Peter Medak’s militant parody is a scathing attack and indictment of the
British noblesse oblige and society’s infantile religious beliefs. Peter
O’Toole is the paranoid schizophrenic black sheep of the family who thinks he
is Jesus Christ incarnate. When his father dies (in a masturbatory auto-erotic
asphyxiation scene) he is left the entire estate…but the extended family has
other plans. The uncle comes up with a foolproof plan to have his deluded nephew
marry his (the uncle’s own) mistress, father a child, then have “JC” committed
to an insane asylum. While in custody, his Psychiatrist attempts to cure him of
his god-complex by having him battle another patient who refers to himself as
the Electric Messiah. When our protagonist loses this epic battle of faith and
miracle, he finally acknowledges his real name Jack. The doctors believe this
recognition of self is ultimately the cure for Jack. But he actually becomes
Jack the Ripper, then murders his aunt and condemns the butler for the act. Now
that Jack is “perfectly normal” he fits right in to the British Elite and joins
the House of Lords.
The film plays like some bizarre stream-of-consciousness sermon and much of
the dialogue seems improvised, insane, and wildly idiosyncratic. O’Toole hangs
from his cross and spouts religious non-sense and non-sequiturs with the
invigorating belief of any priest at Sunday Mass. JC is crazy when he teaches peace,
love and understanding but Society only accepts him when he becomes Jack the
homicidal maniac. The final scene with the decaying corpses in the House of Lords
depicts the rotting Patriarchy in which Jack is now accepted. THE RULING CLASS
condemns both Religion and Capitalism with Jack as the avatar of a Church and
State gone mad, birthing a fanatical elitism from their incestuous Union.
Final Grade: (B+)
