1972 black comedyRating: 17/20
Plot: After the 13th Earl of Gurney Carradines himself while wearing a tutu, Jack becomes the 14th Earl of Gurney. The problem? He's a paranoid schizophrenic who is convinced that he is Jesus Christ. This does not sit well with his uncle who, along with his mistress, cooks up a plan to send Jack straight to the institution. Meanwhile, his psychologist tries to cure him using a second Christ, a plot that works in convincing Jack that he is not Jesus but something very different than Jesus. Oh, snap!
I need to get one of those galvanized pressure cookers. This movie is probably way too long, and I only laughed a little on the inside, but Peter O'Toole's performance multifaceted crazed performance, the smart little satiric pokes, and the unpredictability of it all make it a unique and worthwhile experience. This juggles genteel and manic so well, with characters acting just like they should one moment before bursting into spontaneous song and dance numbers the next. When the butler or whoever he is starts singing early-on in the story, I scratched my head and thought, "This isn't supposed to be happening, but I'm glad it is." Even the other characters didn't seem sure that it was supposed to be happening. O'Toole carries the film as Jesus and Jack and the other Jack. His entrance with a smattering of halo-ish light around his head is terrific. O'Toole's great at spitting out these absurdist rants ("I can cock my little finger with the best!") but his physicality here is also impressive, whether he's dancing around, hanging on his cross/bed, or being tortured by the Electric Messiah. Man, I loved that Electric Messiah ("Sometimes God just turns his back on his people and breaks wind and the stench clouds the globe...I am the high-voltage man!" is something I'm probably going to find opportunities to quote), and the shots of O'Toole wrestling with a gorilla wearing a top hat were beautifully absurd. Bad night for Christ there, and I think that gorilla stuff might be straight from the Bible although it's been a while since I've been to church. I think this is a movie that Bunuel would have enjoyed, and it reminds me a little of those Lindsay Anderson movies that came out around the same time. No, I didn't completely understand the film's message, but this was a fun ride right until the chilling climactic scene in the House of Lords.
This was kind of recommended by Cory.
4 comments:
I was in the middle of discovering O'Toole when I saw this very black comedy, and he is in top form here. I should watch it again because I don't remember the second half very well, but I do remember it as wild, entertaining, and unique, and was very pleased that it might piss some people off. Also a 17.
It's on Netflix Instant, but you'll have to set aside time to watch THE LONGEST MOVIE EVER MADE! Is that what you thought would piss people off or was it the blasphemy?
No need for Netflix as I own it. It wasn't length, or my Oprah pick this month would top it. I like blasphemy...others, not so much.
Sounds like the premise was lifted from a true story. Check out the book "The Three Christs of Ypsilanti" by Milton Rokeach, about a psychiatrist in the 60s who tries to cure three men with Christ delusions by forcing them to live together for a year. Beats the pants off any sitcom I've ever seen!
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