Review of The Ruling Class (1972) by Stephen C — 02 Sep 2010

Since it's all so very dry and British and topical for the late 1960s, I feel no shame in admitting that a great deal of its subversive content soared right over my head. Sure, it's hard not to laugh at Peter O'Toole up on his crucifix, or his drunken butler seething with contempt for all of the upper-crust twits he must serve. The script is all over the place, with drastic tonal changes occuring at a steady clip, to say nothing of the sporadic musical numbers. What begins as a farce turns into a black comedy caper, then turns into a romance, then a split personality schizoid character study, then a satire of the House of Lords, then a murder mystery.

"The Ruling Class" takes potshots at too many targets to count, and it would definitely benefit from a second viewing. However, the pace is lethargic, the direction betrays the production's stage roots by rarely leaving O'Toole's stuffy parlor. To make matters worse, the version released by Criterion is nearly three hours long. It's slow going and almost too dense for casual viewing.