Ruling Class

Based on Peter Barnes' hit play, this caustic, hilarious and irreverent black comedy has rightly become a cult classic. The House of Gurney has a family problem - namely the 14th Earl of Gurney (Peter O' Toole) who thinks he is Jesus Christ and when restored to 'normalcy' turns into Jack the Ripper. Unfortunately, the young earl is also the sole heir to the family fortune, so his relatives go to great lengths to trick him into siring a new heir. Then they can institutionalise him and gain access to the money through the child. But the 14th Earl of Gurney has a few tricks up his own sleeves...This controversial tragicomedy managed to condemn just about every section of British society - from the public school system to the Houses of Parliament, and from the Church to homosexuality. It also boasts some truly inspirational performances, including O'Toole (who received an Oscar nomination for his tour de force role), Alistair Sim as a feeble-minded bishop, and Arthur Lowe as a hilariously insolent, left wing manservant.