Gore Vidal: A Look Back At The Trailer For The Remake Of Caligula (VIDEO)

Famed author author, playwright and commentator Gore Vidal passed away today at the age of 86. The sharp-tongued author, known for novels such as "Burr" and "Breckinridge" and plays like "The Best Man," was a cultural giant during the 1960s and 1970s, habitually appearing on television to verbally spar with foes like Norman Mailer and William Buckley.

Known as a celebrity figure with a personality that rivaled Truman Capote, Vidal also worked on a number of screenplays, one of which became a cult classic --"Caligula." It was originally produced in 1979, but major disagreements between Vidal and the producer, Bob Guccione, led the former to distance himself from the project. But in 2005, artist and filmmaker Francesco Vezzoli sought to return the legacy of "Caligula" to its rightful owner, creating a a short film, titled "Trailer for the Remake of Gore Vidal's Caligula." In the faux-trailer, several Hollywood stars (including original "Caligula" cast members Helen Mirren and Adriana Asti and newcomers Milla Jovovich and Courtney Love) appear as characters of a campy parody of the original work. Introduced by Vidal himself, the world of "Caligula" becomes a blatant satirical interpretation of the follies of Hollywood, and a proper homage to the wit and humor of its creator.

Watch the "Trailer for the Remake of Gore Vidal's Caligula" in the video above and let us know what you think of his contribution to the art world in the comments below.