Jack the Ripper (TV 1988)

A Scotland Yard police inspector, battling the booze, investigates the Jack the Ripper murders and discovers a conspiracy that leads all the way up to the queen.

Director:

David Wickes

Writers:

Derek Marlowe, David Wickes

Stars:

Michael Caine, Armand Assante, Ray McAnally

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Caine	...	Chief Insp. Frederick Abberline
Armand Assante	...	Richard Mansfield
Ray McAnally	...	Sir William Gull
Lewis Collins	...	Sgt. George Godley
Ken Bones	...	Robert James Lees
Susan George	...	Catherine Eddowes
Jane Seymour	...	Emma
Harry Andrews	...	Coroner Wynne Baxter
Lysette Anthony	...	Mary Jane Kelly
Roger Ashton-Griffiths	...	Rodman (as Roger Ashton Griffiths)
Peter Armitage	...	Sergeant Kerby
Desmond Askew	...	Copy Boy
Trevor Baxter	...	Lanyon
Mike Carnell	...	Newsvendor
Ann Castle	...	Lady Gull

Storyline

During the latter half of 1888, a notorious serial killer nicknamed Jack the Ripper terrorises the East End of London by murdering prostitutes in a terribly violent way. Public outrage follows. Chief Inspector Frederick Abberline is assigned to the case but finds that it is not just a simple murder enquiry. Based on a real life event, this film claims to have had access to top secret Home Office files and believe that their ending is the correct solution to the age old mystery.

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Plot Keywords:

jack the ripper | inspector | murder | conspiracy | scotland yard | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 October 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jack el destripador

Filming Locations:

Belper, Derbyshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Euston Films, Thames Television, Hill-O'Connor Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

182 min 182 min (2 parts)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film premiered on American television on the exact same day that the film Without a Clue was released. Both films feature actors Michael Caine and Lysette Anthony and are set in Victorian London.

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Goofs

None of the uniformed policemen were shown as having been from Whitechapel's H-Division, for all of their badges were marked with a J. In actual fact, J-Division covers Bethnal Green, not Whitechapel.

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Quotes

Chief Insp. Frederick Abberline: [after waking up in jail with a hangover] Get me a razor!

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Connections

Featured in The Many Faces of...: Michael Caine (2011)

User Reviews

Excellently constructed telling of the story.

"For over 100 years the murders in Whitechapel committed by Jack the Ripper have baffled the World. What you are about to see is a dramatisation of these events. Our story is based on extensive research, including a review of the official files by special permission of the Home Office and interviews with leading criminologists and Scotland Yard officials."

Jack The Ripper is produced out of Euston Films and is directed by David Wickes who also co-wrote it with Derek Marlowe. Released to coincide with the 100 years anniversary of the murders, it stars Michael Caine (Frederick Abberline), Armand Assante (Richard Mansfield), Ray McAnally (Sir William Gull), Lewis Collins (Sgt. George Godley), 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 The Ripper has long since been available to view as a three hour ten minute movie. Every second of which is worth sitting thru. For his story Wickes uses actual historical characters that were involved in the 1888 hunt for the notorious killer. Drawing heavily from the Masonic/Royal Family conspiracy theory that has been used before in tellings of the story (notably the film Murder By Decree born out of Thomas E. A. Stowell's theory), Wickes boldly proclaimed to be revealing the true identity of the Ripper. Something that unsurprisingly he was forced to recant, but regardless of that, this is a glorious telling, meticulous in detail and providing much food for thought.

In amongst the grizzly murders and the fraught search for the killer by the exasperated police, Wickes' movie fully forms the other issues to hand. Such as the role of the press during this dark time and why was George Lusk leading vigilante's across Whitechapel? The Government and Royal Family aspects are given screen time because that's how high the issue went. The pressure on Abberline from his superiors is told in full, as the murders start to escalate and Abberline runs up against questionable assistance during the investigation, his anger grows. We are with him every step of the way. The prostitutes aren't merely Ripper fodder characters either, we at least meet them, understand them, even seeing the role of the "pimp" in Victorian England. It's good stuff, well researched.

Technically, for a TV movie, its production value is very high. Great sets that bring to life Victorian England (the exteriors were actually shot in Belper, Derbyshire), the costumes catch the eye and the cast are hugely effective. Particularly Caine (throwing himself into the role) and Assante (switching his character's emotional state regularly with consummate ease). We also get the chill factor too, something that's needed in a film of such dark thematics. As the street girls walk 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 cold shiver down the spine. Witness to the sequences involving the play Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, a nice put in to the plot by the writers, and one that provides genuinely creepy moments. It's a top film that has so much going for it.

There will be other Jack The Ripper film's no doubt, and for sure more books will arrive proclaiming this and that is true. But with this take, if you buy into the theory or not, is probably as good as it gets for detail and execution of the material. 9/10