 1927 births 1999 deaths Italian male film actors< ...

... *Ombretta De Carlo ... *

Marco Tulli Marco Tulli (20 November 1920 – 20 March 1982) was an Italian character actor, probably best known in the role of "Smilzo" in the Don Camillo film series. Born in Rome, Tulli debuted as actor while he was still a university student, at the end ...

... Senofonte (as Primo Marco Tulli)

Release

The film was released in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

on August 25, 1977.

Notes

External links

* 1970s sex comedy films 1970s adventure comedy films 1977 films Italian adventure comedy films Films set in ancient Rome Films set in the Roman Empire Films set in the 1st century Films shot in Italy Commedia sexy all'italiana 1970s Italian-language films Films directed by Bruno Corbucci Films scored by Guido & Maurizio De Angelis Italian parody films 1970s parody films Cultural depictions of Messalina Cultural depictions of Claudius Cultural depictions of Agrippina the Younger 1977 comedy films Films with screenplays by Mario Amendola 1970s Italian films {{erotic-comedy-film-stub