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Bookmark this pageThe Ruling Class (1971)
Director: Peter Medak
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Peter Barnes' adaptation of his own play takes as its targets British chauvinism, British institutions, the sadistic education system, and the sexual perversion and social misery it feeds off. Loosely the plot covers the death of the old Earl of Gurney (Andrews) during one of his masochistic evening rituals, and the accession to the title of his insane son (O'Toole), who believes he is God but eventually switches to Jack the Ripper. This is buried beneath a load of old jokes, song'n'dance routines, bad jokes, physical obsessions, random send-ups. A very long two and a half hours does throw up some good performances and a few memorable images; otherwise the latent and overt ideas are fleshed out all too obviously.Author: VG
User reviews of this film
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- Mike said...
- Posted on Apr 02 2010 17:32 A good laugh- even now in 2010- better than so much other worthy nonsense of the current era- this is wordy in a way that will never be heard on screen again. Nor will we see actors like this again- even messing around they entertain. It's Pythonesque sure, and too long, but with a bottle of wine to hand, it's a rolliking none too serious ride- what, you thought is was a critique of the class system- come on!
- Report as inappropriate
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- Maureen Carter said...
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Posted on Mar 17 2010 08:59
I remember seeing the Ruling Class and found it an hilarious take on our class system. I also watched it again with three friends when we were visiting some American friends in one of their colleges in Grantham where the major part of the film was located and consequently they had been told to watch it, out of interest.
Whereas we British found the film extremely funny, the Americans didn't laugh at all and didn't find it funny at all which gave me the first instance of many that American humour is totally different to British humour. - Report as inappropriate
Cast & crew
Director: Peter Medak
Producer: Jules Buck, Jack Hawkins
Cast: Peter O'Toole, Alastair Sim, Arthur Lowe, Harry Andrews, Coral Browne, Michael Bryant, Nigel Green, William Mervyn, James Villiers, Hugh Burden, Carolyn Seymour, Graham Crowden, Kay Walsh full cast
Genre(s): Comedy
Duration: 155 mins
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