The Ruling Class [Criterion Collection]

Director: Peter Medak Peter Medak

Overview

Full of biting British humor and musical numbers (an odd, but brilliant, combination), Peter Medak's The Ruling Class makes its way to DVD from Criterion. As usual, it has done a fine job with a classic title. The 1.77:1 anamorphic transfer is fairly standard. The flat look is most likely a symptom of early-70s filmmaking and a limited budget. The transfer shows signs of age, at times, with minor scratches and dirt, but, for the most part ,colors are well represented and detail is consistent. The 1.0 Dolby Digital track is nothing to get excited about, but confirms the fact that Criterion tends to leave the audio elements with the original soundtrack. Here, centered up front, and at times a bit shrill, the sound is good enough. Known for often adding a number of supplements to its titles, Criterion has included a fine commentary track recorded in 2001 by Medak, Peter O'Toole, and author/screenwriter Peter Barnes. Each discusses just about everything they can remember from 30 years earlier in a very engaging manner. Though probably appealing to a limited audience, there is also nearly 30-minutes of 16 mm silent "home movies" on location from Medak's collection. Finally, along with the theatrical trailer is an above-average photo gallery with many behind-the-scenes pictures. This is pretty much an average Criterion release, which, in terms of their DVDs, isn't a bad thing.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/30/2001
UPC:	0715515012423
Original Release:	1972
Source:	Criterion Collection
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[monaural, Dolby Digital]
Language:	English
Time:	2:34:00
Sales rank:	14,705

Special Features

Widescreen digital transfer in RSDL dual-layer edition of The Ruling Class, restored to its original full-length version, unavailable in the U.S.; audio commentary track with Peter O'Toole, director Peter Medak, and writer Peter Barnes; Medak's home movies, shot on the set of The Ruling Class,; original theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Peter O'Toole	14th Earl Of Gurney
Alastair Sim	Bishop Lampton
Arthur Lowe	Tucker
Harry Andrews	13th Earl Of Gurney
Coral Browne	Lady Claire Gurney
Michael Bryant	Dr. Herder
Nigel Green	McKyle
William Mervyn	Sir Charles Gurney
Carolyn Seymour	Grace Shelley
James Villiers	Dinsdale Gurney
Hugh Burden	Matthew Peake
Graham Crowden	Truscott
Kay Walsh	Mrs. Piggot-Jones
Patsy Byrne	Mrs. Treadwell
Joan Cooper	Nurse Brice
James Grout	Inspector
Margaret Lacey	Midwife
James Hazeldine	Detective Sgt. Fraser
Hugh Owens	Toastmaster
Griffith Davies	Inmate
Oliver MacGreevy	Inmate
Henry Woolf	Inmate
Neil Kennedy	Dr. Herder's Assistant
Julian D'Albie	Lord
Llewellyn Rees	Lord
Ronald Adam	Lord
Kenneth Benda	Lord
Declan Mulholland	Poacher
Cyril Appleton	McKyle's Assistant
Leslie Schofield	McKyle's Assistant
John Cameron	Composer

Technical Credits

Jules Buck	Producer
Jack Hawkins	Producer
Peter Medak	Director
Roy Whybrow	Special Effects

Scene Index

Side #1 --
0. Chapters
1. Opening Credits/The 13th Earl of Gurney [:09]
2. "A Man Must Have a Vision" [7:58]
3. The 14th Earl of Gurney [6:08]
4. Paranoid Schizophrenia [9:01]
5. "Old Faithful Tucker" [7:21]
6. Mrs. Piggot-Jones & Mrs. Treadwell [3:01]
7. The Lady of the Camillias [6:36]
8. Grace Shelley [10:10]
9. Paranoid Plots [10:12]
10. Wedding Day [3:33]
11. Wedding Night [9:23]
12. Lady of the Manor [3:25]
13. The High-Voltage Messiah [5:27]
14. 'The Light of Truth"|00:01:16|}
15. "Call Me Jack" [6:04]
16. The Master in Lunacy [5:04]
17. Jack the Ripper [1:04]
18. "The Sword of the Lord" [8:45]
19. Investigation [8:17]
20. "Cock-a-doodle-doo" [6:39]
21. The House of Lords [6:31]
22. Closing Credits [8:50]
23. Color Bars [7:04]

Menu

Side #1 --
   Play the Movie
   Commentary (Peter O'Toole, Director Peter Medak, and Writer Peter Barnes)
   Peter Medak's Home Movies
      Play
   Stills Gallery
   Trailer

Editorial Reviews

The Ruling Class is a dark, anarchic satire built around one of the screen's best jokes. An eccentric British nobleman (Peter O'Toole) has delusions of grandeur, setting off a series of odd adventures that contrast his allegedly insane views against those of his tradition-bound kin. O'Toole's energy carries the film even when there isn't much happening in the story. There is little plot in a conventional sense, essentially providing a framework for the film's often very funny extended sequences. The supporting cast is solid. Alastair Sim is in fine form with one of his best late-career performances. The film has an interesting production design, though occasionally its lack of budget limits the variety of sets. The film helped establish a pattern for director Peter Medak of specializing in interesting but only marginally commercial projects.

All Movie Guide - Richard Gilliam