The Ruling Class "Dem Dry Bones" - 1972

The Ruling Class is a 1972 British black comedy film. It is an adaptation of Peter Barnes' satirical stage play The Ruling Class which tells the story of a paranoid schizophrenic British nobleman (played by Peter O'Toole) who inherits a peerage. The film co-stars Alastair Sim, William Mervyn, Coral Browne, Harry Andrews, Carolyn Seymour, James Villiers and Arthur Lowe. It was produced by Jules Buck and directed by Peter Medak.

[@jezebeljones659]

"Breeding speaks to breeding." What a screenplay. What a production. What a cast!!!

[@dennismcconaghy5515]

Perfection , a great film made great by O'Toole

[@ACNC1]

Very reminiscent to when The Prisoner done the same song in their season finale

[@thomasbell7033]

I have loved this film ever since I saw it new as a teenager growing up in Texas. So dark, so very, very funny.

[@johnzeszut3170]

Oddly the song makes a lot on sense!

[@chuckliquor3663]

The great irony of Jack singing dem bones in promotion of the death penalty is that the song is actually about the prophet Ezekiel, who witnessed God bringing an entire valley full of people back to life. In his despair Jack has embraced a perverted, inverted icon of antichrist.
God is not a god of death, but the God of life. Not a God of punishment, but a God of longsuffering mercifulness.

[@stephenscullion104]

Your God killed more people than Hitler; floods, she-bears, dropping the ark...ad nauseum

[@coolmacatrain9434]

The bible (like all "religious" tomes) is a never ending litany of torture, cruelty and death.... to say otherwise is to be brain-washed beyond reason

[@astrodoug]

Haven't seen this in over 40 years

[@Spanky1]

Why is Lawrence of Arabia singing about dem dry bones?

[@silverkitty2503]

It speaks to the culture of the upper class. They tend to fetishize capital punishment. Partly because their own culture is so very DRY ..aka those dry bones. At the end of the film ....the house of lords are seen from the main character's point of view as dry ghostly skeletons. Depicting a dead culture.

[@Spanky1]

@@silverkitty2503. Excellent analysis, Silver Kitty! Thanks for the information and have a very Merry Christmas!

[@samisatlacc7736]

[O'toolian voice] Because he had not yet taken Aqaba!"

[@Baribrotzer]

Note that they are "frightening the horses".

[@ollyf5088]

So Dennis Potter saw this then

[@steevburgess2627]

Is that IDS there ?

[@donmaslanoz14]

refute his point
you can't

[@MrBROTHERFELDER]

Uhmmm…ehh-yeah.

[@homounculus5769]

I believe dem bones I'll be
I feel so alone
Gonna end up a big old' pile of dem bones