THE RULING CLASS is two movies with a common theme. Unfortunately, I didn't care for either one.
The first movie is an English country farce in which Peter O'Toole, who firmly believes that he's Jesus Christ, returns from his voluntary stay at a lunatic asylum to assume the title and holdings of 14th Earl of Gurney. The 13th Earl was a big fan of autoerotic asphyxiation, a compulsion that's played for every laugh it can get. That's right, folks: accidental suicide as comedy gold. Somebody approved this. Anyway, O'Toole shows up, private crucifix and all, and proceeds to turn life upside down at the Gurney estate. There's your first movie.
The second movie is a horror picture complete with seduction, murder, and the undead. Gurney visits a House of Lords that's filled with cobwebs, ghouls, and lawyers, and it's supposed to get under our skin. But it doesn't, really. It just falls flat, and it falls flat because it's such a hamhanded hammering at the two movies' common theme that it had me wishing the producers had just printed up a circular to hand out at entrances to the Tube.
The common theme is this: the English class system is bad. It values lineage over ability, and it makes for a ridiculous social and political construct. There: I've just save you two hours.
Now, I don't mind message movies. I do, however, mind movies that are nothing but message, particularly if it's a message I don't care about. I'm not English. I don't care about the English class system. While I'd be happy to watch a movie about people who happen to be a part of that system, I'm not too excited about a two hour commentary on the system itself. My excitement reaches new lows when said movie's comedic bits aren't funny (I didn't so much as crack a smile.) and its horrific bits aren't scary (I didn't feel even the slightest chill.).
What a disappointment.
The first movie is an English country farce in which Peter O'Toole, who firmly believes that he's Jesus Christ, returns from his voluntary stay at a lunatic asylum to assume the title and holdings of 14th Earl of Gurney. The 13th Earl was a big fan of autoerotic asphyxiation, a compulsion that's played for every laugh it can get. That's right, folks: accidental suicide as comedy gold. Somebody approved this. Anyway, O'Toole shows up, private crucifix and all, and proceeds to turn life upside down at the Gurney estate. There's your first movie.
The second movie is a horror picture complete with seduction, murder, and the undead. Gurney visits a House of Lords that's filled with cobwebs, ghouls, and lawyers, and it's supposed to get under our skin. But it doesn't, really. It just falls flat, and it falls flat because it's such a hamhanded hammering at the two movies' common theme that it had me wishing the producers had just printed up a circular to hand out at entrances to the Tube.
The common theme is this: the English class system is bad. It values lineage over ability, and it makes for a ridiculous social and political construct. There: I've just save you two hours.
Now, I don't mind message movies. I do, however, mind movies that are nothing but message, particularly if it's a message I don't care about. I'm not English. I don't care about the English class system. While I'd be happy to watch a movie about people who happen to be a part of that system, I'm not too excited about a two hour commentary on the system itself. My excitement reaches new lows when said movie's comedic bits aren't funny (I didn't so much as crack a smile.) and its horrific bits aren't scary (I didn't feel even the slightest chill.).
What a disappointment.
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