Sunday, March 20, 2011

How Do You Know You're God?

"How do you know you're god?"
"Simple. When I pray to Him, I find I am talking to myself." -
Lord Jack Gurney (Peter O'Toole) in The Ruling Class

Reeking of Brooksian (hey, they do it for everybody else) satire, wrapped in a facade of wealth and egotism, The Ruling Class is one of several '70s films to take a harsh look at our notion of 'insanity.' Do we simply want them to be rid of their ways so that they may clear a path to their own idealized life? Do we only want to make our lives easier? Then again, even if we want both of the above, what is normal? Sure, a raving sociopath who goes from place to place killing people should have clinical attention and analysis. But what about someone whose 'delusions of grandeur' but only in the most peaceful and loving manner? What is the cost of trying to make them 'normal?' As The Ruling Class finds out, normality is not universal... especially when you're trapped in a world built on delusions of grandeur.

1 better thoughts:

Jack L said...

I can't say I liked this as much as you seemed to have.
I liked the whole idea and the various themes on insanity, but it was just so badly shot and edited and was far too comic, it would have worked better as a comedy of the darkest kind.

Related Posts with Thumbnails