The Ripper (1997) (TV)

Director:

Janet Meyers

Writer (WGA):

Robert Rodat (written by)

Release Date:

6 December 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller

Plot:

This telling of the story of Jack the Ripper focuses not on the killings as much as on the aristocratic...

Plot Keywords:

Witness | Jack The Ripper | 1800s | Sex Murder | Murder

Awards:

1 win

Cast

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

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and sexuality.

Runtime:

USA:96 min | Argentina:100 min

Country:

Australia | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Cinevex) | Color

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:12 | Netherlands:16 (VHS rating) | Argentina:13 | Germany:16 (video rating) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Company:

Universal TV

Trivia:

'Samuel West' had previously played Prince Albert Victor Edward as a young child in _"Edward the Seventh" (1975) (mini)_ in which his father Timothy West played the title role.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The chalk graffiti was never photographed. Sir Charles Warren ordered it to be erased out of fear that it could cause a riot due to the Anti-Semitic feelings within the community.

Movie Connections:

Version of Murder by Decree (1979)

Soundtrack:

STRING QUARTET IN C MAJOR 'DISSONANZEN', K.465 -- 1st Movement

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.