Edit: I knew Night Shift was going to love this movie!
This is one of my favorite British/Satire films. It wasn't popular on release, probably due to it's dark humor, but later gained a following that was good enough for The Criterion Collection to distribute it.
Synopsis: A member of the House of Lords dies by autoerotic asphyxiation, and leaves the estate to his schitzophrenic son who lives in a monastary and believes he is Jesus Christ.
The family plots to steal his inheritance. As their outrageous schemes fail, the family strives to cure him of his bizarre behavior, with disastrous results.
The plot twist in this movie is really good. So I wont spoil it.
The whole movie becomes an interesting commentary on society as a whole, and the people who rule it, with a tale of revenge that feels very "Q"-ish.
One of my faves by him is The Lion in Winter, I rewatch every few years, and shame on me, it was in the last few years I watched Lawrence of Arabia, he was so good in it.Crossing the "Devils Anvil" was so suspenseful
.
Yes! Yes! Yes! "The Lion in Winter" ...a tour de force by O'Toole & Hepburn. What a once in a lifetime experience to watch them work off each other. The writing for their scenes was explosive! I'll never forget the first time I saw it, I gasped!
You can also usually digitally check out this movie and any other movie in The Criterion Collection via your library using the apps connected to your library card - Hoopla, OverDrive or sometimes Kanopy
If you want to ditch cable / Netflix / streaming this is the way to go.
As a post production engineer I sincerely thank you “laser nuts”. Early adopters of laser disc would go through each Criterion release frame by frame and post editorials in “media”’magazines.
“Perfect Vision” for instance. I made a good career out of modifying Telecine machines and associated color correction tech to address concerns raised by discriminating consumers. They expected perfection from imperfect equipment, and we strove mightily to provide it.
Flash frames, pan whips, film scratches, reel flips, the list goes on. Then came HD and another cycle began. I milked it for 30 years. ( ‘83-‘13)
Got to see a lot of obscure but profound films too. One of my all time faves: “Intacto”
A Spanish film with the most bizarre story ever. I can’t even…
.Also loved “Funny Bones” with Oliver Platt, Lee Evans, (absolutely brilliant in this) and of all people, Jerry Lewis in a serious role.
It’s a comedy, trust me.
So, many thanks from me and all my colleagues. Oh and “The Ruling Class” is phenomenal. Ike jacket, feather duster, and noose, just to begin.
This has been a favorite of mine since its release. If you care about spoilers (I actually PREFER them), this comment has some.
O'Toole's portrayal of the observant and sweet-natured British Lord who thinks he's Christ, and who has that crushed out of him by psychiatry -- which leaves him a dark-souled "normal" ("He's one of us at last!) and who then murders another member of the peerage (the secretly Marxist butler exclaims "One less, thank the lord!") is astonishing. This is O'Toole's best role, IMO. I can't imagine any other actor who could have pulled it off.
The transformation of O'Toole's character from warm-hearted loon to rage-filled sociopath -- by simply being forced to think and behave as a normal member of society and in particular the peerage -- is powerfully affecting. It's not unlike watching a happy young child being turned into a sulking, angry teen. I believe this, the discomfort of watching an innocent life being ruined, was a major factor in the film's poor box-office performance. Popular films have a protagonist go through and overcome difficulties, making positive character changes in the process, leading to a happy ending. This film does the reverse.
The film's social commentary is mostly exquisite, despite the author of the story showing his Socialist sympathies (so many otherwise intelligent people have them, as we know: even Einstein, who wrote an article titled "Why I am a Socialist" late in life -- proving, to me anyway, that feelings are more persuasive than logic).
A favorite line (of many): in response to the question "How do you know you're God?", O'Toole's character answers:
"Whenever I pray to Him, I find I'm talking to myself."
As blasphemous as that sounds, it seems to fit (many will disagree; I'm certainly an outlier here) with Luke: 17:21:
Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
He's actually quite the New Age prophet when he's JC.
One of my favorite parts is everyones reaction once hes infiltrated normal society.
Everyone hated him when he was Jesus and he preached love and light, but everyone loves him when he's Jack and he preaches pain and punishment. They literally worship him.
I think it's crazy how they have to refer to him as "Lord" whether he is JC or not bc he's still royalty, but even when he infiltrates the House of Lords, his lust for being God is satiated.
It's like he never actually recovered. He just changed his words and look, then took over.
Often times I wonder if he's still praying to himself when he takes his oath to office, and how ironic is it that his family member watching from above yells "You're one of us at last! Well done, Jack!"
Whenever I'm stuck in the political echo chamber, I am reminded of the delusion where the sees the House of Lords as a crypt singing a hymn. It's a very powerful piece of symbolism. Hell, the whole movie is.
And if you outside this conversation is reading this but hasn't watched the movie, go do it now. Theres many layers to this plot.
BTW, thanks for posting this; I love this movie and think it illuminates the human condition better than almost any other. Never expected to see it posted here, and it deserves discussion in this forum; it's far too emotionally real and heavily charged for most people to enjoy but if the Great Awakening doesn't include becoming more emotionally aware and emotionally healthy, the benefits will fade as neurosis erodes and corrupts society again.
It's like he never actually recovered. He just changed his words and look, then took over.
He never needed to recover; he was an emotionally healthy person who actually lived Jesus' admonition to "love thy neighbor" and was so traumatized by the sickness of the world that he refused to become a member in good standing. His delusion of being Christ was far healthier than what he became after they "cured" him -- repressed, twisted, hate-filled and murderous -- and since I believe Christ is, among other things, a symbol for us all -- innocent at birth, mistreated and traumatized and eventually murdered (for most of us, emotionally murdered rather than killed physically, at least right away), his delusion was healthier and far closer to the truth than was the paradigm society forced upon him.
Just my opinion.
That scene in the House of Lords IS incredibly powerful. I rewatch this every few years and the House of Lords scene is one that hits me very hard every time. I stupidly recommended this film to someone in my family who came away from it with a near breakdown. The Ruling Class is as much a therapy session as it is a piece of entertainment.
The Ruling Class is as much a therapy session as it is a piece of entertainment.
This is why I posted it. Im glad you understand it this well.
That scene in the House of Lords IS incredibly powerful
It's literally "The Good Ending" and "The Bad Ending" all at once.
Especially when he says "and they shall know that I am the Lord, that smiteth!". He's literally not recovered, he's still speaking as JC, but the Lords view him speaking as a "Lord" from the House of Lords. He just found a way to make his condition fit within society.
The whole movie plays on the word "Lord" the entire time, even when he's JC.
Even the symbolism changes in the movie once he transforms. If you look, his cross on the wall becomes a sword.
The ancient teaching of the Christian Church has always been theosis — when we receive God through the Holy Mysteries, that establishes the Kingdom of God within us, and going even further, through a process of casting off the old worldly self that is constantly trying to escape God, we can share in his divinity in a way. That is very different from “prelest” where we get proud and think we’re someone we are not, and people who are becoming divine are very clear on the difference, much more so than outside commentators. This isn’t something that we reason our way into, it’s something that God does.
So, yeah, it’s blasphemous to claim you’re talking to yourself when you pray, and that’s never been how Christians understood verses like that one. Sounds like the character is written to have a severe case of prelest at best.
First off - Fuck you for not even watching the movie.
Nothing is more irritating then having people walk in, and start grandstanding about a topic while not even viewing the video you presented.
2nd off - You didn't even bother reading the description in the top comment. The character is a schizophrenic. Even if you did the minimal amount of homework, you would've known this.
3rd off - If you watched the movie, you would've understood his character development, and why he is written that way.
Go ahead, go blindly pound the ground and use your religion as a shield for your ignorance.
I was responding to the comment as written? I think you might have read into my post something that wasn't actually there. I was aware that the character was schizophrenic. I have dealt with a dear one who was schizophrenic and targeted me socially and legally with long tirades on a religious theme. No character development can change the fact that claiming you're talking to yourself when you pray is blasphemous and is a severe case of prelest at best.
My main point was to state my disagreement with his interpretation of the Gospel verse and support it with information. I have found that most people here appreciate high-effort comments that continue the conversation with respect.
I talked my Pop into taking me to see LOA when it was released. Pop hadn’t been to a movie since WWII but he brought me. He sat through an almost four hour motion picture. I was captivated and still am. I was twelve when I saw the movie and about fourteen when I first read”The Seven Pillars of Wisdom”. I re-watch the movie and re-read the book about every ten years and I still gain insights from each. In fact, I’m due for another round this year.
I’ll look into the 4K DVD.
Edit: I knew Night Shift was going to love this movie!
This is one of my favorite British/Satire films. It wasn't popular on release, probably due to it's dark humor, but later gained a following that was good enough for The Criterion Collection to distribute it.
Synopsis: A member of the House of Lords dies by autoerotic asphyxiation, and leaves the estate to his schitzophrenic son who lives in a monastary and believes he is Jesus Christ.
The family plots to steal his inheritance. As their outrageous schemes fail, the family strives to cure him of his bizarre behavior, with disastrous results.
The plot twist in this movie is really good. So I wont spoil it.
The whole movie becomes an interesting commentary on society as a whole, and the people who rule it, with a tale of revenge that feels very "Q"-ish.
Movie Link: https://123movies.net/watch/PGpZp6v3-the-ruling-class.html
Here's an alt link on Youtube in excellent HD quality: https://youtu.be/pK8EkHrTYTQ
Peter O'Toole is a Brilliant actor. A favorite of mine. Movies as diverse as "Lawrence of Arabia" to "My Favorite Year" emphasize his talent.
The Lawrence of Arabia 4K 60th Anniversary BluRay release is absolutely excellent.
The scalpers got it now, but if Columbia releases it again, scoop it up. It's a top tier 4k remaster.
A couple of years ago I got to watch it on the big screen at Alamo. Epic film.
Lucky! I almost bought it on 16mm film in 2018-2019.
Im kicking myself for not getting it. I'll probably never see it again.
Oh my...what a epic treat! u/solarsavior
We see lots of classic film at our local theatre which are sponsored by Fathom Events.
Maybe I can find it on eBay. We love BluRay. Thanks CM!
One of my faves by him is The Lion in Winter, I rewatch every few years, and shame on me, it was in the last few years I watched Lawrence of Arabia, he was so good in it.Crossing the "Devils Anvil" was so suspenseful .
He and Richard Burton were awesome in 'Becket'!
Yes! Yes! Yes! "The Lion in Winter" ...a tour de force by O'Toole & Hepburn. What a once in a lifetime experience to watch them work off each other. The writing for their scenes was explosive! I'll never forget the first time I saw it, I gasped!
Wow! Lucky you fren!
That's why I upvoted...One of my all time favorite actors...great catch!!!!!
You can also usually digitally check out this movie and any other movie in The Criterion Collection via your library using the apps connected to your library card - Hoopla, OverDrive or sometimes Kanopy
If you want to ditch cable / Netflix / streaming this is the way to go.
Good idea. I was a moron and paid for the subscription service for a minute.
I own a few Criterions on LD too. 😳
As a post production engineer I sincerely thank you “laser nuts”. Early adopters of laser disc would go through each Criterion release frame by frame and post editorials in “media”’magazines. “Perfect Vision” for instance. I made a good career out of modifying Telecine machines and associated color correction tech to address concerns raised by discriminating consumers. They expected perfection from imperfect equipment, and we strove mightily to provide it. Flash frames, pan whips, film scratches, reel flips, the list goes on. Then came HD and another cycle began. I milked it for 30 years. ( ‘83-‘13)
Got to see a lot of obscure but profound films too. One of my all time faves: “Intacto” A Spanish film with the most bizarre story ever. I can’t even…
.Also loved “Funny Bones” with Oliver Platt, Lee Evans, (absolutely brilliant in this) and of all people, Jerry Lewis in a serious role.
It’s a comedy, trust me.
So, many thanks from me and all my colleagues. Oh and “The Ruling Class” is phenomenal. Ike jacket, feather duster, and noose, just to begin.
I've got a bunch of LDs. Heck I've got "Song of the South" on LD from Ken Crane's
I got the Japanese Song of the South too! LOL!
Lol my man!
That means, your the guy I was talking to about it on the early days of TRUTH! Lol. On Will's account!
Would like to see it but all I get is
The connection has timed out
An error occurred during a connection to 123movies.net.
:(
Thanks for telling me. Heres an alt on Youtube
https://youtu.be/pK8EkHrTYTQ
Brilliant - thanks!
Addams Family, in my opinion: classic ruling class (robber barrons)
This film is...so crazy. You'll catch messages on multiple levels.
This has been a favorite of mine since its release. If you care about spoilers (I actually PREFER them), this comment has some.
O'Toole's portrayal of the observant and sweet-natured British Lord who thinks he's Christ, and who has that crushed out of him by psychiatry -- which leaves him a dark-souled "normal" ("He's one of us at last!) and who then murders another member of the peerage (the secretly Marxist butler exclaims "One less, thank the lord!") is astonishing. This is O'Toole's best role, IMO. I can't imagine any other actor who could have pulled it off.
The transformation of O'Toole's character from warm-hearted loon to rage-filled sociopath -- by simply being forced to think and behave as a normal member of society and in particular the peerage -- is powerfully affecting. It's not unlike watching a happy young child being turned into a sulking, angry teen. I believe this, the discomfort of watching an innocent life being ruined, was a major factor in the film's poor box-office performance. Popular films have a protagonist go through and overcome difficulties, making positive character changes in the process, leading to a happy ending. This film does the reverse.
The film's social commentary is mostly exquisite, despite the author of the story showing his Socialist sympathies (so many otherwise intelligent people have them, as we know: even Einstein, who wrote an article titled "Why I am a Socialist" late in life -- proving, to me anyway, that feelings are more persuasive than logic).
A favorite line (of many): in response to the question "How do you know you're God?", O'Toole's character answers:
As blasphemous as that sounds, it seems to fit (many will disagree; I'm certainly an outlier here) with Luke: 17:21:
He's actually quite the New Age prophet when he's JC.
One of my favorite parts is everyones reaction once hes infiltrated normal society.
Everyone hated him when he was Jesus and he preached love and light, but everyone loves him when he's Jack and he preaches pain and punishment. They literally worship him.
I think it's crazy how they have to refer to him as "Lord" whether he is JC or not bc he's still royalty, but even when he infiltrates the House of Lords, his lust for being God is satiated.
It's like he never actually recovered. He just changed his words and look, then took over.
Often times I wonder if he's still praying to himself when he takes his oath to office, and how ironic is it that his family member watching from above yells "You're one of us at last! Well done, Jack!"
Whenever I'm stuck in the political echo chamber, I am reminded of the delusion where the sees the House of Lords as a crypt singing a hymn. It's a very powerful piece of symbolism. Hell, the whole movie is.
And if you outside this conversation is reading this but hasn't watched the movie, go do it now. Theres many layers to this plot.
BTW, thanks for posting this; I love this movie and think it illuminates the human condition better than almost any other. Never expected to see it posted here, and it deserves discussion in this forum; it's far too emotionally real and heavily charged for most people to enjoy but if the Great Awakening doesn't include becoming more emotionally aware and emotionally healthy, the benefits will fade as neurosis erodes and corrupts society again.
He never needed to recover; he was an emotionally healthy person who actually lived Jesus' admonition to "love thy neighbor" and was so traumatized by the sickness of the world that he refused to become a member in good standing. His delusion of being Christ was far healthier than what he became after they "cured" him -- repressed, twisted, hate-filled and murderous -- and since I believe Christ is, among other things, a symbol for us all -- innocent at birth, mistreated and traumatized and eventually murdered (for most of us, emotionally murdered rather than killed physically, at least right away), his delusion was healthier and far closer to the truth than was the paradigm society forced upon him.
Just my opinion.
That scene in the House of Lords IS incredibly powerful. I rewatch this every few years and the House of Lords scene is one that hits me very hard every time. I stupidly recommended this film to someone in my family who came away from it with a near breakdown. The Ruling Class is as much a therapy session as it is a piece of entertainment.
This is why I posted it. Im glad you understand it this well.
It's literally "The Good Ending" and "The Bad Ending" all at once.
Especially when he says "and they shall know that I am the Lord, that smiteth!". He's literally not recovered, he's still speaking as JC, but the Lords view him speaking as a "Lord" from the House of Lords. He just found a way to make his condition fit within society.
The whole movie plays on the word "Lord" the entire time, even when he's JC.
Even the symbolism changes in the movie once he transforms. If you look, his cross on the wall becomes a sword.
The ancient teaching of the Christian Church has always been theosis — when we receive God through the Holy Mysteries, that establishes the Kingdom of God within us, and going even further, through a process of casting off the old worldly self that is constantly trying to escape God, we can share in his divinity in a way. That is very different from “prelest” where we get proud and think we’re someone we are not, and people who are becoming divine are very clear on the difference, much more so than outside commentators. This isn’t something that we reason our way into, it’s something that God does.
So, yeah, it’s blasphemous to claim you’re talking to yourself when you pray, and that’s never been how Christians understood verses like that one. Sounds like the character is written to have a severe case of prelest at best.
Nothing is more irritating then having people walk in, and start grandstanding about a topic while not even viewing the video you presented.
2nd off - You didn't even bother reading the description in the top comment. The character is a schizophrenic. Even if you did the minimal amount of homework, you would've known this.
3rd off - If you watched the movie, you would've understood his character development, and why he is written that way.
Go ahead, go blindly pound the ground and use your religion as a shield for your ignorance.
I was responding to the comment as written? I think you might have read into my post something that wasn't actually there. I was aware that the character was schizophrenic. I have dealt with a dear one who was schizophrenic and targeted me socially and legally with long tirades on a religious theme. No character development can change the fact that claiming you're talking to yourself when you pray is blasphemous and is a severe case of prelest at best.
My main point was to state my disagreement with his interpretation of the Gospel verse and support it with information. I have found that most people here appreciate high-effort comments that continue the conversation with respect.
Please dont do that here.
Happy to comply, but I'm not sure what you mean.
I talked my Pop into taking me to see LOA when it was released. Pop hadn’t been to a movie since WWII but he brought me. He sat through an almost four hour motion picture. I was captivated and still am. I was twelve when I saw the movie and about fourteen when I first read”The Seven Pillars of Wisdom”. I re-watch the movie and re-read the book about every ten years and I still gain insights from each. In fact, I’m due for another round this year. I’ll look into the 4K DVD.
Is that...Peter O'Toole?
Yes, a favorite actor of mine. He's got a really good performance in this one too.
I really like him too, but for a moment I couldn't tell if it was him or not. Lawrence of Arabia is such a great film and he is so good in it.
Saw it when it first came out in the UK, traveled all the way from Cornwall to Leicester Square to get a seat.
That must've been cool.
Nice one!
One of my favorites
the reason to eliminate the cognizant middle class is to eliminate any possible opposition.
can't be any simpler than that, unless there is another reason.
This is a movie. See top comment.