"The Ruling Class" is a film that is sure to offend--after all, the leading man (Peter O'Toole) thinks he is Jesus! Right away, this sort of idea eliminates many potential viewers who would just be too offended to see such a film--especially with scenes where O'Toole climbs up on a giant cross in his house in order to meditate or take a nap. Additionally, the film nails the final nails in the coffin of the traditional English class system--and probably offended quite a few tradition-bound Brits as well. As for me, I was less offended (especially in its skewering of the upper class) but more bothered because the execution of the plot left a bit to be desired. Specifically, it was overlong and overly indulgent.
The film begins with the Earl of Gurney accidentally hanging himself while having a rant--during which he was wearing a tutu! Obviously, the guy was NOT in his right mind. However, his heir (O'Toole) is 100% bonkers--and thinks he's Jesus! Considering he's got a seat in the House of Lords the family thinks this is a serious problem! But they also want to have an heir and so they trick the new Earl into a marriage and a child is soon produced. Now that the heir is here, the family will either have O'Toole committed or cure him--they don't care which--they just know they can't have a loony representing the family in the House!
The film has a lot to like. I love how, for absolutely no reason, the cast members periodically break into song and dance numbers. I also like the general premise that the monarchy has long outlived its usefulness. Finally, the Butler is wonderful, as once he inherits his fortune he doesn't care one bit about propriety and tells EVERYONE exactly what he'd been hiding all those years--and delivers some very funny lines. But, I also feel irritated that such a lovely idea is, at times, squandered because the film just goes on and on and on and on. Someone really needed to look at this film and make a few judicious cuts here and there or say 'enough' when it lost momentum because scenes were just overdone or lacked comedic timing. This is especially true near the end--a portion that should have taken about ten minutes but took 40! And, frankly, the Jack the Ripper angle was handled in a very, very unfunny way--and it could have been hilarious. Overall, an interesting and compelling failure.
By the way, the Rorschach cards used by the psychiatrist in the film are two of the actual cards from this test. It's rare to see real cards in films or TV.
The film begins with the Earl of Gurney accidentally hanging himself while having a rant--during which he was wearing a tutu! Obviously, the guy was NOT in his right mind. However, his heir (O'Toole) is 100% bonkers--and thinks he's Jesus! Considering he's got a seat in the House of Lords the family thinks this is a serious problem! But they also want to have an heir and so they trick the new Earl into a marriage and a child is soon produced. Now that the heir is here, the family will either have O'Toole committed or cure him--they don't care which--they just know they can't have a loony representing the family in the House!
The film has a lot to like. I love how, for absolutely no reason, the cast members periodically break into song and dance numbers. I also like the general premise that the monarchy has long outlived its usefulness. Finally, the Butler is wonderful, as once he inherits his fortune he doesn't care one bit about propriety and tells EVERYONE exactly what he'd been hiding all those years--and delivers some very funny lines. But, I also feel irritated that such a lovely idea is, at times, squandered because the film just goes on and on and on and on. Someone really needed to look at this film and make a few judicious cuts here and there or say 'enough' when it lost momentum because scenes were just overdone or lacked comedic timing. This is especially true near the end--a portion that should have taken about ten minutes but took 40! And, frankly, the Jack the Ripper angle was handled in a very, very unfunny way--and it could have been hilarious. Overall, an interesting and compelling failure.
By the way, the Rorschach cards used by the psychiatrist in the film are two of the actual cards from this test. It's rare to see real cards in films or TV.