The Asheville Film Society will screen The Ruling Class on Tuesday, July 11, at 7:30 p.m. at The Grail Moviehouse, hosted by Xpress movie critic Scott Douglas.
The Ruling Class
Movie Information
In Brief: Last week marked the one-year anniversary of the death of my illustrious predecessor and Asheville Film Society founder, the late, great Ken Hanke. In an admittedly humble attempt to honor his memory, the AFS will be screening some of Ken's favorite films throughout July, starting with what he referred to as "one of those rare films that I can truly say changed my life" — Peter Medak's genre-defying 1972 Peter O'Toole vehicle, The Ruling Class. This nigh-unclassifiable film satirizes aristocracy and religion with equal efficacy, but to simply call it a satire would fail to do it justice. Similarly, summarizing the plot would in no way adequately describe what this film actually entails, so it will have to suffice to say that the plot revolves around O'Toole's Jack Gurney, the heir to his very proper British family's ancestral title who also happens to believe himself to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. Where things go from their ranges from the absurd to the horrific, but it's safe to say that this film more than deserves its cult following as well as Ken's undying admiration. Come celebrate the legacy of a great critic — and a great man — with an appropriately great film.
| Score: | |
| Genre: | Tragic Black Comedy Drama Musical Fantasy |
| Director: | Peter Medak |
| Starring: | Peter O'Toole, Arthur Lowe, Alastair Sim, William Mervyn, Coral Browne, Michael Bryant, Nigel Green |
| Rated: | NR |
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