The Ruling Class (1972)

The Ruling Class (1972) – A black comedy look at the English upper class.  When the 13th Earl of Gurney dies, his title and estate pass to his son.  Who believes he is Jesus Christ.  The rest of his oh-so-proper family are appalled and will do anything to hold onto their wealth and reputations.

Directed by Peter Medak                                   Starring Peter O’Toole, Alastair Sim

Black comedy is a strange and difficult beast.  Trying to be funny about very serious issues is a thin line to walk.  Here the topics are death, power, and madness.  For the first three-quarters of the movie, “The Ruling Class” does a wonderful job.  More on the final quarter later.

O’Toole is the reason to watch, as is often the case in his movies.  The 14th Earl, Jack Alexander Tancred Gurney (but never call him Jack) has gone completely off the rails.  Wearing his hair and beard in the common image of the white Jesus, he even has a cross installed in the main hall of Gurney Manor so he can “hang” on it.  The actor gets to swing from the wildly eccentric rants of  Alan Swann in “My Favorite Year” to the high flown speeches of King Henry in “A Lion in Winter”.  The character glides between an apparent deep spiritual peace to the frantic denial of reality of mental illness.  All while walking that thin line of black comedy.

Add in Alastair Sim as Bishop Bertie Lampton, who is clearly an inspiration to Peter Cook’s Impressive Clergyman in “The Princess Bride”.  I kept waiting for Sim to break into “Mawwiage” during the wedding scene.  He is perfect as his character flutters in and out of the conversations raging all around him.

The downside of the movie is that three-quarters of the way through the comedy disappears and the black takes over.  The goal of the family is to bring the young Earl to his “right mind”.  By which they mean a conventional look and behavior.  They do, but with an outcome, they did not expect.    The script insists on dragging the audience through a long examination of those mistakes that is uncomfortable, out of sync with the rest of the movie, and rather dull really.  Two hours and thirty-four minutes is way too long for the story. Tightening the end and cutting the run time by 30-45 minutes would have improved the movie immensely.

The first three-quarters are just wonderful.

Why You Will Like It: Peter O’Toole is having a fine old time playing a completely deranged character.  For most of the movie, you will have a great time hanging on for the ride.

Rating: *** Worth A Look