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Richard Brian Nunweek
Inspector
Username: Richardn
Post Number: 243
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, September 14, 2003 - 4:56 am: |       |
Hi Guys,
I thought the film was aweful, there are a couple of scenes, Hanbury street being one, that looked atmospheric, but it makes me so frustrated that the victims all look so hollywoodish.
And Johnny Depp portrail of Abberline was a joke.
I would love to see a film based on this subject, being more realistic, to cast the actors resembling the actual persons at the time.
To have the words spoke that were heard to be used during this period, not some woman leaving a pub, swaggering about, then turning, and her face turning to horror.
Obviously censorship will have to be considered, but I am sure they could do a lot better.
Richard. |
David O'Flaherty
Detective Sergeant
Username: Oberlin
Post Number: 138
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, September 14, 2003 - 12:48 pm: | |
I liked the tour of Stewart's scrapbook in the extras section of the DVD. He had two photographs I hadn't seen before-the Eddowes mortuary shot and the bird's eye view of the backyard of 29 Hanbury street (slick, that in the movie they showed a roof-top photographer taking that shot).
Dave |
Andrew Spallek
Detective Sergeant
Username: Aspallek
Post Number: 145
Registered: 5-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, September 14, 2003 - 5:38 pm: | |
Glenn,
Artistic license in historical fiction is a delicate issue. Some years ago Disney put out an animated feature about Pocahontas. In the feature, John Smith is won over to Native American (Indian) religious philosophy. In actuality, Pocahontas moved to England and was baptized into the Christian faith. The cartoon was complete fiction, and I franky took is as Christian-bashing. It seems to me there should be some disclaimer if the truth is disregarded to that extent.
In From Hell, however, we are dealing with things that are very much a in the realm of speculation and the unknown. The fact is, we don't know very much at all about Fred Abberline -- we don't even have a photo. I doubt that he was a drug addict, although many professionals of the era were addicted to laudinum, arsenic, even stricnine (sp?), not to mention opium. I doubt that Abberline claim psychic powers to see the future, but we really don't know. So I think there is more room for artistic license here.
Andy
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Ally
Detective Sergeant
Username: Ally
Post Number: 64
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Monday, September 15, 2003 - 8:08 am: | |
Hi Andrew,
I didn't realize that Pocahontas was Hindu.
Ally
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Chris Scott
Inspector
Username: Chris
Post Number: 499
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Monday, September 15, 2003 - 8:59 am: | |
Hi Andy
I assumed that when they gave Fred Abberline psychic powers, it was a way of getting in the Lees "visions" aspect of the case. IN the Lorimar 1988 version with Michael Caine they included Lees as a separate (and outrageously camp!) character in his own right.
Allowing for the other liberties they took with Abberline's story - killing his off a few decades too early, killing off his wife and child (as he tells Mary Kelly) the drug taking and visions seem a small liberty to take!!!
regards
Chris |
Robert Charles Linford
Chief Inspector
Username: Robert
Post Number: 753
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Monday, September 15, 2003 - 10:13 am: | |
Hi all
I must say I did enjoy the Michael Caine film - even if they did turn Lusk into a Socialist Revolutionary Old Etonian!
I think Caine's now played Jekyll, Holmes and Abberline. Next stop the Elephant Man?
"Now listen Dr bloody Treves...."
Robert |
Chris Scott
Chief Inspector
Username: Chris
Post Number: 501
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Monday, September 15, 2003 - 10:30 am: | |
Hi Robert
I enjoyed the Caine version for the atmosphere and it was little(!) nearer the mark historically then the Depp version. But they still went down the path of virtually everyone involved knowing everyone else for which I can see no proof. But I did find caine more credible as a working East End detective then Johnny Depp- and Im not just talking about the accent!
Chris
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Robert Charles Linford
Chief Inspector
Username: Robert
Post Number: 754
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Monday, September 15, 2003 - 12:39 pm: | |
Hi Chris
I think David Jason, or Phillip Jackson (the Inspector in "Poirot") would make a good stab at playing Abberline. But perhaps Jackson should rather play Swanson, since he is a dead lookalike, judging by the photo in the Sourcebook.
Also, didn't David Hemmings play Abberline in "Murder by Decree"?
Robert |
Andrew Spallek
Detective Sergeant
Username: Aspallek
Post Number: 146
Registered: 5-2003
| | Posted on Monday, September 15, 2003 - 7:22 pm: | |
Chris,
I had the same thought about the psychic aspect of the movie's portrayal of Abberline. I actaully enjoyed the Caine version, even if the ending was unbelievable.
Andy
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Alan Sharp
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Monday, September 15, 2003 - 9:35 am: | |
Hi Andy
Slightly off-topic, but if you think Pocohontas was bad, try Don Bluth's animated "Anastasia". Apparently the Russian Revolution was caused by the evil devil-worshipping Rasputin putting a curse on the cute and cuddly Romanov family. I took my kids to see it and then had to sit with them and say "now when this comes up in your history lessons at school, remember that's not what really happened...." |
Kristina
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Sunday, September 21, 2003 - 12:11 pm: | |
Hi Andy,
Well, I have to disagree with everyone who doesn't like From Hell, because well when you watch a movie about Jack the Ripper, with so many different theories anything is possible. The acting was GREAT! I think there is no reason to judge that inspector Abberline was not an addict. It was a time correct movie and protrayed Jack the Ripper well. That moive is the reason I started researching Jack the Ripper. So please you may dislike it, but others like me Love it! Next time you watch it don't look at the research correct information look at the acting and get into the time. Then I think you will find that you respect the movie more! |
Andrew Spallek
Inspector
Username: Aspallek
Post Number: 151
Registered: 5-2003
| | Posted on Monday, September 22, 2003 - 2:40 pm: | |
Hi Kristina,
I didn't say that I didn't like the film! I wouldn't rank it up there with the greatest movies I have ever seen, but I enjoyed it. I do think there were a lot of unbeliveable aspects to it, but it is fiction after all.
And yes, Abberline might have been an addict. But we would have to classify this feature of the film as fictional since we have no evidence whatsoever to suggest that he was.
Andy
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Kristina
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 23, 2003 - 11:32 am: | |
Dear Andy,
Well I think they took lots of Historical Information from one theory and put it to work. Like saying this movie is fiction is shunning of one theory on Jack the Ripper. Yes there is a possiblitiy Abberline was not "chasing the dragon", but what evidence do you have to prove he wasn't on drugs? I am glad you also enjoyed the movie, but I think it is a plausable theory and should not be dimissed as fiction.
From, Kristina |
Andrew Spallek
Inspector
Username: Aspallek
Post Number: 157
Registered: 5-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, September 27, 2003 - 1:48 am: | |
Kristina,
I certainly didn't mean to degrade the movie by calling it "fiction!" Nearly all theatrical movies are fiction. Perhaps you would prefer the word "speculation."
However, I do see the film's conclusion as being very highly unlikely to be factual. But I don't believe the movie was intended to be a factual solution to the case.
Some obvious points of fiction in the film (i.e., assumptions made with no supporting evidence):
1. Abberline a drug addict.
2. Abberline possesing psychic powers
3. Abberline death in 1888 (actually contrary to known fact, literary license employed in the film)
4. Victims knowing one another well and associating closely.
5. Stride as a lesbian/bisexual.
These don't make it a bad movie, but they do make it a fictional movie.
Andy
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Kristina
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Sunday, September 28, 2003 - 7:47 pm: | |
Dear Andy,
Thank you once again for your input  ! I still would say about 70% of the movie could be an accuarte non-fiction basis. Yes I think it is a little far fetch to think that Abberline was psychic, but it is entirly possible as well as him "chasing the dragon." I also know that he did not die in 1888 and that is false, but they added that fiction part in my opinion to make the movie more sad and have a good climax, which all movies need. Stride could have been a Lesbian for all you know and she may not have been. Just because she slept with men for money doesn't mean she would have enjoyed it, she may of wanted to be with a woman! Also maybe the victims didn't know eachother as well as it seemed in the movie, but it is possible they crossed paths more than once and maybe even knew eachothers names and such. For all we know that movie could the closest to non fiction or it could be entirely fiction, but without proof from neither side, we both cannot judge. I say 80% of it is entirley non fiction, but since I have no eye witness proof and niether do you we can just go on in a cat chase dog circle. So I think some of you points were acuart:
2. Abberline possesing psychic powers
3. Abberline death in 1888 (actually contrary to known fact, literary license employed in the film)
But other than that I would still have to disagree. You are a great debatist and I wish you all the luck with everything. Talk to you again soon, Kristina
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Sarah
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 30, 2003 - 10:57 am: | |
I haven't read all the posts on here but lets face it there are so many. I have read the ones on this last page though. The reason I wanted to point that out it because I found a complete mistake in the film which noone on this page seems to have spotted. Annie Chapman was killed in Hanbury Street as we all know but for some reason the other day I couldn't remember the name of the street and I kept thinking "Hanover" Street. Then I watched the film as I have it on video and low and behold, the man driving the carriage says to Annie, "..to take you to Hanover Street.." I mean what is with that?? I listened to it at least 4 times to make sure so I am sure I didn't mishear it. Apart from that mistake though, I did enjoy the film and think it was fantastic. Ok, so Johnny Depp was a bit Hollywood looking for Abberline but it was still a very enjoyable film. Just wanted to point out the error. |
dave
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Thursday, October 09, 2003 - 8:54 pm: | |
Hello,
Im desperatley seeking some clothes for my wedding!! Im really looking for something like Johnny Depp wore in From Hell. Does any one know where I find something like this?
How would I go about putting some pieces together from todays stores like Coat Factory, Mens Wharehouse? Would a wool rain coat, dark vest, white shirt work?? What type of material?
I cant figure out the collar (white shirt) that he wears in the film. What type of collar is that?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Email me at dcraf1@cox.net. I need this "uniform" in 2 weeks.
Thanks!! |
Christopher T George
Inspector
Username: Chrisg
Post Number: 355
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Friday, October 10, 2003 - 4:23 pm: | |
Hi, Dave:
You can rent such a Victorian costume at an actor's supply warehouse. If you are near a fairly large town there should be a company that specializes in rental of period clothes for theatrical productions.
As requested, I will e-mail this information to you as well. Good luck.
All the best
Chris
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Christopher T George
Inspector
Username: Chrisg
Post Number: 394
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 29, 2003 - 9:51 am: | |
Hi, all--
I missed this amusing take on "From Hell" when it appeared earlier, so here it is, from the website Spiked Central, 18 February 2002 (URL http://www.spiked-online.com/Articles/00000002D419.htm)
Ripping yarn
by Sandy Starr
'Love a duck!…I should cocoa!…'Ow's yer father?'
Such were the cod-cockney phrases yelled at the screen of a cinema in Whitechapel, east London showing From Hell, the new film about the Jack the Ripper murders. The murders happened in Whitechapel in 1888 - but that didn't spook the audience.
From Hell stars Johnny Depp and Heather Graham, who make noble but doomed attempts at cockney accents. Depp pulled off a passable impression of Basil Rathbone's posh English accent in his last nineteenth-century horror film, Sleepy Hollow. But in From Hell the cockney accent defeats him.
US critic Roger Ebert reckons Depp's performance is deliberate comedy: 'very, very subtle comedy - so droll he hopes we think he's serious.' (1) But there was nothing subtle about the reaction of this East-End audience. While one half of the audience howled with laughter at the accents, the other half covered their eyes in disgust at all the blood and guts.
From Hell is based on a grim comic book series about the Ripper murders, which enjoys a cult following (2). Like the comic book, the film painstakingly recreates the gore and grime of Victorian London. Directors Albert and Allen Hughes, whose previous credits include black ghetto dramas Menace II Society and Dead Presidents and the hard-hitting documentary American Pimp, are no strangers to pushing the envelope.
Historical fiction has been turned into a Victorian X-Files
But in their adaptation of From Hell, the sex and violence only serves to make the farcical elements in the film more surreal. And it's not just the accents - the Ripper entices his prostitute victims with grapes, which were an expensive delicacy in the 1880s. It's an interesting conceit, but this audience was having none of it - as the detectives lifted yet another telltale sprig from a mutilated corpse, somebody yelled 'Oh no! Not the grapes!'.
In the comic book, the central character was a straightforward detective, but here he has been turned into a drug-addicted clairvoyant - turning what was originally a serious historical fiction into a Victorian X-Files episode. From Hell is probably best compared with the output of Hammer studios, which similarly ranged from the camp to the effectively creepy, often within the same film (3).
The least effective aspect of From Hell is its ridiculous theory about Jack the Ripper - involving the Royal Family conspiring with the Freemasons to carry out the Ripper murders. The theory isn't new - originally proposed by Stephen Knight in his 1976 bestseller Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution (4), and since used as the plot for several other Ripper films.
But it is telling that this conspiracy theory still has resonance today, and is still embraced by Hollywood. At a time when the Queen's Golden Jubilee is attracting little public enthusiasm, and the most prominent Freemason is clapped-out British comedian Jim Davidson, it's oddly reassuring to imagine a past when institutions like these masterminded murder.
(1) From Hell, review by Roger Ebert
(2) From Hell, by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell.
(3) See the Hammer Film Productions website
(4) Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution, Stephen Knight, 1976. |
Richard Brian Nunweek
Inspector
Username: Richardn
Post Number: 357
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 29, 2003 - 3:58 pm: | |
Hi Christopher.
I agree with you a hundred per cent, the film 'From Hell, was in my opinion a second rate B movie. whoever was resposible for the research. ought to be shot, modern day photography, and scenic reproduction was acceptable, but to cast Johnny Deb[ because of his status] as Abberline, was completely unacceptable, it was designed to be a good description of the ripper murders, through good visual effects , but to any one that has devoted, many years of their lives to these murders, i personally found it complete rubbish,
Sorry for that.
Richard. |
Robert Charles Linford
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Robert
Post Number: 1127
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 29, 2003 - 4:18 pm: | |
I love Hammer films. Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee...a Transylvanian castle and a nice cup of tea.
Robert |
Holger Haase
Police Constable
Username: Holger
Post Number: 6
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, October 30, 2003 - 10:06 am: | |
I actually didn't think FROM HELL was *that* bad. It's certainly not the definitive fictional treatment about the murders, but the trouble with fictional treatments is... that they are indeed fictional. I personally quite enjoy JtR fiction of any kind and treat them with the usual "Based on a true story still does not mean it's the Truth" pinch of salt.
Certainly if I can live with the idea of JtR in Space (e.g. Star Trek), I can also live with FROM HELL.
Incidentally, I was always wondering: Is there any particular reason why Stewart Evans and Keith Skinner dedicated their LETTERS FROM HELL to Johnny Depp... other than an ironic nudge nudge wink wink?
All the best
Holger |
Eduardo Zinna
Sergeant
Username: Eduardo
Post Number: 18
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, October 30, 2003 - 8:09 pm: | |
Holger,
Stewart and Keith were advisers to the 'From Hell' production.
Best,
Eduardo |
Holger Haase
Police Constable
Username: Holger
Post Number: 10
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, November 01, 2003 - 12:11 pm: | |
Really? Wow, that's interesting. I didn't know that!
Holger |
Glenn L Andersson
Chief Inspector
Username: Glenna
Post Number: 625
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, November 01, 2003 - 4:19 pm: | |
Holger,
Yes Stewart and Skinner acted as historical consulants (appearently not that pleased with how the film makers ignored some of their advices). I believe Depp became a close friend as well.
Richard,
I agree with you one hundred percent. The historical environments and some of the other "estethic" parts of the production I think was well made, but all in all I think the film was one of the worst pieces of garbage I've ever seen, not to mention the script, the plot and how the characters were depicted. An absolute scandal. Sure it's fictional, but there has to be limits...
All the best
Glenn L Andersson
Crime historian, Sweden |
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