The Ruling Class
(If you want to go into the stage show or film completely blind, don’t read on. There be some spoilers lurking).
Have you ever watched a film and thought; "people don't talk about this film enough?" It's a common cause when dealing with cult classics. Whilst there may be gangs of people who peddle out the brilliance that was missed on first watch, there are some movies that fall out of favour even with, those which is disappointing when you want to froth at the mouth to talk about it. With this 1972 film based on Peter Barnes stage play, The Ruling Class is a film that has sunk in to my mind with its theatrical and satirical manners all weighted by a centric performance. And not enough people talk about how great it is.
The Ruling Class is a black comedy of the highest standards. The 13th Earl of Gurney is dead and leaves behind a vast estate of riches that would have been happily taken by his scheming family. That's if he didn't have a son, Jack. The problem is that for 8 years, Jack had been committed owing to his paranoid schizophrenia. And part of his problem is that he believes that he is Jesus Christ. But to make sure they get their hands on the vast estate, his family concoct a plan in order to exploit him - but it may push him to breaking point.
The Ruling Class is this brilliantly satirical comedy, especially in its components of insanity verses the sane. The way The Ruling Class does this is by making it overtly silly. It works because the comedy is so theatrical and so ridiculous that it is clearly a mask for hiding the emotional vein and that, in itself, is intellectually done. The hilarity comes from the random moment such as the musical bursts, dance sequences and phrases that make you laugh. The comedy is well placed, highlighting the ridiculousness of aristocracy instead of Jack's condition despite its out-landish manner. Through characters such as Grace and Tucker (at some stretch Dimsdale) we become some sort of companions for Jack whilst the craziness is viewed more insane by his relatives who wish to push it further. Jack, for the most part, is innocent and naive
Peter O'Toole plays the glorious Jack and is wonderfully able to realistic convey, through authoritative stares, this victim of his mind and family. It falls a little into the stereotypical lunacy but never lingers there too much to be offensive. Rather, Jack here is a person who is suffering because people believe that he is suffering. That is, people look upon his illness as problematic as it goes against the norm rather than embracing it, aiding it and sheltering it as well. O'Toole is detailed in shaping Jack and rather than amass a bunch of
"insane" tropes, he endearingly layers the mental illness with initial kindness, extroverted moments of song, dance and love and then the sadness beneath it. He also acts compellingly when his character is pushed and moulded into a darker version of himself, able to transform into a different grandiose character that is violent and scarier. The performance is stunning and absorbing, commanding the entire film with two extreme personalities at odds with the world, though the latter ashamedly is accepted in the culture of the film. The scene in the attic where he unravels a new character is utterly and ferociously terrifying yet still on point with an illness that has now been carved into a dangerous territory because people forced the brain into breaking point. It's stark and frightening that, when mirrored against the initial honest and good, if albeit mentally ill JC, turns comedy into this more visceral film
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The satire comes from the rest of the characters seeing a much more violent and underhanded character as normal rather than the God of love (and I could fill an entire book on how Jack's Jesus is possibly the most biblically accurate in-spite of facing a more vindictive wrath laden God in another patient all of which incurs one of the most saddening scenes as the pair collide). People rather rally behind someone who ultimately scathingly spits at the world because of all the gruesome parts within it. And people relate more to anger despite the fact that Jack is still unhinged, perhaps more so because now he is murderous and chaotic. This highlights a lot of issues when the mentally ill are pushed beyond their elements and left wrongly treated. Rather than acceptance for his carefree and love-filled ways, JC is met with a cruelly unjust manipulation as people exploit his riches. And it all backfires, though he swims around as normal because people believe him to be cured.
The elements also touch upon a lack of understanding that is sparse within the public eye. Occurring more so in this day and age with people scorning the likes of Amanda Bynes and Shia LaBeouf instead of going, “look, let’s help them.” Instead of treating their issues we lament their symptoms and misuse them. As theatrical as The Ruling Class may be, it's this undercurrent that burns into the 
psyche.
With the re-emergence of the play next year with James McAvoy in the lead role, this Filth obsessive is going to make a point of comparison. It could very well be seen that Jon S. Baird's excellent 2013 film is the chaotic offspring of The Ruling Class – just much more offensive and violent. Especially with all the song and dances that occur and a narrative that slowly weaves into a shocking and shaken, brutal and broken mentality. If anyone were to assume the role of Jack to great, accurate and unnerving levels it's the phenomenal McAvoy.
But it's in this film - it's O'Toole that is the genius here. And The Ruling Class has tap-danced into my heart.