Common Criticism for Ripper Media

[Tom_Wescott]

Parkland, based on Vincent Bugliosi's book Reclaiming History.

JM

That's an excellent book. I haven't seen Parkland. Not sure I've heard about it?

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[jmenges]

I mean, I can't imagine a film ever being made about JFK that features Lee Harvey Oswald acting alone. No one's interested in that.

Parkland, based on Vincent Bugliosi's book Reclaiming History.

JM

[gnote]

I'm a bit fed up of the Royal Conspiracy angle too. I suppose everyone loves a good conspiracy; I mean, I can't imagine a film ever being made about JFK that features Lee Harvey Oswald acting alone. No one's interested in that.

Perhaps in the scheme of things it wouldn't really matter, except that there do seem to be an awful lot of ignorant people out there who actually believe that films tell the truth about history.

And yet, I'm convinced you could make an excellent JTR movie without being wildly inaccurate; you could tell the story of the murders and perhaps as another poster mentioned include some of the major suspects as characters. You could have them intersecting the plot, and leave the audience guessing, or at worst pick one of less implausible suspects. I don't see the need to portray Abberline as a drunk/opium addict, or George Lusk as some crazed rabble-rouser.

I mean, if the known history isn't interesting enough, how come we're still talking about 126 years later?

Above all usually the main reason films based on unsolved cases are created is to provide a "solution". A good mystery needs a good ending. If that solution is considered too boring for a mass audience then it probably won't get made. Even when it comes to books on the case look at how many claim to have solved it. They don't even hedge their bets. It's simply "truth revealed". I've never written a book on the topic but i suspect getting one published that claims to crack the case is an easier sell. (and actual sell to the public)

(I don't think we have go into any further detail on the book subject given the amount of rubbish everybody here is well aware of)

Movies have to take it to another level yet as there is so much more money on the line. Could a more accurate movie on Jack be made and still be a quality film? Of course. That doesn't mean it gets made though. The people funding it would rather hear the plot being a sinister Queen Victoria as behind the entire plot using a young brainwashed Adolf Hitler as her proxy. (facts are irrelevant why should the timeline be)

While there is no proof the Queen was behind the plot or had a time machine to bring in Hitler, there's no proof she didn't.

Case closed.

[tinysteelorchestra]

I'm a bit fed up of the Royal Conspiracy angle too. I suppose everyone loves a good conspiracy; I mean, I can't imagine a film ever being made about JFK that features Lee Harvey Oswald acting alone. No one's interested in that.

Perhaps in the scheme of things it wouldn't really matter, except that there do seem to be an awful lot of ignorant people out there who actually believe that films tell the truth about history.

And yet, I'm convinced you could make an excellent JTR movie without being wildly inaccurate; you could tell the story of the murders and perhaps as another poster mentioned include some of the major suspects as characters. You could have them intersecting the plot, and leave the audience guessing, or at worst pick one of less implausible suspects. I don't see the need to portray Abberline as a drunk/opium addict, or George Lusk as some crazed rabble-rouser.

I mean, if the known history isn't interesting enough, how come we're still talking about 126 years later?

[John Wheat]

Jack the Ripper Films

As reguards fictional films and T.V. programmes I think they always seem to wimp out as reguards showing anything remotly graphic and so fail to capture even an essence of the terrible murders that Jack commited. Also they always go for some crap conspiracy or some ridiculous suspect.

[Defective Detective]

I hope against hope for a really accurate Ripper movie some day, one which would ignore the Royal Conspiracy entirely and include suspects like George Chapman, James Kelly and William Bury. What great characters they would make!

This would be wonderful. In fact, you could use exactly these three characters. Have the film open with Kelly's dramatic escape from Broadmoor, then intersperse scenes of Klosowski running his barbering business while trying to procure poison and William Bury abusing his wife and her finances. Included in the mix would be scenes of the Ripper murders themselves with the implication that any of the three could have committed it. But you'd want to refrain from suggesting that one of them actually did.

[Christine1932]

Making real life person as Ripper in the end. And again I say: that crap belongs in Whitechapel sewers.

[kensei]

Here's a "criticism of Ripper media"- I just checked on Amazon.com for "Whitechapel" and the only one available said it would not play on most DVD players in America. So much for that, I guess. I'd love to see it some time if possible. I happened to catch both halves of a 2-part "Wire in the Blood" that dealt with a serial killer while I was on vacation in England in 2008. Great stuff. The Brits are really turning out some killer t.v. (Bad pun.)

[Madam Red]

Whoa! I haven't been on here for awhile, personal business, and then suddenly I'm seeing all these replies on this thread. Thank you all for commenting!

"From Hell" was wonderfully accurate in terms of the clothes,

My bad, I had just remembered that it was "Murder By Decree" that was seemingly historically accurate with the clothes.

Sometimes, I get the sense that what really happened doesn't pass muster in the excitement department so that the story has to be dramatized to make it more exciting. I doubt many people realize how much drama was actually involved in the real events, because they're fed conspiracies or other fantastic plot lines and don't know the real story, or what we know of it.

It seems to happen a lot in media. *Bangs head against the desk in frustration.* It's all for the thrill.

And if it isn't a conspiracy theory about the royal family and Jack the Ripper, it's a conspiracy about the Freemasons and the birth of the American nation, or it's about the grassy knoll and the assassination of President Kennedy, or it's about aliens.... I get a headache from listening to some of them for too long.

Oh no, not the bloody Royal conspiracy...

Oh no, indeed. Are you telling me that that ridiculous plot device is in that movie as well? I didn't get to finish it, so I don't know how it ends.


I heard about Whitechapel awhile ago and really wanted to see it. Unforunately, I didn't get the chance to see it on television. Hopefully I'll be able to buy it online.

[Adam Went]

Kensei:

I was talking about the movie version....wasn't there an imagined scene at the end where Abberline was with MJK? Maybe I'm the one who imagined it....it's been a while since I've seen it.

Yimmit:

Yes, saw "Whitechapel" as well! Very good show, although if there's any criticism, it's that there were only 2 episodes of 50 minutes each and it was all a bit rushed. But historically, it does name a lot of people who were actually involved in the original JTR case (I almost threw a brick through the TV when I thought they were going to show George Hutchinson as MJK's killer....ugh) and is definitely worth checking out if anyone else gets the chance.

They also said at the end of the second and final show that it's available on DVD at ABC stores....

Cheers,
Adam.

[Yimmit]

Kensei - I do enjoy the From Hell movie, more from a pure movie lover pov rather than JtR enthusiast pov. The ending, however, always had me puzzled with him burning the letter and talking about 'going to her or waiting'. So the lady who was murdered in Miller's Court is not Mary Kelly.....the French girl maybe?

[Yimmit]

Evening all!

Many of the reasons you have all mentioned also annoy me sometimes. The amount of tv series or movies which continually point to William Gull as the Ripper....there are so many!! Grrr.

There is, however, a three part mini-series called 'Whitechapel' which just finished being aired in Australia 2 nights ago. I as of yet have not found a thread on this, apologies if there already is one. I found it very well researched! It is set in Whitechapel 2009 and a copycat JtR is going around Whitechapel killing in exactly the same way, places and similar victims to that of the original ripper. I thought it was extremely well researched for a mini-series and well......i won't spoil it.....i suggest you see it if you can. Even if you find it inaccurate in places, it is throughly enjoyable. (Having Phil Davis and Rupert Penry-Jones in it! :-) )

But the conspiracy theory does get boring after a while, indeed the notion of a Monarchy cover up. But yes, a 'docu-drama' would be very intriguing. Mention things which maybe not many people know about, such as why the victims got into prostitution and why, their lives before the streets of whitechapel etc.

Regards,

Yimmit.

[bolo]

In re: From Hell comic and movie -

I'm a fan and admirer of Alan Moore's and Eddie Campbell's graphical novel. They went to great lengths to accurately depict the dreary life in the East End and the people involved in the Ripper case, and although I don't agree with their conclusions, the dark atmosphere and excellent storytelling gets me everytime I read it. The large references chapter with the hilarious graphical realization of the history of the Royal Conspiracy theory alone is worth the money in my opinion.

Then there's From Hell - the movie... well, it's a nice spine-chiller but completely (or should I say inevitably) lacks the evocative atmosphere of the comic, not to mention the grotesque depiction of Abberline as a drug-addicted clairvoyant who falls in love with Mary Kelly, saves her from getting hacked to pieces and finally does away with himself in an opium den. To me, From Hell seems like the cinematic equivalent to a dancefloor remix of an old Stax soul music classic - the theme is still there but the groove is gone.

Regards,

Boris

[kensei]

Adam- is that how "From Hell" the graphic novel ends? Haven't read it yet but plan to soon. If you're referring to the movie, actually Abberline (Johnny Depp) ODs on opium and dies at the end while MJK lives happily with her daughter in Ireland.

[Adam Went]

John:

I suppose that the films have to be made in such a way that they are appealing to audiences of all types as well, as it's not just going to be Ripperologists that watch it. But at the same time, to go to the lengths they did in the Caine film, and have people like Robert James Lees, Richard Mansfield, Dr. Llewellyn, etc as suspects, was just a little bizarre.

Anyway, it has to be preffered to From Hell! Atleast Abberline doesn't run off with MJK and live happily ever after at the end of the Caine film.....

Cheers,
Adam.