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The Ruling Class [1972] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
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Our Price: £17.40 (subject to change)
Great British gem - much under-rated
Review date: 2007-09-18 Rating: 8 out of 10
Come on guys - don't knock this film so much. Yes, its dated, poor sound quality, a bit overlong but also totally eccentric and in many ways a classic. This film has philosophy, social satire, great humour, musical numbers, burlesque strip-tease, romantic interest and a distinctly dark side.
There's some great acting, especially by Peter O'Toole who beautifully plays the eccentric 14th Earl of Gurney who, upon his father's bizarrely fetishistic death, inherits the title. The only problem is he's barking mad, having spent the last 8 years in volunatary confinement in a loony bin. He releases himself from the institution to reclaim his inheritance.
Unfortunately he is convinced he is Jesus Christ and due to his erratic behaviour, his family plot to marry him off, bear a son and then have him re-committed.
The plot turns from comedy to very VERY black humour half way through as O'Toole becomes convinced of an alternative persona within him. Murder and mayhem ensue and the film loses its overt comic vein.
This film reminded me of the classicly unhinged "Sir Henry at Rawlinson End" - not many films include landed gentry in tutu skirts!
This is not a perfect film but it is a much overlooked product of its time and a gem in many ways.
Watch, laugh, cringe, enjoy!
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Reviews
Very Poor DVD indeed
Review date: 2007-08-17 Rating: 2 out of 10
I absolutely agree with the previous 2 reviews. The running time of this movie should be 154 minutes, not the heavily edited 123 minute version we have here. The picture quality is poor and "noisy" and no attempt has been made to restore it. The audio quality is appalling!!! As stated previously this is pan & scan not widescreen - WHY? Also, the cover gives the running time as 154 minutes, which leads potential buyers into thinking this is the full movie. Thats just downright dishonest. Buy the Region 1 Criterion version. OK it's expensive, but it is the definitive version of this great movie. All in all, a shameful exploitation and a complete travesty. Peter O'Toole's performance deserves much better. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!
The Ruling Class
Review date: 2006-02-01 Rating: 2 out of 10
I agree with the previous reviewer, this DVD is a travesty of one of the funniest films ever made.
Most of the cuts are not critical to the plot development - they just cut some of the funniest scenes in the movie.
If my memory serves me well, the following scenes have been removed:
1. The marquee scene after the wedding
2. The scene in the mental asylum where Peter O'Toole is placed in a room with a bunch of violent psycopaths
3. The scene with the fox urinating after outwitting the hunt
4. William Mervyn's hillarious line after finding his murdered wife's body
And worst of all:
5. The duel between Michael Bryant and Peter O'Toole where the psychiatrist comes to realise that the man he thought he had cured is, in fact, a murderer. This makes the scene near the end of the film where Michael Bryant ends up in his own institution unintelligible.
This movie was all but destroyed on its release by distributors who objected to its length. With DVDs like this nobody is ever going to realise just how good it was. Pete O'Toole is quoted as saying it was the best film he ever made but nobody would ever know from this cut.
The Ruling Class (cat. no. MPo55D)
Review date: 2004-02-09 Rating: 2 out of 10
Beware this edition of The Ruling Class, the classic crazy 1972 film. For starters the cover doesn't even have the correct title - it just says "Ruling Class". On watching, you'll find it's not widescreen, which it should be. And worst of all there are 25 minutes of footage missing from the film, making a complete mockery of it. I'm now off to try and exchange this for a proper edition.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Peter O'Toole
Harry Andrews
Alastair Sim
Coral Browne
Arthur Lowe
Creators:
Peter O'Toole (Primary Contributor)
Alastair Sim (Primary Contributor)
Ken Hodges (Cinematographer)
Ray Lovejoy (Editor)
Jack Hawkins (Producer)
Jules Buck (Producer)
Director(s):
Recording label: Criterion
Manufacturer: Criterion
EAN: 9781559409223
Binding: DVD
ISBN: 1559409223
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Colour, DVD-Video, Special Edition, Widescreen, NTSC,
Release date: 2001-10-30
Universal product code (UPC): 715515012423
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
Region code: 1
Running time: 154 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1972
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: English (Subtitled)