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The Ruling Class (1972)

 -  Comedy | Drama | Music  -  10 May 1972 (France)
7.5
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Ratings: 7.5/10 from 3,560 users  
Reviews: 60 user | 33 critic

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 ... See full summary »

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Title: The Ruling Class (1972)

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Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations. See more awards »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
Hugh Owens ...
Toastmaster
...
13th Earl of Gurney
...
Tucker
William Mervyn ...
Sir Charles
Coral Browne ...
Lady Claire
James Villiers ...
Dinsdale
...
Bishop Lampton
Hugh Burden ...
Matthew Peake
Michael Bryant ...
Dr. Herder
Henry Woolf ...
Inmate
Griffith Davies ...
Inmate
Oliver MacGreevy ...
Inmate
Kay Walsh ...
Mrs. Piggot-Jones
Patsy Byrne ...
Mrs. Treadwell
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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. Written by Mark Logan <marklo@west.sun.com>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Music

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

10 May 1972 (France)  »

Also Known As:

La clase dirigente  »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Nigel Green died shortly after production from an overdose of sleeping pills; it was ruled an accident but is believed by some to have been a suicide, as Green was said to have been greatly depressed during filming. It had already been decided that his dialog should be replaced by that of another actor in the finished film, Graham Crowden. See more »

Goofs

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

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.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004) See more »

Soundtracks

"Goodnight"
(uncredited)
Music by Eduard Künneke
English Lyric by Adrian Ross
See more »

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User Reviews

 
An Excellent dark comedy with biting social commentary.
24 October 1999 | by (Chicago) – See all my reviews

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.


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