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** This is an archived, static copy of the Casebook messages boards dating from 1998 to 2003. These threads cannot be replied to here. If you want to participate in our current forums please go to https://forum.casebook.org **
Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution (1980)
Casebook Message Boards: Ripper Media: Specific Titles:
Film / Movies (Non-Fiction):
Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution (1980)
Author: Michael Rogers
Thursday, 19 November 1998 - 08:54 pm |        | Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution
color. 1980 approx. 50 mins. White Star,
195 Hwy. 36, West Long Branch, NJ 07764.
$19.95.CRIME
In the 107 years that have passed since the Jack the Ripper killings, the theories regarding the true identity of the Whitechapel murderer have been legion. Suspects have ranged from a member of the Royal Family to a Jewish immigrant taylor. This program presents what is known in Ripperology as the "Mason theory" formulated by British journalist Stephen Knight in his volume, "Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution." The basis of the theory is that the murders were actually committed by an unholy trio of Freemasons; Royal physician William Gull, artist Walter Sickert, and coachman John Netley, to silence the five prostitutes who were attempting to blackmail fellow Mason Prince Albert Victor, who Knight claims, had secretly married a common Catholic woman, the scandal of which would have toppled the crown if it bacame public knowledge. Knight asserts that the fashion in which the women were slain is in accordance with ancient Masonic ritual. Although the theory is pretty far-fetched--Knight fails to mention that at the time of the killings Gull was 72 and was recovering from a stroke--the program is nonetheless intriguing. Recommended for true crime collections. |
Author: Cyranna Eco
Thursday, 19 November 1998 - 08:54 pm | | The video is an interesting means of viewing Stephen Knight's theory in a concise and somewhat personal manner. One should know that the entire film, except for a few dramatic re-enactments, is an interview between a researcher and Stephen Knight.
Of course, the theory is a bit hard to swallow, but it was well-done and even though the reporter was just a little bit over-enthusiastic at times, I suppose it would be a good addition to any Ripper collection (especially those who still hold on to the Sickert/Gull/Clarence theory). |
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