The Ripper (TV 1997)

This telling of the story of Jack the Ripper focuses not on the killings as much as on the aristocratic lives of the people connected to the heir-apparent to the throne of England... who of... See full summary »

Director:

Janet Meyers

Writer:

Robert Rodat

Stars:

Patrick Bergin, Gabrielle Anwar, Samuel West

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Patrick Bergin	...	Insp. Jim Hansen
Gabrielle Anwar	...	Florry Lewis
Samuel West	...	Prince Albert Victor Edward
Michael York	...	Sir Charles Warren
Adam Couper	...	Sgt Tommy Bell
Essie Davis	...	Evelyn Bookman
Olivia Hamnett	...	Lady Margaret
Karen Davitt	...	Mary Kelly
Damien Pree	...	Officer Peters
Stewart Morritt	...	Cullen
Kevin Miles	...	Sir William Fraser
John Gregg	...	Dr. William Gull
Frank Whitten	...	Dr. Pearce
Peter Collingwood	...	Chalmers
Josephine Keen	...	Lizzie

Storyline

This telling of the story of Jack the Ripper focuses not on the killings as much as on the aristocratic lives of the people connected to the heir-apparent to the throne of England... who of course is the Ripper. It tells also of the investigator who dares to charge this man with such crimes, and of his love for a witness to one of the brutal slayings.

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Plot Keywords:

witness | jack the ripper | arsenic | witness to a crime | murder witness | 

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Genres:

Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and sexuality

Details

Country:

Australia USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 December 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

A hasfelmetsző

Filming Locations:

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal TV, Mutual Film Company, Michael R. Joyce Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (Cinevex) Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Samuel West previously played Prince Albert Victor Edward as a young child in Edward the King in which his father Timothy West played the title role.

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Goofs

When Inspector Hansen is showing Florry photos of the murders, he is using photos of the REAL victims, but the photos he is showing her are of the murders that haven't happened yet.

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Connections

Version of From Hell (2001)

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Soundtracks

"STRING QUARTET IN C MAJOR 'DISSONANZEN', K.465 -- 1st Movement"
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

User Reviews

A royal carve up

Treat this as a love story (albeit a little insipid) amid the gruesome goings-on in Ripperland, but not as a theory in Ripperology, and it turns out to be not a bad movie...not a good one...but I've seen worse.

The suspect is not a hot favourite with Ripperologists (or me), but he cannot be totally discounted. Although apparently the prince supposedly had cast iron alibis on each occasion of the murders, the Establishment (as was inferred by the movie) could quite easily have fabricated them and instigated a cover-up. (And royalty-bashing always seems to be a popular pastime. Security in the palace too, seems to have been as lax then as it is today.) Patrick Bergin although putting in a reasonable performance as Inspector Hansen was, to my mind, totally miscast. His Cockney accent seemed to be more a mixture of an Irish brogue and an Aussie drawl with just a soupçon of "'ow's yer father" thrown in. His side-kick was even worse. Still I suppose Michael Caine couldn't really be approached again, considering he'd already portrayed the real-life character of Inspector Aberline. Plus the fact that he'd probably have avoided this like the plague...(or "Swarm: the sequel").

Samuel West, reliable as ever, played the royal rip with gusto, and looked as if he actually enjoyed the role. I suppose "hamming it" would be more accurate. However, as far as the acting went, he was the pick of the bunch.

I don't honestly think this piece of hokum was meant to be a serious contender for the final solution. The story could just have easily been set in any Murder Mystery movie, but without the same impact. Nothing like a bit of Rippermania to set the pulses racing.

Everybody wants to be the one to discover the identity of the Whitechapel killer, but to do that ALL the facts have to be considered, and you won't find them here. Just enjoy the movie for what it is. Entertainment...of a sort.