Ripper Street starts tonight (30th Dec) on UK TV (BBC1)

[spyglass]

Hello Rivkah. Thanks.

"I enjoyed From Hell much more when I stopped trying to take it seriously as a Ripper history"

See, if I could do that, I'd like it too. But I just can't--and yell at the screen in consequence.

Cheers.
LC

Hi again Lynn,
Out of curiosity, have you read the graphic novel " from hell " on which the film was loosely based on...would you agree that was a superb piece of work ?

Regards

[RivkahChaya]

"I enjoyed From Hell much more when I stopped trying to take it seriously as a Ripper history"

See, if I could do that, I'd like it too. But I just can't--and yell at the screen in consequence.

That was really a sort of flippant comment, but out of curiosity, have you seen films like Edward Scissorhands, or Ed Wood? If you've seen some of Johnny Depp's really campy films, it's easier not to take From Hell so seriously. I realize it's frustrating when you later meet someone who has seen it, but knows nothing else of Ripper history, and tries to argue a point based on the film, but you really shouldn't be arguing with such a person anyway.

You can't say people should never make fanciful history. Time after Time was a great movie, with enough fantasy elements that many fewer people take it for history, I'd hope-- although there are probably some people who actually believe that HG Wells hunted Jack the Ripper, or tried to physically construct a time machine.

[lynn cates]

serious

Hello Rivkah. Thanks.

"I enjoyed From Hell much more when I stopped trying to take it seriously as a Ripper history"

See, if I could do that, I'd like it too. But I just can't--and yell at the screen in consequence.

Cheers.
LC

[RivkahChaya]

Hello Spyglass. Thanks. I like ALL accents--but only when they are real.

Cheers.
LC

Don't watch Mary Poppins.

I enjoyed From Hell much more when I stopped trying to take it seriously as a Ripper history, and started looking at it more as just another dark, but subversively funny, fantasy, like the many that Johnny Depp made with Tim Burton. It's not set in the real East End of the 1880s any more than Edward Scissorhands is set in a real US suburbs. It's too bad that Tim Burton didn't direct From Hell. It might have been less ambiguous, and more fantastical, then the obviously unrealistic things would have been easier to accept. More along the lines of Sweeney Todd. Not that I'm saying Sweeney Todd was great cinema, just that it was consistent in what it was presenting.

[lynn cates]

accentuating remarks

Hello Spyglass. Thanks. I like ALL accents--but only when they are real.

Cheers.
LC

[richardh]

I enjoyed it. I thought it was a pretty accurate portrayal of 1880's London. Abberline's accent was a bit jarring at first but perhaps he did talk like that. Would like to have seen a bit more of Miller's Court at the start. A promising start IMO.

HNY 2013

[spyglass]

Hello Spyglass.

"I thought Abberline was more convincing than Depp's version, although not sure he would have that working class accent."

That was PRECISELY my problem with Depp. I kept expecting him to start hawking auto insurance.

Cheers.
LC

Hi Lynn,
I actually didnt mind Depp's accent in from hell.
I did think though that the actor playing the journslist Best, had been watching "fom hell" and was doing an inpersonation of Depp.

Cheers and happy new year.

[MajorParts]

I thought it was really good, for what it was...a BBC period drama.

I didn't get the bit with the photo of the blank wall though! Did that bloke use his movie camera before during and after the writing? If not, why would he have an identically positioned shot to the one with writing?
I might very well have missed something during that, but it doesn't make much sense, and only serves to put some suspicion on the photographer.

And, didn't they deduce that the woman wasn't a Ripper victim because the throat had been cut AFTER death? Isn't that what happened with the Ripper victims?

I may need to re-read the casebook pages and watch it again

[lynn cates]

accent

Hello Spyglass.

"I thought Abberline was more convincing than Depp's version, although not sure he would have that working class accent."

That was PRECISELY my problem with Depp. I kept expecting him to start hawking auto insurance.

Cheers.
LC

[Iain Wilson]

It was ok, but I agree with the previous remarks about the East End being portrayed as some cess pit on the verge of boiling over!

Likewise, I'm not sure Abberline was a hulking bear and he certainly wasn't a cockney!

[richardnunweek]

Hi
Must admit it kept my attention, although I wonder if the east end of London was so 'highly charged'.?
This was 1888/9 , not a century earlier , and I feel it was over cooked with the attitude and coarseness , it was straight out of ''From Hell'', depicting all the modern day interpretations of late 19th century life.
It may well calm down with its ''out to shock'' far fetched scripts ..lets hope so.
Regards Richard.

[Cogidubnus]

It was a good yarn, and I'll certainly watch it next week...

All the best

Dave

[spyglass]

Hi all,
I thought Abberline was more convincing than Depp's version, although not sure he would have that working class accent.
I found it overall quite entertaining and got the feel of the east end streets of the time.

Verdict 8/10

[Bridewell]

It wasn't quite what I expected, but I enjoyed it, even if Fred Abberline looked to be about 20 years too old.

Regards, Bridewell.

[Bridewell]

Location

Apparently it wasn't filmed in the East End (understandable as so much of it has changed) but in the decommissioned Clancy Army Barracks in Dublin.

Regards, Bridewell.