When the Earl of Gurney dies in a cross-dressing accident, his schizophrenic son, Jack, inherits the Gurney estate. Jack is not the average nobleman; he sings and dances across the estate and thinks he is Jesus reincarnated. Believing that Jack is mentally unfit to own the estate, the Gurney family plots to steal Jack's inheritance. As their outrageous schemes fail, the family strives to cure Jack of his bizarre behavior, with disastrous results.
The Ruling Class (1972) is a comedy and drama film directed by Peter Medak, released on May 24, 1972 with a runtime of 2h 34m. It stars Peter O'Toole, Alastair Sim, Arthur Lowe and Harry Andrews. Viewers rate it 6.4 out of 10 across 101 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for The Ruling Class before you stream it.
Peter O'Toole
as Jack 14th Earl of Gurney
Alastair Sim
as Bishop Lampton
Arthur Lowe
as Tucker
Harry Andrews
as 13th Earl of Gurney
Coral Browne
as Lady Claire Gurney
Michael Bryant
as Dr. Herder
Nigel Green
as McKyle
William Mervyn
as Sir Charles Gurney
Carolyn Seymour
as Grace Shelley
James Villiers
as Dinsdale
Kay Walsh
as Mrs. Piggott-Jones
Patsy Byrne
as Mrs. Treadwell
Directed by Peter Medak, written by Peter Barnes and Peter Barnes, produced by Jules Buck and Jack Hawkins.
Average viewer score of 6.4/10 from 101 ratings.
The isn't actually a very good film, I felt - but it is does feature an extraordinary performance from Peter O'Toole as the "Earl of Gurney", about to take his seat in the house of Lords after his father has an untimely accident involving a noose and a tutu. His family are horrified at the prospect. Why? Well, that's because the new peer happens to believe he is Jesus. He spends much of his day contemplating or…
Reviewed on May 28, 2023
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The Ruling Class (1972) is available to stream on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Britbox Apple TV channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max and Shout! Factory Amazon Channel. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of The Ruling Class (1972) includes Peter O'Toole, Alastair Sim, Arthur Lowe, Harry Andrews and Coral Browne. The film was directed by Peter Medak. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
The Ruling Class was released on May 24, 1972 and runs for 2h 34m.
The Ruling Class (1972) holds an average rating of 6.4 out of 10 from 101 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy comedy and drama films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official The Ruling Class trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
