The Ruling Class (1972)

A member of the House of Lords dies, leaving his estate to his son. Unfortunately, his son thinks he is Jesus Christ. The other, somewhat more respectable, members of their family plot to steal the estate from him. Murder and mayhem ensue.

Director:

Peter Medak

Writers:

Peter Barnes (screenplay), Peter Barnes (play)

Stars:

Peter O'Toole, Alastair Sim, Arthur Lowe

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hugh Owens	...	Toastmaster
Harry Andrews	...	Ralph Gurney - 13th Earl of Gurney
Arthur Lowe	...	Daniel Tucker
William Mervyn	...	Sir Charles Gurney
Coral Browne	...	Lady Claire Gurney
James Villiers	...	Dinsdale Gurney
Alastair Sim	...	Bishop Bertie Lampton
Hugh Burden	...	Matthew Peake
Peter O'Toole	...	Jack Arnold Alexander Tancred Gurney - 14th Earl of Gurney
Michael Bryant	...	Dr. Herder
Henry Woolf	...	Inmate
Griffith Davies	...	Inmate
Oliver MacGreevy	...	Inmate (as Oliver McGreevy)
Kay Walsh	...	Mrs. Piggott-Jones
Patsy Byrne	...	Mrs. Pamela Treadwell

Storyline

A member of the House of Lords dies in a shockingly silly way, leaving his estate to his son. Unfortunately, his son is insane: he thinks he is Jesus Christ. The other somewhat-more respectable members of their family plot to steal the estate from him. Murder and mayhem ensues.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | house of lords | electroshock therapy | prostitute | mistaken autoerotic asphyxiation | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Musical

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English French Italian German Latin

Release Date:

25 May 1972 (UK)

Also Known As:

A Classe Dominante

Filming Locations:

Twickenham Studios, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Keep Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

154 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Alastair Sim cast himself in the role as the Bishop, according to the commentary on the DVD. He called up his friend Peter O'Toole and told him, out of the blue, of course he'd help him by taking the part. No one was about to turn down the offer of such a great character actor, no matter how eccentric.

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Goofs

Claire puts her arms around Jack's neck, but in next shot they are on his shoulders.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Toastmaster: My Lords. Gentlemen. Pray silence for Ralph Douglas Christopher Alexander Gurney, the thirteenth Earl of Gurney.
13th Earl of Gurney: The aim of the Society of Saint George is to keep Gurney a memory of England. We were once the rulers of the greatest empire the world has ever known. Ruled not by superior force or skill, but by sheer presence.

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Connections

Referenced in The Graham Norton Show: Meryl Streep/James McAvoy/Mark Ruffalo/Hozier (2015)

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Soundtracks

Goodnight (I'm Only a Strolling Vagabond)
(uncredited)
Music by Eduard Künneke
English lyric by Adrian Ross
Performed by Arthur Lowe

User Reviews

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

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).