The Ruling Class (1972)

The last time I viewed this film, it ran 148 minutes, but yesterday's DVD ran only 123 minutes (despite the case saying 154 minutes!) which obviously annoyed me, although I'll be damned if I can remember what was missing.  Now you might think that at even two hours the film was probably too long, but I would quite happily have watched another 25 minutes of this inspired madness.  Outside some of the Ealing comedies, it is one of the blackest satires ever to come out of Britain, and while possibly a bit of a Parson's Egg, it still leaves the viewer with a strong impression.  What you have is the wonderful Peter O'Toole playing the heir to an earldom who has spent the previous eight years in an asylum since he believes he is God.  (He says that he must be correct, because when he prays, he talks to himself!)  His greedy relatives led by step-uncle Willaim Mervyn (another actor that I love) don't want to lose control of the high life they have enjoyed, especially since bolshie retainer Arthur Lowe is the only other named heir.  So they force a marriage with Mervyn's mistress to produce another heir, so that they can have O'Toole taken care of by the Receiver in Lunacy (there really is such a position).  But a showdown with another "God" cures Jack (for that is his name), except that he now morphs into Jack the Ripper.  Full of weird touches and enhanced by great turns from the likes of the inimitable Alastair Sim, this makes singular viewing.  Now, if I could only recall what has been cut....