Caligula and the Fight for Artistic Freedom: The Making, Marketing and Impact of the Bob Guccione Film

Incest, explicit violence, homosexual rape—all presented in graphic clarity for general movie audiences. The fight for artistic freedom in Hollywood movies reached a boiling point when Bob Guccione combined traditional and adult filmmaking values in 1979's controversial Caligula. Guccione, the publisher of Penthouse, was passionate about taking his First Amendment battles out of the bedroom and into the courtroom.

Through his determination and four-year legal battle, the film was distribute...