From Hell (film)

From Hell
Directed by	Albert Hughes Allen Hughes
Written by	Screenplay: Terry Hayes Rafael Yglesias Graphic Novel: Alan Moore Eddie Campbell
Produced by	Jane Hamsher Don Murphy Amy Robinson
Starring	Johnny Depp Heather Graham Ian Holm Robbie Coltrane Ian Richardson Jason Flemyng
Edited by	George Bowers
Music by	Trevor Jones
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date	October 19, 2001
Running time	122 min.
Country	USA
Language	English
Budget	$35 million
Box office	$74.5 million

From Hell is a 2001 film about the Jack the Ripper murders, loosely based on the graphic novel of the same title by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell. It was directed by the Hughes brothers, the first film that they directed outside of the hood film genre. It was first released on October 19, 2001.

Plot

It is 1888 in London, and the poor lead horrifying lives in the East End's Whitechapel district. Harassed by gangs and forced to work the streets for a living, Mary Kelly and her small group of prostitutes trudge on through this daily misery, their only consolation being that things can't get any worse.

Yet things somehow do when their friend Ann is kidnapped and they are drawn into a conspiracy with links higher up than they could possibly imagine. The kidnapping is soon followed by the gruesome murder of another woman, Martha, and it becomes apparent that they are being hunted down, one by one as the various prostitutes are murdered and mutilated post mortem.

Sinister even by Whitechapel standards, the murder of Martha and her companions grabs the attention of Police Inspector Frederick Abberline, a brilliant yet troubled man whose police work is often aided by his psychic "visions". Abberline's investigations reveal that the murders, while gruesome, imply that an educated person is responsible due to the precise and almost surgical method used. Ann is found a few days later in asylum having been lobotomized after officials and doctors supposedly found her to be insane. It is implied this was done to silence her. Abberline consults Sir William Gull, a physician to the Royal Family, drawing on his experience and knowledge of medicine. These findings coupled his superiors impeding his investigations, point to a darker and organized conspiracy. Abberline becomes deeply involved with the case, which takes on personal meaning to him when he and Mary begin to fall in love.

After Abberline deduces that Masonic influence is definitely present in these crimes, his superior, a high ranking Freemason himself, then makes direct intervention and suspends Abberline. It is then revealed that Sir William Gull is the killer. He has been killing the witnesses to Prince Eddy's forbidden Catholic marriage to Ann, the prostitute who bore his legitimate daughter (Alice), who is therefore the heir to the British throne. Gull himself is a Freemason and his increasingly sinister behavior lends an insight into his murderous, but calculated mind. Rather than publicly charge Gull, the Freemasons decide to lobotomize Gull to protect the Royal family from the scandal. Gull defiantly states he has no equal among men, remaining defiant right up to his lobotomy, resulting in him becoming invalid and unable to speak just as Ann had been. Mary Kelly doesn't die; Gull earlier mistook Ada, the Belgian girl, for her and Gull kills her instead. Mary lives happily ever after with Alice in a cottage on a cliff by the sea. Inspector Frederick Abberline is found dead of an opium overdose, knowing he can never see Mary again without endangering her.

Cast

• Johnny Depp as Inspector Frederick Abberline, the visionary and sympathetic police officer who has to investigate the murder series. The consumption of drugs makes him dream scenes from the murders. The investigation itself, though, he carries out based on a conclusive line of thought.
• Heather Graham as Mary Kelly, a young "bangtail" who builds up a relationship to Abberline and eventually falls in love with him.
• Ian Holm as Sir William Gull, a fine gentleman, retired surgeon and physician ordinary to Queen Victoria, now teaching at the Royal London Hospital. Because of his expertise in anatomy and the soul, he becomes the scientific adviser of Abberline.
• Robbie Coltrane as Sergeant Peter Godley, the humorous and literate subordinate assistant and friend of Abberline. The character is based on Sgt. George Godley.
• Ian Richardson as Sir Charles Warren, a stiff bureaucrat and Abberline's superior.
• Jason Flemyng as Netley, the coachman and stooge of the murderer.
• Katrin Cartlidge as Annie Chapman, aka Dark Annie, bangtail and gullible 3rd victim of the murderer.
• Terence Harvey as Ben Kidney, the head of the Special Branch of the Metropolitan Police.
• Susan Lynch as Liz Stride, the spirited bangtail and 4th victim that "wasn't finished".
• Paul Rhys as Dr. Ferral, an ambitious young doctor and specialist in treatment of dementia.
• Lesley Sharp as Kate Eddowes, the mothering bangtail and 5th victim.
• Estelle Skornik as Ada, the old friend of Liz from Bruxelles.
• Nicholas McGaughey as Officer Bolt
• Annabelle Apsion as Polly Nichols, the 2nd victim of the murderer.
• Joanna Page as Ann Crook, an ex-bangtail and now wife to Albert and young mother of a daughter.
• Mark Dexter as Albert Sickert/Prince Edward Albert Victor, husband to Ann and grandson of Queen Victoria. A composite character based on Walter Sickert and Prince Albert Victor
• Danny Midwinter as Constable Withers, a cheeky member of the task force led by Abberline.
• Samantha Spiro as Martha Tabram, the 1st victim of the murderer.
• David Schofield as McQueen, a crook who extorts the bangtails.
• Bryon Fear as Robert Best, a reporter.
• Peter Eyre as Lord Hallsham, a confidential servant of Queen Victoria and judge of...
• Cliff Parisi as Mac Bartender
• Sophia Myles as Victoria Abberline, dead wife of Fred Abberline who appears in on of his dreams.
• Ralph Ineson as Gordie, a stooge of McQueen.
• Liz Moscrop as Queen Victoria
• Ian McNeice as the coroner Robert Drudge
• Vincent Franklin as George Lusk
• Anthony Parker as Joseph Merrick then known as John the Elephant Man
• Simon Harrison as Thomas Bond

Production

The part of Sir William Gull was originally going to be played by Nigel Hawthorne, but he died two weeks before filming was due to start. Ian Holm replaced him however the disparity in height between Hawthorne and the much shorter Holm led to some of the scenes being changed.

Reception

The film got mixed reviews from critics. Ebert and Roeper gave the film a "two-thumbs up" (Roger Ebert alone gave it 3 out of 4 stars). It currently holds a 58% on Rotten Tomatoes.

E! Online stated it is "two hours of gory murders, non-sequitur scenes, and an undeveloped romance" and gave the film a C-. The New York Post called it a "gripping and stylish thriller".

The film grossed $31.6 million domestically and $74.5 million worldwide.

Influences and interpretations

When Godley doubts the testimony of Mary and calls her a whore, Abberline's look at him causes him to ask "A rose by any other name". This is a reference to William Shakespeare's play Romeo & Juliet.

During the murder of Liz, Netley yells at a Jewish passer by "What the fuck are you looking at, Lipski?", a reference to Israel Lipski's connection to the murder cases.

Differences from novel

The film version of From Hell differs enormously from the novel.

• In the film Abberline is a young, psychic widower who is addicted to opium. In the book, and historically, Abberline is a gruff, middle-aged, married detective. Towards the end of the novel he is assisted by a professed psychic who, despite being fraudulent, eventually leads them to the killer.

• In the original novel the small group of prostitutes attempt to blackmail the House of Hanover regarding the Anne Crook scandal, thus giving a clearer reason for their murders.

• In the novel, Martha Tabram is barely mentioned and Catherine Eddowes is shown as a minor character murdered by mistake. Neither was a part of the group of prostitutes covered in the storyline.

• In the novel, Mary Kelly is shown as a promiscuous lesbian, but in the film much of that subplot has been transferred to Elizabeth Stride.

• In the film, Mary Kelly and Abberline have extensive dealings and an actual relationship. In the book their relationship is far smaller in scale, with the two being portrayed as having a coincidental friendship under false pretenses (Abberline claiming to be a saddle-maker and Kelly going by the name of "Emma"), completely unrelated to their respective involvements with the Ripper case, and with neither ever learning the truth about the other.

• The film condenses or ignores much of the novel's discussion of the supernatural and occult.

• The novel makes no mystery of Jack's identity, concentrating instead on the psychology of the character and of the era, while the film is a whodunit mystery.

See also

• From Hell letter

External links

• From Hell at Rotten Tomatoes
• From Hell at AllMovie
• From Hell at IMDb