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A look at the FROM HELL script
Hey folks, Harry here. A few weeks back the
producer on FROM HELL, Don Murphy wrote and
called this project “The JFK of Jack The Ripper
Movies,” and I thought he was probably full of shit.
But when I had a chance to take a read of Terry
Hayes’ script adaptation of Alan Moore’s comic
series... Well... I read.
I would have to say I absolutely agree with the
sentence, “The JFK of Jack The Ripper Movies.”
You see, for me while JFK doesn’t necessarily point
out exactly who killed the president, it made it
abundantly clear that something was peculiarly wrong
with the ‘official story’ and that a conspiracy was
involved in not only the assassination, but also in the
investigation that followed.
Well, in FROM HELL... by the end of the script you
have no doubt that this is the way it happened. A
conspiracy was at the root of it all, and it is a hell of
alot more complicated than one guy with a scalpel.
Reading this script, I played THEMES FROM 221B
BAKER STREET... a compilation of themes from
Sherlock Holmes movies and it instantly put me in the
time and place that I wanted to be in.
The closest to this take on the JACK THE RIPPER
story was a little seen film that Bob Clark (yeah the
guy who directed A CHRISTMAS STORY) made
called MURDER BY DECREE. It too feels like a
conspiracy, but because it’s Sherlock Holmes solving
the case it feels rooted in fantasy, whereas here in
FROM HELL... it feels legitimate.
It’s strange... I’ve never really seen a ‘straight’ Jack
The Ripper movie that I’ve liked so far. It seems that
everytime they cross him with other characters
though... I fall in love. Like in MURDER BY
DECREE and TIME AFTER TIME. But here.... Oh
man... I sooo want to see this movie get made.
First off we have a great detective character here
named Abberline, and he is simply fantastic. You see...
He’s been an opium addict for years... chasing his
dragon in his off hours. But he is also a great
detective. But he does have his weaknesses. He has
a working class background, son of a saddlemaker,
that didn’t pursue his father’s trade and instead
dreamed of being a detective. He’s never lost a case,
and is determined to solve this one.
Unlike the other Jack The Ripper films, we get to
know the victims... the prostitutes... who they were,
why they were killed and how they were linked. And
believe it or not... we care about these women who
simply were ex-clothes mill workers that were put out
of work by machines created at the birth of the
industrial revolution.
We also get a look behind the scenes of the secret
world of Freemasonry, a world I’ve been fascinated
with ever since John Houston’s fantastic MAN WHO
WOULD BE KING.
And... We get to know who Jack the Ripper was...
We learn that in a strange bizarre way he wasn’t a
monster, and by the end of things.. we feel a wee bit
sorry for Jack the Ripper...
I hope to hell this movie gets made... If for no other
reason than making people a little antsy about eating
grapes. I love movies that create new phobias.
The script by Terry Hayes is a tight read. It’s dark
and grimey. The pacing is fast and towards the end
as the movie is bustling towards it’s conclusion I
found myself rushing to read faster. I had to know
what happened at the end. I was involved into the
story.
I love conspiracy theories and this is one of the best.
It involves everyone from the medical fields to the
police to the secret service to royalty. And... it makes
perfect sense. That’s the key.
Now in a strange way I hope this isn’t shot on
location. There’s a part of me that wants this shot a
lot like how Tim Burton shot SLEEPY HOLLOW.
Painted backdrops, studio sets and complete control
of atmospherics.
And... Danny Elfman... Oh yeah... I’d love to hear
him score this too. Or maybe John Ottman. It just
feels like a creepy old film with a good amount of
viscera thrown in for a blood hued texture that just
creeps one out.
So... if you folks hear about any movement on this
film... let me know... The script would make a great
movie. And with the Hughes Brothers attached to direct... I am excited.
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+ Expand All
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Sorry Harry but I loved Murder by Decree and Time after Time (as well as A Study in Terror)! Personally, I no longer have an interest in seeing a new take on Jack the Ripper.
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Aren't the Hughes Bros attached to this film?
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But who'd direct, Harry? Who really had a feel for both the visual to screen look of a comic, and the horror/suspense of a good Ripper/detective movie? Burton? Nah, too obvious. Ridley Scott? Busy (rumor has it) with Hannibal. Perhaps David Fincher (I'm way off on the spelling here I think) the guy who directed "Seven." It's a familiar genre for him and I think he'd translate the work from graphic to screen extremely well. Just being a fan boy.
Cheers,
??Pseudo??
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Unless this movie is five hours long, there's no way it can include even half of the depth of Moore and Campbell's book. Alan Moore writes comic books. ("Fashion Beast" notwithstanding) He makes better use of the medium than anyone else could. The storytelling strengths of one medium don't just automatically translate to another. There's a reason that weak-assed "Watchmen" script will never get made. Let's all just let the books stand as they are, as great comics - without feeling the need to squeeze them onto a movie screen.
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Terry Gilliam loves Moores most famous series"Watchmen" and now "From Hell" is apparantly moving forward. This is good. How aobut "V for Vendetta" or a "Moorish Swamp Thing" tv-series of Marvel/Miracle Man...........
Moore is one the premier creators in the comics field. It would be nice to see him get the mainstreem recognition(damn that spelling!!!), that he so badly deserves..... -
they could do no worse than the Sin City stories, which in my opinion is Frank Miller's best stuff. I'd certainly like to see The Watchmen done right. From Hell, too, for that matter.
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This sounds like a great project, but as an amateur "Ripper-ologist", there is very little genuine evidence to support any conspiracy. It's something that every Ripper film suggests, but virtually any Ripper historian or serial killer profiler (John Douglas, etc) regards a conspiracy as bolderdash. BTW, The "character" of Abberline is nothing of the sort -- he was a real chief investigator in the Ripper murders. But I'm not criticizing -- this sounds like a great project. Just don't take it as gospel!
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Last i heard there was a panel of profilers that made a profile of Jack The Ripper.Based on this and an anon confessions letter ,he's s'posed to be a dung shoveler..
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Mr. Tolkien, sir- how are you doing? Glad to see you are still alive. Anyway, in any field where that nasty 'c' word raises its ugly head, the majority of the experts decry any such theory as balderdash. It's the nature of the beast. As someone who is more open to the possibility of CONSPIRACY (Dum-dum-DAAAH!) than the average learned scholar I find the arguments Moore put forward in From Hell quite compelling, if not completely convincing. The fact of the matter is that we will NEVER know for sure who the Ripper was, or the circumstances surrounding the murders. So the choice as to what becomes part of our collective history is ours to make, and I for one will always choose the coolest version of the story.
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...since it doesn't sound like Harry is overly familiar with the original series, maybe someone who's read both versions (comic and script) could do an overview of what has made the cut so far? I'd be very curious to see what got streamlined out of the tale.
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I've read the Comic series and volume 1 of the scripts. Is there a volume 2?
I'd love to read the movie script but I seriously doubt that it could tell the story, and be a good movie with a decent budget. The comic was a really dark and violent story that tended to go off on all sorts of tangents.
I have a feeling this project will go the way of the Watchmen.
Re: the legend itself, with all the evidence the police did have, a conspiracy theory is the only thing that can explain it, imho.
MrN -
We do know the Ripper removed organs from his victims with surgical precision. So either this Dung Shoveler was a former doctor or had some strange hobbies.
MrN -
A few years ago I watched a recent miniseries on TV about the whole Jack the Ripper case.
It starred Michael Cane as the chief inspector at Scotland Yard in charge of the case.
And it was bloody brilliant.
It was also a huge conspiracy. Tracing clues that lead to one of the top surgeons in England at the time - and all the way up to the Royal family.
If you ever get the chance to see it, do so. -
The new script is being written by a fella named Iglesias (no jokes!) who also adapted Les Miserables (the Liam Neeson one) a few years ago. Apparently, they want to spruce up the main character/Scotland Yard inspector.
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`Sin City' will *never* be adapted into a film. Not by anyone. Never. So said Frank Miller himself. He knows Hollywood, and has - on numerous occassions - said he would *not* want to see his creation turned into a film. Good or bad. It won't happen. He won't let it, and will not write it.
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You know, the same old Ripper Conspiracy crap gets old after the 800th retooling. "It was the Royals, it was the Freemasons, it was the Jews, it was the Police, it was the Church, it was the...Yada, Yada, Yada. The FACTS of the case are compelling enough to make a good suspensful movie without adding plots and intrigues cut out of wholly ficticious cloth. On numerous occasions, the Ripper came within minutes of being caught, and in one instance was probably hiding in the shadows of the murder scene when it was discovered! There is not one shread of CREDIBLE evidence that suggests that there was plot or conspiracy concerning the identity or capture of Jack the Ripper. Excellent, non-hack books on the subject are "The Complete History of Jack the Ripper" by Phillip Sugden, and The Jack the Ripper A-Z" by Begg, Fido, and Skinner.
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Sorry, but you don't need to be a surgeon to remove organs from a body, you just need a sharp knife and a strong stomach. And, if you've seen the police photo of Jack the Ripper's last victim, it is plainly obvious that the severly mutilated body was carved up in a very imprecise fashion. Many murderers carve up the bodies of their victims with precision. Does that mean they're in the medical profession too?
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I would hope they do a good job with this. With their only credits being those urban dramas, I'm interested to see how they'd handle this film, but I'm expecting to be disappointed. If they're doing this though, when are they gonna do Phone Booth? I heard they were attatched to that. Even if they aren't as good as Michael Bay would've been, I still just am happy to see that awesome script getting made. I heard they sent it to all the A-listers, one of them would be smart to take the role in that movie, like Will Smith should've.
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Always have loved Jack the Ripper stuff (Except where he showed up on crappy TV shows, excluding that one kick-ass Babylon 5 episode). Always have loved conspiracy stuff, too. I've heard plenty o' conspiracies in my days, everything from the assassination (JFK was the kind of movie that really leaves you with doubts...) to the U.S. knowing ahead of time about Pearl Harbor (The carriers had left while all the obsolete battleships were still there. Hmm...). Don't believe much of it, of course. But it still makes for great movies. Bring on From Hell!
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Why the fuck would you recommend a book and then give away the ending? You are a fucking moron.
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With all this excitement over another Jack the Ripper project, I think everyone has forgotten one crucial detail, THE MPAA WILL NOT ALLOW THIS TITLE! "FROM HELL?" Remember the original South Park title? No, a thousand times no indeed. In this post-columbine enviroment, films with this sort of title could actually inspire undead teens to rise from their infernal prison, their damned souls emerging from tombs to terrorize the living. Never can be to careful when it comes to hell-bent zombie teens. Especially if they're FROM HELL!!! Any ideas on a suitable replacement title? "FROM HECK"... or maybe even: "TEACHING JACK THE RIPPER," Wait this Jack the Ripper stuff will never do... it'll inspire copycat killings! Lock up your teens and scapels everyone, it looks like Hollywood is about to shock and corrupt our innocent youth again. Oh yeah, and if you're a parent, don't let your kids hack up a London Prostitute.
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You've got a great idea there, however the problem isn't just in the papers not advertising the film but the fact that most theaters will not show un-rated films. The mpaa has gotten such a massive cranial/anal inversion going that they've screwed up NC-17 to the point where it's become more of a kiss of death than the X it was supposed to replace. The current ratings system is antiquated and nonsensical. Why should a movie be considered more graphic for use of language than actually showing someone getting eviscerated? I wish it were as easy as some rogue director telling the mpaa to go toss off, but the system is far too screwed up already.
Harry, you considered my suggestion for director? =-)
Cheers,
??Pseudo??
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"The Last Sherlock Holmes Story." I'm shocked someone brought that up. The project was setup at Paramount Pictures through MKProductions (Mario Kassar) Jeremy Irons was attached to play Sherlock, and Anthony Hopkins was going to be approached for Watson, unfortunately he committed to DIARY OF JACK THE RIPPER, which since fell into some litigation. All three of these projects (SHERLOCK, DIARY, and FROM HELL) came together at once, thus killing off two of them.
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From Hell seems to get its JTR conspiracy from the same book as "Gods of Riverworld" by Philip Jose Farmer. and according to my brother this theory has been generally discredited now. Is anyone aware of the latest theories on JTR?
Any filmmaker would be hardpressed to translate Moore's vision into film. I wonder if they'd thought of animation? Making those grimy and explicit graphic images move would make this a more interesting movie. -
Sure, all you need is a sharp knife, but how many people know the proper incision to get to the kidneys and then remove them intact. The last mutilation aside, this guy knew what he was doing. That doesn't mean he's a surgeon, just that he was learned and not a vagrant or something.
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I've got incredibly mixed feelings about this project. On the one hand, a good updating of the Jack the Ripper story would suck me right in in no time. On the other hand, the conspiracy-theory stuff is a big, big turnoff. I hated JFK (the movie) partly because it was so beautifully mounted and staged, but it was in the service of the most obvious perversions of easily-checked facts that I couldn't bring myself to like the film. Examples: the conversation between Ferrie and Garrison never took place; Lou Ivon never resigned from the DA's office; the closing argument at Clay Shaw's trial wasn't even presented by Garrison, etc., etc. This has nothing to do with whether JFK was shot from the front or back, but with the wealth of other details that Stone and his crew played fast and loose with to make the story more "dramatic" or "accessible" or whatever excuse he was using to fob off his inflated fairytale on the public. I admired the movie's skill and technique, but absolutely resented its core insincerity. Maybe I wouldn't have been as offended if the movie had been more clearly labeled as fiction, but it was so obviously Stone trying to be pseudo-historian. Now... if they manage to make a good Ripper movie and don't descend into contrived paranoia as an engine for their plot, it'll be interesting.
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Aug 23, 1999 1:17:34 PM CDT
SCARIEST RIPPER SITE EVER: ALL THE LETTERS AND POLICE PHOTOS htt
by cstxfact
I think "FROM HELL" is the best and scariest title for a Ripper film. I mean that's where Jack the Ripper was from right? This is a site I discovered a while back. It has everything you would like to know , but most importantly...It has the letters Jack sent to the police in close up,and even scarier, it has all the police photos of the women hacked up in detail. I swear, I couldn't sleep with the lights on when I first saw these pictures. It makes "Blair Witch" look like a saturday morning cartoon. Here it is: http://ripper.wildnet.co.uk
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Aug 23, 1999 1:21:38 PM CDT
I have a better idea...let's make Caleb Carr's "The Alienist" in
by houdini25
Well? Caleb's chilling book would please both the Ripper fans and late 19th/early 20th century mystery fans, with gaslight lamps and all.
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The music in The Thing is creepy as hell. Plus he did the great music for Cinema Paradiso, The Untouchables and the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. He's definitly up there with John Williams and Danny Elfman. This movie better get made, dammit!
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Can't wait to see cold, wet streets and the dark back alleys of the London slums!
I hope they're able to dig up a good music score. Something Bartok-esque would be nice. -
Last I heard, Trevor Jones is scoring this.
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Never might never mean never. Miller has indeed written a script for a Sin City movie. I heard it could be either a feature or animated. But Miller HAS written a script for it. Seen it with my own eyes, I have!
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I'm worried about this reviewer...
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I fully concur that the murders were very brutal, thats why they got so much attention. However, there was precision to the methods. I quote from the report following the post-mortem exam of Annie Chapman, the second victim, editing for the weak of stomach. "Obviously the work was that of an expert- of one, at least, who had such knowledge of anatomical or pathological examinations.." "The mode in which the knife had been used seemed to indicate great anatomical knowledge." The doctor "thought he himself could not have performed all the injuries he described, even without a struggle, under a quarter of an hour. If he had done it in a deliberate way such as would fall to the duties of a surgeon it probably would have taken him the best part of an hour" I could go on, but the curious can find the details at http://www.casebook.org/
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The non comic reading world has know idea what a treat they are in for!
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