From Hell (film)

In 1888, Mary Kelly and a small group of London prostitutes trudge through unrelenting daily misery. When their friend Ann Crook is kidnapped, they are drawn into a conspiracy with links to high society. The kidnapping is followed by the gruesome murder of another woman, Martha Tabram; and it becomes apparent that they are being hunted down one by one as prostitutes are murdered and mutilated post-mortem.

The murder of Martha and her companions grabs the attention of Whitechapel Police Inspector Frederick Abberline, a brilliant, yet troubled, man whose police work is often aided by his psychic "visions." His colleague, Sergeant Peter Godley, tries to grasp his friend's wild theories. Abberline's investigations reveal that the murders, while gruesome, imply that an educated person is responsible due to the precise and almost surgical method used. Ann is found a few days later in a workhouse having been lobotomized after officials and doctors supposedly found her to be insane, though it is implied this was done to silence her.

Abberline consults Sir William Gull, a physician to the Royal Family, drawing on his experience and knowledge of medicine. During this meeting, it is revealed Abberline is struggling with opium addiction. Gull's findings, coupled with his superiors impeding his investigations, point Abberline to a darker and more organized conspiracy than he originally thought. Abberline becomes deeply involved with the case, which takes on personal meaning to him when he and Mary begin to fall in love.

Abberline deduces that Freemason influence is definitely present in these crimes. His superior, a high ranking Freemason himself, then makes direct intervention and suspends Abberline. It is then revealed that Gull is the killer. He has been killing the witnesses to painter Albert Sickert's forbidden Catholic marriage to Crook, who bore his legitimate daughter, Alice. Sickert is actually Prince Albert, grandson of reigning Queen Victoria, and therefore Alice is heiress to the British throne. Gull boasts to Abberline that he will go down in history for giving "birth to the 20th century." Abberline draws his gun, vowing that Gull will never see the 20th century, but before he is able to shoot Gull, he is knocked out by Ben Kidney, another Freemason.

The Freemasons try to have Abberline eliminated without leaving any witnesses, but Abberline fights back and kills two of the assassins by overturning a carriage. Abberline tries to save Mary, but arrives too late, and blames his superior for not helping him or Godley on the cases. Abberline does nothing but watch Mary's mutilated body being taken away. Gull's increasingly sinister behavior lends an insight into his murderous, but calculated, mind. Rather than publicly charge Gull, the Freemasons decide to lobotomize him to protect themselves and the Royal Family from the scandal. Gull defiantly states he has no equal among men, remaining unrepentant up to his lobotomy, resulting in him becoming invalid just as Ann had been.

Abberline goes to the Ten Bells Tavern in Whitechapel and receives a mysterious letter, which he soon realizes is from Mary. As it turns out, Gull mistook a sleeping Ada for Mary and killed her instead.

Abberline decides not to look for her as a way to offer her protection, as the Freemasons are watching his every move. Abberline then burns the letter, knowing that he can never have a normal life with her.

Years later, Mary is seen living with Alice as her daughter, in a cottage on a cliff by the sea. Abberline is found dead in an opium den of an overdose by Sergeant Godley. Godley places coins with Queen Victoria's image on them over Abberline's eyes, pats him on the arm, and tells him to "Sleep well, sweet prince."

The film took a number of years to go into production, with two studios putting it into turnaround before it found its home at Fox. The Hughes Brothers originally wanted Daniel Day-Lewis to play Abberline.[4] Later, in a 1997 interview, Alan Moore stated that Sean Connery had been cast in the role.[5] When Connery dropped out, the Hughes Brothers met with Brad Pitt and Jude Law, before deciding to cast Johnny Depp.[6]

Principal photography began on June 5, 2000[7] in and around Prague, Czech Republic and at Barrandov Studios, on a massive backlot set recreating the 19th-century Whitechapel district of London.[8] Additional exteriors were filmed in the United Kingdom, including Crackington Haven and Boscastle in Cornwall, and at Goldings estate in Hertfordshire.

Nigel Hawthorne was originally cast as Sir William Gull,[9] but on July 26, 2000 it was announced that Hawthorne had withdrawn from the role, due to terminal cancer. He was replaced by Ian Holm.[10] The disparity in height between Hawthorne and the much shorter Holm led to some of the scenes being changed.

Marilyn Manson originally intended to work with the film's composer, Trevor Jones, to remix portions of the score for use within the film.[11] It proved impossible to do this work before the film's release date, so Manson instead contributed a remixed version of his song The Nobodies, which plays over the film's end credits.[12]

The film received mixed reviews from critics. Ebert and Roeper gave the film a "two-thumbs up". It currently holds a 57% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 151 reviews, the critic consensus states "Visually impressive, but this latest Ripper tale is dull and far from scary."[2] E! Online stated it is "two hours of gory murders, non-sequitur scenes, and an undeveloped romance" and gave the film a C-. The New York Post called it a "gripping and stylish thriller". Leonard Maltin gave the film three stars, calling it "colorful and entertaining; an impressive showing for the Hughes Brothers”.[13]

Empire's Kim Newman gave the film four out of five stars, praising the "range of squirmingly superior British acting talent" although noting that "the script can't quite sell its Jack as at once a purposeful assassin and a mad killer."[14] Philip French was impressed by the film, praising Depp's "very good" performance alongside those of the actresses who played the Ripper's victims. French also praised the production design and cinematography which evoked representations of London by the artists Whistler and John Atkinson Grimshaw.[15]

The film was released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on DVD on May 14, 2002.[16]

• From Hell letter
• Murder by Decree
• Jack the Ripper

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