 |
||||
|
Jack the Ripper [1988] This two-part miniseries was mounted by producer-writer-director David Wickes for the centenary of the Ripper murders, and touted as the most elaborately-researched dramatisation of the case to date with a much-publicised 'final solution' to the mystery that turned out to be the usual fingering of Royal surgeon Sir William Gull [Ray McAnally], without the trappings of the Masonic conspiracy depicted previously in Murder By Decree and later central to From Hell [which, otherwise, lifts a lot from this source]. In an attempt to boost the whodunit aspect, the series builds up other prominent historical figures - the actor Richard Mansfield [Armand Assante], medium Robert Lees [Ken Bones] and rabble-rouser George Lusk [Michael Gothard] - as suspects. It has the decency to sneer at the ludicrous notion that one of Queen Victoria's grandsons might have been the killer [later proposed by another TV movie, The Ripper], but never even considers the humble, mentally deficient, socially obscure suspects most favoured by serious researchers. This was the first Ripper drama to use Inspector Fred Abberline [Michael Caine] as protagonist, a tactic followed by From Hell and The Ripper; all three versions give him a more grounded, plodding partner in Sergeant Godley [Lewis Collins], a fictional romance with an actual character [here, a newspaper artist played by Seymour] and a conventional set of personal problems [Caine's alcoholism was trumped by Johnny Depp's drug addiction]. Otherwise, it's an assembly of familiar anecdotes and bits of business: gin-swilling lawks-a-mighty tarts [Susan George, Lysette Anthony] roistering in rowdy Whitecapel pubs, black-hatted characters and a trundling evil coach passing over cobbled streets, coppers arguing over clues and red herrings, bewiskered dignitaries [Harry Andrews, Edward Judd, Hugh Fraser, T.P. McKenna, Gerald Sim, David Swift] demanding results or plotting a cover-up, unruly mobs shouting 'hang him' whenever anyone is even remotely suspected. Nicely shot by Alan Hume and with value-for-money performances from reliables who still aren't quite outstanding, it's a little prosaic in the way that ITV drama often is - the more flamboyantly melodramatic From Hell plays better, and the Sherlock Holmes movie Murder By Decree is most impressive of all, in that it finds a genuine emotional resonance and sense of outrage that's missing here. An interesting aside is the depiction of Mansfield's stage transformation scene in his signature role of Jekyll and Hyde, but disappointingly it's done with 1980s-look bladder effects rather than a recreation of Mansfield's famous live trickery. Anchor Bay's UK Region 2 DVD presents the series as originally screened,
in two parts with previews and story-so-far segments, but in 1.85:1
as opposed to the standard transmission ratio. It looks surprisingly
well-framed, with a few hat-tops trimmed with generally effective compositions
throughout. A fascinating extra is twenty minutes of video-tape rushes
from an abortive production of the script, mounted before American co-production
money came in, with Barry Foster in the lead - the major difference
is that whereas Caine's Abberline is found sleeping off a drunk and
goes on the wagon while investigating the case, Foster's copper resorts
to the bottle throughout and subtly plays a drink-fuelled rage and compulsion
as he worries at the case. Also, you get to hear Edward Judd mutter
'what is this bullshit' before a take. A full commentary over three
hours features Wickes and researcher Sue Davis quizzed by Jonathan Sothcott
- they cover the researching of the piece and various theories [Wickes
remains convinced of his dubious case] and go over the minutiae of the
production in fascinating depth, covering almost every bit-player, location
and costume choice and giving a full account of the project from origins
through to the broadcast date. First Published In: Ripperologist Visit Kim's Official Website at www.johnnyalucard.com
|
||||