The Ruling Class (1972) User Reviews

One of the best black comedies ever to come out of Britain... a side-splitting indictment of their class system.

[lbo3410 · 8/10 · 20 August 2003]

British `dark comedy' was possibly as its zenith with this rich Peter O'Toole offering by director Peter Medak. O'Toole is Jack Gurney, the youngest and `somewhat eccentric' heir to the House of Gurney. He suddenly finds himself being forced by his late father's will into taking up his role in British society - assuming the family seat in the House of Lords. The biggest problem is not that the late Earl of Gurney has just accidentally hung himself wearing a cocked hat and a ballet skirt, or that Jack has just released himself from `hospital' where the doctors were treating his `nerves.' No the biggest problem is that, on a good day, the new 14th Earl of Gurney thinks he's Jesus Christ and, on a bad day, he thinks he's Jack the Ripper!

And if that mix of the macabre doesn't make you chuckle, try this unexpected twist. At several poignant moments throughout the film, the cast will suddenly break from straight-faced dialogue into a full-blown, song and dance numbers, some of which would make Busby Berkley proud. In one case, the tune of `Connect 'dem Bones' is ushered up to punctuate a scene with O'Toole lecturing the local gentry about the need for capital punishment. Herein lies one of the big reasons why this film is so off-the-wall and refreshingly funny.

For my money, this is one of the most original, thought-provoking and honest critiques of the British class system ever to be put on film. O'Toole is simply mesmerizing as he juggles Jack's multiple personalities, the funniest of which is Christ or, as he prefers it, `J.C.' It's hysterical to watch the cumulative effect of J.C.'s `touched' outlook on the members in his stuffy, conspiring family who are out to get Jack committed permanently.

A true `Must See Film' for anyone who enjoys a juicy, sardonic, intelligent black comedy, especially when the topic focuses on the silly pomposity of the British upper classes.

A Fabulous, Frenzied Farce

[reelreviewsandrecommendations · 8/10 · 27 October 2022]

After the 13th Earl of Gurney succumbs to a fatal autoerotic asphyxiation incident, his mentally unbalanced son Jack inherits his position in the aristocracy. Jack, believing himself to be Jesus Christ incarnate, pledges to use his family's wealth and influence for the good of mankind. His philanthropic ideals displease his relatives, who plot to oust Jack from the estate so they can continue to enjoy the quality of life to which they'd grown accustomed. For everyone involved, however, things will get increasingly complex, as Jack's unhinged psyche is near breaking point; and his family's machinations may just push him over the edge.

Based on Peter Barnes' play of the same name, 'The Ruling Class' is a wildly amusing, madcap movie. Directed by Peter Medak- and with a screenplay from Barnes himself- the film shows us a comedic portrait of a man fully enveloped by madness, while skewering the British class system in a sharp, entertaining way.

Combining broad comedy with barbed, witty dialogue- as well as a dose of gallows humor- the film is sure to make you laugh. In the latter half, there is a tonal shift, and 'The Ruling Class' gets considerably darker; but is no less enjoyable. While the continued treatise on the aristocracy does seem a little one-note at times, and some of the jokes fall rather flat; the story is mostly inventive, bizarre and fiendishly humorous.

On the technical side of things, 'The Ruling Class' is a mixed bag. Ken Hodges' cinematography isn't awful per se, it's just uninspired; a little drab. There are some fantastic images in the film, but Hodges doesn't capture them with any sense of fun or style. Hodges and Medak worked together on Medak's debut feature 'Negatives,' and their collaboration on that project yielded infinitely more interesting and affecting results. Additionally, Ray Lovejoy's editing feels loose and inconsistent, with some scenes going on far too long and others feeling positively brisk in comparison; leaving the pacing erratic and irregular.

Also of issue is John Cameron's overblown score, which is exhaustingly energetic. While there are a couple of effective pieces, his arrangements are the antithesis of subtle work, and they actually rob a few scenes of power and impact. On a more positive note, Ruth Meyers' costume design is striking, with her outfits for Jack being especially notable and grand. Tim Hampton's production design is superb all round, and the locations consistently look marvelous on screen.

'The Ruling Class' boasts a cast that any fan of English movies will go cock-a-hoop over, featuring the likes of Graham Crowden, William Mervyn and Kay Walsh; all performing at the top of their games. Alastair Sim and Arthur Lowe both have small but meaty roles as an eccentric bishop and a butler, and Harry Andrews makes the most of his all too brief scene as the 13th Earl; delighting with his outrageousness. Coral Browne also impresses with her turn as Jack's aunt, a comically duplicitous wench if ever there was one.

Peter O'Toole dominates the movie, though, giving a performance of alarming intensity and boundless comedic skill. As Jack, he is insanity personified, a lunatic of monumental proportions. O'Toole brings the over-the-top role to life so naturally and effortlessly you forget he's acting, and that the man himself hasn't snapped. He carries the film, and it is hard to imagine anyone else playing the part- or, indeed, the film working had he not been cast. It is a towering performance of immense strength and depth that is genuinely unforgettable (and quite frightening, from time to time).

'The Ruling Class' is a terrific movie that combines pointed satire, broad humor and witty dialogue, with results that are sure to please. The film boasts a large cast of talented actors giving it their all, as well as a powerful central performance from Peter O'Toole that is mesmerizing, macabre and memorable. Though 'The Ruling Class' may get a little frantic in places, and the cinematography is nothing to write home about, it is always entertaining and utterly unique: a fabulous, frenzied farce.

A moving and disturbing critique of our sets of belief systems.

[bozsi · 8/10 · 14 December 2001]

The Ruling class is a disturbing commentary on the nature and necessity of our whole belief systems. It both highlights the extreme fragility of those beliefs, and takes gently mocking aim at us for our dependency on them. Viewed in that light, the film succeeds 100%. When viewed merely as a satire on the British ruling classes, of course it doesn't. It goes far deeper, becoming also an essay on our tendency to manipulate others for our own benefit: the characters' collective idiosyncrasies serve as punctuation for that essay. Brilliantly acted, often hilarious but always profoundly moving, it is a genuine classic of its kind, notwithstanding its undeniable, though relatively minor, flaws. I'd love to have it on DVD!

The insanity doesn't matter... but proper behavior does.

[roarshock · 3 July 2000]

Peter O'Toole has often played characters who are obsessed and even a bit mad. But in The Ruling Class he is utterly over the top crazy, and it's a bit disquieting how naturally he slips into the role. Yet this is a comedy, a wonderfully bizarre, often black comedy that deals with acceptable and unacceptable behavior -- insanity, and morality, being irrelevant. It's characters mostly belong the English elite, but they simply stand in for all those whose power and prestige demand that appearances be kept up. So this isn't a film for everyone. And some may not like the way it swings from the very flippant to the very dark. It requires a wide range of humor to enjoy it all. Unfortunately, I hear that enjoying it all may be impossible. It seems that all home versions are cut several minutes from the theatrical release, sometimes much more. The longest length available is apparently 141 minutes, so that is the one to get.

Best British film EVER

[meryles · 10/10 · 4 December 2002]

This movie has EVERYTHING!!!!! I'm serious. Does it have musical numbers? Yes, it does. Beautiful costumes, fabulous sets, serial killers, witty dialogue, burlesque striptease, opera and aristocracy, romance and insanity, jealousy and drama, comedy and theology? Yes, yes, yes!!! Oh, why couldn't there be more films like this? In a way, it reminded me of "The Ninth Configuration" although that movie lacked humor. Peter O'Toole is just gorgeous, as well. My father (psychiatrist) says that this film is just about the only accurate film representation he's seen of MANIA, but when i asked him about it, he didn't recall the musical numbers. So i suppose it's got something for everyone. I could write about THE RULING CLASS for hours and hours and compare it to everything in the entire world but i don't want to give anything away. This is an absolute MUST-SEE for anyone with an interest in film, England, mental disorders, or dancing the Varsity Rag.

O'Toole majestic, great cast, but it starts to draaaaaag...

[joachimokeefe · 7/10 · 21 December 2013]

'Kind Hearts and Coronets' meets 'If...'.

Peter O'Toole gives a masterclass as a well-depicted paranoid schizophrenic who thinks he's God, inherits an Earldom and is 'cured' by the superb Michael Bryant's psychiatrist, only to become Jack the Ripper in the House of Lords.

The anti-establishment message is battered home with a 15lb sledgehammer, but the cast of English (and most of the Scottish) movie stalwarts at least have a good time. Partly stagey, partly like avant-garde television of the time, and partly 'Gosford Park', TRC is not to be watched for anything other than to see actors having a terrific romp.

No story, no meaningful social/religious/moral comment, just great actors (and crew) doing a great job with a somewhat ropey playscript. Special mentions for Carolyn Seymour, Michael Bryant, Arthur Lowe, Nigel Green and of course Alastair Sim wiping the floor with the lot of them. Oh, and the quintessential James Villiers idiotic toff performance.

Jesus Christ or Jack the Ripper? Or Just Peter O'Toole?

[evanston_dad · 9/10 · 21 May 2007]

No other actor has had a career filled with more idiosyncratic roles than Peter O'Toole, and his role in "The Ruling Class" is perhaps the most idiosyncratic of them all.

O'Toole plays the heir to a British House of Lords who dies accidentally (and bizarrely), leaving his family to hash out the estate. The family is much disturbed by the fact that O'Toole is the heir -- understandably so, since he believes that he's Jesus Christ. Much wackiness ensues, until O'Toole has a change of perspective and decides that instead of Christ, he's Jack the Ripper. More wackiness ensues, the film gets darker and darker in that way that only British films can, and the whole thing may leave you scratching your head but will no doubt also leave you gloriously entertained.

For O'Toole fans, this is a chance to see him single-handedly carry a delirious mess of a movie on his shoulders, and make a rousing success out of it. Much of it doesn't make a lot of sense, but it's all a hoot, especially the impromptu musical numbers peppered throughout the film. There's some scathing satire aimed at the British class system, but it's nothing you haven't seen before, and the whole film has the feeling of being the pet project of an undisciplined director. But I highly recommend this, because you've never seen anything quite like it, and it's a chance to see one of our generation's greatest actors strutting his stuff like the pro that he is.

Grade: A

Not a bad premise, but it's overly long and rather indulgent.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 24 February 2011]

"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.

Outrageous, flawed masterpiece. O'Toole is unforgettable.

[Lupercali · 8/10 · 25 December 2004]

'The Ruling Class', released in 1972, is a farce on the British aristocracy, and (at least from this distance), you have to wonder if it is much less relevant today than when it was made. There is still a House of Lords, and it has taken the intervening 32 years to have fox-hunting almost banned.

Briefly, the Earl of Guerney dies in a ridiculously fetishistic manner, and leaves his estate to his son, Jack, much to the outrage of his family, since Jack has been a voluntary mental patient for the past 8 years. A plan is hatched to marry him off, get a mail heir, and then through diverse intrigues, gain possession of the estate.

Unfortunately Jack books himself out and shows up. Jack, who believes himself to be God, is played by Peter O'Toole, resplendent in Jesus hairdo and varying hilariously between Biblical sounding pronouncements and schizophrenic word-salad nonsense. Generally he is entirely manic, except when he is sleeping on the huge wooden cross, in full view of anyone who walks into the manor.

This was made two or three years before O'Toole literally almost drank himself to death, and one gets the feeling that they didn't so much write this part for him as set him loose on the set and tell him 'Be yourself'. This isn't meant as an insult. O'Toole is utterly magnetic, whether making Shakespearean pronouncements, running madly about, or as his even more insane incarnation as Jack the Ripper after he is 'cured'.

The film lurches from hilarious satire to very dark humour, containing scenes which are genuinely alarming if not outright terrifying (again, mostly thanks to O'Toole). Other standouts include Arthur Lowe as the long-suffering Communist butler, and Alistair Sim as a hilariously doddering bishop.

The film itself is all over the shop. Even at the most unexpected moments, the cast is likely to suddenly break out into a musical number. Another schizophrenic patient is wheeled in who proclaims himself to be the 'High-Voltage God', and who can shoot 10 million volts from his fingertips (whether the lightning bolts crackling from his fingers are imaginary or real, who knows?). It can lurch from lunacy like this to genuinely chilling scenes including brutal violence and murder. Generally speaking the second half of the film, after Jack's 'cure' is much darker.

The flaws? Well, I think the second half is definitely unnecessary long. My VHS copy is 156 minutes, and if the current version is 141 minutes, that could be an improvement, if they carved some of the later scenes out. Basically it out-stays its welcome a little. Having made its point, it rather harps on it.

All the same, there is nothing really like this in British cinema (except perhaps the even more obscure, and even more mad, but rather less scalding 'Sir Henry at Rawlinson End'). The cast is uniformly terrific, some of the dialogue is priceless, and it has some of the funniest scenes from 70's British cinema. You do need to be able to roll along with the changing mood of the film though, because what for the most part is a hilarious satire develops into a very, very black comedy.

Ecce Homo!

[Gordon-M · 6/10 · 19 November 2006]

There is no denying it: Peter Medak's film of Peter Barnes', The Ruling Class was, and still is, as highly unique film in every regard and it never shirks its controversial pathway, all the way to its truly unexpected and mortifying conclusion.

The critic, Ian Christie's concise essay is right on the money about the context of the film: "... beneath the veneer of modernization , very little had changed in Britain." And this is something that I doubt many American critics or audiences of the time - or even now - understood, at least to any deep degree. The so-called, "Swinging Sixties", much like all 'revolutions' didn't alter the political paradigm or power structures in Britain - it was all illusion. Grinding poverty remained throughout the 60s, 70s, 80s, in which we saw recession, deunionization, significant unemployment, a meaningless war on an island near the Antarctic and all the while the idols remained strong, nary a crack appearing, whilst the masses diverted their attention to a flimsy pop culture, fashions and New Age gobblydegook and ultimately the atomization of Society, and it was even being articulated bluntly and shockingly by the PM, Margaret Thatcher: "There is no such thing as 'Society'." But all the while, the ruling class has remained, though they have had to camouflage themselves in various colours over the last 40 years - with one of the few unabashed public rituals remaining: the Fox Hunt, which continues to causes hysterical incredulity in an age of terrorism, health service meltdown and possible apartheid between secular anglo-saxons and Muslims. Earlier in the 70s, there was a film called, "The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer" by Peter Cook, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Kevin Billington and the in that film, we have in Peter Cook's Michael Rimmer - Tony Blair, it's uncanny. Normally, socio-political films for before the 90s - British films - date very badly, but there have been a few that haven't and "The Ruling Class" is one of them, but it has such an oddball aesthetic and attitude that it never really remained in peoples' minds as such.

"The Ruling Class" has an energy and personality all of its own and it is a shame that it isn't appreciated as much as it deserves to be. Yes, it is probably too long, but it barrels along beautifully and the second viewing is incredibly satisfying. It was a film that for many, broke too many rules in its day and even now when comparing it to other films of that period, it stands out as a black sheep, though the following year, we saw Lindsay Anderson's, "O, Lucky Man!" and Ken Russell was just getting into his stride. O'Toole's performance is electrifying and truly unforgettable and to think that he wasn't paid a penny for the role. He truly deserved to win the Oscar, but "The Godfather" was a huge smash and Brando was on a comeback, while "The Ruling Class" was for all intents and purposes, an unknown movie to Americans in 1972-73. A shame.

"How do you know you're God?" ... "I found that in prayer I was talking to myself."

[moonspinner55 · 4/10 · 11 July 2010]

Gross-humored, frequently tasteless satire is rather like Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove" transplanted to England's House of Lords--and then played at the wrong speed. After the Earl of Gurney accidentally kills himself during one of his fetish games, the 14th Earl--son Jack--is groomed to accept the crown. Mad Jack, who believes himself to be Christ, then undergoes a mental transformation on the night of his son's birth and self-metamorphoses into Jack the Ripper. Screenwriter Peter Barnes, adapting his play, doesn't have much of a story to tell here; his script is basically a dartboard for the one-liners (some of which are very funny and are a compensation). Barnes' material is aimed at upper-crust audiences, the "hip" intelligentsia who like to label such efforts as "savage'. The cast is game, and director Peter Medak knows what he's doing, yet these nutty fantasies are merely clotheslines for Barnes to hang his maddening soliloquies on. Peter O'Toole (with cartoony strawberry-blond hair) has some terrific moments early on--particularly in the musical send-ups--but he later begins to bellow and rarely stops. ** from ****

An Excellent dark comedy with biting social commentary.

[Deb. · 10/10 · 24 October 1999]

This is an excellent movie, but don't watch it expecting it to be purely a dark comedy. There is a lot of humor in it--often very bizarre humor--but it is primarily a very powerful statement about what can happen when, for the sake of social acceptability, a human mind is forced into a mold that doesn't fit. In my opinion, the British ruling class was chosen to illustrate this point only because they do have very rigid rules about what kind of behavior is socially acceptable and what is simply "not done." It's statement about the dangers of excessive self-repression apply equally to us all.

Gurney family values.

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 3 January 2017]

I guess the best way to describe The Ruling Class is Jonathan Swift by way of Monty Python. It was one of 8 trips to the Best Actor Oscar that Peter O'Toole took without first prize.

Two phrases come to mind when viewing this film. One is from Philip Barry when he wrote in The Philadelphia Story about those privileged classes enjoying their privileges. The other one is how it depends how rich one is to be deemed eccentric as opposed to crazy.

The stern and righteous Earl Of Gurney Harry Andrews who is a most conservative gentleman in his public image dies one night. But what a way to go. Apparently the man had the decency to keep his vices in private. He enjoyed erotic asphyxiation wearing a tutu. But accidents will happen and the estate now devolves upon his son Peter O'Toole who is more public with his eccentricities. He thinks of himself as Jesus Christ and has a cross built there where he spends hours a day just standing against and looking and dressing like a blond Jesus.

That's got everybody concerned, we can't have this guy in the House of Lords the rest of the family will never be able to show their faces in public again. What to do and believe me this family tries a number of formulas.

O'Toole looked like he was having one great old time in this part. I'm not sure I've ever seen any player looking like they were having so much fun in a role. A few others stand out. Coral Browne plays one of the family whose promiscuity becomes more and more open as well. Alastair Sim who seems to have taken a leaf from Alex Guinness's dotty vicar in Kind Hearts And Coronets. And there's Arthur Lowe who's family butler and when he gets a few in him starts spouting all kinds of Bolshevism against these idiots he deals with and who give him a living.

It was always hard luck for O'Toole at Oscar time. In 1972 he was up against Marlon Brando for The Godfather. I doubt O'Toole would have dissed the Academy and his peers by refusing the Oscar.

Think of Edward Everett Horton hawking the virtues of Happydale in Arsenic And Old Lace, think of Cecil Kellaway ready to administer the hypo to Jimmy Stewart in Harvey. Then think of Peter O'Toole in the House Of Lords.

Frightening and funny.

A quirky fantasy becomes a turgid polemic over 2.5 hours

[rch427 · 3/10 · 3 October 2011]

What a sorry mess! "The Ruling Class" begins as full of promise and with wit and an irreverent willingness to defy convention and slowly (glacially!) mutates over its 2-1/2 hour running time into a directionless screed against Britain's aristocracy.

Never willing to let the audience grasp their intentions on their own, again and again Peter Medak uses hamfisted characterizations and plot devices to convey author Peter Barnes' view that the titled in Britain are superficial, hypocritical, incestuous, calloused, categorically corrupt and evil, congenitally insane, the personification of Satan, and Jack the Ripper himself! And the members of the House of Lords? Why they're a bunch of stuffy old corpses. No, really! NO, REALLY! Every time you say to yourself "Yeah, I get it", the Two Peters reply "Oh, no you don't; not by a long shot!" and then proceed to tell you the same thing over and over and over and over and over again.

Peter O'Toole is pretty good (although led down by comically bad make-up and wigs), but O'Toole is much better elsewhere. Unless you're an O'Toole completist, save yourself 2-1/2 hours of having tabloid-level editorializing rubbed in your face.

"My name is Jack!"

[David_Frames · 9/10 · 14 March 2005]

A scathing and profoundly witty attack on Britain's social and political institutions with Peter O'Toole on his best ever form as Jack, the Son of an English Earl who inherits his Father's estate when the old man accidentally kills himself via auto-erotic asphyxiation. The only problem for Jack's relatives is that he's a paranoid Schziophrenic who thinks he's Jesus and they're quick to move for his indefinite committal when he starts to talk about the relinquishing of material possessions and tolerance toward all men. The Ruling Class is a film of two halves. The first is some of the best character comedy you'll ever see. As "JC" who wears glasses because he's cold, O'Toole commands every scene benefiting from some superbly written monologues and one liners, the standout being his pre-wedding speech on the cross and he's assisted by the creme de la creme of British character actors, Arthur Lowe a standout as the newly liberated Trokskyite Butler Tuck with a blatant contempt for his old masters. The second half however, is dark stuff indeed - jet black in fact. Apparenty 'cured' after an arranged confrontation with the AC-DC messiah, Jack dresses as a Victorian gentleman, talks about capital punishment and superior breeding and concerns no-one, the fact he believes himself to be Jack the Ripper going completely unnoticed by his peers who prime him for his climatic accession to the House of Lords. The conceit is milked for all its worth and the final scenes with a hallucinatory Jack looking at his fellow peers in the House as decayed corpses is a particularly chilling postscript to the story. Subtle? No way but its sledgehammer to the concept of patronage and privilege as a criteria for governance and influence. Like the best satire its savage, angry stuff - possibly overlong and too conscious of its theatrical origins but ultimately no less caustic or inventive for it. Class indeed.

Two Movies With The Running Length Of Three

[aimless-46 · 29 December 2009]

Back in 2001, The Criterion Collection saw fit to add "The Ruling Class" (1972) to their catalog; which means there is now a good print available in the correct aspect ratio, one that includes the entire original release running time of 154 minutes. It also means that "The Ruling Class" is now regarded in film circles as a "significant" movie. Of course almost any film student will tell you that "significant" is not necessarily synonymous with entertaining, critically acclaimed, or well-made.

So if you are considering a purchase or have just had a confused post-purchase viewing experience the following discussion may prove useful. This is a British film, one I originally watched on the BBC a few months after its release. It was neither a critical success (mixed reviews) nor a box office sensation and hitting the BBC so soon after a theatrical release back then was not much different from going direct-to-video today.

It was a counter-culture film, and much of my original enjoyment came from the obvious tweaking of certain cultural and political institutions. Much of this stuff has lost its power and appeal over the years.

It has a lot of expressionistic and allegorical elements; this sort of stuff was (and is) relatively rare in an English language film and probably accounts for much of the current cult status of the film. The black comedy aspect of these elements has held up very well and you will understand the film better and enjoy it more if you don't take it literally.

Jack, the 14th Earl of Gurney (Peter O'Toole), has recently inherited the family title and a place in the House of Lords of the British Parliament. The story actually begins with a cheerfully provocative black comedy sequence as his father, the 13th Earl (Harry Andrews), accidentally hangs himself while performing what is apparently a long-standing self-pleasuring ritual.

Jack believes himself Jesus Christ and his family believes that they can get their hands on the estate once he produces an heir. Their idea being to have him committed and then become guardians of the child. Carolyn Seymour plays his uncle's mistress who is brought in to marry Jack. Her character throws a wrench in the works by falling in love with her new husband. Other than Jack, Seymour's character is the only one that undergoes any real change during the course of the film and she sells this transformation quite nicely while also providing one of the best striptease sequences you are likely to stumble across in a mainstream movie.

As already noted the running length is 154 minutes, that's about the length of two movies and if the film were being produced today I suspect that it would be done as two separate films. Indeed it is really two stories with each having an entirely different tone. About midway through the film, the Jesus version of the 14th Earl is replaced by a Jack the Ripper version. In the process a farcical and relatively light-hearted black comedy is instantly transformed into a much darker story. Black comedy gives way to dark fantasy and hallucinations as the wheels fall off the story until a visually stunning ending.

The 1972 theme being essentially that being forced to conform to the ritualistic practices of upper class British society produces a monster. That not being able to "do your own thing" unleashes a monster on the world. Unfortunately the basic cause and effect of this whole process is glossed over and one is left wondering why the film you have been watching has been replaced with something entirely different and far less entertaining.

O'Toole underplays his two characters, don't expect a lot of Gary Oldham type excess. Jesus is more a mild narcissist than a booming holy roller. Jack (the Ripper) is much better mannered but obviously smoldering beneath his polite exterior.

The laughs mostly come from the discomfort of Jack's family and from Alastair Sim's apoplectic bishop and Authur Lowe's collectivist butler who abuses the family with a "Benson" type frankness.

There are two great musical sequences, a hunt club performance of "Dem Bones" (a homage to "The Prisoner") and the climatic scene in the House of Lords (a surreal montage of decay to the music of "Pomp and Circumstances" and "Onward, Christian Soldiers").

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

Schizophrenic. . . in a good way!

[dougmcnair · 7/10 · 20 February 2011]

This movie is sometimes brilliant, sometimes silly, sometimes surreal, sometimes tragic, sometimes wickedly satirical, and always schizophrenic (which is the whole point). It's also the only film in which Jesus Christ does the Varsity Drag. Peter O'Toole plays the paranoid schizophrenic heir to an English earldom, and as his relatives try to either cure him or commit him, what we think is being played for laughs slowly becomes something far darker.

O'Toole's performance is brilliant, bringing out this man's almost unbearable pain as he tries to hold his mind together by escaping into whatever fantasy world he can manage. Unfortunately, escaping into a world where he is God and everyone loves each other does not work for society, so his family has to snap him out of that so he can become acceptable. At its core, the film is about what kind of insanity (and what kind of god) is acceptable in upper-class British society, and it makes its points on that score very well. But unfortunately, it's far too long; there are so many supporting characters with their own subplots that it gets bogged down in many places. But if you can last through the slow parts, you'll be rewarded with some unforgettable scenes before the end. Seven stars.

Hilarious, Biting Classic

[Mitch-38 · 10/10 · 18 February 2001]

Mind blowing, superior satire on the class system in Britain, with a once in a lifetime cast (Peter O'Toole, Alastair Sim "The Zambeesi Missions", Arthur Lowe "Alexi Kronstadt...Revolutionary!", Coral Browne, William Mervyn and so forth). Cinematically, the British have long proved that no one has a better sense of humor, or is as self critical of them, than they themselves. Perhaps, as the saying goes, "It keeps the old girl honest."

This scathing comedy takes no prisoners, whether engaging in outlandish situational dialogue or performers suddenly zipping out in a song and dance routines. There are too many individual gems of dialogue to count (although a personal fave is O'Toole's talk with Mrs. Piggot-Jones and Mrs. Treadwell). The performances are delivered with just the right amount of relish and timing. A modern classic. Highly recommended.

The only film I know that had it's premier in Galway, Ireland...

[MikeR-22 · 6/10 · 8 October 1999]

The only film I know that had it's premier in Galway in the West Coast of Ireland. The movie has some good moments is a bit uneven and tries too hard to make its point.

It went over well with all the members of the Socialist Workers Party in town and it's general anti-English attitude made it a natural hit with all the locals.

Peter O'Toole was living in Galway around this time and drinking heavily on one on the local bars...

Peter O'Toole always had this very ambiguous attitude to the British. On one hand he always great in any part as an English aristocrat but on the other hand he was an Irish boy. This conflict always seems to compromise his career.

Classic British Black Comedy At It's Best......

[philspectator53 · 10/10 · 23 March 2001]

From the first time I saw the film on it's initial cinema run it has remained one of my "desert island" films.O'Toole and Sim at their truly wackiest best.The great problem these days appears being able to view an intact version of the film.Contrary to various published version's running times I seem to be in possession of a 153mins videotape version lifted from a TV print in 1981.(This beggars the question just what was the original running time).The chequered path of Avco-Embassy product falling virtually into the public domain and the ready availability of the original negative hasn't helped anybody issuing a definitive print.But if ever a film cried out for the Criterion Collection treatment and a cinema re-release in a remastered print it is this.I hope somebody does something before O'Toole & director Peter Medak are not around to contribute.(Most of the remaining cast have unfortunately left us in the intervening years).

Long but with some insanity to keep the cobwebs out. O'Toole is electric.

[secondtake · 7/10 · 12 June 2010]

The Ruling Class (1972)

This is a peculiar, long, hilarious and tedious movie, depending on your taste and probably your age. Parts of it have always made me perk up and laugh, but it works the same theme (of the exhaustion of the old British ways) to death.

Peter O'Toole lets it all hang out here, for sure, as Jesus, and as a crazed new British Lord (including a famous final section where he gives a speech to the House of Lords, which is filled with cobwebbed skeletons). It's not really supposed to be haunting or scary, but it's slightly gruesome comedy is pointed, for sure. And funny. If you don't laugh or at least give a crooked smile to the battle between two men who think they are god--O'Toole as the Jesus God and Nigel Green as an Old Testament God, and the Electric Messiah (both). It's crazy and crazed and yet what else do you expect?

Someone said it perfectly when they called it a "comedy with tragic relief." O'Toole won an Oscar for his efforts (and he played his part for free). The American version of the movie has 6 minutes missing, though probably the wrong 6 minutes. A good editing might remove an hour and have a faster and more punchy movie. Still, it is what it is, and there's nothing quite like it.

Over-indulged mess

[oOgiandujaOo_and_Eddy_Merckx · 3/10 · 2 April 2023]

The Ruling Class is a sprawling film maudit. Its success relies somewhat on the sympathies of audiences, it takes aim at the crassness of the hereditary class system in the UK. The 99% simply agree with the filmmakers, and much is therefore forgiven or overlooked. It has a main point that a schizophrenic lord's ravings are indistinguishable from various cultural narratives. Sanity is described simply as going with the flow of your class milieu. This distinctly overlong, poorly edited and over-lit movie, is divided into two halves, in the first mad Jack, Earl of Gurney, believes he is God, in the second, Jack the Ripper.

Major complaints for me are firstly that the musical numbers in the film are meritless, every single one of them, and indeed the movie does not work as a musical at all; there are also graphic scenes of animal torture (a terrified rodent is injected by a syringe, and a wire is inserted into the brain of the same); finally the movie suffers from didacticism, it tells you things rather than showing them to you.

There's a phrase from one of the Psalms, "Beatus vir, qui timet Dominum." "Happy the man, who fears the Lord". Bad Jack, lectures on the need to fear the law, and to fear God. Good Jack lectures on the need to love everyone, My take is "Happy the person, who fears themself".

50 years on and the class system is still with us though far more camouflaged.

Disturbing film often quite funny, ultimately tragic

[mlraymond · 8/10 · 29 November 2006]

This 1972 English movie was based on a 1968 stage play by a left wing playwright, and was completely misunderstood ,( and misleadingly promoted by the distributors), as a comedy ,when shown in American theatres.Partly ,this was due to a lack of historical and cultural awareness by most Americans of the old traditions of British society, and most of the satire went over the heads of the American audience.The genuinely disturbing shift in tone and action that occurs after the deluded Earl's "cure" is too jarring for most viewers ,and leaves a real sense of sadness, that the lovable lunatic who thought he was Jesus has gone for good. When I found a copy ,several years ago, of the original Peter Barnes play, and some biographies of Peter O'Toole, things began to make more sense. There are scenes and dialogue not included in the movie, which would have clarified the actions much more. Also, the anything goes, farcical musical comedy style of song and dance would have worked very well on stage. I found it quite revealing, that after O'Toole had seen the play, he wanted to make a film version ,and was told by playwright Barnes himself that Barnes didn't think it would work very well as a movie. Reading the text of the original play, I was struck by the very political and highly intellectual content, and that in fact, the play, though using elements of black comedy for effect, is, in fact, a savage, bitter attack on the English ruling class, and would have seemed shocking and in bad taste to the 1968 British public. That ferociously angry and merciless sense of disgust felt by a working class playwright toward England's upper classes is simply beyond the ability of the average American to understand. I feel therefore that the movie is ultimately unsuccessful as either satire or comedy, because the fierce political overtones simply don't come across in the film, and it's way too disturbing to work as a simple comedy, no matter how black. That said, I think the film is often quite funny, and O'Toole's performance is simply staggering. From his gentle, quietly humorous Jesus, to his cold, nasty aristocrat, he is astonishing in this challenging role. When I watched the movie again, many years after it was in theatres, I was struck by how truly vulnerable and insane the character is. It is a tribute to O'Toole's acting that he really seems like an insane person. There is something absolutely heartbreaking in his naivete and innocence during the wedding night scene, and his terrified reactions to his horrendous "cure". One feels so sorry for this poor soul, and appalled by the evil character he is transformed into, that the last part of the film becomes incredibly difficult to watch. Any movie with this powerful an effect on someone complaining about it must have something going for it! Ultimately, I find the character of poor, manipulated Jesus/Jack to be so heartrending ,that I cannot bear to see O'Toole's performance, which is perhaps the highest tribute I could pay him.

An Uneven Comedy about Keeping Up Appearances

[Eumenides_0 · 7/10 · 11 June 2009]

People who've only seen Peter O'Toole in his dramatic roles may find it hard to believe he's just as talented in comic roles. In The Ruling Class he plays Jack Gurney, the 14th Earl of Gurney, who returns home to take over the estate after his father dies in a ridiculous role-playing sex game. Trouble is, Jack's a paranoid schizophrenic who believes he's God, so his uncle tries to have him married to get a healthy heir or institutionalized for the sake of appearances. For as the movie shows, it's not the eccentric behavior that's troubling, for every character in this movie is clearly off his mind one way or the other; it's keeping up appearances in society that matters.

As it is, The Ruling Class is a sharp, ruthless and darkly funny indictment of British high society, wasteful, irresponsible, prejudiced, living in a world apart and yet presiding over the future of all citizens.

The movie is based on a play by Peter Barnes and displays the Brits' usual talent for wit, dark humor and world play. Some scenes are unforgettable gems of humor. It also has several musical episodes which disturbingly fit the mood of the movie.

However I don't think they manage to sustain the humor evenly throughout the movie, and there are some dull bits and others not as funny as they should be. With the movie clocking in at 154 minutes, it's difficult to keep the jokes great for so long. Nevertheless it's a satisfying movie with a great ending. Any movie that ends with Peter O'Toole thinking he's Jack the Ripper is clearly special and well worth watching.

Disappointing

[grantss · 5/10 · 6 May 2023]

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, than, 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.