Author: stephen borsbey
Tuesday, 19 February 2002 - 05:57 pm |        |
went to see the film tonite. WELL, THE CURIOSITY JUST GETS TO YOU. the scenery was good and the general feel of 1888.
but the storyline unbelievable and to elaborate to be true.the policemen were too clean cut for me. not enough whiskers about.mary jane kelly and her french friend too good lookin to be whores.
the best stars were the victorian COINS.
they were genuine i can say that because i collect them. o.k yawn time for bed. |
Author: Tony Rutherford
Tuesday, 19 February 2002 - 06:49 pm | |
Anyone livivng in the south East of England,
There's a "making of From Hell " documntary on Meridian tonight at midnight.
Maybe it'll show Heather Graham's voice/acting coach heading off for a long lie down with a big bottle of paracetamol. |
Author: Christopher T George
Wednesday, 20 February 2002 - 10:52 am | |
Hi Stephen:
I agree with you 100% about the excellence with which the reality of 1888 Whitechapel and environs was recreated in "From Hell." Yes, you are correct, those were Victorian bun pennies, which was very nice to see. It is just a pity that given all the hard work that was put into recreating the East End of 1888 the limp script and the so-so acting let the movie down!
All the best
Chris George |
Author: stephen borsbey
Wednesday, 20 February 2002 - 07:01 pm | |
thanks chris, also as an after thought
wasnt the elephant man discovered in 1884
so by 1888 why would he be shown off to medical men as a wonder of medical
science.?/??? oops. |
Author: Christopher T George
Thursday, 21 February 2002 - 05:16 am | |
Hi, Stephen:
Yes you are right that Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man, had been at the London Hospital since 1884 and would not be have been exhibited as a wonder of medical science in 1888. His case had been extensively discussed in the medical literature some years earlier. Having said that, I thought the scene with the Elephant Man was one of the better scenes in what was overall a disappointing movie. Any dramatic treatment of the Ripper story is going to distort the facts to some extent... this was but a small distortion compared to the larger liberties that were taken with the truth by the Hughes Brothers in this same movie!
Best regards
Chris George |
Author: Avril Sprintall
Thursday, 21 February 2002 - 10:11 am | |
| I saw the film on Friday & was stunned at the treatment they gave it. In fact the film broke down after about an hour & we were given the option to get our money back or wait until it was fixed - more than 50% decided to leave. That says a lot for the film! |
Author: stephen borsbey
Thursday, 21 February 2002 - 06:08 pm | |
where was this avril?
in the cinema i was in only 12-15 people
where in with me.
my wife went next door to see oceans 11
and said it was packed.
perhaps that tells you something.
it hasnt been well received. |
Author: Avril Sprintall
Sunday, 24 February 2002 - 03:45 pm | |
Hello Stephen
I saw the film in Hartlepool, North East England & there was about 50 people in.
What really irritated me was a couple in front with comments like "EE, I didn't know the policeman was a druggie" !
By the way, did your wife enjoy Oceans 11? |
Author: stephen borsbey
Monday, 25 February 2002 - 06:24 pm | |
yes she did avril. as there were 4 or 5 guys in it inc. bradd pitt and george clooney. so i went to see FROM HELL.
we are in manchester england. cya. |
Author: Neal Shelden
Monday, 30 December 2002 - 06:54 am | |
I was very saddened to hear on a programme last night about the death of the actress 'Katrin Cartlidge' in 2002. Katrin was Annie Chapman in the film 'From Hell' and by terrible coincidence died on Saturday 7th September. Not the same date, but rather the same day as Annie.
In 2001, I tried to send a copy of the Annie Chapman booklet via an agent to Katrin because I'd heard the film was coming to Britain. It turned out that I'd sent it to the wrong agent so I don't believe she ever received it.
I've seen her appear in other programmes and thought that she was a very fine actress. Her death was due to a sudden bout of pneumonia and septicaemia. She was only 41. |
Author: David O'Flaherty
Monday, 30 December 2002 - 10:57 am | |
Neal, that is sad news--I liked her very much in whatever she did (Career Girls and Breaking The Waves). I always thought she'd been miscast in From Hell, though--she would have made a better Catherine Eddowes.
Dave |
Author: Neal Shelden
Monday, 30 December 2002 - 02:15 pm | |
Hi Dave,
I was very surprised when I heard that she'd died, because I don't believe the newspapers reported anything back in September?
I remember her also in Crime and Punishment shown earlier this year.
I think that you're right that she was miscast as Chapman, personally I would have made her Stride and Susan Lynch-MJK, instead of the out of place Heather Graham.
All the best.
Neal |
Author: David O'Flaherty
Monday, 30 December 2002 - 02:32 pm | |
Neal,
I also hadn't heard a word about this until I saw your post this morning. However, I did find an article about her in Salon from September 30th.
http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/feature/2002/09/30/cartlidge/ (Don't try to click this link--it won't work. Cut and paste instead).
For those who only know Katrin Cartlidge from 'From Hell," I highly recommend you check out some of her other work--she was a tremendous, magnificent talent.
For Stewart Evans: Stewart, did you have an opportunity to meet Katrin Cartlidge when you were in Prague during filming?
Dave |
Author: K. Lindbergs
Monday, 30 December 2002 - 03:17 pm | |
I had not heard of her death either so thanks for the news. She was a great actress, and so young. She has done some terrific films besides "From Hell", such as "Naked".
I just got a copy of the double disc "From Hell" dvd for xmas this year and was really impressed by it. Her performance is really good in the film as Chapman I thought, but she would have been good as "Long Liz" too. I have mixed feelings about the movie, but I enjoyed it more watching it a second time just last week. I love the "vision/dream" sequences and Ian Holmes was great in it. The many extras on the dvd were wonderful and gave viewers new insight into the movie.
~ K. Lindbergs |
Author: John W. Whitaker
Tuesday, 31 December 2002 - 03:36 am | |
| Hi All, Not with the current topic, but can anybody tell me how close the film came to portraying the actual East End? Was the scenery right? Was the dress right? We're the streets crowded all-hours of the night? I've read through descriptions of Whitechapel, but I have a hard time picturing it. Thanks, John |
Author: Eduardo Zinna
Tuesday, 31 December 2002 - 06:58 am | |
Hello all,
Katrin Cartlidge's Obituary was published in the October issue of the Ripperologist, page 17.
Best wishes,
Eduardo |
Author: Stewart P Evans
Tuesday, 31 December 2002 - 02:46 pm | |
Dave,
I met Katrin in London before the filming started in Prague, when Keith and I showed her and the other girls playing the victims around the murder sites. Here is a shot of Katrin, the girl on the right behind Keith, outside the Ten Bells pub. She was a very pleasant girl and very dedicated to her profession.
It is interesting to note that there is a photograph of her in the movie on page 198 of the book Jack the Ripper The Murders and the Movies that is incorrectly captioned as being 'Susan Lynch as Liz Stride...'
Best Wishes,
Stewart |
Author: David O'Flaherty
Tuesday, 31 December 2002 - 03:19 pm | |
Stewart,
Thanks for posting the photograph.
Cheers,
Dave |
Author: Richard P. Dewar
Wednesday, 01 January 2003 - 03:25 pm | |
Hi all,
The movie "From Hell" has generated much unfortunate comment from the so-called Ripper community. Much of the derisive attack on the film seems to be based on a false set of expectations - some circles wanted the film to be a docudrama on the case. And one can see why there was so much confusion about the film.
The directors of the film, the Hughes brothers, were asked what "From Hell" was - a murder mystery? A historical drama? A gruesome thriller? Their answer was no to all of the above. They said "From Hell" was intended to be a gangster movie.
The film has many of the same elements presented in their celebrated gangland movie "Menace 2 Society." In that film, competing rival gangs battled and murdered over their meager desires.
The same elements are present in "From Hell." The Ripper killings, indeed, serve as a background for those confrontations.
I think what creates confusion for some viewers seeking a Ripper expose, is that the film is so authentic in its crime scenes and so spectacularly effective in its set designs.
I doubt the Hughes brothers would contend that the resolution of the case presented in their film is actually what they believe occurred.
What the film depicts, rather effectively, is that the brutality of the infamous Nichols St gang, a pack of vicious street urchins, differs little from the cruelty of the upper classes when their turf is threatened.
Whether it be the brutal lobotomies carried out by the state, the menacing cruelty of pimps, or the crimes of the Ripper themselves, poor unfortunates like the women depicted in the film had to huddle together against sinister forces in a grim battle for survival.
On that level, "From Hell" is a wonderful success.
Rich |
Author: Eric Cannon
Thursday, 02 January 2003 - 12:11 am | |
Nice post, Rich, I agree 100%. And I really like this movie, though I know a lot of you guys and gals despise it. I agree that the 'theory'(which, as Rich says probably isn't even bought into by the Hughes brothers themselves) is laughable, but it does make for good cinema. The Hughes brothers do movies about urban crime, and that is what this primarily concerns.
Does anyone have this on DVD? I got a player for Christmas and i was thinking of getting it. Does it have any good extras?
Eric |
Author: Richard P. Dewar
Thursday, 02 January 2003 - 09:07 am | |
Hi Eric,
I have the DVD. It does have some nice extras - and not only about the making of the movie.
There is a filmed interview with Stephen Knight that looks to be quite old. However, there is also an extensive interview with Stewart Evans who was credited as a consultant on the case.
Regarding the interview with Evans, the information shared is interesting and informative but the video taping appears amatuerish - I found the extreme close-ups a bit weird.
Rich |
Author: James Jeffrey Paul
Friday, 10 January 2003 - 09:06 pm | |
The problem with the movie was simply that it lacked the great depth, complexity, and emotional intensity of the graphic novel. Of course, a theatrical movie (as opposed to a TV miniseries) couldn't get in the whole story, but they could have brought a GREAT deal more of the background detail and characterization of the book into the movie. The movie was so simplistic and lacking in narrative drive or complexity that it was downright dull. And while Depp, Coltrane, and Holm are superb actors, even great ones, they had so little to do that their collective presence couldn't do much for the movie.
A sad, utter misfire. And the movie's vaunted visual effects and "look" was rather boring, too. |
Author: Richard P. Dewar
Friday, 10 January 2003 - 10:16 pm | |
Hi James,
The directors of the movie said their picture was not intended to be a docudrama, whodunit, period piece, or slasher movie. They referred to it as gangster film.
The attempt was to show class distinctions and the tendency of rival groups to ban together against one another (similiar to their film, Menace2Society).
The film diverted greatly from the reality of the Ripper movies and even departed significantly from the graphic novel. That is because for their purpose the murders were simply the backdrop for what the film was actually trying to accomplish.
As to the technical quality of the film, I feel it was very strong. Admittedly, it is a matter of taste.
Thanks for a sensible and interesting post.
Best wishes,
Rich |
