The 13th Earl of Gurney, a member of the House of Lords, dies leaving his title and estate to his son Jack. Unfortunately, however, Jack appears to be unfit for the responsibility, being insane and thinking himself Jesus Christ. Some relatives intend to use this against him in order to gain the estate for themselves.
A film that seemed packed to the brim with potential. It is described as a satire on the ruling class, especially the upper classes and the UK's nobility in particular, and stars Peter O'Toole in a role that saw him get an Oscar nomination.
There are some elements of the satire but, unfortunately, any impact it has is diluted by the fact that the film is incredibly long-winded. It clocks in at over 150 minutes but could easily have been done in 100 minutes or so, such is the drifting, listless, bloated script. Just about every plot development and scene is drawn out to the max. Throw in a plot that seems largely directionless and getting through the movie is quite a slog.
There is some good humour but the jokes are few and far between, thanks, once again, to the excessive running time. There are also flickers of a direction but these themes generally don't lead anywhere or don't turn out as powerful or profound as you'd hope.
Can't fault the performance of Peter O'Toole as Jack though. He delights in playing eccentric and/or deranged characters and here he is in his element. Quite the tour de force from him.
Overall, it has its moments but overall it is a disappointing, lacklustre affair.
A film that seemed packed to the brim with potential. It is described as a satire on the ruling class, especially the upper classes and the UK's nobility in particular, and stars Peter O'Toole in a role that saw him get an Oscar nomination.
There are some elements of the satire but, unfortunately, any impact it has is diluted by the fact that the film is incredibly long-winded. It clocks in at over 150 minutes but could easily have been done in 100 minutes or so, such is the drifting, listless, bloated script. Just about every plot development and scene is drawn out to the max. Throw in a plot that seems largely directionless and getting through the movie is quite a slog.
There is some good humour but the jokes are few and far between, thanks, once again, to the excessive running time. There are also flickers of a direction but these themes generally don't lead anywhere or don't turn out as powerful or profound as you'd hope.
Can't fault the performance of Peter O'Toole as Jack though. He delights in playing eccentric and/or deranged characters and here he is in his element. Quite the tour de force from him.
Overall, it has its moments but overall it is a disappointing, lacklustre affair.