The Ruling Class is a 1972 film, a satire which tells the story of a paranoid schizophrenic British nobleman who inherits a lordship. Played by Peter O'Toole, the 14th Earl of Gurney at first he thinks he is Jesus and shocks his family and friends with his talk of returning to the world to bring it love and charity, not to mention his penchant for breaking out into song and dance routines and laying himself out in a crucifixion pose. His unscrupulous uncle, Sir Charles, marries him to his mistress in hopes of producing an heir and putting his nephew in an institution; the plan fails when Charles' mistress actually falls in love with Gurney. Later, after rigorous treatments, Gurney appears cured, but soon relapses into mental illness and instead believes himself to be Jack the Ripper. Now obsessed with ridding the world of "loose women," Gurney murders his wife and stepmother, while those around him believe him to be cured as his speeches in favour of capital and corporal punishment are seen as perfectly suitable to the House of Lords.
| The Ruling Class | |
|---|---|
| File:Ruling Class.jpg | |
| Directed by | Peter Medak |
| Written by | Peter Barnes |
| Produced by | Jules Buck Jack Hawkins |
| Starring | Peter O'Toole Alastair Sim Arthur Lowe Harry Andrews |
| Music by | John Cameron |
| Distributed by | AVCO Embassy Pictures |
Running time | 154 min. |
| Budget | $1.4m |
The movie was adapted by Peter Barnes from his play with few major changes. It was directed by Peter Medak. It cost around $1.4 million, with O'Toole working for free (he was instead paid a great deal for the big budget Man of La Mancha, released by the same studio later the same year). It was filmed at a sprawling estate in Harlaxton with the interiors reconstructed on sound stages.
In Britain, the released film ran some two and a half-hours. The American distributors insisted it be cut by twenty minutes.
It stars O'Toole in the lead, Alastair Sim as his uncle, an addled bishop, William Mervyn as his other uncle, the ruthless Sir Charles Gurny, Coral Browne as his wife, Harry Andrews as the 13th Earl of Gurney, Carolyn Seymour as Gurney's wife,James Villiers as his dimwitted, foppish cousin and Arthur Lowe as Gurney's Maoist butler, Tucker.
Awards/Nominations
- 1972: National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, USA - Won NBR Award (Best Actor) - Peter O'Toole
- 1972: Cannes Film Festival - Nominated for a Golden Palm - Peter Medak
- 1973: Academy Awards, USA - Nominated for an Oscar (Best Actor in a Leading Role) - Peter O'Toole
- 1973: Golden Globe Awards, USA - Nominated for a Golden Globe (Best English-Language Foreign Film)
External links
- The Ruling Class at IMDb
- A film clip in which the O'Toole character claims that he is Jesus Christ and presents a "miracle" can be viewed here.