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Thank you Madonna! I may not see your version of "Swept Away", but you certainly helped me locate a classic. I saw the original Italian version of "Swept Away" on late night TV when I was about 16 (1980). In later years, I remembered this excellent film about class struggle, ship-wrecks, and battle of the sexes. I knew it was Italian, but no one I asked seemed to know what the damn thing was called....until last week. I saw a commercial for the new Madonna film, and even before the commercial was done, I knew it was a shoddy remake of that classic 1974 Italian film I loved so much. The original film really reminded me of "Lord of the Flies" (But sexier!), in the aspect that on the Island all the rules changed and they were in their own environment. I always remember how the class structure returns as soon as they are rescued at the end of the movie. The original "Swept Away" is a classic, and thanks to Madonna I can now rent it!

First off, "Messalina, Empress of Rome", is not the original title of this movie, and neither is "Caligula, the sins of Rome". These are both titles given to the original 1977 movie, "Messalina! Messalina!". It was re-titled for the video market in 1991 and 1994. The very cool thing about this movie is that it features almost all the sets and props used in the 1980 Classic, "Caligula". Caligula was actually shot in 1976, but because of various lawsuits, wasn't released until February 1980. The Co-Producer of Caligula, Franco Rossellini, decided in early 1977 to use the sets and props left-over from Caligula and shoot a quickie. He cast 2 actresses from Caligula, Anneka di Lorenzo and Lori Wagner, for the new movie, and then brought in a whole new crew to help out. It's true this movie isn't the best, it's dubbed from the Italian, it's grainy, but it is definatley a fun watch. There are some very funny scenes, some nice boobies, and a bit of a story to keep things interesting. You really get to see the Caligula sets, designed by Danilo Donati, much better than in Caligula, and that in itself is worth the price of admission. For more info, check out the official Caligula fan site, listed on this page! Cheers!