The Ruling class [DVD]

Based on the stage play by Peter Barnes, this screen adaptation of “The Ruling class” (also written by Peter Barnes) remains true to the original farcical and darkly comic tale of British aristocracy. Combining the use of melodrama, musical and horror film genres, Peter Medak has created a totally bizarre visual feast of irony and parody of upper class England revolving around the rather unusual death of a British lord (Harry Andrews) who accidently hangs himself while in military uniform and a ballerina’s tutu. The Earl’s son, Jack Gurney (Peter O’Toole) becomes the 14th Earl of Gurney and finds himself named in the will as heir to the Gurney Estate. Only one problem - Jack is a paranoid schizophrenic who believes he is Jesus Christ. Jack’s disinherited relatives resolve to maintain their pride and their position as an upper class family and plot to have Jack committed to a mental institution and leave them as guardians to the Gurney Estate. However, Jack has to produce a family heir before any of this can take place. The lengths the family go to and the unexpected, hilarious and truly bizarre outcomes of their efforts, including Jack beginning to secretly think that he is Jack the Ripper and murdering one of the family members, add up to a most unusual and enjoyable cinematic experience consisting of narrative and vaudeville song-and-dance sequences, mixed in with a good measure of black comedy and contempt for the British class system. Cast also includes Arthur Lowe, Alastair Sim, Coral Browne, Michael Bryant, William Mervyn, Carolyn Seymour.