Summaries

A member of the House of Lords dies, leaving his estate to his son. Unfortunately, his son thinks he is Jesus Christ. Their other, somewhat more respectable family members plot to steal the estate from him; murder and mayhem ensue.

A member of the House of Lords dies in a shockingly silly way, leaving his estate to his son. Unfortunately, his son is insane: he thinks he is Jesus Christ. The other somewhat-more respectable members of their family plot to steal the estate from him; murder and mayhem ensue.—Mark Logan <[email protected]>

Following Lord Ralph Gurney's accidental death, his son Jack Gurney inherits his estate including his title, the Earl of Gurney. Jack has been away for seven years during which he had no contact with his extended family. He believes he was in a monastery, but he was actually in a psychiatric hospital as a voluntary patient at his father's request; as a paranoid schizophrenic, he believes that he is Jesus Christ. In leading a movement for eternal love, the latter issue of all men being equal might be more problematic for his family, who are part of the so-called ruling class, than his belief that, in his own words, when he prays to God he hears himself; any of life's problems he places inside his "galvanized pressure cooker." His paternal uncle and his family are the most concerned about Jack taking over the peerage and the vast estate, and what that would do to the historic Gurney name. Competing interests in the family work toward two opposing possible options to deal with the situation: to have anyone that they can manipulate with a Gurney name take over, at which time they can recommit him for good; or to see if his long-time psychiatrist at the hospital, Dr. Herder, can get him to face reality. Jack may, however, throw them all for a loop.—Huggo

The 13th Earl of Gurney, a member of the House of Lords, dies leaving his title and estate to his son Jack. Unfortunately, however, Jack appears to be unfit for the responsibility, being insane and thinking himself Jesus Christ. Some relatives intend to use this against him in order to gain the estate for themselves.—grantss

Details

Keywords
  • horseback riding
  • screenplay adapted by author
  • european literature on screen
  • bestiality
  • mentally ill person
Genres
  • Comedy
  • Drama
  • Musical
Release date May 24, 1972
Motion Picture Rating (MPA) PG
Countries of origin United Kingdom
Language English German Italian Latin French
Filming locations Harlaxton Manor, Harlaxton, Lincolnshire, England, UK
Production companies Keep Films

Box office

Tech specs

Runtime 2h 34m
Color Color
Sound mix Mono
Aspect ratio 1.85 : 1

Synopsis

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