Have been away for ages, but am off travelling soon so I should have plenty of inspiration for new r...
Have been away for ages, but am off travelling soon so I should have plenty of inspiration for new reviews! Triciax
Member since:30.07.2003
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Let me take you back to the dark filthy courts and alleys of Victorian Whitechapel. Here in the autumn of 1888 five east end prostitutes were murdered. This in itself wasn’t particularly unusual. However these killing were sadistic and ritual – the victim’s throats were slashed and their bodies severely mutilated. The murderer became known to history as the first ever modern serial killer – Jack the Ripper. In possibly his own words: “One day men will look back and say that I gave birth to the twentieth century”.
Interest in Jack the Ripper has never ceased, perhaps because we still have no real idea who was responsible for the Whitechapel murders. ‘From Hell’ is one of a huge number of movies, programmes, books and articles about Jack. The title is coined from a letter sent to George Lusk Head of the Mile End Vigilance Committee supposedly sent by Jack the Ripper himself in October 1888. Where the writer’s address would usually be ‘From Hell’ had been written instead. I went to watch this film when it was released in 2001 because I have a great deal of interest in Victorian London, in Jack the Ripper and in Johnny Depp.
The film stars Johnny Depp as the brilliant Inspector Abberline who headed up the Ripper investigation in 1888. In the film Abberline has opium induced premonitions about the killings. His more sensible,
if less brilliant, sidekick is Sergeant Peter Godley played by the excellent Robbie Coltrane. Together they investigate a series of brutal murders taking place in the East End commencing with the killing of Martha Tabram. At first it is believed that the killings are the work of the Nickels gang who have been responsible for exhorting money from prostitutes. However Abberline quickly realises that although the Nickels gang was probably responsible for Martha’s killing with the far more brutal deaths of Mary Ann Nichols and Annie Chapman they are looking at a different league of killer.
Meanwhile Mary Kelly (Heather Graham) and her remaining friends, Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes, are running scared. Abberline befriends the young Mary and although she too believes the murders to be the work of the Nichols gang he begins to see a connection between the killings and the fate of their friend Ann Crook. The five women were all witness to the marriage of the Catholic Ann to a wealthy painter called Albert. And while looking after their baby, Alice, Mary Kelly also witnessed Ann and Albert being unceremoniously carried off and bungled into a coach. Abberline realises that Albert ‘the painter’ is in fact Prince Albert, grandson of Queen Victoria and heir to the throne of England. Being witness to the marriage of Albert to a Catholic prostitute and knowing about baby Alice – a Catholic heir to the throne – has placed the women in enormous danger.
Abberline is thus faced with trying to uncover the identity of a killer who is being protected by the powerful Freemasons, members of whom include his own superior Sir Charles Warren. Simultaneously he must keep the remaining three girls, including Mary Kelly whom he has grown fond of, alive.
The film thus takes its story from the most sensationalist of the Ripper theories. The Royal Conspiracy theory capitalizes on Albert’s renowned appetite for “fallen women”. According to different theories Albert had an affair (and possibly marriage) with either Ann Crook or Mary Kelly that resulted in a pregnancy. To cover up this dangerous indiscretion somebody connected with the royal family, possibly the royal surgeon Sir William Gull, aided by the Freemasons ruthlessly removed all who knew.
There are several problems with this theory, most importantly that any marriage between the heir to the throne and a Catholic would automatically be declared null and void and so would be no threat to the stability of the monarchy. However the Royal Conspiracy theory is certainly the most intriguing so I can understand why they used it for the movie.
As far as I am concerned the movie has plus and minus points. The beginning two-thirds of the movie are more or less factually correct. The portrayal of the Victorian East End and the lives the prostitutes led (quite simply hell) is absolutely perfect. The murders are also excellently filmed using a combination of suspense and suggested and real violence. I can only fault most of the film with two minor points both concerning Heather Graham’s Mary Kelly. Firstly she is far too clean and far too perfectly pretty to ever be an East End prostitute. Secondly her ‘Irish’ accent is all over the place.
For me what spoils the film is the ending. Obviously I can’t give too much away but the whole carefully constructed film becomes a laughable farce. Not only do they reveal who Jack the Ripper is but they give him a paranormal twist (when surely it is quite frightening enough that a real man committed these killings?). Moreover the conclusion regarding Mary Kelly is ridiculous in the extreme and so Hollywood. I would have really enjoyed the film if they had stuck to the facts and merely suggested the identity of ‘Jack’ because surely the legend is only so potent precisely because his identity is a mystery.
In conclusion I would recommend this film to anyone who has an interest in Victorian London and Jack the Ripper or enjoys the horror / thriller genre. Despite the lame ending most of the film is interesting and well made. Naturally if you don’t like violence and gore then this is not the film for you!
‘From Hell’ is available on both DVD and Video from all major retailers.
Interesting Facts:
The ‘Ten Bells’ pub featured in the movie is still in existence on the corner of Commercial Street and Fournier Street in Whitechapel. Apparently frequented by several of Jack the Ripper’s victims the pub has capitalized on its notoriety even being renamed ‘Jack the Ripper’ for a while. Now reverted to its original name the pub is a mecca for Ripper enthusiasts.
Johnny Depp went on one of the many Jack the Ripper tours around Whitechapel before filming ‘From Hell’. I have also been on this tour (excellent value at £5 – type in Jack the Ripper tours on your search engine to find out more) but sadly not at the same time as Johnny – I would have paid a lot more for that!
Thanks for reading & I look forward to hearing your comments. Triciax
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Really well written review indeed. Plenty of details on the cast, their characters and the plot itself, without giving away too much. I think I agree with you about the ending though.....Roy
Heavy on atmosphere and light on everything else,From Hellis visually impressive while ... more
lacking the depth of the acclaimed graphic novel it's based upon. Making their third feature since 1993'sMenace II Society, twins Allen and Albert Hughes approach th...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Heavy on atmosphere and light on everything else,From Hellis visually impressive while ... more
lacking the depth of the acclaimed graphic novel it's based upon. Making their third feature since 1993'sMenace II Society, twins Allen and Albert Hughes approach th...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
A Gripping and Stylish Thriller. -Lou Lumenick New York Post While Jack the Ripper ruled ... more
the streets of London terror reigned. His crimes were unspeakable. His blood lust unquenchable. His identity unknown... until now! Johnny Depp and Heather Gra...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
In 1888 London, the unfortunate poor live horrifying lives in the city's slums. Harassed ... more
by gangs and forced to walk the streets for a living, Mary Kelly (Graham) and her small group of companions are terrorized when their friend is kidnapped and anoth...
![From Hell (2 Disc Special Edition) [2002] [DVD]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78545544.jpg "From Hell (2 Disc Special Edition) [2002] [DVD]")
May 11th, 2004
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