Genres

Visitors Review

Dianafan79 2012-05-25 17:56:02

Great Historical Production. More Cinematatic Then The Usual TV Drama

It is very rarely that I rate something 10/10. However, after watchingthe DVD for the zillionith time today I can't describe how much I enjoythis production. Putting aside who you think Jack the Ripper was, 'JackThe Ripper' is lavish, colourful and lively, and easily beats some ofthe cinema's Jack The Ripper Films.Michael Caine is great as lead Detective, Abberline. Being from Londonhimself he slipped easily into the role of the main Detetctive. I alsolike that it's hinted that he is a alcoholic. It's good to see in somescenes that he beats the temptation to dive into the bottle, even whenthe case gets really rough. Lewis Collins, as his sidekick, Godley wasmarvellous also and I don't know if the men got on in real life, butthey certainly gelled together extremely well on the screen and theircharacters were close too. Lysette Anthony was a gem as Mary Kelly, andSusan George played Kathy Eddows with consideration and sensitivity.The Whitechapel set is brilliant and I love how they don't go OTT onthe famous misty appearance as on none of the nights of the realmurders was London covered in fog. It's very convincing and in fact, issuperior to the set used for 'From Hell'. The costumes were accurate ajoy to watch.I liked how the murders were treated with sensitivity, and the murderscenes were not over the top in gore.One aspect of the film that did not work well and which slowed theproduction down was the affair between Abberline and Emma Prentice(Jane Seymour) the official artists for the newspaper that was in thefilm, 'The Star'. I found the scenes not always unnecessary but itslowed the film down to a plod and it's hard to believe that a womanfrom the upper class such as Emma would even mix with someone likeAbberline, let alone bed him which she did in the film, althoughthankfully it was only shown briefly.The whole drama was full of suspense and the ending, where a fakemurder was set up was high in tension and on first viewing wasexcellent. You get a choice of four or five men who, just before thisfake murder is due to happen, all leave their places of work dressed indark clothes carrying parcels which could be the famous Gladstone bagthat the Ripper supposedly kept his knives in. Each man is a potentialRipper, but when you see who the Ripper is, it's cleverly filmed sothat you realise it was none of the men put forward as suspects.I would highly recommend this drama. It's four hours long orthereabouts but is very enjoyable. You can get two versions in the UKon DVD. A normal straight forward version, and one with extra's on. I'dgo for the latter as it has a great lot of footage showing theproduction before Micheal Caine was hired when Barry Foster wasAbberline.Over all a good, historical piece of drama. In my mind it far outweighs'From Hell' which follows the same story line. If I had the choice ofthe two, (dispite Johnny Depp being in 'From Hell'), I'd choose Jackthe Ripper every time.

2012-05-24 23:59:07

Superb

I bought the DVD directly from WB, where they basically burn off a copy, bare bones, and that was fine since the price they offered was substantially lower than here with free shipping. I hear there is a special edition with commentary from the director and that I would be interested in hearing. For a made for tv movie, this one looks pretty good and the sound is very nice, too. I like the music and the acting is first-rate by the entire cast. Michael Caine is particularly effective as Inspector Abberline. In total the movie is about 3 and a half hours but it moves very fast. It is also very atmsopheric and feels like 19th Century London. As for the conclusions the filmmakers came up with, I have no idea if they are plausible or not. I have heard some criticize this for coming to erroneous conclusions. Maybe they are, I don't know but I base my review on the entertainment value and not as a documentary. And since the identity of the Ripper was never proven, who is to say they are wrong?I also like that they had some fun with this movie, meaning there were scenes that were played for laughs to break up the other scenes of chasing the killer. Now, I wouldn't buy this unless you are sure so go and rent it first. I believe it to be a compelling movie and I have now seen it about a dozen times. It is an excellent movie.

brendan grehan 2012-05-22 15:26:22

Last Friday June 20 Jack the ripper was free with the Irish Daily Mail

Last Friday June 20, Jack the ripper was free with the Irish DailyMail.Not a bad DVD as a freebie and the transfer is spot on.I rememberwatching it on TV when it was first released. Yes Michael does ham itup but thats what he does. As a mini-series it has aged well, giventhat its 20 years old. On matters of the Ripper, "Murder By Decree"with Christopher Plummer as Holmes is the best of the bunch albeit thatit is factional. The old deerstalker hat was never seen roundwhitechapel.Back to Jack the Ripper, the Jane Seymour character doesn'tseem to serve any purpose apart from providing a love interest forMichael Caine. Lewis Collins is pretty good and Armand Assante issuitably bewitching as Mansfield the actor with his cape.

2012-05-22 06:22:01

Terrific Police Procedural

Most of the Ripper movies that I've seen lacked credibility. The most plausible I've seen was on an episode of the original "Star Trek". Maybe if it ever sees the light of day Spinal Tap's rock opera, "Saucy Jack", will shed light on events. All kidding aside, this two-part British-U.S. co-production is simply stupendous. It avoids tawdriness and takes a serious non-expoitive look at the events in White Chapel over a century ago. It's primarily a detective story meticulously exploring every possible angle to the string of murders of five streetwalkers in East London. Not only does the film cover the policework but it also touches on the political ramifications, the corruption of the local constabulary, the yellow journalism, as well as the anarchists who exacerbate matters. All anchored by another brilliant performance by Michael Caine as Scotland Yard investigator Frederick Abberline who has the unenviable task of ferretting out the murderer(s). Before I watched this my brother inadvertently blurted out who the murderer(s) were because he saw it on original broadcast in 1988. Discretion allows that I say no more but I wholeheartedly recommend this film.

wriglee 2012-05-19 07:32:40

DAMN,this film makes sense!

Hi all. In this film,the way they piece together the clues is justamazing! None of us really know what really happened in 1888,but i havewatched this film,over,and over again,and i find it definitive.But,this was made before the discovery of 'The diary of jack theripper'And thats another story! I love the cast in this 1988 film,it,sa sensible portrayal of a true mystery,and i rate this veryhigh,(mistakes aside) If you look at the facts in this film,they REALLYdo make sense!!!The coach theory,where there was a driver and a killeris very interesting,it might explain why not much blood was found atthe murder scene! I,m glad this film cut out the gore,and concentratedon the mystery,this is a MUST for any ripperoligist! Excellent!

2012-05-18 15:53:43

As entertainment, ok. But that's about all.

Yet another version of the Ripper murders. It's fun to sit through, but ofcourse to anyone who has read about the Whitechapel murders, it has nothingto do with the facts of the case. Since the early 1970s there has been atendency to accuse prominent personalities of the time of the murders. Allgood pulp fiction stuff, but no serious crime historian subscribes to thosetheories. The real murderer was in all probability a non-entity, livinglocally, and most likely insane. Stories of government plots, cover-ups etcare entertaining but just twaddle.Michael Caine and company do their best with this hokum, and if you just sitback and enjoy it for what it is, then you won't be wasting your time. Andonce you've seen it, you can move on to something better.

rose-294 2012-05-17 02:56:30

One of the best versions

Yes, one of the best versions of Jack the Ripper, thanks to thegorgeous production values, wonderfully entertaining script and so muchatmosphere it could be cut with Jack's knife. Score which ranges fromthe pseudo-Victorian grandeur to the thrilling spookiness is also aplus. Only problems come in the moral sense. First, Sir William Gullwas not the Ripper. He was an old, paralyzed man and THERE IS NOT ANYEVIDENCE to tie him with the murders. Also, the film's "psycho-logy"and lack of understanding when mental illness is concerned (psychosisis supposedly the motive behind crimes of Jack) belongs in theWhitechapel sewer.

lanseaume 2012-05-16 13:31:16

an excellent film based on the ripper murders

this was a fine film and well acted out. a superior performance by michaelcaine in the role of inspector abberline. quite believable in its content.too bad that the video format does not include the united states. i wouldpersonaly have liked to purchased this fine epic either on vhs or dvdformat.

Sulla-2 2012-05-13 19:12:25

Flawed, but a good effort

This is easily my favourite Jack the Ripper film. I was disappointedwith the ending which I guessed near to the start of the film as I haveread the Stephen Knight book. The Richard Mansfield bits were good butunnecessary. This version is far from perfect but is certainly doesit's best to be accurate. It gets the locations right, the order of thecrimes correct and uses real Police Officers to investigate. I foundall the acting to be good. Whatever happened to Lewis Collins ? I agreewith others that the prostitutes, apart from Mary Kelly were too goodlooking for the times. When I read the Stephen Knight book, itcertainly appeared plausible but now I haven't a clue who the actualripper was.

jrb1802 2012-05-13 02:04:48

My favourite Jack the Ripper movie

This version (out of many on the subject of Britain's most famous serialkiller) is by far, my favourite.I have studied Jack the Ripper for many years, read many books, seen manydocumentaries, and even been on the Jack the Ripper tour in Whitechapel,where I saw the actual murder sites. The acting is first class from everyone involved (notably from Lewis Collinsas Sgt. Godley, Steve Payne as Billy White and Amande Assante as RichardMansfield), and the direction is first class.There are only two things I didn't like about this:1) The Killer's Identity - I just do not agree that he was Jack theRipper.2) Once again, the Prostitutes were portrayed as good looking showgirls,when in reality they were ugly, toothless old crones. (Only Mary Jane Kellywas attractive, and Lysette Anthony who played her in this film, bares aremarkable resembelance to the real Kelly).It's a shame this movie is not available on video or DVD. I was fortunateenough to have taped it off the TV, and have kept it eversince.For any budding Ripperologists out there, I would strongly recommend you seethis. But I`ll leave it up to you, if you agree with who they say it was --I certainly don't.

JohnRouseMerriottChard 2012-05-13 09:07:12

Excellently constructed telling of the story.

"For over 100 years the murders in Whitechapel committed by Jack theRipper have baffled the World. What you are about to see is adramatisation of these events. Our story is based on extensiveresearch, including a review of the official files by specialpermission of the Home Office and interviews with leadingcriminologists and Scotland Yard officials."Jack The Ripper is produced out of Euston Films and is directed byDavid Wickes who also co-wrote it with Derek Marlowe. Released tocoincide with the 100 years anniversary of the murders, it starsMichael Caine (Frederick Abberline), Armand Assante (RichardMansfield), Ray McAnally (Sir William Gull), Lewis Collins (Sgt. GeorgeGodley), Ken Bones (Robert James Lees), Susan George (Catherine 'Kate'Eddowes) & Jane Seymour (Emma Prentiss). Originally released as a TV mini-series in the United Kingdom, Jack TheRipper has long since been available to view as a three hour ten minutemovie. Every second of which is worth sitting thru. For his storyWickes uses actual historical characters that were involved in the 1888hunt for the notorious killer. Drawing heavily from the Masonic/RoyalFamily conspiracy theory that has been used before in tellings of thestory (notably the film Murder By Decree born out of Thomas E. A.Stowell's theory), Wickes boldly proclaimed to be revealing the trueidentity of the Ripper. Something that unsurprisingly he was forced torecant, but regardless of that, this is a glorious telling, meticulousin detail and providing much food for thought.In amongst the grizzly murders and the fraught search for the killer bythe exasperated police, Wickes' movie fully forms the other issues tohand. Such as the role of the press during this dark time and why wasGeorge Lusk leading vigilante's across Whitechapel? The Government andRoyal Family aspects are given screen time because that's how high theissue went. The pressure on Abberline from his superiors is told infull, as the murders start to escalate and Abberline runs up againstquestionable assistance during the investigation, his anger grows. Weare with him every step of the way. The prostitutes aren't merelyRipper fodder characters either, we at least meet them, understandthem, even seeing the role of the "pimp" in Victorian England. It'sgood stuff, well researched.Technically, for a TV movie, its production value is very high. Greatsets that bring to life Victorian England {the exteriors were actuallyshot in Belper, Derbyshire}, the costumes catch the eye and the castare hugely effective. Particularly Caine {throwing himself into therole} and Assante {switching his character's emotional state regularlywith consummate ease}. We also get the chill factor too, somethingthat's needed in a film of such dark thematics. As the street girlswalk alone in dimly lit cobbled streets, the air of unease is palpable.Then a silhouette of the man with the hat, cloak and bag brings a coldshiver down the spine. Witness too the sequences involving the play DrJekyll and Mr Hyde, a nice put in to the plot by the writers, and onethat provides genuinely creepy moments. It's a top film that has somuch going for it.There will be other Jack The Ripper film's no doubt, and for sure morebooks will arrive proclaiming this and that is true. But with thistake, if you buy into the theory or not, is probably as good as it getsfor detail and execution of the material. 9/10

2012-05-12 23:57:16

Jack thr Ripper

This is an extremely entertaining and a very good dramastisation of the Whitechapel murders. It may not be a classic, but with its strong cast and excellent period detail, it is a thrilling story and will keep you entertained through out the movie. Inspector Abberline and Sergeant Godley were real-life people, as were others in the flim, so I did enjoy the short follow up after the end of the movie. This one I will enjoy watching again.

Mark Schreiner 2012-05-10 02:33:19

The most accurate telling of the Ripper's tale

This television mini-series gives, without doubt, the most balanced tellingof the Jack the Ripper story yet filmed. This movie is not about the Jackthe Ripper that stole H.G. Wells' time machine or took control of Capt.Picard's Enterprise. This film takes a thoughtful and deductive look at thereal ripper case file. Solid filmmaking and acting support a largelyhistorically accurate script. The risk the filmmakers took was in decidingfor themselves, from the available records, Jack's real identity. Historiansmay disagree, but their case if formidable. Along the way, Michael Caine'scharacter, a relentless and creative Scotland Yard inspector, explodes someof the Ripper myths that less filmmakers have turned into the gore-filmhash.Jack the Ripper (1988): Good history, excellent acting, importantfilmmaking.

2012-05-09 13:03:59

atmospheric and suspenseful!

Michael Caine plays Inspector Abberline, in this moody and somewhat realistic 1988 made-for-TV film about the Jack The Ripper murders. Plus, this movie also features Armand Assante and Jane Seymour. This has never seen the light of day on Region 1 DVD,but it really really should. C'mon, whoever owns this, get this released in the U.S! :)

2012-05-04 12:25:56

Atmospheric but Bogus

Oh please, there isn't 5 minutes of truth in this thing. However, some of the acting is fine (especially Caine whom I love despite his frequent screams) and by the guy who played Sergeant Godley and another fellow who played a slimely newspaper reporter for "The Star".. But this 4 hour CBS miniseries tells us that Aberline wasn't married (he was) and strongly suggests that the American actor Richard Mansfield was a prime suspect-he was not. In an interview published way after the events of 1888, Aberline thought that Godley had arrested the Ripper-a Polish emigre barber-surgeon named George Chapman--no relation to victim #2. So what of the premise of this whole production?But the mini-series (which I taped in November of 1988 and still watch occasionally) does have beautiful costumes, wonderful sets, and a snappy pace. But don't believe a word of it.

2012-05-03 21:46:37

Review

I saw this film a few years ago and thought it very good as a horror movie.Yet as history, its nonsense.The film is largely based on Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution (1977), except the connection with Queen Victoria's son is missing (and quite right, too).There is no evidence that the murderous couple committed these crimes- certainly the police never thought so and Michael Caine's character, Inspector Abberline thought (almost certainly incorrectly) it was one George Chapman, a posioner, hanged in 1903 for poisoning women. One of the villians in this story had recently suffered a stroke and this elderly man would have had difficulty wielding a knofe at dinner, let alone killing anyone.So the solution presented here is nonsense.The whole premise of a horse drawn carriage going through Whitechapel slum land is also ridiculous - not one of the witnesses in the real case mentions one.George Lusk of the Whitechapel Vigilante Committee is shown here as a socialist agitator - in real life he was a local churchwarden.Caine's portrayl of the detective is also at odds with what is known of the modest policeman. To conclude, although a good story, this bears very little relation to the known facts of the case and merely serves to mislead the uninitiated viewer.

2012-04-25 22:43:44

A TV Classic Finally on NTSC!!!

I waited for twenty years for this DVD to be available, and aside from the price, it was definitely worth the wait. The production values are fantastic, and Michael Caine sets the standard for the role of Inspector Fred Abberline. Of course, Michael Caine could give an award winning performance by merely standing in front of a camera while reading from a telephone directory! Forget about Johnny Depp's "From Hell" because this film is the ultimate, definitive version of Jack the Ripper's autumn of terror in London's East End.

simon-118 2012-04-25 14:06:59

A fascinating story murdered before your eyes...

I'm sorry but I think this is simply appalling. There is not a singleelement of this that works for me. It should work...David Wickes proved hisworth as a director on many of the best episodes of "The Sweeney" andMichael Caine is, when the material deserves, a wonderful actor. But thiswhole misbegotten exercise is an embarrasment to watch, tabloid tv with nosubtlety or intelligence, a penny dreadful with no sense or value. Thenarrative is done by numbers, there being no attempt to introduce any kindof style. Events simply move from A to Z. The production also has aninflated sense of its own importance, in the patronizing voice overs atbeginning and end. Caine at one point draws up a list of suspects none ofwhich have anything to do with the murders but they are simply all thecharacters he has met so far! The characterisations are pathetic...to makeCaine more than just a copper, he's a copper with a drink problem. Some ofthe dialogue has to be heard to be believed. There is an interminable "pubfight" early on to keep us watching (intelligent plotting would be a bettermethod), the scenes of the Ripper breathing like Darth Vader areembarrassing and the film loses its way completely when venturing into the"Jekyll & Hyde" stage play sequences, although the special effects here arealarming, if utterly irrelevant. The other effects are dire; a minimalapproach to gore is commendable until Wickes ruins it with totallyunconvincing shots of bodies with ketchup smeared over the throats. The mostimportant clue of the whole saga, the "writing on the wall" is simplyabandoned as it doesn't fit in with Wickes' barmy solution to the murderswhich is nothing but ludicrous and libellous. The worst moments of all comewith Jane Seymour and the normally reliable Susan George acting as if theyare in "Mary Poppins" and the whole serial was clearly designed as animitation of an American mini-series. That's why the sets and charactersbear no resemblance to London then or now. Where's the poverty, childprostitution, overworked policeman, filthy streets? And the award for themost irritating character ever to appear on film must be that journalist whois in this for no reason except to annoy us. Maybe it was meant as comicrelief. It failed.

JohnO-9 2012-04-25 05:27:25

Gripping and highly enlightening.

The perpetual source of fascination for the story behind the movie: JACKTHERIPPER has always been the fact that this case went "unsolved." Also,thereare many confusing facts, rumors, and speculations that have gone into thesmokescreen of the past when only tit-bits of information leak out and thefull story is not told.For the first time, we have here, a factual telling of this gruesomechapterin history - with ALL the answers given.The horror in this movie is not in the gore - as much of that goesunseen -but in the tension, the build up, and the cinematography that shows theaudience of the horror that awaits them.When "Jack" ventures out and onto the town, the build up, the carriagepreparation and the rides into darkest London, have all the visualessencesof pure evil on the prowl. The schizophrenic and demonic character of"Jack" is relayed to the audience without a word said or a scream uttered.It is conveyed in the movements of the all-black carriage, and the jarring"clip-clop" of horse's hooves on worn, wet cobblestones in the dim litmistof the darkened London slums.Michael Caine is superb in his finest role, as were all the other castmembers. David Wickes - the director - has done a superb job in researchand execution.It is a MUST for any film buff and/or movie student.Why is this movie NOT on video?

2012-04-24 20:53:28

michael caine gets better with age

michael caine is one of those actors that is good in anything he is in even if the movie isn't. that said this is one movie that is just as good as he is. never to horror movie directed it plays as a mystery and a very good one at that. and as the real inspector who handled the case he is just great. a little bloody in spots, but what do you expect, this is one i watch ever once and awhile