The Ruling Class (1972)

[ER]

While my mother in law has the children for two hours, I thought I'd slip in here and disparage a movie for Labor Day. Why not?

Long ago a girl named Julie told me I had to see The Ruling Class, claiming I'd love it. I finally did see it while completing a Peter O'Toole three-movie DVD set I picked up for a buck, and....I'm afraid I didn't love it, but I do admire the heights of satire toward which it aimed, and admit it didn't miss the mark by much. (Julie also told me I'd "love" Raising Arizona, which I haven't yet seen, so maybe she'll redeem herself there.)

Peter O'Toole did not have (IMHO) a gift for screwball comedy, either here or later in My Favorite Year (in which he took a paycheck to make fun of a sadly accurate version of himself) but he was one of the finer dramatic actors of his era, and I'd much rather watch him in The Lion in Winter, Becket, or a certain David Lean flick that featured camels and the grandpas of the Turkish prison guards from Midnight Express.

I did chuckle when the low-born wife of O'Toole's character talked about how after she married into nobility they'd step-to for her at Harrod's (the stuffiest department store on earth, has a strict dress code....ever been there, yuck), and I did smile at the end with the

(SPOILER?)

Jack the Ripper switcheroo, but while it may be me and my tastes, I find this kind of loud manic "humor" tedious, not funny. But then again if I did like it I guess I'd be French and love that allegedly woman beating a***ole Jerry Lewis.

So while The Ruling Class certainly didn't suck, it also wasn't great and I'd give it a Uranus on the solar system rating scale of Sol to Pluto.

[Allhallowsday]

TCM shows it occasionally.  PETER O'TOOLE does look Christ like.  I was bored.   

[Trevor]

Dumb ass local censors banned this too.

[Svengoolie 3]

I liked "My favorite year. "

O'toole's only "Wow he must have been hard up!" role was in Supergirl...

[LilCerberus]

I've seen this at least two, maybe three times in my life, and yet I can barely remember anything about it, just a few scenes that movie critics have pulled out............ 

As eccentric & off the wall as it is, I'm going to have to admit, I found it strangely forgettable...........

[RCMerchant]

I seen it. Boring 1960's hippie s**t.
Made 5 years too late.
I remember 1972- and hippie s**t was like the Banana Splits or what rap music turned into. Kids were watching cartoons to the beat of hippie s**t, and rap does the same thing. It's been beat into the dirt so much it's generic garbage. It stared out to be a rebellion against society- and just like punk rock- it don't mean s**t any more. New Punk rock is just another hairstyle for kids. It ain't about music. It's about a haircut.
This movie was made by folks who were 5 years too late.

[Svengoolie 3]

C'mon guys,  this movie can't be worse than Supergirl!   

[Rev. Powell]

I guess I was the only one who liked it. Some great monologues from O'Toole.

[bob]

I guess I was the only one who liked it. Some great monologues from O'Toole.

I also really enjoyed it

[ER]

Maybe my expectations of it were too high.