UN AMIGO QUE RECUERDA A ANTONIO NOBLEJAS SOLIS

[WEB EN MEMORIA DE ANTONIO NOBLEJAS SOLIS] Nuevo comentario en REDACTOR DEL PORTAL MUNDOS.‏
From: Joan Miquel (noreply-comment@blogger.com)
Sent:20 September 2007 20:46:21
To: nikyta16@hotmail.com
Joan Miquel ha dejado un nuevo comentario en su entrada "REDACTOR DEL PORTAL MUNDOS":

La vida está llena de casualidades.

Hace muy poco, precisamente esta misma tarde de septiembre mientras salía de Girona en coche, hablaba con una compañera de trabajo sobre Antonio Noblejas comentando uno de sus inolvidables reportajes, el dedicado a la canción "Mediterráneo".

La vida está llena de casualidades.

Hace muy poco, precisamente esta misma noche de septiembre cuando llegaba a casa y me conectaba a Internet, ese mismo "Mediterráneo" nos permite conocer la triste noticia de la muerte prematura de Antonio Noblejas. Una inmensa pena invade nuestros corazones y un muy sentido pésame hacemos llegar a la novia, familia y amigos.

Mi relación con él empezó el mismo día en que llegó su currículum a mi correo y, al instante, entre los centenares recibidos saltó a la luz de que Antonio era un profesional diferente a los demás. Contacté con él y de inmediato empezó una primera fase de colaboración que, simplemente, fue sublime. No existe otra palabra para definir su entrega, pasión y profesionalidad. Antonio Noblejas había nacido para ser periodista, un gran periodista. Desgraciadamente, el destino se lo ha llevado demasiado pronto. Los que hemos tenido la inmensa suerte de coincidir en nuestro camino con una persona así sabemos que jamás podremos olvidarlo.

Pero Antonio no se ha ido del todo, nos ha dejado un legado escrito en forma de excelentes reportajes que han sido consultados cada día por miles de personas de todos los rincones del mundo, de Madrid a Nueva York, de Buenos Aires a Londres. A partir de hoy, ese legado se continuará difundiendo para que miles de personas, cada día, puedan conocer un poco más la obra de Antonio Noblejas, un hombre nacido para escribir.

La vida está llena de casualidades.

Hasta siempre Antonio. Hasta siempre compañero.


Joan Miquel Martínez
Director General de PortalMundos Factory, S.L.

NIRVANA: 10 AÑOS SIN KURT COBAIN

NIRVANA: 10 AÑOS SIN KURT COBAIN

“EMPEZARÉ ESTO SIN PALABRAS. LLEGUÉ TAN ALTO QUE ARAÑÉ HASTA SANGRAR”
(“ON A PLAIN”, NEVERMIND, 1991)


TEXTO: ANTONIO NOBLEJAS SOLÍS REVISTA MUSICALIDAD.


En 1967, una pequeña localidad del estado norteamericano de Washington llamada Aberdeen, situada en la frontera con Canadá, contaba con un índice de desempleo muy por encima de la media nacional y una industria maderera omnipresente en el día a día. Aberdeen era una ciudad muy distinta de la que es ahora. Valga como ejemplo que en aquellos años la pequeña población tenía el cuestionable honor de ser una de las ciudades con la tasa de suicidio más elevada del país. Por otra parte, el alcoholismo y la violencia se unían al desempleo para convertirla en una especie de pequeño infierno.
Descendiente de alemanes (por parte de su madre) e irlandeses (por parte de su padre), el 20 de febrero de 1967 nacía Kurt Donald Cobain, hijo de Don, mecánico de profesión y de Wendy, una ama de casa que fue la primera en despertar su talento creativo, especialmente por la música y el dibujo, de hecho un tío lejano de Wendy realizó algunas grabaciones en los años 50’s bajo el seudónimo de Dale Arden. Además, su hermano Chuck, tío de Kurt, tocaba en una modesta banda de rock no muy popular en la zona. Fue su propia madre la primera en intentar que el pequeño Kurt aprendiera a tocar la guitarra, empeño que abandonó a las pocas semanas debido a la hiperactividad que los médicos le habían diagnosticado, algo que le impedía concentrarse en una sola actividad. Finalmente, Mary, la hermana de Wendy, le regaló el instrumento ideal para un niño hiperactivo: el tambor.
Por parte de su padre heredó los genes depresivos que le acompañarían durante su corta vida, así como el fantasma del suicidio (cuando Kurt tenía doce años, su tío Burle se suicidó disparándose en el abdomen y cinco años más tarde, su tío Kenneth se volaría la cabeza). Cuando Kurt tenía tres años nació Kim, su única hermana.
Desde sus primeros años, el pequeño Kurt, zurdo de nacimiento, demostró grandes dotes para el dibujo, cantar y una especial atención al teatro, mostrándose sin embargo reacio a cualquier actividad deportiva, algo que le traería la alineación más tarde, cuando comenzó el instituto. Aunque la futura estrella del rock pasaría a la historia por sus problemas de depresión, la verdad es que Kurt Cobain tuvo una infancia feliz, donde se sentía amado y querido por sus seres más cercanos, especialmente por su madre, quién solo tenía ojos para el pequeño de la familia. En cambio, también era un niño con graves problemas de salud: Kurt padecía bronquitis crónica y una temprana desviación de la espina dorsal, llamada “Escariosis”, la cuál se le acentuaría cuando algunos años más tarde decidiera coger la guitarra. Podemos afirmar que Aberdeen, ciudad repleta de fortachones leñadores y sanos atletas, no era el sitio ideal para un niño que, ya desde pequeño, le llamaba más la atención sus lápices de colores que el balón de rugby y la música que escucha en el tocadiscos de su madre que las pruebas de atletismo que se celebraban en su colegio.
El gran trauma de su vida llegaría al cumplir los ocho años, en 1975, cuando Wendy y Donald se divorcian, algo que le afectó de manera visible y que le marcaría durante su adolescencia, convirtiéndole en un chico retraído y tímido al que le costaría mucho relacionarse con la gente. Su madre se traslada a vivir con su nueva pareja y el pequeño Kurt se verá obligado a vivir con una nueva familia a la que no pudo adaptarse desde el principio. Kurt tomó la decisión de ir directamente a su nueva casa y encerrarse en su habitación tras salir del colegio, pasándose horas enteras escuchando música y aprendiendo a tocar la guitarra. Lo único que buscaba a esas alturas era alguien que compartiera sus mismas aficiones.
Pero Wendy no aguantó mucho la nueva personalidad que su querido hijo había tomado y cansada de sus continuos enfados y enfrentamientos con el nuevo “padre”, envió a Kurt con Donald, que vivía a las afueras de Aberdeen en una pequeña caravana (algo que no arregló la nueva situación de Kurt, ya que veía que la afición de su padre por el deporte le impedía darse cuenta de las necesidades artísticas y afectivas que necesitaba). Todo eso añadido al nuevo matrimonio de Donald con una mujer a la que Kurt detestó desde el principio, sus nuevos hermanastros y la terquedad de su padre en obligarle a realizar actividades deportivas y hasta de lucha, hicieron que el futuro líder de Nirvana viviera en la más completa alineación cuya única salida estaba en la escucha de los vinilos que su padre compraba pero que apenas oía: el hard-rock de Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, Kiss y Led Zeppelin estaba conquistando la mente de un joven inadaptado que estaba obligado a cambiar de domicilio cada dos por tres, con el consecuente cambio de escuela, algo que no le ayudaba precisamente a vencer su timidez.
Cuando Kurt Cobain cumplió 14 años, su tío Chuck (que había sido el único en darse cuenta de la afición de su sobrino por la música) le regaló su primera guitarra eléctrica, algo que alegró a Kurt sin importarle que fuera de tercera mano y que el amplificador no tuviera más de diez watios de potencia (de hecho, a los pocos días ya había aprendido a tocar el riff de guitarra de la canción de AC/DC, “Back In Black”).
La guitarra se convirtió en su única amistad. Su timidez le obligaba a salir rápidamente del colegio y encerrarse en su habitación, arropado por aquellas canciones rockeras que intentaba aprender con su guitarra, una y otra vez, ávido de escuchar a los nuevos grupos punk que habían surgido en la otra parte del planeta, pero que sólo oía hablar de ellos a través de las revistas. No obstante Kurt se dio cuenta que existía gente como él más allá de Aberdeen.
Y fue precisamente en uno de los partidos de baloncesto donde conoció a Matt Lukin, un chaval varios años mayor que él y que, para sorpresa de Kurt, escuchaba a bandas como Kiss y Led Zeppelin y que tocaba el bajo en la banda local The Melvins. Gracias a esa nueva amistad, Kurt comenzó a frecuentar el local de ensayo del grupo, echando una mano a cargar y descargar los instrumentos de la banda en los conciertos. Inmediatamente Kurt se fue haciendo amigo de los componentes de The Melvins, especialmente de su cantante, Buzz Osbourne, quién le presentó al que iba a ser su gran amigo, Krist Novoselic, un hijo de inmigrantes croatas que congenió con Kurt desde el primer momento y que también le daba a su padre más de un dolor de cabeza.
En 1986, Kurt y Krist forman el que iba a ser el embrión de Nirvana, Fecal Matter, donde Kurt toca la batería, Krist la guitarra y Steve, un amigo, el bajo. Un año después, ya con un nuevo nombre, Skid Row, los tres ya se encuentran ensayando canciones compuestas por el propio Kurt, temas como “Floyd The Barber” y “Aero Zeppelin” (en clara alusión a los ídolos de cabecera). Pero el nombre no acaba de convencer y tras varias tentativas deciden llamarse Nirvana. Había llegado la hora de dar a luz en forma de maqueta con catorce temas, eso sí después de solucionar el problema del puesto vacante de batería que Kurt y Krist tenían.
Afortunadamente, el problema se solucionó cuando Kurt insertó un anuncio en una revista local “Rocket” y que rezaba así: “Banda de punk rock, influencias de Aerosmith, Black Sabbath, Black Flag y Led Zeppelin, busca batería. A los pocos días se presentó un músico experimentado con las baquetas llamado Chad Channing. Finalmente, los tres grabaron la imprescindible maqueta en los estudios de Jack Endino por tan sólo 152 dólares. Meses después, Nirvana graba por primera vez una canción de Kurt, “Spank Thru”, que se editaría en 1988 dentro de un triple álbum donde aparecían junto a otras bandas del pionero sello Sub Pop. Y en tan sólo tres días, la banda graba “Bleach”, el que sería su disco de debut, en el estudio de Endino, con un coste total de 60 dólares y que se publicaría en junio de 1989.
Y como cada nuevo disco tiene su gira correspondiente, Nirvana no podía ser menos. Kurt descubre el escenario como una perfecta vía en la cual descargar su ira acumulada durante tantos años: el depresivo cantante comienza a despedirse de su público destrozando sus guitarras de saldo al final de cada concierto. La década de los noventa le llega a Nirvana presentando “Bleach” en Inglaterra, junto a Tad y Mudhoney, otras dos bandas de un Seattle que ya estaba dando mucho de que hablar en los medios de comunicación europeos.
El grupo sigue imparable, con un ritmo frenético que traería como segunda víctima al propio batería, quien es despedido por el propio Kurt.
De nuevo Kurt y Krist se encuentran sin nadie que les cubra las espaldas en los conciertos. Esta vez las audiciones serán hechas en toda regla, lejos de volver a insertar un anuncio. De entre todos los baterías que se presentan destaca uno que, además de tener experiencia acreditada, destaca por una voz predispuesta para los coros que Kurt ya tenía en mente en las canciones que ya estaba componiendo. Su nombre es Dave Grohl, un chaval de 20 años que llega a Seattle literalmente “con lo puesto” y que causa una buena impresión en Kurt, quien le ofrece el puesto.
El 4 de enero de 1991 sería otra fecha clave en la historia de Nirvana. Ese día el grupo abandona Sub-Pop, el sello con el que habían grabado “Bleach”, y firman con Geffen Records, una multinacional que estaba comenzando a invertir grandes cantidades de dinero en todas aquellas bandas que venían de Seattle y que vio en Nirvana un filón aún sin pulir. Además, Geffen era el sello de otra de las formaciones favoritas de Kurt y Krist, Sonic Youth, con quienes ya habían compartido escenario durante una gira conjunta en 1990. Los tres músicos se encierran en el estudio con el productor Butch Vig para grabar las doce canciones del segundo álbum, un disco que causaría tal impacto que cambiaría el concepto musical de la década de los noventa y cuyo éxito también se debió, además de la innegable calidad de sus temas, a la continua emisión del video-clip del single de anticipo, “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, donde se veía a la banda tocar interpretando la canción en una cancha de baloncesto de cualquier instituto norteamericano, incitando a los jóvenes allí presentes a revelarse y destrozar todo lo que encontraran a su paso, algo que provocó la inmediata identificación de millones de adolescentes con el mensaje que aquel desconocido grupo transmitía, con una canción que enganchaba desde el riff inicial hasta el alarido final del cantante que escondía su cara bajo una destartalada melena rubia.
En julio, Nirvana vuelven a Inglaterra para actuar en el prestigioso Reading Festival, donde un Kurt con chaqueta de cuero hizo de las “suyas”, dejándose caer sobre el público de las primeras filas y lanzándose literalmente contra la batería como colofón de uno de los conciertos más ruidosos del festival.
Y por fin, el 23 de septiembre de 1991 sale a la venta “Nevermind”, el segundo álbum de la banda, producido por Butch Vig y mezclado por Andy Wallace (claves en su éxito), con un tema no acreditado en la contraportada y que aparece al final de la escucha, doce segundos después de la última canción. La lista es impecable, desde el histórico single de presentación, “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, hasta “Something In The Way”, una preciosa canción donde Kurt relata aquellas noches interminables bajo un pequeño puente en Aberdeen, obligado por la incomprensión de sus padres a huir del agobiante “hogar”. Por otra parte, la lista de canciones es sencillamente genial: “Come As You Are”, Lounge Act”, Drain You”, “On A Plain”, “Litchium”, “In Bloom”, “Polly”, “Stay Away” y “Breed”.
A pesar de una entrada más que discreta, las continuas emisiones del video de “Smells Like Teen Spirit” por parte de la todopoderosa MTV lo catapultan rápidamente a los primeros puestos de la lista de los más vendidos, algo que sin duda gustó mucho a los directivos de Geffen quienes, por otra parte, debieron quedarse atónitos cuando vieron que el 13 de enero de 1992 “Nevermind” le daba una patada en el trasero al disco de Michael Jackson, “Dangerous” (que reinaba en la cumbre), y se coloca en el nº 1de las listas norteamericanas.
La famosa portada de “Nevermind” (un bebé nadando bajo el agua, intentando atrapar un billete de un dólar que cuelga de un hilo de pescar, a modo de anzuelo) pasa a ocupar su lugar en la historia de la música del siglo XX.
En julio, y dentro de su gira europea, Nirvana llega a España para actuar en Valencia y en Madrid (Barcelona estaba “ocupada” celebrando los Juegos Olímpicos), donde la banda ofrece dos conciertos bastante flojos, con un Kurt anclado a su micrófono, ajeno al fervor que su presencia provocaba en el público. Aún así, la foto del grupo llena las portadas de las revistas musicales españolas.
Para colocar el punto y final al tour europeo, Nirvana vuelve al Reading Festival, pero esta vez como uno de los cabezas de cartel. La noche del 30 de agosto, mientras que Dave Grohl se sienta en la batería, Kurt Cobain hace acto de presencia en el escenario ante las 60.000 personas que abarrotaban el campo donde se celebra el festival con una peluca rubia y sentado en una silla de ruedas, mientras es empujado por su amigo Krist Novoselic quien se acerca al micrófono y demanda al público una ayuda para que su colega pueda conseguir levantarse. Kurt, arropado por los gritos de la audiencia, se aproxima al micro y tararea una canción inaudible para desplomarse, segundos después, sobre el escenario. Kurt estaba alcanzando el nirvana.
Ya de regreso a EEUU, el 9 de septiembre Nirvana acude a la ceremonia de los MTV Awards, en Los Angeles, para recoger el galardón al Mejor Video Alternativo por “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. Se da la casualidad que entre los grupos invitados se encuentran los reyes “destronados”, Guns N’ Roses con el ya endiosado Axl Rose al frente, quien ya había realizado varios comentarios despectivos sobre Nirvana. Minutos antes de las actuaciones de ambos grupos, Axl se cruza en los camerinos con el irónico Krist quien le saluda con un simple y certero “¡Hola, Axl!”. Interpretado como una provocación, el cantante se da media vuelta y se dirige amenazante al camerino de Nirvana donde se enlaza con Kurt en una violenta discusión que finalizaría con la intervención de los agentes de seguridad del recinto (necesario es decir que Kurt había declarado con anterioridad que Guns N’ Roses “representaban perfectamente el machismo y eran un claro cliché de banda de rock & roll”. Ahí es nada).
Las navidades de 1992 nos regalan “Insecticide”, un interesante álbum de rarezas, demos, temas inéditos (“Dive” y “Sliver”), canciones grabadas en programas de radio y excelentes versiones como “Son Of A Gun” y “Molly’s Lips”, de The Vaselines, grabadas en la radio británica BBC One.
El nuevo año llega con los tres músicos ya metidos en el estudio, preparando la grabación de las canciones del nuevo disco. El ánimo general, tanto de Kurt como de Krist y Dave es literalmente “huir” del éxito de “Nevermind”, sobre todo Kurt, quien ha compuesto trece canciones salidas directamente de sus entrañas. Pero la grabación del nuevo disco será lenta ya que los tres amigos han decidido tomárselo con calma. Kurt debuta como productor en el nuevo disco de sus colegas The Melvins y, haciendo gala una vez más de su gusto por lo extraño y lo fuera de lo común, se involucra en el proyecto “The Priest They Called Him”, donde coloca de fondo el sonido de su guitarra a un recital del William S. Burroughs, el mítico gurú de la experimentación con las drogas (nota: Kurt aparece en los créditos bajo el pseudónimo de Kurtis Cobaine).
El 8 de abril de 1993, Nirvana actúa en un concierto benéfico celebrado en San Francisco, a favor de las víctimas de la desgraciada guerra que en aquellos años se estaba librando en la antigua Yugoslavia, algo que tocaba de lleno a Krist, quien tenía familiares en el desmembrado país. Pocos días después del concierto, la banda vuelve al estudio para seguir con las grabaciones del tercer disco, esta vez producido por Steve Albini. El nombre elegido no puede resultar más perfecto para la idea que el cantante tiene en mente. “In Utero” será la vía de escape final de Kurt, una vía algo tapada por los jefazos de Geffen, quienes obligaron a cambiar el título original que Kurt tenía en mente (editar el disco más anti-comercial que pudiera grabar) y que retrataba todas las penurias que el genial compositor llevaba sufriendo desde la separación de sus padres. David Geffen obligó a Albini a suavizar la curdeza de las grabaciones, a la vez que se acobardó ante “I Hate My Self And I Want To Die”, el título que Kurt había elegido.
Por fin, el 13 de septiembre de 1993, “In Utero” sale a la venta. Pocos días después, “Come As You Are”, la biografía oficial de Nirvana, inunda las librerías de medio mundo. Finalmente, no sólo “I Hate ...” ha sido descartado como título del nuevo álbum, sino que la canción del mismo nombre no aparece entre los trece cortes de que consta el disco. La explicación dada por la compañía es que el tema puede incitar al suicidio (la canción maldita se publicaría a finales de año dentro de un CD titulado “The Beavis And Butt-Head Experience”, en honor a los dos irreverentes personajes animados que estaban causando sensación en la programación de la MTV, a principios de los 90’s.
El nuevo disco es mucho menos comercial que el exitoso “Nevermind”, sin duda alguna, como lo demuestran cortes como “Scenteless Apprentice” o “Milk It”, que nos devuelve al Kurt de “Bleach”. Aún así, y también gracias a “Heart-Shaped Box”, el excelente single de presentación, “In Utero” llega al número uno, tanto en EEUU como en Inglaterra (la gente estaba ávida de escuchar nuevo material de la banda).
El año anterior, Eric Clapton había puesto de moda los conciertos acústicos gracias al tremendo éxito que obtuvo con su “Unplugged”, grabado para la MTV, show que significo el primero de una larga lista de actuaciones acústicas que, tanto los artistas consagrados como las nuevas bandas comenzaron a ofrecer. Y, por supuesto, Nirvana no se salvó de la moda. Y el 18 de noviembre de 1993, seguramente obligados por Geffen Records, el grupo viaja a Nueva York para ofrecer en los estudios de la todopoderosa Sony su correspondiente “desenchufado”, titulado simplemente “Unplugged In New York” y que descubre la brillantez de las composiciones de Kurt Cobain, un tanto escondida bajo sus chirriantes guitarras (paradójicamente, el recital acústico ofrecido por Nirvana quedará plasmado como uno de los más poderosos grabados en aquella época, junto al de Alice In Chains y Pearl Jam. Kurt se arriesgó a adornar sus canciones con una violoncellista). Junto a Pat Smear, el guitarrista que les estaba acompañando durante la gira, Cris y Curt Kirkwood se unieron al final del show para interpretar “Plateau” y “Lake Of Fire”, dos canciones de una de las bandas preferidas de Kurt, Meat Puppets. Por otra parte y además de interpretar algunos de sus temás más conocidos, Nirvana rescata “The Man Who Sold The World”, una vieja canción de David Bowie perdida en el olvido.
El 8 y 9 de febrero, Nirvana inicia su gira europea en Madrid y Barcelona, un tour que significará la despedida de la banda de su público. El concierto en la capital de España resulta mejor que su anterior visita, en 1992. La gira europea quedará interrumpida debido a un agravamiento de la bronquitis crónica de Kurt, quien es ingresado en un hospital de Roma (curiosamente, los italianos serían los últimos fans en ver a Kurt Cobain encima de un escenario). La presión de una extensa gira es demasiada para un Kurt deteriorado por los problemas de salud. Finalmente, el tour europeo se cancela y Nirvana vuelve a casa. Kurt, que ya había realizado diversas declaraciones sobre la pretensión de terminar con Nirvana, cansado de “fichar antes de subir a cada escenario”, aparece muerto en su casa de las afueras de Seattle la mañana del 8 de abril de 1994.






KURT Y COURTNEY

“El hecho de conocer a Courtney me ha cambiado por completo. Ya no soy tan neurótico e instable como antes (...) He encontrado a alguien de quien estoy cerca, que muestra interés por lo que hago...” (Kurt Cobain a Melody Maker, julio de 1992)

En junio de 1991, Nirvana había abandonado Sub Pop para fichar por la discográfica del multimillonario David Geffen y grabar con más medios y, sobre todo, con más dinero su segundo disco “Nevermind”. Tras las sesiones de estudio, la banda se enrola en una pequeña gira por varias ciudades norteamericanas como teloneros del grupo de J. Mascis, Dinosaur Jr. Uno de esos días, Kurt asiste a un concierto de Butthole Surfers en Los Angeles y allí conoce a una tal Courtney Love, que andaba entre bastidores con su amiga Jennifer Finch, del grupo femenino L7.
Courtney lidera una banda llamada Hole, que tenía un disco editado pero que apenas había tenido repercusión mediática. El encuentro es breve pero algo surge entre ambos (recordemos que “Nevermind” aún no había salido a la venta). Tras un corto intercambio de saludos ambos se despiden.
El reencuentro se producirá en el Festival de Reading, en Inglaterra, en agosto de ese año. Esta vez la charla entre Kurt y Courtney es algo más larga. Courtney se encontraba en el festival acompañando a su novio de aquel entonces, Billy Corgan, de Smashing Pumpkins, a quien sustituiría poco después por el líder de Nirvana.
Courtney sigue a Kurt a todas partes y ambos se casan el 24 de febrero de 1992 en Hawaii. La novia acude a la ceremonia con un vestido que había pertenecido a la malograda actriz del Hollywood de los años treinta Frances Farmer (actriz nacida en Seattle y cuya radical independencia le llevó al quirófano donde se le practicó una lobotomía. Kurt le rendiría homenaje en la canción “Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle”, publicada en “In Utero”). Rápidamente, la prensa sensacionalista se hace eco de la adicción a la heroína por parte de la pareja, que comienza a dar de qué hablar (sobre todo cuando los periódicos se enteran que Courtney está embarazada).
El 18 de agosto de 1992 nace en Los Angeles, Frances Bean Cobain, la hija de Kurt y Courtney, en el mismo hospital en el que su padre está ingresado, tratándose de desengancharse de la heroína. La lógica alegría es inmediatamente enfriada por los tabloides británicos, que afirman que el bebé ha nacido con el síndrome de abstinencia. Ambos corren el peligro de perder la custodia de su hija, vigilada por los servicios sociales del estado, quienes determinan finalmente que ambos son aptos para criar a su hija (a pesar del logro, la heroína se había instalado en la vida cotidiana del matrimonio).
La primavera de 1993 transcurre entre presiones mediáticas y serios problemas de Kurt con el polvo blanco, llegando a ser ingresado nuevamente para ser tratado con una nueva cura de desintoxicación tras sufrir una grave sobredosis en su casa de Los Angeles.
La inminente publicación de una biografía no autorizada de la pareja, donde se hace hincapié en el “problema” de la heroína, enfurece a Kurt, quien demanda inmediatamente a los autores del libro y comienza a llamarles por teléfono, dejándoles mensajes amenazadores en sus contestadores telefónicos: “...quiero que me llaméis, tengo mucho que contaros, jodidos parásitos. Si hay algo en ese libro que perjudique a mi esposa, os joderé, ... Me da igual que esto quede grabado. Estoy al límite de mi paciencia...”, por poner un ejemplo.
Por otra parte, Kurt se saca la licencia de armas y adquiere varias pistolas (que más tarde serán confiscadas por la policía en una de las peleas “domésticas” que la pareja solía tener).
A finales de febrero de 1994, en plena gira europea, Kurt es obligado a tomarse varios días de descanso debido al empeoramiento de su bronquitis crónica. El cantante, desatendiendo la orden del médico, se marcha a Roma donde queda con Courtney y su hija en una de las suites del Hotel Excelsior, el 4 de marzo. Cuando Courtney llega se encuentra a su marido tirado en la moqueta de la habitación, en estado de semi-coma. Rápidamente es ingresado de urgencias, donde se le practica un lavado de estómago (Kurt había ingerido, ayudándose de alcohol, 50 pastillas de un medicamento llamado Rohyphol). Finalmente, el cantante sale del coma y consigue recuperarse.
A partir de ese momento, Courtney se dedica a despotricar contra Kurt en todas sus apariciones públicas y entrevistas, llegando incluso a contar detalles íntimos del cantante, quien por aquella época se estaba tomando muy en serio la consideración de abandonar Nirvana y dedicarse a otros proyectos (Kurt deseaba trabajar con su amigo Michael Stipe, el cantante de R.E.M.).
La situación de la pareja se hace insostenible. A mediados de marzo, Courtney se traslada a una clínica de Los Angeles con la finalidad de “limpiarse” de drogas y pastillas. Kurt, que se negó a ir, aunque lo necesitaba más que nadie, le pide a su amigo Dylan Carson que le compre un rifle y munición, ya que “necesita defenderse de unos sospechosos que merodean alrededor de su casa”.
El 30 de mayo, el cantante accede a ser ingresado en un centro de rehabilitación de drogodependientes, en la localidad californiana de Marina Del Rey, de donde se escapa dos días más tarde. Nunca más volvería Courtney a ver a su marido con vida.



¿QUIÉN MATÓ A KURT COBAIN?

La versión oficial afirma que Kurt Cobain, el líder del grupo que cambió la forma de concebir la música a principios de los 90’s, carismático artista y genial compositor, deseoso de experimentar más allá de la tramposa industria del espectáculo y convencido en su empeño por abandonar la heroína, se voló la cabeza con una escopeta del calibre 20 el 6 de abril de 1994.
Los hechos posteriores muestran teorías y suposiciones que afirman que Kurt no se suicidó, sino que fue víctima de un complot ideado por una esposa que veía en la inminente separación su salida del universo de los elegidos. ¿Se suicidó Kurt Cobain? ¿Fue realmente lo que dejó una nota de suicidio o tan sólo una cariñosa carta de despedida para su mujer y su pequeña hija? Lo único cierto de esta historia es que la muerte del líder de Nirvana le vino de perlas a su ambiciosa esposa, Courtney Love.

En enero de 1994 y tras diversas presiones de Courtney, finalmente Kurt accedió a comprar una mansión en el Lake Washington Blvd., la zona más opulenta de Seattle, donde tenían su residencia las personalidades más pudientes de la ciudad, como Howard Schultz, el jefazo de la cadena Starbucks Coffee y el repelente Bill Gates. Según Peter Cleary, amigo de Kurt, éste, a parte de sentirse incómodo por compartir vecindario con los ricachones, “lo único que mantenía junta a la pareja era, aunque Kurt había comentado la idea de divorciarse de Courtney y conseguir la custodia de su hija”.
Por otra parte, mientras que Courtney grababa con Hole, su banda, un nuevo álbum, Kurt estaba obligado a comenzar una gira europea que no deseaba. Muchos de los que convivieron con el cantante durante la última gira afirmaron que le vieron muy cansado, sin aquella energía primaria que imprimía en los primeros conciertos de Nirvana.
Tras el incidente de Roma, Kurt había vuelto a Seattle, donde se reunió con su mejor amigo, Dylan Carson, quien, según confesó más tarde, Kurt le pidió que le comprara un arma porque tenía miedo a los “stalkers” (acosadores de estrellas), algo que ya había comentado el propio músico en el pasado. Dylan afirmaría tras la muerte de su amigo: “No creo que el incidente de Roma fuera un suicidio. Si hubiese ocurrido en 1993 sí lo habría creído. Kurt estaba haciendo todo tipo de planes para llevarlos a cabo una vez se hubiese rehabilitado”.
Ni Dylan ni mucha gente que conocía a Kurt antes del boom “Nevermind” creyeron que éste se suicidara. Aunque también había muchos otros que afirmaron que el músico era un perfecto candidato a tomar la vía del suicidio (“cualquiera que dude sobre el suicidio de Kurt es que no le conocía bien”, comentó una ex novia del cantante).
La verdad es que ni los antecedentes familiares “suicidas” de Kurt ni el título que quiso colocar en un principio a “In Utero” (“I Hate My Self And I Want To Die”) ayudaban mucho a mantener la teoría de un posible asesinato.
El domingo 3 de abril, Tom Grant, un prestigioso detective afincado en Beberly Hills, recibía la llamada de una mujer que le contó que estaba intentando contratar a un detective pero que todas las agencias estaban cerradas (era Domingo de Pascua). Dio la casualidad que Grant estaba trabajando en la finalización de un caso. Al otro lado de la línea telefónica estaba Courtney Love, quien le contó que necesitaba que descubriera a la persona que estaba intentando utilizar la tarjeta de crédito de su marido (en realidad, como más tarde sabría Grant, lo que Courtney trataba de averiguar era encontrar a Kurt quien se había escapado del centro de rehabilitación en el que le habían ingresado).
El miércoles 6 de abril, Grant voló a Seattle para visitar la casa de Kurt acompañado de Dylan Carson, cuya cita se había encargado de preparar la propia Courtney, quien había advertido a Grant sobre la importancia de vigilar a Caitlin Moore, la “camello” de Kurt, de la cuál parecía estar obsesionada, según comentó más tarde el detective.
Dylan y Grant llegaron a la casa esa misma noche: “¡Hola!, ¡Kurt, ¿estás ahí?!”, repitieron ambos durante varios minutos. Finalmente, pensando que el lugar estaba vacío, Dylan y Grant se marcharon.
A la mañana siguiente, Courtney telefoneó a Dylan y le pidió que ambos volvieran a la casa para buscar el arma que éste le había comprado a Kurt y que podría estar escondida en su armario (en el de ella). Los dos volvieron nuevamente al anochecer (por si veían alguna luz), pero no encontraron el arma. Lo que si hallaron fue una nota de “Cali” (el apodo de Michael Dewitt, uno de los “canguros” de la pequeña Frances que Courtney había contratado a tiempo parcial y que vivía en la mansión). La hoja, que estaba dirigida a Kurt –según Grant- ponía lo siguiente: “No puedo creer que vinieras a casa sin decírmelo. No has llamado a Courtney. Eres un imbécil”. Rápidamente, Grant se preguntó por qué no le había encargado a “Cali” que buscara el arma. “Siempre he pensado que la nota se colocó para que yo la encontrara, y no Kurt”, comentó Grant, que también sospechó que el propio Kurt tuviera que informar a un simple “babbysitter” que se encontraba en su propia casa.
Pero “Cali” se había marchado a Los Angeles para reunirse con Courtney, hecho del que el propio Grant siempre tuvo la impresión de que lo había hecho para evitar encontrarse con él.
Por otra parte, Courtney afirmó que se había pasado las horas encerrada en la habitación de su hotel esperando una llamada de Kurt, algo que para el avispado Grant quedó en evidencia cuando se enteró, por medio de la lista de llamadas del propio hotel, que había realizado dos llamadas telefónicas a una radio local especializada en rock, solicitando promocionar “Live Throught This”, el nuevo álbum de Hole. “No estaría tan preocupada si tuvo tiempo para pensar en su disco”, dijo más tarde Grant.
La mañana del viernes 8 de abril, Gary Smith, un operario de Veca Electric, la empresa de seguridad que estaba contratada para vigilar el vecindario, había acudido enviado por la propia empresa para instalar un sistema de alarma. Subido a la parte superior del garaje, vio a través de la ventana del invernadero -que estaba situado encima del mismo garaje- lo que pensó en un principio que era un maniquí tirado en el suelo. Seguidamente se dio cuenta que sangraba por el la oreja derecha y ahí es cuando vio que una escopeta yacía encima del cuerpo, con la culata sobre los pies y el cañón apoyado en la barbilla.
Consciente de la gravedad del hecho, y al estar cerrada por dentro la habitación, Smith telefoneó a su superior quien se encargó de notificarlo a la policía y, ya de paso, comunicarle la noticia a la emisora de radio KXRX-FM, quienes dieron la noticia media hora después: El cuerpo sin vida de Kurt Cobain había sido encontrado en su casa de Seattle con un tiro en la cabeza.
El suicidio fue el término que rápidamente saltó a los titulares de todo el planeta. El invernadero, el único lugar en donde no habían mirado Grant y Dylan (el detective le preguntó por qué no le había dicho nada sobre la existencia de dicho lugar. Dylan le respondió que tan sólo era una pequeña habitación donde se guardaban trastos viejos. Más tarde el propio Dylan afirmó desconocer la existencia de dicho invernadero). Junto al cuerpo, además del arma, una nota escrita a mano en donde, supuestamente, Kurt explicaba los motivos de su suicidio y se despedía de Courtney y de Frances. El caso se cerró bajo la solución de suicidio.
El 10 de abril, miles de jóvenes se reúnen en una plaza de Seattle para celebrar el entierro de su ídolo (con el cuerpo aún en el anatómico forense). Courtney no está presente, pero su voz, sí. En un cassette grabado horas antes, la viuda expresó sus “sentimientos” ante la pérdida de su marido, negándose a leer la nota dejada por éste y concluyendo la grabación de una manera poco convencional: “...Es un “gilipollas”. Quiero que todos griteis “gilipollas” muy alto...”. (Lo más triste de todo es que al menos 70 adolescentes se quitaron la vida imitando a Kurt Cobain).
Al día siguiente se pone a la venta “Live Throught This” (¿casualidad?), lo nuevo de Hole, el grupo de Courtney, cuya bajista, Kristen Pfaff aparece muerta de una sobredosis, casi un mes después que Kurt.
Pero sería Tom Grant, el propio detective que Courtney contrató para que encontrara a su marido, quien comenzó a dudar sobre la posibilidad de que Kurt Cobain no se hubiese quitado la vida, sino que todo fuera un asesinato planeado. El propio Grant se lo comunicó en una carta a la viuda, anunciando que continuaría con sus investigaciones.
El astuto detective se reunió con Rosemary Carroll, la abogada de Courtney Love, quien le dijo que Kurt se había puesto en contacto con ella para borrar a su mujer del testamento, ya que deseaba divorciarse de ésta. “Kurt no era un suicida”, le dijo a Grant, según relató éste más adelante.
En noviembre, Geffen se adelanta a la Navidad y publica el excelente “Unplugged In New York”, grabado por la banda un año antes en la ciudad de los rascacielos. Por esas fechas también saldría “Live! Tonight! Sold! Out!” la única grabación oficial de Nirvana (sin contar el video recopilatorio que se editó en 1991, donde compartían “cartel” con sus amados Sonic Youth) y que recoge hora y media de entrevistas, actuaciones en directo y videos caseros que repasan la corta historia del grupo, desde los comienzos hasta la locura del “Nevermind”. Sin duda, el mejor documento visual de una banda de rock publicado durante los 90’s.
En diciembre de 1994, Courtney Love afirma que escondía una segunda nota, además de la oficial del suicidio, que Kurt había dejado donde se despedía de ella y de su hija Frances, algo que convenció a Grant de una cosa: Kurt no tenía pensado suicidarse, sólo quería abandonar Seattle y pedir que le dejaran en paz:
“Sabes que te amo a ti y a Frances. Lo siento mucho. Por favor, no intentéis seguirme. Estaré ahí. Os protegeré. No sé donde voy, tan sólo es que no puedo estar aquí por más tiempo” (juzguen ustedes mismos). Grant estaba convencido de que la muerte de Kurt fue el resultado de una conspiración entre Courtney Love y Michael “Cali” Dewitt, el babysitter, pero las pruebas que el detective aportó no resultaron suficientes para reabrir el caso. Grant llegó a entrevistarse con un individuo que se hacía llamar “El Duce” (que lideraba una banda llamada Kings Of Porn Metal) y que afirmaba que Courtney Love le había ofrecido 50.000 dólares “a cambio de que matara a su marido”. El extraño individuo fue sometido al detector de mentiras, pasando la prueba de su afirmación, pero la policía declinó realizar cualquier tipo de investigaciones. Finalmente, Eldon Hoke (su nombre real) murió atropellado por un tren en Riverside, California, una semana después de que hubiera contado su historia al periodista de la BBC, Nick Broomfield, que se encontraba realizando un reportaje para la cadena pública británica. (Broormfield también entrevistaría a Hank Harrison, el padre de Courtney, que afirmaba sin tapujos que su hija había ordenado asesinar a su marido. “Kurt And Courtney” sería el título del film).
Con la llegada de 1995, los titulares rumorean acerca de una posible continuación de Krist y Dave en el mundo de la música, bajo el nombre de Foo Fighters. Finalmente, sólo Dave continuaría (y con gran éxito) el proyecto, revelándose como un buen compositor y excelente músico, más allá de las baquetas. Krist también intentaría mantenerse en el negocio musical, con Sweet 75, que no llegaría a ser mucho más que una curiosa anécdota. En la actualidad, el amigo de Krist Novoselic está entregado completamente a la política.
En 1996 veía la luz “From The Muddy Banks Of The Wishkah”, el esperadísimo álbum en directo que contenía grabaciones del grupo en vivo entre 1989 y 1993.
Ambos se enfrentarían en más de una ocasión a Courtney por los derechos de las canciones que dejó grabadas Kurt, y de las cuáles su viuda tiene la total disposición. En 2003, se publicó un recopilatorio con los temas más famosos de Nirvana y una canción inédita que había dado mucho de qué hablar (sobre todo en Internet): “You Know You Right”.

“I miss the comfort in being sad” (“Echo de menos la comodidad de estar triste”)
“Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle” (“In Utero”, 1993)




De entre todas las conclusiones que Grant presentó con la finalidad de que reabrieran el caso, destacan tres, con suficiente acreditación, que deberían haber obligado a la policía a continuar con la investigación:
. El nivel de heroína que Kurt tenía en la sangre algo que, según los expertos, le hubiese dejado incosciente segundos después de inyectarse la droga, algo que le hubiera impedido coger el arma y dispararse.
. Por otra parte, su tarjeta de crédito (la cuál no estaba en poder de su propietario) fue utilizada al menos dos veces después de su muerte y antes de que el cuerpo fuese encontrado. La policía nunca dijo quién la utilizó y por qué.
. Un hombre afirmó que le habían ofrecido 50.000 dólares por matar a Kurt Cobain, tres meses antes de su muerte. La persona, que más tarde murió en extrañas circustancias, pasó el test de poligrafía.




KURT EN SUS PROPIAS PALABRAS

“Nunca quise cantar. Sólo quería tocar la guitarra rítmica, escondido en la parte trasera del escenario” (Rolling Stone, enero 1994)
“Courtney es una mujer que impone. Ella es muy inteligente y dice lo que piensa” (The Face, septiembre 1993)
“A veces desearía tomarme una pastilla que me permitiera disfrutar de las cosas simples de la vida en vez de ser tan crítico...” (Melody Maker, agosto de 1993)
“Todavía odio a la mayoría de la gente, pero no con la misma intensidad que antes (...), acabé harto de mi mismo Era un punk rocker que odiaba a todo el mundo” (The Face, septiembre 1993)
“Ya no bebo porque destruye mis estómago. Mi cuerpo no me permitiría tomar drogas porque soy muy débil. Las drogas son una pérdida de tiempo” (Rolling Stone, abril 1992)
“Muchas veces nos han llamado banda alternativa, pero comemos carne, por lo que pienso que estamos descalificados” (Melody Maker, noviembre 1991)
“Si alguno de vosotros odia a los homosexuales, a las personas de diferente color o a las mujeres, hacednos un favor: no vengáis a nuestros conciertos ni compréis nuestros discos” (American TV, 1992)
“Si los medios de comunicación divulgaran más música buena, la gente tendría mejor gusto” (Les Inrockuptibles, febrero de 1992)
“Si pudiera escribir tan sólo un par de canciones como las que ellos han escrito (...), no sé cómo lo hacen. ¡Son los más grandes!” (Refiriéndose a R.E.M., Rolling Stone, enero 1994)
“Me siento como si la gente quisiera que me muriera, para poder cumplirse la clásica historia del rock” (New Musical Express, julio 1992)




NIRVANA, 1989-1994: DISCOGRAFÍA

“BLEACH” (Sub Pop, junio 1989)
“NEVERMIND” (DGC, septiembre 1991)
“INCESTICIDE” (DGC, diciembre 1992)
“HORMOANING” (DGC, enero 1992. Mini CD editado en Japón y Australia)
“IN UTERO” (DGC, septiembre 1993)
“MTV UNPLUGGED” (DGC, noviembre 1994)

TODAS LAS PELÍCULAS SOBRE JACK THE RIPPER

TODAS LAS PELÍCULAS SOBRE JACK THE RIPPER

silent era
For the most part, silent Rippers had literary origins. In 1904, playwright Frank Wedekind published Die Büchse der Pandora (Pandora's Box)--a story in which a sexually predatory woman, Lulu, ultimately becomes prey to Jack the Ripper. This play became so popular that three silent films and one opera derived from it. Sound versions would follow.
Five years later, Marie Belloc Lowndes published The Lodger in the pages of McClure's magazine. Inspired by the Ripper case, this story involves a husband and wife who become increasingly convinced that their lodger is "The Avenger" who has been terrorizing London. The novel would later become the primary source for Alfred Hitchcock's third film... His first to make it off the shelf and into theaters, and the film to establish him (at 27!) as Britain's leading filmmaker.

lulu (1917)
credits
Director: Alexander von Antalffy
cast
Erna Morena; Adolf Klein; Emil Jannings; Harry Liedtke; Rolf Brunner
brief synopsis (provided by Nederlands Filmmuseum)
Lulu, a circus artist, nicknamed 'The White Amazone', destroys the life of young Henri with the help of her patron saint the clown Alfredo. Henri loses all his money and kills himself. Henri's friend Rudolf hates her for that. Lulu meets and eventually marries Rudolf's father, but when Rudolf wants to warn his father, he gets disowned by him. Lulu visits in secret the clown Alfredo to give him money to keep quiet about her past. At the climactic costume party Alfredo the clown tells all in public.
comment
Even though this film lacks Jack the Ripper, it still belongs here since it is loosely based upon the work of Frank Wedekind. What is peculiar is that Antalffy and company sought to change the story. Emil Jannings, in fact, was performing in a stage production of Pandora's Box at around this time--playing Rodrigo Quast. Jannings appears to have filled the role of Alfredo the Clown in this version.
types
Lulu Motif: According to the Nederlands Filmmuseum summary, this version of Wedekind's play ends with Lulu's disgrace among her friends, not her death at the hands of the Ripper. However, a German film website indicates that Lulu marries Alfredo the Clown, but dies shortly afterward. If you know more, please contact us.
availability
The only existing copy of this film that we know of is archived at the Nederlands Filmmuseum.
erdgeist (1923)
(a.k.a. earth spirit)
credits
Director: Leopold Jessner; Screenplay: Carl Mayer (from the play by Frank Wedekind); Cinematography: Axel Graatkjaer; Art Direction: Robert Neppach; Production Company: Leopold Jessner-Film
cast
Asta Nielsen (Lulu); Albert Bassermann (Dr. Schoen); Carl Ebert (Schwarz); Gustav Rickelt (Dr. Goll); Rudolf Forster (Alwa Schoen); Alexander Granach (Schigolch); Heinrich George (Rodrigo); Erwin Biswanger (Eulenber); Julius Falkenstein; Lucy Kieselhausen; Anton Pointner
brief synopsis
None available at the present time, though it can be assumed that the plot is fairly similar to the plot of Pandora's Box (1929).
comment
Asta Nielsen, who played Lulu, was quite famous in her time and considered to be "the most fascinating personality of the primitive era." She had worked with G.W. Pabst before he made Pandora's Box, so it is interesting that he chose a fresh American face for the part of Lulu, rather than a well-established screen actress. In the book Lulu in Hollywood, Louise Brooks describes this version of the story as follows: "Only five years earlier the famous Danish actress Asta Nielsen had condensed Wedekind's play into the film Loulou. There was no lesbianism in it, no incest. Loulou the man-eater devoured her sex-victims - Dr Goll, Schwarz, Schoen - and then dropped dead in an acute attack of indigestion.“
types
Lulu Motif: Though it is a Lulu film, we have not been able to determine whether Jack the Ripper makes an appearance. If he does, then it may well be the first appearance of Jack the Ripper in cinema.
availability
The most complete print is in the Müncher Filmmuseum.
waxworks (1924)
(a.k.a. das wachsfigurenkabinett; three wax men)
credits
Director: Leo Birinsky, Paul Leni; Screenplay: Henrik Galeen; Cinematography: Helmar Lerski; Art Direction: Paul Leni and Ernst Stern
cast
Emil Jannings (Harun Al-Raschid); Conrad Veidt (Ivan the Terrible); Werner Krauss (Spring-heeled Jack/Jack the Ripper); with Wilhelm Dieterle, Olga Belajeff, Ernst Legal, John Gottowt and George John.
brief synopsis
The final segment of this German Expressionist anthology features an early cinematic appearance of Jack the Ripper--or at least of "Spring-heeled Jack." When a young writer answers an advertisement to write stories for wax figures at a carnival, he brings along his girlfriend. The owner tests his abilities by asking him to write for three of the waxworks: for Harun al Rashid, Ivan the Terrible, and Spring-heeled Jack. After finishing the first two stories, the young man falls exhausted into sleep, where he dreams that Spring-heeled Jack pursues him, and his girlfriend, against the backdrop of the carnival. Just as the killer overtakes them, the writers' cries prompt his girlfriend to awaken him. Seeing Spring-heeled Jack again as a mere wax statue reassures the writer that the two of them are safe and that Jack has not stolen his beloved away from him.
comment
It is generally accepted that the "Spring-heeled Jack" reference in this film is actually pointing to Jack the Ripper, not to the other criminal called "Spring-heeled Jack." At any rate, Jack the Ripper was certainly rendered frequently in wax. This film, in general, seems rather slow going, possibly because of a plodding soundtrack. It does have interesting expressionistic sets, though, particularly in the final segment.
types
Ripper Cameos: The Ripper segment is a 5-minute-long expressionist nightmare.
Jack the Ripper in the Wax Museum: This is the original wax museum Ripper movie.
availability
This film is now available on VHS and DVD, but only in North American formats. One DVD version, by the way, bundles it with two other German silent horror classics.
the lodger (1926)
(a.k.a. a story of the london fog; the strange case of jonathan drew)
credits
Producer: Michael Balcon, Carlyle Blackwell, Sr.; Director: Alfred Hitchcock; Screenplay: Eliot Stannard and Alfred Hitchcock (from the novel by Marie Belloc Lowndes); Cinematography: Baron Paul Ventimiglia; Film Editing: Ivor Montagu; Art Direction: C. Wilfred Arnold, Bertram Evans; Assistant Director: Alma Reville; Title Designer: E. McKnight Kauffer, Ivor Montague; Production Company: Gainsborough Pictures
cast
Marie Ault (The Landlady (Mrs. Bunting)); Arthur Chesney (Her Husband (Mr. Bunting)); June (Daisy Bunting, a Mannequin); Malcolm Keen (Joe Betts, a Detective); Ivor Novello (The Lodger); Alfred Hitchcock, Helena Pick
brief synopsis
A strange, young lodger lets a room at the Buntings' house in the midst of a string of Ripper killings. His odd behavior--turning pictures of women to the wall, sneaking out late at night when killings occur--quickly brings him under the suspicion of his landlords. His attraction to Daisy, the young woman of the house, also causes suspicion, particularly for Joe, the Scotland Yard detective who hopes to marry the young woman. In a fit of jealous rage, Joe has his rival's room searched. When the police find a gun, newspaper clippings of the killings, a map marked with the murder sites, and a photograph of the first victim, Joe's unconscionable behavior appears vindicated...
comment
The Lodger is Hitchcock's first film in which the law pursues the "wrong man." One common misconception about The Lodger is that Hitchcock changed the story because the "wrong man" theme is so compelling. Actually, Hitchcock was forced by the studio to make his lodger innocent because Ivor Novello was such a huge matinee idol that he could not be made guilty. Hitchcock made it extremely clear in later interviews and articles that he had wanted his lodger to be guilty. Regardless, his experience with The Lodger did influence him later on to adopt the "wrong man" theme without external prompting.
types
Investigation Rippers: The police investigation into a series of Ripper murders takes a nearly tragic turn as a young policeman suspects his romantic rival of being Jack the Ripper (called "The Avenger").
The Lodger Motif: Hitchcock's production of The Lodger makes a large number of changes to the novel: the killer targets blondes (not alcoholics), and his motivation is never known. However, he does call himself "The Avenger," as he does in Lowndes' novel.
pandora's box (1929)
(a.k.a. die büchse der pandora)
credits
Producer: Seymour Nebenzel; Director: G.W. Pabst; Screenplay: Joseph Feisler, Georg Wilhelm Pabst (from Erdgeist and Die Büchse der Pandora by Frank Wedekind); Cinematography: Gunther Krampf; Art Direction: Andrej Andrejew, Gottlieb Hesch; Production Company: Nero Films
cast
Louise Brooks (Lulu); Fritz Kortner (Dr. Peter Schön); Franz Lederer (Alwa Schön); Carl Goetz (Schigolch); Carl Raschig (Rodrigo Quast); Alice Roberts (Countess Geschwitz); Gustav Diesel (Jack the Ripper)
brief synopsis
The sexually insatiable Lulu destroys virtually every man who becomes involved with her. She destroys Dr. Schön and his son Alwa. But in the end, she meets her match in the greatest sexual predator of them all...
comment
Pandora's Box--the third or fourth version of Wedekind's play to reach the screen--is arguably the first masterpiece in Ripper cinema. G.W. Pabst does a fabulous job directing, but perhaps his greatest coup was in casting American actress Louise Brooks as the ever-insatiable Lulu. Her remarkable performance made Brooks a sensation, and even seventy years later, her Lulu still fascinates audiences. She is the subject of the recent documentary Looking for Lulu (1998).
types
Lulu Motif: This version abbreviates a number of elements in the Wedekind plays, without sacrificing the essential plot. Gustav Diesel delivers a beautifully haunting performance as Jack the Ripper. Before his blood-lust overtakes him, the scene between the Ripper and Lulu is surprisingly tender and innocent.



1930s-40s
In this period, the most popular tale to set on screen was The Lodger. The 1930s and 1940s saw two film adaptations and one reworking of this story. Radio, too, got into the act, allowing Peter Lorre to play the Ripper and allowing a better-established Alfred Hitchcock to make his lodger guilty.
Despite the prevalence of the Lodger theme, Tod Slaughter managed to get a "Spring-heeled Jack" story into the mix. This character, often mistaken for Jack the Ripper, is actually a different English criminal (or legend) entirely. Slaughter's film appears in the "Faux Rippers, False Sightings and Copycats" list because Spring-heeled Jack is so often conflated and confused with Jack the Ripper that some critics believe Curse of the Wraydons to be a Jack the Ripper film.

the phantom fiend (1935, US)
(a.k.a. the lodger, 1932, UK)
credits
Producer: Julius Hagen; Director: Maurice Elvey; Screenplay: Miles Mander, H. Fowler Mear, Ivor Novello, Paul Rotha (from The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes); Cinematography: Sydney Blythe, Basil Emmott
cast
Ivor Novello (Michel Angeloff/Stefan Obilic); Elizabeth Allan (Daisy Bunting); Jack Hawkins (Joe Martin); A.W. Baskcomb (George Bunting); Barbara Everest (Mother Bunting); Kynaston Reeves (Editor Bob Mitchell); Molly Fisher (Gladys); Shayle Gardner (Detective Snell); Peter Gawthorne (Lord Southcliffe); Anthony Holles (Sylvano); Andreas Malandrinos (Mr. Rabinovitch); George Merritt (Commissioner); Drusilla Wills (Mrs. Coles)
brief synopsis
Once again, Ivor Novello stars as a young lodger who lets a room at the Buntings' in the midst of a string of Ripper killings. He, of course, exhibits strange behavior--turning pictures of women to the wall, exhibiting sympathy for the killer, and sneaking out late on the nights that killings occur. He even possesses the same musical skills and foreign nationality as the chief suspect's. Again, his landlords become suspicious, and again Daisy's presumed boyfriend Joe (a xenophobic reporter assigned to the killings) becomes jealous of Daisy's interest in his rival. This time, Joe's suspicions seem confirmed when Mr. Bunting retrieves a bloody handkerchief from his lodger...
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The Phantom Fiend was the 1935 US title for The Lodger (1932). However, the film is best known by this alternate title today. One common misconception about The Phantom Fiend is that it is a slavish, scene-by-scene re-shoot of Hitchcock's The Lodger. In fact, one wonders if this misconception inspired Gus Van Sant towards making his own ill-conceived re-shoot of a Hitchcock film. While it is true that Novello again stars, and that his lodger is again innocent, the two films do have significant differences... in plot, in atmosphere, and in the level of self-indulgence they allow their star.
types
Investigation Rippers: Similar to the plot of the 1926 Lodger, but in this case, the romantic rival is a reporter, and there's a lot more nuts-and-bolts police procedural.
The Lodger Motif: Mad Avenger. In this version of The Lodger, the killer madly avenges his wife's scandalous deception of him by killing women indiscriminately.
the lodger (1944)
credits
Producer: Robert Bassler; Director: John Brahm; Screenplay: Barré Lyndon (from The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes); Cinematography: Lucien Ballard; Editing: J. Watson Webb, Jr.; Music: Hugo Friedhofer; Art Direction: James Basevi, Joh Ewing; Set Decoration: Thomas Little; Costume Design: René Hubert
cast
Laird Cregar (Slade, the lodger); George Sanders (John Warwick); Merle Oberon (Kitty Langley); Cedric Hardwicke (Robert Burton); Sara Allgood (Ellen); Aubrey Mather (Superintendent Sutherland); Queenie Leonard (Daisy); Doris Lloyd (Jennie); David Clyde (Detective Sergeant Bates); Helena Pickard (Annie Rowley); Harold De Becker (Charlie, stage guard); Anita Sharp-Bolster (Wiggy, the bar-fly); Skelton Knaggs (Man with Cart); Billy Bevan (Bartender); Lumsden Hare (Doctor Sheridan); Olaf Hytten (Harris, the haberdasher); Frederick Worlock (Sir Edward Willoughby); Lucien Ballard; Colin Campbell; Douglas Gerrard; Gerald Hamer; Stuart Holmes; Raymond Severn; Will Stanton; Walter Tetley
brief synopsis
When Mr. Slade, a pathologist, arrives to let a room with the Burtons, Mrs. Burton hopes that he will end their money problems. Soon, though, he exhibits standard "lodger" behavior--turning pictures of women to the wall, and sneaking out late at night when Ripper killings occur (for the first time in Lodger cinema, incidentally, the killer is actually called "Jack the Ripper"). Slade also inveighs against actresses and the deception of female beauty. His brother had been destroyed by such women. But perhaps most unsettling is that he burns his bloody ulster and rids himself of his black bag... arousing the suspicions of his landlords and drawing police attention. Do the police have their man, or will he--like earlier cinematic lodgers--turn out to be the wrong man?
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The Lodger is another early masterpiece in Ripper cinema. Some believe it to be the finest Ripper movie ever committed to screen. Its star, Laird Cregar, died of heart failure at the age of 28, after going on a crash diet. This is, incidentally, the first version of The Lodger to refer to the killer as "Jack the Ripper."
types
Investigation Rippers: Unlike the earlier film versions of The Lodger, the policework in this film is all above-board. Investigators have no motivation other than catching the killer. George Sanders rivals Laird Cregar in his turn as the investigating detective on the case.
The Lodger Motif: Mad Avenger. Ripper kills actresses to avenge his brother's death after falling for an actress. Laird Cregar is outstanding as Jack the Ripper.
Period Atmosphere: Excellent period atmosphere in its re-creation of upper class London, and even the Dance Hall.
room to let (1949)
credits
Producer: Anthony Hinds; Director: Godfrey Grayson; Screenplay: John Gilling and Godfrey Grayson (based on the BBC radio play by Margery Allingham); Cinematography: Cedric Williams; Editing: James Needs; Music: Frank Spencer; Art Direction: Denis Wreford; Costume Design: Myra Cullimore; Makeup: Monica Hustler, Philip Leakey; Casting: Prudence Sykes; Production Manager: Arthur Barnes; Assistant Director: Jimmy Sangster; Sound: Edgar Vetter; Production Company: Exclusive/Hammer
cast
Jimmy Hanley (Curly Minter); Valentine Dyall (Dr. Fell); Christine Silver (Mrs. Musgrave); Merle Tottenham (Alice); Constance Smith (Molly Nusgrave); Charles Hawtrey (Mike Atkinson); Aubrey Dexter (Harding); Anthony La Penna (JJ); Reginald Dyson (Sergeant Cranbourne); Laurence Naismith (Editor); John Clifford (Atkinson); Stuart Saunders (Porter); Cyril Conway (Dr. Mansfield); Charles Houston (Tom); Harriet Peterworth (Matron)
brief synopsis
In Room to Let, Curly Minter tells the story of a strange lodger who had let rooms at the Musgrave home, some 15 years after the Ripper killings. Fell had quickly taken over the lives of Mrs. Musgrave and her daughter Molly. But the reporter Curly began to suspect him of being Jack the Ripper, and a recent escapee from a local lunatic asylum. When Fell died, though, of a bullet to the heart in a perfectly sealed room, the mysterious killing remained unsolved for 40 years... and so now Curly tells the story to stump an American reporter who has the reputation for solving the insoluble.
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Room to Let is a very nice re-working of The Lodger. It has a complex enough plot structure, in fact, that we should not take JJ's resolution to the case entirely at face value. JJ's resolution is itself a narrative, and may get the full story only partially true. The issue of narrative reliability in this film has been discussed extensively in an article published in Midnight Marquee No. 54--and revamped for the October 2000 issue of Paul Begg's magazine Ripperologist.
types
Investigation Rippers: A young reporter covering an asylum fire becomes concerned about a lunatic he believes has escaped. He becomes even more concerned when his investigation convinces him that the lunatic is Jack the Ripper.
The Lodger Motif: Monomaniac. This clever re-working of The Lodger features Valentine Dyall as the menacing Dr. Fell (a.k.a. Jack the Ripper). Though we never know precisely what his motive is, he does claim that he has a work to do.
Period Atmosphere: Does a good job with presenting London about 15 years after the Ripper murders.

1950s-1960s
Though this period initially offers only mediocre Ripper productions, it soon becomes one of the most fruitful periods in Ripper television and cinema. Here the Ripper first goes into space, first battles Sherlock Holmes, first transcends time. Here we begin Jack the Ripper's onscreen romance with imaginative television and cinema.

the man in the attic (1954)
credits
Producers: Leonard Goldstein and Robert L. Jacks; Director: Hugo Fregonese; Screenplay: Barré Lyndon and Robert Presnell Jr. (from The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes); Cinematography: Leo Tover; Editing: Marjorie Fowler; Music: Hugo Friedhofer; Costume Design: Travilla; Musical Director: Lionel Newman; Choreographer: Willetta Smith
cast
Jack Palance (Slade); Constance Smith (Lily Bonner); Byron Palmer (Paul Warwick); Frances Bavier (Helen Harley); Rhys Williams (William Harley); Sean McClory (First constable); Leslie Bradley (Second constable); Tita Phillips (Daisy); Leslie Matthews (Chief Inspector Melville); Harry Cording (Sergeant Bates); Lisa Daniels (Mary Lenihan); Lilian Bond (Annie Rowley); Isabel Jewell (Katy)
brief synopsis
With a couple of minor changes, this plot is virtually identical to the plot of the 1944 Lodger.
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The Man in the Attic is often legimately attacked for being a second-rate version of the brilliant 1944 Lodger. However, Jack Palance is also frequently criticized for turning in too low-keyed a performance. His low-key scenes, though, serve as wonderful contrast for those in which Palance shows the depths of his character's intensity. No, the problem is not in the star. The problem is in the supporting players. In the 1944 film, top-notch actors such as George Sanders, Sarah Allgood, and Sir Cedric Hardwicke gave outstanding supporting performances. Byron Palmer's detective, though, pales next to George Sanders'; and Frances Bavier is a non-entity compared with the great Sarah Allgood. The problem with The Man in the Attic is not that it's not a perfectly acceptable piece of television-fodder. The problem is that it's a gratuitous remake of one of the 1940s' greatest suspense films.
types
Investigation Rippers: This film has essentially the same police work as found in the 1944 film The Lodger.
The Lodger Motif: Mad Avenger. Ripper kills actresses to avenge his father's alcoholism and death which resulted from his actress mother's adulterous deception of her husband.
Period Atmosphere: This film does a good job with West End London, and a decent job with East End streets.
jack the ripper (1958)
credits
Producers: Hal Roach Studios; Director: David MacDonald; Screenplay: Michael Plant; Cinematography: Stephen Dade; Film Editing: Ann Chegwiddert; Art Direction: Denys Pavitt; Distribution: Medallion TV Enterprises
cast
Boris Karloff (Host); Niall MacGinnis (Walter Durst); Dorothy Allison (Dorothy Durst); Clifford Evans (Inspector McWilliam); Robert Brown (Constable); Mai Bacon (Fat Woman); Robert Brooks Turner (Warden); Nora Swinburne (Mrs. Willowden); Charles Carson (Dr. Hatherton)
brief synopsis
This half-hour episode of Boris Karloff's short-lived series The Veil focuses on a psychic's attempt to convince the police that he has "seen" the killer in his dreams. In fact, he knows the details of the Ripper kilings so well that the police suspect him of the murders--until the Ripper kills twice in one night as Durst warms a jail cell.
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This Ripper episode has a peculiar history. It was one of several episodes filmed for Boris Karloff's abortive television series The Veil. When that series crashed, it was put together with three other already-filmed episodes and released as an anthology film called Jack the Ripper. Nowadays, it's being treated again as a single episode filmed for the series. This episode stars Niall MacGuinness, who--as usual--provides the necessary conviction to pull off the part.
types
Investigation Rippers: Psychic George Durst takes it upon himself to investigate the Ripper crimes that he sees in his dreams.
Jack the Ripper Fantastique: The character of George Durst is clearly based on the real-life character of Robert Lees, the reputed "psychic" who some claimed ran the Ripper to ground.
jack the ripper (1959)
credits
Producers: Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman; Directors: Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman; Screenplay: Peter Hammond and Colin Craig (story), Jimmy Sangster (script); Cinematography: Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman; Film Editing: Peter Bezencenet; Art Direction: William Kellner; Makeup: Jimmy Evans and Bill Griffith; Assistant Director: Peter Manley; Production Managemer: Jack Swinburne; Sound: Buster Ambler and Jeanne Henderson
cast
Lee Patterson (Sam Lowry); Eddie Byrne (Inspt. O'Neill); Betty McDowall (Anne Ford); Ewen Solon (Sir David Rogers); John Le Mesurier (Dr. Tranter); George Rose (Clarke); Philip Leaver (Music Hall Manager); Barbara Burke (Kitty Knowles); Anne Sharp (Helen); Denis Shaw (Simes); Endre Muller (Louis Benz); Esma Cannon (Nelly); George Woodbridge (Blake); Bill Shine (Lord Sopwith); Marianne Stone (Drunken Woman); Garard Green (Dr. Urquhart); Jack Allen (Asst. Commissioner); Jane Taylor (Hazel); Dorinda Stevens (Margaret); Hal Osmonde (Pickpocket); George Street (Station Sergeant); Olwen Brooks (Lady Almoner); Charles Lamb (Stage Door Keeper); Jennifer White (Beth); Cameron Hall (Hospital Porter); Alan Robinson (Coroner); Anthony Sagar (Drunk); John Mott (Singer); Lucy Griffiths (Salvation Army Woman)
brief synopsis
NYPD detective Sam Lowry arrives in London to help track down the Ripper, as panic spreads through the streets of Whitechapel. Woman after woman falls to a killer who asks first if she is "Mary Clarke." When the Ripper finally finds Mary, though, Lowry is right on his heels...
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Overall, this is a pretty good movie. It has the reputation of being rather lurid, largely because of the final scene--in which the previously black-and-white picture suddenly turns red with the Ripper’s own blood. That ending, of course, is one of the most famous moments in Ripper cinema, and is about the only thing that screenwriter Jimmy Sangster says he remembers about the film.
types
Investigation Rippers: Investigation is the crux of this movie, as a New York policeman comes to London to help police decipher the Ripper killings.
The Lodger Motif: Mad Avenger. Ripper's son committed suicide on learning that his beloved Mary was a former prostitute. The Ripper now seeks to avenge his son's death by killing every prostitute who crosses his path during his attempt to find this "Mary Clarke."
Period Atmosphere: This is the first Ripper film to take East End conditions seriously. It does an admirable job of recreating the panic and degrading conditions in the East End during Fall 1888. Excellent job with the Dance Hall environment.
Political Rippers: Though there is no political conspiracy involved in this film, there are political implications to the action taking place here. Jack the Ripper (1959) shows the near-riotous conditions in the East End during the Ripper killings--conditions which in 1888 threatened to bring down the Home Secretary and impair the British government.
yours truly, jack the ripper (1961)
(tv: thriller. nbc. airdate: april 11, 1961)
credits
Producer: William Frye; Director: Ray Milland; Teleplay: Barré Lyndon (from the story by Robert Bloch); Music: Jerry Goldsmith; Production Company: Hubbell Robinson Productions and Revue Studios
cast
Boris Karloff (Host); John Williams (Sir Guy Hollis); Donald Woods (John Carmody); Edmon Ryan (Captain Pete Jago); Adam Williams (Hymie Kralek); Nancy Valentine (Arlene); Ransom Sherman (Lester Baston); Sam Gilman (Police Official); J. Pat O'Malley (Street Singer); Gloria Blondell (Maggie Rattivic); Miss Beverly Hills (Herself)
brief synopsis
Through the ritualistic blood sacrifice of his victims, Jack the Ripper has survived and remained young some 70 years beyond the last Whitechapel slaying. Now, the women of Chicago serve his need for sacrifice. But as Sir Guy Hollis (a Ripper expert from Britain) ever-more-accurately tracks his prey, the killer is finally in danger of facing capture... and justice.
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Just take a look at those credits, and then realize that "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper" actually lives up to the talent that made it happen. Robert Bloch wrote the story--one of the first mass market pieces of American Ripper fiction--back in the 1940s. Barré Lyndon (The Lodger and The Man in the Attic) provided an excellent adaptation, and Jerry Goldsmith an outstanding score. Ray Milland successfully tried his hand behind the camera. Milland would later act in another Jack the Ripper production (Terror in the Wax Museum), just as Bloch would later write the teleplay for Star Trek's famous Ripper episode (A Wolf in the Fold).
types
Investigation Rippers: Police procedural... with a supernatural killer.
Jack the Ripper Fantastique: Sir Guy Hollis convinces tough Chicago police that the real Jack the Ripper is in their midst, nearly 100 years later. Somehow, the killer has attained immortality. But he does have to keep killing to keep it
lulu (1962)
(a.k.a. no orchids for lulu)
credits
Producers: Otto Dürer; Director: Rolf Thiele; Screenplay: Rolf Thiele (from the plays Erdgeist and Die Buechse der Pandora by Frank Wedekind); Cinematography: Michel Kelber; Music: Carl de Groof; Production Design: Fritz Moegle and Heinz Ockermüller; Costume Design: Gerdago
cast
Nadja Tiller (Lulu); O.E. Hasse (Dr. Schön); Hildegard Knef (Baroness Geschwitz); Mario Adorf (Rodrigo); Charles Régnier (Jack the Ripper); Rudolf Forster (Schigolch); Leon Askin (Dr. Goll); Sieghardt Rupp (Schwarz); Klaus Hoering (Alwa Schön); Fritz Friedl (Huegenberg)
brief synopsis
When the socially respectable Dr. Schön takes in the poor flower girl Lulu, he not only makes her into a well-educated lady, but also sees to her sexual education. Not surprisingly, he finds that even after marrying her off, twice, into the "lap of luxury," she wants to be his wife, not his cast-off. Schön's grotesque error in the treatment of his protegé leads to the destruction of a great many people, including himself... and ultimately Lulu. Ironically, it is through blindly casting all the blame on her that he meets his own death.
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Director Rolf Thiele has impressive credentials for a director of a Ripper film. Before trying his hand at Lulu, he had written and directed one of the most popular German films of the 1950s: Das Mädchen Rosemarie (1959), also starring Nadja Tiller. His film prior to that, Die Halbzarte (1958), had appeared in the Cannes Film Festival, alongside the work of François Truffaut and Luis Buñuel. In addition, legendary German actor Heinz Rühmann appeared in three Thiele films.
Despite these hints at Thiele's possible greatness, we had hoped for a merely competent Ripper film. Instead, Thiele demonstrated that he belonged in the company of the great European filmmakers of his era. He shot Lulu in sharp and gorgeous black and white, and had cinematographer Michel Kelber compose nearly every frame so beautifully that one could state (without much hyperbole) that there are very nearly 5 reels of outstanding still photographs here, just waiting to be mined. Thiele, though, did not sacrifice the story for technique, or the acting for cinematography. Every element of this film--plot, acting, and technique--is perfectly balanced. The result? Rolf Thiele's "lost classic," Lulu, far transcends nearly all the rest of Ripper cinema. This film's Jack the Ripper (Charles Régnier), incidentally, played a shopkeeper in the 1965 Ripper movie A Study in Terror.
types
Lulu Motif: This masterful version of the Lulu story remains extraordinarily faithful to Wedekind's plays.
the new exhibit (1963)
(tv: the twilight zone. cbs. airdate: april 4, 1963)
credits
Director: John Brahm; Producer: Bert Granet; Teleplay: Charles Beaumont; Airdate: April 4, 1963; Production Company: Cayuga Productions and MGM Television
cast
Martin Balsam (Martin Senescu); Will Kuluva (Mr. Ferguson); Maggie Mahoney (Mrs. Senescu); William Mims (Dave); Milton Parsons (Landru); David Bond (Jack the Ripper); Robert L. McCord (Burke); Billy Beck (Hare); Bob Mitchell (Hicks)
brief synopsis
Martin Senescu's obsession with the wax statues on Murderer's Row intensifies after he brings the dummies home. Soon, people who cross him start winding up dead--murdered in the same styles as Senescu's inanimate killers.
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The New Exhibit is director John Brahms' second foray into putting the Ripper onscreen. The first time--in The Lodger (1944)--he gave us the private life of Jack the Ripper, behind the scenes when he was not engaged in slaughter. In this episode, he gets a wonderful performance out of Martin Balsam, as Martin Senescu... just as he earlier got a terrific performance out of Laird Cregar, as Slade/The Ripper.
types
Jack the Ripper Fantastique: We're never quite sure, but since this is the Twilight Zone, it's entirely possible that Jack's wax statue has come back to life to commit a Ripper-like murder
study in terror (1965)
credits
Producers: Henry E. Lester and Herman Cohen (Executive); Director: James Hill; Screenplay: Derek Ford and Donald Ford (from the novel by "Ellery Queen"--i.e. Frederic Dannay and Manfred Lee); Cinematography: Desmond Dickinson; Editing: Henry Richardson; Music: John Scott; Production Design: Alex Vetchinsky; Costume Design: Motley; Makeup: Tom Smith; Special Effects: Wally Veevers; Production Company: Compton
cast
John Neville (Sherlock Holmes); Donald Houston (Dr. Watson); John Fraser (Lord Carfax); Anthony Quayle (Dr. Murray); Robert Morley (Mycroft Holmes); Barbara Windsor (Annie Chapman); Adrienne Corri (Angela); Frank Finlay (Inspector Lestrade); Judi Dench (Sally); Cecil Parker (Prime Minister); Georgia Brown (Singer); Barry Jones (Duke of Shires); Kay Walsh (Cathy Eddowes); Edina Ronay (Mary Kelly); Terry Downes (Chunky)
brief synopsis
When Holmes gets drawn in to investigating the Jack the Ripper killings, his inquiry takes him towards the nobility... just as the outcry over the killings threatens to bring down the British government.
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A Study in Terror is the first Ripper film I know of to actually name the victims and not gloss over the Ripper's mutilations. In fact, it opens with a discussion of the Polly Nicholls murder. It's also the first film pitting Sherlock Holmes against Jack the Ripper... and Holmes here is played by the same actor who gave us the "Well-Manicured Man" in The X-Files. This is a fine, if somewhat underrated, entry in Ripper cinema.
types
Investigation Rippers: The investigation falls to Sherlock Holmes in this outstanding Ripper-Holmes movie.
The Lodger Motif: Mad Avenger. Upper-crust Ripper kills all prostitutes in his path as he seeks the prostitute who married his brother and thus brought shame on the family name.
Period Atmosphere: Good costuming and set design for both West End and East End London.
Political Rippers: With his brother Mycroft warning him off certain lines of investigation, this film shows Holmes caught between the political interests of the Crown, and his desire to solve the crimes.
Jack the Ripper Meets Sherlock Holmes: The first film to pit Sherlock Holmes against Jack the Ripper... and the first Ripper film of any kind to mention the real Ripper victims by name. Good stuff.
a wolf in the fold (1967)
(tv: star trek. nbc. airdate: december 22, 1967)
credits
Producer: Gene L. Coon; Director: Joseph Pevney; Teleplay: Robert Bloch; Production Companies: Norway Productions and Desilu Productions
cast
William Shatner (Captain James T. Kirk); Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock); James Doohan (Engineer Scott); DeForrest Kelley (Dr. McCoy); John Fiedler (Hengist); Charles Macauley (Jaris); Pilar Seurat (Sybo); Joseph Bernard (Tark); Charles Dierkop (Morla); Judy McConnell (Tankris); Virginia Landridge (Karen Tracy); Tania Lemani (Kara); Judy Sherven (Nurse)
brief synopsis
When Scotty is implicated in a series of Ripper-like killings on the hedonistic planet of Argellius, Kirk and McCoy pull out all stops to prove him innocent. The only problem is that, with the knife in Scotty's hands, his fellow senior officers are at a loss for an alternate explanations.
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This episode aired two weeks after "Amok Time" (which introduced the violent Vulcan mating-ritual), and one week before "The Trouble with Tribbles." Psycho author Robert Bloch has discussed his writing of this episode in his autobiography and in interviews compiled by Randall D. Larson. Bloch wrote teleplays for two other Star Trek episodes: "Cat's Paw" and "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" He also wrote several other Ripper tales: the short stories "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper" and "A Toy for Juliette," and the novel Night of the Ripper.
types
Investigation Rippers: Well, it's kind of fun to watch the crew of the Starship Enterprise run around investigating the Ripper crimes in order to save Scotty from the death penalty. There's even a trial on board the Enterprise.
Jack the Ripper Fantastique: In this famous episode of Star Trek, the Ripper is an immaterial entity which lives off of terror and which can also take over people's bodies.
knife in the darkness (1968)
(tv: cimarron strip. cbs. airdate: january 25, 1968)
credits
Producer: Doug Benton; Director: Charles R. Rondeau; Teleplay: Harlan Ellison
cast
Stuart Whitman (Marshal Jim Crown); Percy Herbert (MacGregor); Randy Boone (Francis Wilde); and Jill Townsend (Dulcey); Jennifer Billingsley (Josie), David Canary (Tal St. James), Philip Carey (Kallman), Jeanne Cooper (Pony Jane), Patrick Horgan (Tipton), George Murdock (Bladgey), Victoria Shaw (Maddie Lennert), Tom Skerrit (Enoch Shelton), Ron Soble (Shadow Feller), Karl Swenson (Doc Kihlgren), Don Hanmer (Peddigrew), Grace Lee Whitney (Katie), Joey Tata (Gomer), William Phipps (Odell), Richard Angarola (1st Indian), Cal Bolder (Trapper)
brief synopsis
On the Christmas Eve after the Ripper's Whitechapel killing spree, a similar series of killings takes place in the small Western town of Cimarron. The young newsman suspects it to be the work of the same killer who terrorized London, and Marshal Jim Crown must find a way to put a stop to the killings and find the killer.
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Writer Harlan Ellison claims that the producers of this show destroyed his script. Ellison, of course, makes the same claim about his Star Trek episode "City on the Edge of Forever"--the episode most often regarded as the best of the series. In this case, though, the problem is with the plot... and it's hard to imagine that the producers wrote that. In the plot, the Ripper commits almost as many murders in a period of hours as Jack the Ripper committed in his ten weeks of terror. The plot is also highly derivative of other Ripper cinema, such as Hitchcock's Lodger. This 90-minute Ripper feature is not terrible. It's just not all that good. It is, however, of interest since it was written by Harlan Ellison.
types
Investigation Rippers: When a series of Ripper-like killings takes place in a town in the American West on Christmas Eve, 1888, the local newspaper's reporters investigate the murders. And so does the brother of one of the Whitechapel victims.
The Lodger Motif: Monomaniac. Ripper's motivation is ambiguous, but he is apparently trying to institute some sort of social reforms.



1970s
In the 1970s, we enter the era of the Faux-Ripper--a term referring to a production which does not deal with Jack the Ripper but which still exploits the Ripper in order to help garner an audience. The 1970s are also characterized by other exploitation (Blaxploitation and Sexploitation) Rippers, gore Rippers, and even some classics.
hands of the ripper (1971)
credits
Producer: Aida Young; Director: Peter Sasdy; Screenplay: L.W. Davidson (from a story by Edward Spencer Shew); Cinematography: Kenneth Talbot; Editing: Chris Barnes; Music: Chris Barnes; Art Director: Roy Stannard; Makeup: Bunty Phillips; Production Manager: Christopher Sutton; Assistant Director: Ariel Levy; Sound Department: Ken Barker and Kevin Sutton; Special Effects: Cliff Gulley; Wardrobe Supervisor: Rosemary Burrows; Hair Supervisor: Hair supervisor; Production Company: Hammer Film Productions Ltd.
cast
Eric Porter (Dr. John Pritchard); Angharad Rees (Anna); Jane Merrow (Laura); Keith Bell (Michael Pritchard); Derek Godfrey (Dysart); Dora Bryan (Mrs. Golding); Marjorie Rhodes (Mrs. Bryant); Lynda Baron (Long Liz); Marjie Lawrence (Dolly); Margaret Rawlings (Madame Bullard); Elizabeth MacLennan (Mrs. Wilson); Barry Lowe (Mr. Wilson); A.J. Brown (Rev. Anderson); April Wilding (Catherine); Anne Clune (1st Cell Whore); Vicki Woolf ( 2nd Cell Whore); Katya Wyeth (1st Pub Whore); Beulah Hughes (2nd Pub Whore); Tallulah Miller (3rd Pub Whore); Peter Munt (Peasant); Molly Weir (Maid); Philip Ryan (Police Constable); Charles Lamb (Guard); Norman Bird (Police Inspector)
brief synopsis
Jack the Ripper's daughter Anna was orphaned, and adopted by a phony medium, after her father murdered her mother. Now, believing that she is possessed by angry spirits, the girl kills when some of the circumstances of her mother's murder are re-enacted. Dr. John Pritchard covers up for Anna, hoping to make a name for himself by using Freudian psychoanalysis to cure her. But things go terribly wrong as Anna kills off the people that she and Pritchard come in contact with.
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Hands of the Ripper is often considered the last great film by the horror specialists at Hammer Studios. One thing is for sure: It is one of the most gory films Hammer ever made. Yes, Hammer had used small amounts of gore for dramatic effect in films like Dracula, Prince of Darkness, and Dracula Has Risen from the Grave. But Hands of the Ripper outdoes these: beginning with impalement on a fire poker, ending with a sword thrust through a major character, and containing closeups of a throat slit and an an eye punctured along the way. Yes, the film's got gore, but--perhaps because there's so much of it, or perhaps because the gore lacks the imagination shown earlier when Hammer impaled Dracula on a cross--none of this film's gory scenes has the dramatic impact of the gore in those earlier Hammer films. This may well be Hammer's last good film, but it does not rank with Hammer's truly great ones.
types
Eurotrash and Anglo Decadence: Though it's not all that decadent, Hands of the Ripper is still one of the most graphically violent of all Hammer movies. Various characters get impaled by fire pokers or swords, have knitting needles driven into their eyes, or get slashed by pieces of broken mirror.
Investigation Rippers: Dr. John Pritchard investigates the past of a strange young girl in his care who appears to be committing murder.
Jack the Ripper Fantastique: Whether it's through the power of a hypnotic experience during a childhood trauma or through being possessed by her father's spirit, the daughter of Jack the Ripper is compelled commit murder when the light shines upon a glistening object in just a certain way.
Period Atmosphere: Excellent costuming and set design for upper crust London a generation after the Ripper killings.
dr. jekyll and sister hyde (1971)
credits
Producer: Samuel Z. Arkoff; Director: Roy Ward Baker; Screenplay: Brian Clemens and Albert Fennell (loosely based on the story by Robert Louis Stevenson); Cinematography: Norman Warwick; Editing: James Needs; Music: David Whitaker (song "He'll Be There" written by Brian Clemens); Costume Design: Rosemary Burrows; Makeup: Trevor Crole-Rees; Hair: Bernie Ibbetson; Casting: James Liggat; Production Design: Robert Jones; Production Management: Don Weeks; Assistant Director: Bert Batt; Continuity: Sally Ball; Camera Operator: Godfrey A. Godar; Music Supervisor: Philip Martell; Production Supervisor: Roy Skeggs; Production Companies: EMI Films Ltd. and Hammer Film Productions Limited
cast
Ralph Bates (Dr. Jekyll); Martine Beswick (Sister Hyde); Gerald Sim (Professor Robertson); Lewis Fiander (Howard); Susan Broderick (Susan); Dorothy Alison (Mrs. Spencer); Ivor Dean (Burke); Philip Madoc (Byker); Irene Bradshaw (Yvonne); Neil Wilson (Older Policeman); Paul Whitsun-Jones (Sergeant Danvers); Tony Calvin (Hare); Dan Meaden (Town Crier); Virginia Wetherell (Betsy); Geoffrey Kenion (1st Policeman); Anna Brett (Julie); Jackie Poole (Margie); Rosemary Lord (Marie); Petula Portell (Petra); Pat Brackenbury (Helen); Liz Romanoff (Emma); Will Stampe ( Mine Host); Roy Evans (Knife Grinder); Derek Steen (1st Sailor); John Lyons (2nd Sailor); Jeannette Wild (Jill); Bobby Parr (Young Appentrice); Julia Wright (Street Singer)
brief synopsis
When Dr. Jekyll's friend Dr. Robertson taunts him that it will take several lifetimes to finish his research into a universal anti-virus, Jekyll decides instead to pursue a longevity serum. His initial research, relying on female hormones, proves so promising that he must obtain female bodies from Burke and Hare, in order to maintain a supply of the hormones. When their supply runs dry, though, the obsessed Jekyll must find a new way to obtain the hormones... by becoming Jack the Ripper. As all mad scientists do, he of course uses the serum on himself, with unusual--though not unexpected--results.
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Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde does not have a great reputation among Hammer fans, largely because its plot is so ludicrous. For people capable of exercising a good bit of suspension of disbelief, however, the film can be pretty entertaining. After all, the film has everything from an anachronistic Burke and Hare, to Jekyll & Hyde, to an amoral psycho exploring her brand new female body! Actor Ralph Bates (Dr. Jekyll), incidentally, met future wife Virginia Wetherell while shooting the scene in which he stabs her in the back. They remained together until his death of cancer in 1991.
types
Comic Rippers: Well of course it's funny! It was written by Avengers producer Brian Clemens. And how can it not be funny when the basic concept is that a mad doctor discovers a potion that turns him into a female knockout, who also happens to enjoy the fine art of murder!
Jack the Ripper Fantastique: Total Ripper fantasy! How else can we explain males turning to females and the appearance of the long-dead Burke and Hare?
Jekyll and Hyde: An intentionally silly effort to combine Jekyll/Hyde with Jack the Ripper. In this case, the monomaniacal Dr. Jekyll seeks to find a formula to extend life by using female hormones. How does Jekyll/Hyde obtain the female hormones necessary for the formula? Well, that's where the Ripper comes in!
Period Atmosphere: As with all Hammer films set in Victorian England, this film does the period well. Excellent costuming and set design.
the ripper (1974)
(tv: kolchak: the night stalker. abc. airdate: september 13, 1974)
credits
Producer: Paul Playdon; Director: Allen Baron; Teleplay: Rudolph Borchert; Production Company: Universal Television
cast
Darren McGavin (Carl Kolchak); Simon Oakland (Tony Vincenzo); Jack Grinnage (Ron Updyke); Beatrice Colen (Jane Plum); Ken Lynch (Captain Warren); Mickey Gilbert (Jack the Ripper); Roberta Collins (Detective Cortazzi); Marya Small (Masseuse); Ruth McDevitt (Elderly Woman); Donald Mantooth (Policeman); Robert Bryan Berger (Mail Boy); Clint Young (Driver)
brief synopsis
When reporter Carl Kolchak unofficially covers a series of ghastly murders, he quickly determines that they are the work of Jack the Ripper himself. Nobody, of course, believes him. But the evidence soon mounts that the police are pursuing a man with supernatural abilities... abilities strong enough to have preserved him these many years after terrorizing Whitechapel.
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The Ripper clearly owes a great debt to Robert Bloch's story "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper." Not only do both tales make use of a supernatural Ripper, but both take place in the Chicago area. In fact, this production got pushed back because of the similarities. The Ripper, though, also gives Jack superhuman powers. He can leap tall buildings and come out unscathed... rather like Spring-Heeled Jack. Bloch's Ripper at least had to engage in a blood ritual to preserve his immortality.
types
Comic Rippers: The Ripper leaps tall buildings and has all the powers of a comic book super-villain. With the added humor of Kolchak's problems with everybody in authority, it's a pretty funny Ripper appearance.
Investigation Rippers: In this episode of The Night Stalker, investigative reporter Carl Kolchak has been given the desk duty of answering Miss Emily's advice column correspondence. Unable to restrain himself from investigating the top news story, however, he ultimately one-ups the police in their investigation of a series of Ripper-like killings.
Jack the Ripper Fantastique: He's immortal and nearly invincible, and there's really no explanation for it... except that Jack the Ripper is a supernatural being.
black the ripper (1975)
credits
Director: Frank R. Saletri; Screenplay: Frank R. Saletri
cast
Renata Harmon; Bole Nikoli; Hugh Van Putten
comment
Black the Ripper was advertised in Variety. But there is little evidence that it ever went into production. At least one webpage devoted to Blaxploitation films, though, mentions Black the Ripper appearing on BET the following week. Whether that statement is for real or is just a joke, it's definitely worth making a call to BET to find out if the film is in their catalogue. If you know anything about Black the Ripper, please contact us.
champagnegalopp (1975)
(a.k.a champagne på sengekanten; the groove room; musfällan; a man an with a maid; my favorite butler; teenage tickle girls; what the swedish butler saw)
credits
Producer: Vernon P. Becker, Inge Ivarson, Werner Suesskind; Director: Vernon P. Becker; Screenplay: Vernon P. Becker, Barry Downes; Cinematography: Tony Forsberg; Editing: Ingemar Ejve; Costume Design: Inger Pehrsson; Production Companies: Film AB Robuhr, Unicorn (Sweden)
cast
Ole Søltoft (Jack Armstrong); Sue Longhurst (Alice Faversham); Diana Dors (Madame); Charlie Elvegård (Samson, Jack's Butler); Malou Cartright (Fanny, Alice's Friend); Julie Bernby (Mrs. Faversham); Bengt Olsson (Marion's Husband); Rolf Bengtson (Museum Manager); Gothe Grefbo (Pettibone, The Judge); Borje Mellvig (Police Officer); Nils Eklund (Police Officer); Berit Agedah (Girl at Madame's House); Inger Sundh (Girl at Madame's House); Vivi Rau (Girl at Madame's House); Per-Axel Arosenius (Priest Faversham); Marie-Louise Fors (Girl at Madame's House); Barbro Hiort af Ornäs (Mrs. Armstrong); Egil Holmsen (Mr. Armstrong, Jack's Father); Martin Ljung (Jack the Ripper); Tina Möller-Monell (Marion, Alice's Sister)
brief synopsis
A young man attempts to seduce the girl he lusts after in a home where Jack the Ripper is hiding out.
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Humorous Swedish Erotica from the 70s. Popcorn fluff.
types
Comic Rippers: The Ripper's appearances in this movie are not terribly clever and not terribly funny. But the joke that they're setting up is a hoot.
Eurotrash and Anglo Decadence: The first sexually explicit film involving Jack the Ripper. The sex is humorous and not really graphic, but this film would certainly have qualified for an X rating in 1975.
Ripper Cameos: The Ripper appearances in this film seem entirely pointless until we realize that he is being used as the set up for an elaborate erotic joke.
jack the ripper (1976)
(a.k.a. der dirnenmörder von london)
credits
Producer: Erwin C. Dietrich; Director: Jesus Franco; Screenplay: Jesus Franco; Cinematography: Peter Baumgartner; Editing: Marie-Luise Buschke; Music: Walter Baumgartner; Assistant Director: Mark M. Rissi, Alfi Sinniger; Production Company: Ascot Film FmbH & Co. (Germany), Cinemec, Elite Film AG
cast
Klaus Kinski (Dr. Dennis Orloff/Jack the Ripper); Josephine Chaplin (Cynthia); Herbert Fux (Charlie, the Fisherman); Ursula von Wiese; Lina Romay; Andreas Mannkopff (Inspektor Selby); Angelika Arndts; Lorli Bucher; Francine Custer; Otto Dornbierer; Regine Elsener; Hans Gaugler; Olga Gebhard; Mike Lederer; Peter Nüsch; Friedrich Schönfelder; Esther Studer; Nikola Weisse
brief synopsis
Dr. Orloff kills and dismembers prostitutes, prompting a never-ending police investigation. Eventually, the lead inspector's fiancee decides to play detective and pose as a prostitute to lure the killer.
comment
Poor pacing, bad dubbing, and a somnambulistic performance by Klaus Kinski help to undermine this weak Jess Franco film. Though many London citizens did attempt to "play detective" during the Ripper's killing spree, that's about the only aspect of the case that is actually presented in this movie. Nearly everything else (except that the Ripper killed prostitutes) is made up entirely out of the filmmaker's heads.
types
Eurotrash and Anglo Decadence: Talk about your Eurotrash! Not only is Jess Franco directing Klaus Kinski, but (in shades of the Peter Kuerten case), the Ripper even has sex with a dying woman as he stabs her. Some folks may get off on that sort of stuff, but for the rest of us, this film is booooooring.
Investigation Rippers: The police track the Ripper... and track the Ripper... and track the Ripper... and track the Ripper... Will the investigation, or the movie, never end?
The Lodger Motif: Mad Avenger. The Ripper targets and dismembers prostitutes out of rage at being neglected and ridiculed as a child by his prostitute mother.
lulu (1978)
credits
Producers: Paul Patton and Erik Wampler; Director: Ronald Chase; Text: Frank Wedekind (from the plays Erdgeist and Die Buchse der Pandora); Cinematography: Ronald Chase; Music: Alban Berg (from the opera Lulu); Piano Music: Warner Jepson; Sound Montage: Todd Boekelheide; Film Editing: Ronald Chase, Jay Miracle, Bonnie Koehler and Todd Boekelheide; Art Direction: Vance Martin and Donald Eastman; Props: Erik Wampler and Deborah Cajaco; Makeup: Moucci and Winston Tong; Wardrobe: Alvoy Phee; Lighting: Tom Barron, Jean Yves Pitou and Jim Bogardt; Effects: Stephen Semel, Jay Boekelheide and Mike Kitchens; Recording: Tom Barron and Tom Sylvester
cast
Paul Shenar (Ludwig Schon); Elisa Leonelli (Lulu); Goll (Warren Pierce); Stephen Ashbrook (Walter); John Roberdeau (Alwa); Norma Leistiko (Geschwitz); Michael Anderson (Prince Escerny); Thomas Roberdeau (Jack the Ripper); Winston Tong (Puppeteer); David Brown (Stableboy); Bernard Guenther (Alfred); Ronald Peyser (Rodrigo)
brief synopsis
The nymphomaniac Lulu drives three husbands to their graves, becomes the subject of numerous sexual fantasies, and meets an untimely end at the hands of Jack the Ripper.
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Directed, photographed, and edited by Ronald Chase, this film provides a perfect example of the downside of the auteur theory of filmmaking. Chase clearly has an encyclopedic knowledge of silent and European cinema--down to the grimy hands typical of silent movie protagonists. He also possesses impressive skills as a cinematographer. And, of course, he has excellent material to work with: Wedekind's Lulu plays and Berg's opera. But it's just not enough.
Chase, unfortunately, suffers from problems often found in lesser auteurs: unending self-indulgence and lack of taste. He simply does not know how to put all his knowledge and technique at the service of a great story. He somehow believes that the audience will be more interested in watching a lot of camera movement, nude shots, and blue smoke than in seeing the tragedy of Lulu unfold. In fact, by placing actress Elisa Leonelli in the nude for a good percentage of the film, Chase does to Lulu exactly what the men (and women) in the story do: reinvent her as merely an object of fantasy, and thus annihilate her potential for humanity. For the film, as for most of the characters in it, that reinvention proves fatal.
types
Lulu Motif: A mostly silent, relentlessly pretentious version of Wedekind's plays, using Alban Berg's operatic score as its soundtrack... alongside screaming monkeys, growling lions, dripping water, and a variety of other sounds. The sound designer on this film, incidentally, was Todd Boekelheide, who has since worked on many Hollywood projects and won an Oscar for his work on Amadeus.
murder by decree (1979)
credits
Producers: Bob Clark, Rene Dupont, Robert A. Goldston, Len Herberman; Director: Bob Clark; Screenplay: John Hopkins; Cinematography: Reginald H. Morris; Editing: Stan Cole; Music: Paul Zaza, Carl Zittrer; Production Design: Harry Pottle; Assistant Director: Ariel Levy; Sound Department: joe Grimaldi; Costume Design: Judy Moorcroft; Production Company: Famous Players, Highlight, Saucy Jack, The Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC)
cast
Christopher Plummer (Sherlock Holmes); James Mason (Dr. John H. Watson); David Hemmings (Inspector Foxborough); Susan Clark (Mary Kelly); Anthony Quayle (Sir Charles Warren); John Gielgud (Lord Salisbury); Frank Finlay (Inspector Lestrade); Donald Sutherland (Robert Lees); Genevieve Bujold (Annie Crook); Chris Wiggins (Doctor Hardy); Teddi Moore (Mrs. Lees); Peter Jonfield (William Slade); Roy Lansford (Sir Thomas Spivey); Catherine Kessler (Carrie); Ron Pember (Makins); June Brown (Ann Chapman); Ken Jones (Dock guard); Terry Dugan (Danny); Hilary Sesta (Catherine Eddowes); Anthony May; Betty Woolfe (Mrs. Dobson); Geoffrey Russell (Henry Matthews); Peggy Ann Clifford (Lees' Housekeeper); Ann Mitchell (Jane); Katherine Stark (Molly); Stella Courtney; Judy Wilson (Emily); Victor Langley (Prince of Wales); Pamela Abbott (Princess Alexandra); Robin Marshall (Duke of Clarence); Richard Dedmon (Doctor); Dan Long (Constable Long); Michael Cashman (Constable Watkins); Peter Dean (Police Constable, uncredited); Jim McManus (Policeman, uncredited)
brief synopsis
Sherlock Holmes investigates the Whitechapel murders. Along the way, he encounters enormous class pressure, and unravels an upper class conspiracy.
comment
This is a well-made film, featuring outstanding performances by Christopher Plummer as Sherlock Holmes and James Mason as Dr. Watson. The film provides good detail about the crimes, depicts the prostitutes with some degree of realism, and creates audience sympathy for the women who are being slaughtered by "Jack the Ripper." The only problem (aside from the Ripper theory employed) is that at the end, when Sherlock Holmes offers his solution, a slushy violin line keeps interrupting his speech, and he himself becomes uncharacteristically sentimental. It is not one of the finer moments in Holmes cinema... though it works pretty well in a Jack the Ripper movie.
types
Investigation Rippers: Lots of great investigative work, with Sherlock Holmes hot on the trail of Jack the Ripper again!
Period Atmosphere: Excellent period piece. Great costumes, set design, atmosphere. Does well with both the posh and the poor.
Political Rippers: Holmes must navigate through political conspiracy and intrigue, marshaled by highly placed officials in an effort to protect the Royal family from having an embarrassing secret revealed.
Sherlock Holmes Meets Jack the Ripper: This Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper relies on one popular--if misguided--theory concerning the Ripper's identity. It is also one of the few Ripper films to focus largely on the victims.
time after time (1979)
credits
Producer: Herb Jaffe, Steven-Charles Jaffe (associate producer); Director: Nicholas Meyer; Screenplay: Karl Alexander (story), Steve Hayes (story), Nicholas Meyer; Cinematography: Paul Lohmann; Editing: Donn Cambern; Music: Miklós Rózsa; Production Design: Edward C. Carfagno; Set Decoration: Barbara Krieger; Art Department: Dick Reseigne; Bill Wainess ; Makeup: Lynn F. Reynolds, Dione Taylor; Production Manager: Austen Jewell; Assistant Director: Michael Daves, Robert J. Doherty, Steven-Charles Jaffe, Paul Magwood; Sound Department: Michael Colgan, Les Fresholtz, Donald Harris, Jerry Jost, Joseph Kite, Michael Minkler, Arthur Piantadosi, Dan Wallin; Special Effects: Jim Blount, Larry L. Fuentes; Wardrobe Supervisor: ; Hair Supervisor: Production Company: Warner Bros.
cast
Malcolm McDowell (H.G. Wells); David Warner (Jack the Ripper/John Lesley Stevenson); Mary Steenburgen (Amy Robbins); Charles Cioffi (Lieutenant Mitchell SFPD); Kent Williams (Assistant); Andonia Katsaros (Mrs. Turnery, Wells' Housekeeper); Patti D'Arbanville (Shirley); James Garrett (Edwards); Leo Lewis (Richardson); Keith McConnell (Harding); Byron Webster (McKay); Karin Mary Shea (Jenny); Geraldine Baron (Carol, Amy's friend); Laurie Main (Inspector Gregson); Joseph Maher (Adams); Michael Evans (Sergeant); Ray Reinhardt (Jeweler); Bob Shaw (Bank Officer); Stu Kitsner (Clergyman); Larry J. Blake (Guard); Nicholas Shields (Diner at McDonalds); Gene Hartline (Cab Driver); Clement St. George (Bobby); Shirley Marchant (Dolores); Antonie Becker (Nurse); Hilda Haynes (2nd Nurse); Reed Morgan (Booking Cop); Mike Gainey (London Bobby); Jim Haynie (1st Cop); Wayne Storm (2nd Cop); Lou Felder (Man); John Colton (3rd Cop); Corey Feldman (Boy at Museum); James Cranna (Man); Earl Nichols (4th Cop); Bill Bradley (Pawnbroker); Clete Roberts (Newscaster); Rita Conde (Maid); Gail Hyatt (Woman Cop); Shelley Hack (Docent); Dan Leegant (Man on Street); Regina V. Waldron (Woman); Liz Roberson (Woman); Anthony Gordon (Man); Doug Morrisson (Man); Glenn Carlson (5th Cop)
brief synopsis
When the police come knocking on H.G. Wells' door after a Ripper murder, and target his friend, Dr. John Leslie Stevenson as Jack the Ripper, Stevenson jumps into Wells' Time Machine and heads off for late 20th century San Francisco. Wells follows, in the attempt to stop the murderer and see justice be done. Of course, along the way, we get to see the "fish out of water" scenario as Wells must cope with an America of his future and falls in love with a liberated 20th century girl. Oh, and naturally, he ultimately confronts Stevenson, who has taken Wells' girl hostage.
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One of the most popular Ripper fantasies, Time after Time is really a rather delightful film. Malcolm McDowell says that he took the role because he was tired of appearing in movies like Caligula and was sick of playing madmen. Curiously, McDowell's real life mirrored to some extent his character's life in this film... McDowell fell in love with (and married) Mary Steenburgen, his leading lady. They have since divorced.
types
Investigation Rippers: H.G. Wells chases the Ripper into the late 20th century in order to track him down and bring him to justice.
Jack the Ripper Fantastique: The Ripper has made it to the late 20th century, but this is the only Ripper fantasy in which he gets there by time travel.



1980s
You know the decade's bad for Jack the Ripper cinema when most of the best "Ripper" films are actually Faux-Rippers... and excessively violent ones at that. Before 1988, nearly every film about JACK the Ripper was either a bomb or suffered from severe technical flaws. Thankfully, 1988 saw the return of some decent Ripper films, before suffering a severe decline again in 1989.
lulu (1980)
credits
Director: Walerian Borowczyk; Screenplay: Walerian Borowczyk, Frank Wedekind (plays Erdgeist and Die Büchse der Pandora); Cinematography: Michael Steinke; Music: Giancarlo Chiaramello; Production Design: Walerian Borowczyk; Production Company: Capital Films (Italy), Elephant Productions, TV13 Filmproduktion (Germany)
cast
Anne Bennent (Lulu); Michele Placideo (Schwarz); Jean-Jacques Delbo (Dr. Goll); Hans-Jürgen Schatz (Alwa Schoen); Bruno Hübner (Schigolch); Beate Kopp (Baroness Geschwitz); Carlo Enrici (Monsieur Hunidei); Pierre Saintons (Kungu Poti); Udo Kier (Jack the Ripper); Heinz Bennennt (Dr. Schoen)
brief synopsis
Lulu brings death to her first three husbands and winds up prostituting herself in London, where she meets up with Jack the Ripper.
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Walerian Borowczyk's Lulu is supposedly an erotic version of this sexually charged story. The eroticism, however, seems to consist entirely of 17-year-old Anne Bennent cavorting around naked (or in various stages of undress) while Geschwitz and Alwa engage in simulated masturbation. In a not-so-subtle nod to Freudian psychopathology, Bennent's father (Heinz Bennent) gets to play her lover and later her husband, Dr. Schoen. Since the complete version of the story indicates that Schoen took Lulu in, made her a lady, and then initiated her sexually, the father-daughter connection could actually work here if it were not over-acted.
But Anne Bennent is no Louise Brooks, and she plays Lulu more as a dumb blonde who just happens to fall into these destructive situations than as a smoldering femme fatale who inevitably brings about the destruction of all who cross her path. And Heinz Bennent's death scene is actually a bit like one of Master Thespian's... but in French. The English dubbing for Udo Kier in the final London scene, incidentally, is an atrocity. He sounds like a tough, monotoned hero in a 1950s American Science Fiction film. Borowczyk's reputed visual style is largely missing from this film. Though some of the sets are interesting, this film (the only color version of Lulu) comes nowhere close to Rolf Thiele's cinematic artistry in the 1962 Austrian version.
Probably the primary problem with this print of the Borowczyk film, though, is its episodic nature. The print (in French with Greek subtitles) appears to have been hacked to bits, with large sections of narrative missing. We never learn how Lulu married Walter, how Lulu married Schoen, how Lulu ended up in London. Either Borowczyk found the non-sexual sections irrelevant to his film or the Greek distributors did. Whichever the case, this print does not work as a film. And if it works at all, it works only for men who have a thing for teenage bimbos or for people who get off on watching other people act as if they are getting themselves off.
types
Eurotrash and Anglo Decadence: Soft-core attempt at porn, which does not succeed even at being erotic.
Lulu Motif: Pretentious as the Ronald Chase version is, this film is unquestionably the worst version of Lulu within the past 50 years.
the ripper (1985)
credits
Producer: Linda Lewis; Director: Christopher Lewis; Screenplay: Bill Groves ; Special Makeup Effects: Robert Brewer, David Powell; Production Company: United Entertainment Pictures
cast
Andrea Adams; Tom Savini (Spirit of Jack the Ripper); Tom Schreier; Wade Tower (Steve); Mona Van Pernis
brief synopsis
A film professor buys an antique ring which has previously been returned to the store because it gave its owners the creeps. The ring is quickly identified as having once belonged to Jack the Ripper. Soon, the professor starts losing hours of his life, as a series of Ripper-like murders take place in his college town.
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Tom Savini (as Jack the Ripper) and Tom Schreier (as the film prof) both turn in respectable performances in this film. The rest of the cast, though, is simply dreadful. It's too bad, because the film has a good plot and some intentionally hysterical moments--particularly the one where Steve, the film student, watches The Conqueror Worm and in the background we can hear the television broadcasting a film about a giant worm monster attacking a city. This is one of the few "bad Ripper films" that could benefit from a decent-budget remake.
types
Eurotrash and Anglo Decadence: This Direct-to-Video production gets the details of the Ripper killings more-or-less correct... and thus shows in graphic detail the disemboweling of victims. The gore, however, does not look realistic at all. What is designed to shock actually provokes yawns. Though gore-effects maestro Tom Savini plays Jack the Ripper, he apparently had nothing to do with the gore effects in this film.
Investigation Rippers: A young college student comes to believe that the man who murdered his girlfriend was the real Jack the Ripper. Naturally, he decides to investigate.
Jack the Ripper Fantastique: High "fantasy" content in this film, as the spirit of Jack the Ripper now resides in a ring he once wore, and the ring's wearer is destined to perpetuate the Ripper's crimes.
terror at london bridge (1985)
(a.k.a. bridge across time; arizona ripper)
credits
Producer: Charles M. Fries (executive producer), Irv Wilson (executive producer) Richard Maynard, Jack Michon; Director: E.W. Swackhamer; Screenplay: William F. Nolan; Cinematography: Gil Hubbs; Editing: Thomas Fries; Music: Lalo Schifrin; Set Decoration: Casey Hallenbeck; Art Department: William McAllister, Kevin Conlan, Elliot Ellentuck; Makeup: Pamela S. Westmore; Production Manager: Claude Binyon, Jr.; Assistant Director: Gerald Walsh, John N. Whittle; Sound Department: James LaRue, John Mick; Special Effects: John C. Hartigan; Hair Stylist: Frankie Campbell; Stunt Coordinator: Russell Solberg; Production Company: Charles Fries Productions
cast
David Hasselhoff (Don Gregory); Stephanie Kramer (Angie); Randolph Mantooth (Joe Nez); Adrienne Barbeau (Lynn Chandler); Clu Galager (Chief Peter "Pete" Dawson); Lindsay Bloom (Elaine Gardner); Ken Swofford (Ed Nebel); Rose Marie (Alma Bellock); Lane Smith (Anson Whitfield); David Fox-Brenton (Mr. Latting); Michael Boyle (Dave Williamson); Barbara Bingham (Alice Williamson); Paul Rossilii (The Ripper); Cameron Milzer (Lab Technician); Charles Benton (Mr. Daly); Nancy Skillen (Amy Phelps); Ray Favaro (Waiter); Jim Hodge (Mayor McCoy); Peter Vernon (Lord Mayor of London); Mike Wilkins (Guard #1); Steve Archer (Tom Hale); Stephanie Ann Stone (Child)
brief synopsis
A tourist accidentally bleeds on one of the stones of the London Bridge in Lake Havasu--the very same stone that had just been brought up from the depths of the Thames, where it fell over a century ago. Unfortunately, the spirit of Jack the Ripper now resides in the stone. Just add blood, and you've got a full-blown resurrection of the Ripper. Needless to say, the film consists of several Ripper-like murders, a lot of police work, red herrings galore, and a confrontation with the Ripper in the finale.
comment
This made-for-TV movie is a reasonably fun Ripper romp. Featuring a pre-Baywatch David Hasselhoff, Terror at London Bridge suffers from too-long sequences involving Havasu City water sports. Nevertheless, the movie is watchable, has a nice scene or two with the venerable Rose Marie, and tosses enough twists around to keep the audience guessing the identity of the killer. It's a fun way to kill a couple of hours.
types
Investigation Rippers: In this case, the police (led by David Hasselhoff) investigate the series of Ripper killings in Lake Havasu.
Jack the Ripper Fantastique: In a manner reminiscent of all those Hammer Dracula movies, Jack the Ripper is resurrected by blood falling on a stone which he dislodged from London Bridge a century earlier when he fell into the Thames.
amazon women on the moon (1987)
credits
Producer: George Folsey, Jr. (executive producer), John Landis (executive producer), Robb Idels (associate producer), Kevin M. Marcy (associate producer), Robert K. Weiss (producer); Director: Joe Dante (several segments, including the Jack the Ripper segment), Carl Gottlieb, Peter Horton, John Landis, Robert K. Weiss; Screenplay: Michael Barrie and Jim Mulholland; Cinematography: Daniel Pearl; Editing: Malcolm Campbell, Marshall Harvey, Bert Lovitt; Music: Ira Newborn; Production Design: Ivo Cristante; Set Decoration: Julie Kaye Towery; Art Department: Alex Hajdu, Mike Aubrey, Victoria J. Auth, Debra Combs, John Harrington, Jeff James, Roger E. Kelton, John Hammer Maxwell, Len Morganti, Jennifer Pray, Todd E. Weisman, Gregory R. Wolf; Makeup: Robin Siegel; Production Manager: Roger La Page; Assistant Director: Robin Holding, Deborah Love, Robin R. Ilover, Dan Schneider, David Sosna; Sound Department: Nick Alphin, Marshall Harvey, William Jacobs, Cindy Mary, Bruce Richardson, David Spence, Larry Stensvold, Susumu Tokunow, Paul Wells, Gary Wright; Stunt Coordinator: Rick Barker; Hair Stylist: Lynne K. Eagan; Production Company: Universal Pictures, Westward Productions
cast (for ripper segment only)
Henry Silva (Himself); Sarah Lilly (Prostitute)
brief synopsis
This film takes a satirical look at television of the 1980s. In an all-too-brief segment, directed by Joe Dante, Henry Silva provides a fascinating interview with a new prospective Ripper suspect.
comment
Silly fun. This movie is well worth a rental. Some segments are fun; some are stupid. The Ripper segment is both.
types
Comic Rippers: The Ripper segment in this film is one of the funniest out there. But we won't be giving away any spoilers about this movie.
Jack the Ripper Fantastique: Just think Weekly World News
jack the ripper (1988)
credits
Producer: Leonard Hill (executive producer), Robert O'Connor (executive producer), Lloyd Shirley (executive producer), David Wickes (producer), Al Burgess (associate producer); Director: David Wickes; Screenplay: Derek Marlowe, David Wickes; Cinematography: Alan Hume; Editing: Keith Palmer; Music: John Cameron; Production Design: John Blezard; Set Decoration: Crispian Sallis; Art Department: Tony Reading, Bill Surridge, Arthur Wicks; Makeup: Lois Burwell, Sally Evans, Sandry Exelby, Ken Lintott, Aaron Sherman, Maralyn Sherman; Production Manager: Ron Jackson; Assistant Director: Ken Baker, Gerry Toomey, Jack Lowen, Cliff Lanning; Sound Department: Michael Crouch, John Hayward, Chris Munro, Len Tremble, Derek Trigg; Costume Design: Raymond Hugues; Hair Stylist: Elaine Bowerbank, Betty Glasow, Stevie Hall; Production Company: Euston Films (United Kingdom)
cast
Michael Caine (Chief Insp. Federick Abberline); Armand Assante (Richard Mansfield); Ray McAnally (Sir William Gull); Lewis Collins (Sergeant George Godley); Ken Bones (Robert James Lees); Susan George (Catherine "Kate" Eddowes); Jane Seymour (Emma Prentiss); Harry Andrews (Coroner Wynne E. Baxter); Lysette Anthony (Mary Jane Kelly); Roger Ashton-Griffiths (Rodman); Peter Armitage (Sergeant Kerby); Desmond Askew (Copy Boy); Trevor Baxter (Lanyon); Mike Carnell (Newsvendor); Ann Castle (Lady Gull); Deirdre Costello (Annie Chapman); Jon Croft (Mr. Thackeray of The Royal Muse); Angela Crow (Liz Stride); Kelly Cryer (Annette, French whore); Marc Culwick (Prince Albert Victor Christian Edward the Duke of Clarence); John Dair (Isenschmid); Roy Evans (Doorkeeper); John Fletcher (P.C. Watkins); Sheridan Forbes (Millie); Hugh Fraser (Sir Charles Warren Commissioner Metro Police); Martin Friend (Newsvendor); Christopher Fulford (Sergeant Brent/Beggar); Bruce Green (Pizer); Rikki Harnet (Pickpocket); Rolnald Hines (Henry Matthews, Home Secretary); Denys Hawthorne (Assistant Commissioner Anderson); Michael Hughes (Dr. Rees Llewellyn, Div. Surgeon); Peter Hughes (Mr. Paulson, Central News Agency); Frank Jarvis (1st Passerby); Edward Judd (DCS of Police Arnold); Gertain Klauber (Louis Diemschutz); Jon Laurimore (Inspector John T. Spratling); Mike Lewin (Duty Guard); Rod Lewis (Mortician); Gary Love (Derek); George Malpas (Old Man); Eric Mason (Publican); Bernadette Milnes (Woman in Doorway); Jonathan Moore (Benjamin Bates, STAR Reporter); Richard Morant (Dr. Theodore Acland); T.P. McKenna (O'Connor, STAR Editor); John Normington (Dresser); Ronald Nunnery (Davis); Sandra Payne (Mrs. Acland); Neville Phillips (Cabinet Secretary); Iain Rattray (Tough Cop); David Ryall (Thomas Bowyer, rent collector); Gary Shail (Billy White, pimp); Gerald Sim (Dr. George Bagster Phillips); George Sweeney (John Netley, coachman); David Swift (Lord Salisbury); Norman Warwick (Richardson); Brian Weske (Porter); Michael Gothard (George Lusk, uncredited)
brief synopsis
Jack the Ripper traces the case from the perspective of Inspector Frederick Abberline, head of the Ripper investigation. Along the way, Abberline questions actor Richard Mansfield, presumed psychic Robert Lees, the queen's physician Sir William Gull, and a host of others. With the murder of Mary Kelly, Abberline does uncover the truth about the killer, but ultimately keeps the truth secret.
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The brilliance of this production is in its attention to significant detail about the crimes and their impact on society. Jack the Ripper provides an excellent picture of the social conditions and class attitudes in Victorian London, and it provides a first-hand view of investigation techniques at the time when the Ripper crimes took place. For 240 minutes, the film is perfect... but then it attempts to present the audience with a suspect. Since Jack the Ripper tries to be as accurate as possible, it should not engage in fanciful speculation. Rather, it should leave the case exactly as history has left it to posterity: Unsolved.
types
Investigation Rippers: This two-part TV movie brilliantly recreates much of what is known about the actual 1888 investigation of the actual Ripper murders. Michael Caine plays Frederick Abberline, chief investigator on the case.
Jekyll and Hyde: This well-made film delves deeply into the hysteria surrounding Richard Mansfield's 1888 stage production of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde... and of the real-life suspicion which confronted Mansfield as a consequence of his performance as Hyde. Armand Assante is outstanding as the beleaguered, but unbowed, actor.
Period Atmosphere: No Ripper film does the period better than this one. Its costuming and set design for both sides of London are superior and spot-on.
Political Rippers: Since this film's goal is to portray nearly every aspect of the Ripper case (and present a solution), it naturally covers the contemporary political ramifications of the case and the class issues involved.
edge of sanity (1989)
credits
Producer: Peter A. McRael (executive producer), Edward Simons (producer), Maria Rohm (associate producer), James Swann (associate producer); Director: Gérard Kikoïne; Screenplay: J.P. Felix, Ron Raley, Ewars Simons, Robert Louis Stevenson (novel Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde); Cinematography: Tony Spratling; Editing: Malcom Cooke; Music: Frederic Talgorn; Production Design: Jean Charles Dedieu; Art Department: Tivadar Bertalan, Fred Carter; Costume Design: Valerie L'Annee; Assistant Director: Dominique Combe; Production Company: Allied Cine Group, Pic II, Allied Vision Productions, Hungarofilm (Hungary)
cast
Anthony Perkins (Dr. Henry Jekyll/Jack "The Ripper" Hyde); Glynis Barber (Elisabeth Jekyll); Sarah Maur Thorp (Susannah); David Lodge (Underwood); Ben Cole (Johnny); Ray Jewers (Newcomen); Jill Melford (Flora); Lisa Davis (Maria); Noel Coleman (Egglestone); Briony McRoberts (Ann Underwood); Mark Elliot (Lanyon); Harry Landis (Coroner); Jill Pearson (Mrs. Egglestone); Basil Hoskins (Mr. Bottingham); Ruth Burnett (Margot); Carolyn Cortez (Maggie); Cathy Murphy (Cockney Prostitute); Claudia Udy (Liza)
brief synopsis
While experimenting on a monkey, Dr. Jekyll discovers that inhaled cocaine causes a radical personality change--one which he likes. Before long, he begins to leave his sedate identity and marriage behind and to venture nightly into the sleazy world of the brothel. Naturally, he takes his pipe along, and soon the headlines begin to scream of a Ripper killing prostitutes.
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How the mighty have fallen! Anthony Perkins degrades and caricatures himself in this sordid affair, directed by French pornographer Gérard Kikoïne. One would hope that Perkins took this role only in order to keep his family afloat after his diagnosis with AIDS, but apparently he was excited about getting to play this part.
types
Eurotrash and Anglo Decadence: Directed by pornographer Gérard Kikoïne, this film uses voyeuristic techniques to encourage viewers to associate sex with vicious and fatal violence. Truly wretched, repulsive stuff.
Jack the Ripper Fantastique: Even though this film attempts to demystify Mr. Hyde, the entire Jekyll/Hyde motif is, by its very nature, included among the "fantastic."
Jack the Ripper Meets Jekyll and Hyde: Cocaine transforms Dr. Jekyll into Jack Hyde, who has a passion for slashing prostitutes.
The Lodger Motif: Mad Avenger. Jekyll/Hyde Jack the Ripper attacks prostitutes, apparently out of rage over being abused and ridiculed as a boy by his prostitute mother and her lover.


1990s-2000s
Early in the decade, the Ripper appeared only in cameos... often very clever cameos. By the mid-1990s, though, we were back to feature-length Rippers, one of which is among the handful of truly great Ripper productions.
waxwork ii: lost in time (1992)
credits
Producer: Nancy Paloian, Mario Sotela (executive producer); Director: Anthony Hickox; Screenplay: Anthony Hickox; Cinematography: Gerry Lively; Editing: Christopher Cibelli; Music: Steve Schiff, Arthur Barrows (additional music); Darryl "Big Daddy" Pierce and Dwayne "Muffla" Simon (song "Lost in Time"); Production Design: Steve Hardie; Set Decoration: David Allen Koneff; Art Department: John Chichester, Stephen R. Blandino, Peter Mark, Des Martini, Benedict L. Paglia, Carla A. Pagliaro, Frank Taylor; Makeup: Bob Keen, Beatrice Marton, Martin Mercer, Steve Painter, Paul Spateri; Production Manager: Elaine Fiona Ferguson, Gregory Woertz; Assistant Director: Bob Keen, Paul Martin, Phil Robinson, Joseph John Schultz; Sound Department: Peter S. Carlstedt, Scott Gordon, Leonard Marcel, Scott Weber; Special Effects: Glenn Campbell, Kevin McCarthy, Lynda Weinman; Costume Design: Mark Bridges; Hair Stylist: Rudy Sotomayor; Stunt Coordinator: Bobby Bragg
cast
Zach Galligan (Mark Loftmore); Monika Schnarre (Sarah Brightman); Martin Kemp (Baron Von Frankenstein); Bruce Campbell (John Loftmore); Michael Des Barres (George); Jim Metzler (Roger); Sophie Ward (Elenore); Marina Sirtis (Gloria); Billy Kane (Nigel); Joe Baker (The Peasant); Juliet Milles (The Defense Lawyer); John Ireland (King Arthur); Patrick Macnee (Sir Wilfred); David Carradine (The Beggar); Alexander Godunov (Scarabis); Steve Painter (Nosferatu); Drew Barrymore (Vampire Victim #1); Hadria Lawner (Vampire Victim #2); Paul Jones (The Hand); Alex Butler (Jack the Ripper); Yolanda Jilot (Lady of the Night); Godzilla (Himself)
brief synopsis
Waxwork II continues where Waxwork left off, with two survivors from the previous film using time travel to prove that the hero of the first film did not kill her father. Along the way, Waxwork II pays homage to numerous other horror movies (including The Haunting, Nosferatu, etc.). Jack the Ripper appears in a hilarious homage to a non-Ripper film.
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Whether you enjoy this type of horror comedy or not, the Ripper segment is well worth the admission price. However, it's towards the end of the film. So if you're not having fun, you're going to have to sit through an awful lot of movie in order to see Jack the Ripper.
types
Comic Rippers: This film lets us know just why the Ripper was never caught... and it's not because he got away.
Jack the Ripper Fantastique: A time rift flings the Ripper out of the 19th century and into the arms of... justice. Sort of.
deadly advice (1993)
credits
Producer: Charles Salmon (associate producer), Nigel Stafford-Clark; Director: Mandie Fletcher; Screenplay: Glenn Chandler; Cinematography: Richard Greatrex; Editing: John Jarvis; Music: Richard Harvey; Production Design: Christopher Hobbs; Art Direction: Michael Buchanan; Makeup: Aileen Seaton, Sian Grigg, Robert McCall; Assistant Director: William Brooker, Melanie Dicks, Robert Fabbri; Special Effects: Arthur Beavis, David Beavis, Ken Lailey; Hair Stylist: Sian Grigg, Robert McCann ; Production Company: Zenith
cast
Jane Horrocks (Jodie Greenwood); Brenda Fricker (Iris Greenwood); Imelda Staunton (Beth Greenwood); Jonathan Pryce (Dr. Ted Philips); Edward Woodward (Maj. Herbert Armstrong); Billie Whitelaw (Kate Webster); Hywel Bennett (Dr. Crippen); Jonathan Hyde (George Joseph Smith); John Mills (Jack the Ripper); Ian Abbey (Bunny); Eleanor Bron (Judge); Roger Frost (Rev. Horace Cotton); Gareth Gwyn-Jones (Mr. Smethurst); Ric
brief synopsis
Jodie Greenwood's overbearing mother interferes so much with her life that Jodie starts getting "visits" from famous murderers of the past, offering her advice on how to do her mother in. Of course, once the killing starts, it just can't be stopped. There's always going to be one more person in the way... or so her murderer's row of advisors assure her.
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Jane Horrocks is fabulous as the girl who looks like the last person that anybody would suspect. And of course, Sir John Mills offers a brief, though terrific, performance as her favorite advisor, Jack the Ripper... the one who got away.
types
Comic Rippers: Wickedly funny, and dark dark dark, British black comedy. Requires a sufficiently warped sense of humor.
Jack the Ripper Fantastique: Is it Jodie's imagination, or is she really getting visits from long-dead killers?
Ripper Cameos: The Ripper makes the fewest entrances of any of the killers in this film, but he does provide the most salient advice of them all.
Rippers in the Wax Museum: It takes awhile to figure out, but Jodie Greenwood is being visited the denizens of a murderer's row she visited during childhood. Jack the Ripper, of course, is among them, and adopts her as a disciple.
comes the inquisitor (1995)
(tv: babylon 5)
credits
Producer: John Copeland, Douglas Netter (executive producer); J. Michael Straczynski (executive producer); George Johnsen (associate producer); Director: Michael Vejar; Teleplay: J. Michael Straczynski; Cinematography: John C. Flinn, III; Music: Christopher Franke; Production Design: John Iacovelli; Set Decoration: Daniel A. Saks; Art Director: Roland Rosenkranz; Visual Effects: Ron Thornton, Foundation Imaging, Paul Beigle Bryant, Shannon Casey, Sherry Hitch, Eric Chauvin; Costume Designer: Ann Bruice
cast
Bruce Boxleitner (John Sheridan); Claudia Christian (Susan Ivanova); Jerry Doyle (Michael Garibaldi); Mira Furlann (Delenn); Richard Biggs (Stephen Franklin); Bill Mumy (Lennier); Stephen Furst (Vir Cotto); Jeff Conaway (Zack Allen); Andreas Katsulas (G'Kar); Peter Jurasik (Londo Mollari); Ardwright Chamberlain (Kosh); Wayne Alexander (Sebastian)
brief synopsis
Though Delenn believes that she is destined to head the forces of light against the Shadows, the Vorlons send an Inquisitor to make sure. His brutal interrogation of her nearly kills her, and forces him to take a look inside motives he once had long ago. Not surprisingly, the Inquisitor once believed himself a force of light, but his means had all the trappings of darkness.
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Not only does this brilliantly chilling episode make an important contribution to the story arc of Babylon 5, but Wayne Alexander's performance as Sebastian (the Inquisitor) is one of the single-finest performances in any Ripper tale ever put on screen. After casting him for the role of Sebastian, J. Michael Straczynski (B5 creator) was so awed by Alexander's performance, that he continued to use him (under prosthetic makeup) to play a variety of aliens--including the exceedingly significant Lorien. Winner of a Hugo Award and nominated for an Emmy in Cinematography, "Comes the Inquisitor" boasts an outstanding script by writer/producer J. Michael Straczynski and a stellar performance by Wayne Alexander in what may well be the Ripper's finest hour on the screen.
types
Jack the Ripper Fantastique: In this episode of the science fiction series Babylon 5, the powerful and nearly immortal Vorlons have found a useful purpose for Jack the Ripper.
Lodger Motif: Monomaniac type. On a visit to Babylon 5, the Ripper claims that he killed because of the vice in London, and that "a message needed to be sent, written in blood."
ripper man (1996)
credits
Producer: ; Director: Phil Sears; Screenplay: Phil Sears; Cinematography: Blake T. Evans; Editing: Peter Lonsdale; Music: Jim Ervin; Set Decoration: Ryan Hanau; Makeup: Myke Michaels; Sound Department: Donovan Dear; Special Effects: Michael Lambert; Costume Design: Dorothy Amos; Production Company: M.a.v. Productions, Inc., Tanglewood Entertainment Group, Warner Brothers
cast
Mike Norris (Mike Lazo); Timothy Bottoms (Charles Walkan); Robert F. Lyons (Frankel); Charles Napier (Harry); Bruce Locke (Greg Onchi); Carey Scott (Tony); Sofia Shinas (Gena); Candi Milo (Francie); Patricia North (Laura); Brock Pierce (Kevin); Valerie Norris (Nancy); Deanne Carlin (Addict Victim); Gailyn Addis (Officer Bates); John Thomas Turk (Sergeant Irvine); George "Buck" Flower (Heckler)
brief synopsis
Mike Lazo, a disgraced San Diego cop, tries to make his living doing a hypnotic act in a run-down bar. When Charles Walkan walks into his dressing room one night demanding to be hypnotized in order to find out if he was somebody "special" in a past life, Lazo enters a world of possible reincarnation, possession, and psychosis--not to mention a number of Jack the Ripper-style killings.
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This movie shows the sleazy underbelly of the city, but not to nearly the same extent New York Ripper does. Basically, Ripper Man contains R-level sex and violence, with a nice performance by Timothy Bottoms as the man who would be Jack the Ripper. Norris, unfortunately, is rather bland in his role as the ex-cop. And his blandness sabotages a film with tremendous potential. Mike Norris (son of Chuck Norris) does, incidentally, get to show off his martial arts skills in the film's finale.
types
Eurotrash and Anglo Decadence: Sordid sex and violence.
Investigation Rippers: It's one of the conventions of Ripper cinema that people not assigned to the case just can't keep themselves from investigating Ripper murders. In this film Mike Norris is no exception. He takes it upon himself to stop a killer who believes himself to be possessed by Jack the Ripper.
Jack the Ripper Fantastique: Though nothing supernatural may be taking place at all, there's still the hint of the Ripper's reincarnation. There's even a suggestion that the killer in this film may be possessed by the long-dead Ripper... or he may just be a psychotic copycat.
the ripper (1997)
credits
Producer: Mark Gordon (executive producer), Michael R. Joyce (supervising producer), Gary Levinsohn (executive producer), Allison Lyon Segan (producer), Tony Winley (co-producer); Director: Janet Myers; Screenplay: Robert Rodat; Cinematography: Martin McGrath; Editing: Elba Sanchez-Short; Music: Mason Daring; Production Design: Tim Ferrier; Set Decoration: Brent Houghton; Art Directon: Michelle McGahey; Makeup: ; Production Manager: Barbi Taylor; Assistant Director: Colin Fletcher, Toni Raynes, Julian Ryan; Sound: Gary Wilkins; Costume Design: Terry Ryan; Production Company: Michael R. Joyce Productions, Mutual Film Company (United States), Starz! Pictures, Universal TV (United States)
cast
Patrick Bergin (Inspector Jim Hansen); Gabrielle Anwar (Florry Lewis); Samuel West (Prince Eddy); Michael York (Sir Charles Warren); Adam Couper (Sgt. Tommy Bell); Essie Davis (Evelyn Bookman); Oliva 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)
brief synopsis
A young prostitute witnesses a brutal murder on the streets of Whitechapel and gets a good look at the killer. The Chief Inspector on the case puts her under protection when he realizes that her knowledge could bring down the Crown. Meanwhile, the killer murders all of Jack the Ripper's canonical victims, and the Duke of Clarence becomes progressively more insane as a consequence of his syphilis.
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Not spectacular, but not a bad Ripper movie either. Even though it reveals the killer within the first 5 minutes (and even though the theory proposing that killer is pretty clearly bogus), there is still plenty of suspense as the audience is led to wonder whether the killer will ever be found out and whether the witness (not one of the canonical 5) will survive. Samuel West, incidentally, is excellent as the deranged Prince Eddy.
types
Investigation Rippers: In this film, we find police procedural mixed with romance.
The Lodger Motif: Mad Avenger. A royal Jack the Ripper targets prostitutes as he goes literally mad, and mad with rage, after contracting syphilis in a brothel.
Period Atmosphere: Fine job with costuming and with re-creating the East and West Ends of London.
Political Rippers: Royal interests play a very large role in this film and hinder the investigation of the crimes. This film deals with politics at every level.
from hell (2001)
credits
Producer: Thomas M. Hammel (executive producer), Jane Hamsher (producer), Albert Hughes (executive producer), Allen Hughes (executive producer), Don Murphy (producer), Amy Robinson (executive producer); Director: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes; Screenplay: Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell (graphic novel), Terry Hayes, Rafel Yglesias; Cinematography: Peter Deming; Editing: George Bowers, Dan Lebental; Music: Trevor Jones, Marilyn Manson (song); Production Design: Martin Childs; Set Decoration: Jill Quertier; Art Direction: Jindra Koci, Mark Raggett; Makeup and Hair: Steve Artmont, Beverly Binda, Jayne Buxton, Jirí Farkas, Neill Gorton, Sarah Grispo, Steve Painter, Tonni Ann Walker, Lisa Westcott, Patty York; Production Manager: Larry D. Horricks, Michal Skop, Matthew Stillman, Elena Zokas; Assistant Director: Anya Gripari, Martina Götthansova, Sallie Anne Hard, Petr Hartl, Andy Howard, Petr Kadebarek, Terry Madden, Jan Mensik, Lenka Wimmerová, John R. Woodward, Arthur Wooster ; Sound Department: Steve Boddeker, Tim Gedemer, Alex Gibson, Steven D. Williams; Special Effects: George Gibbs, Peter Fern, Phil Knowles, Peter Skehan, David Watson; Costume Design: Kym Barrett; Production Company: 20th Century Fox, Stillking (Czech Republic), Underworld Entertainment
cast
Johnny Depp (Fred Abberline); Heather Graham (Mary Kelly); Ian Holm (Sir William Gull); Robbie Coltrane (Peter Godley); Ian Richardson (Sir Charles Warren); Jason Flemyng (Netley); Katrin Cartlidge (Dark Annie Chapman); Terence Harvey (Ben Kidney); Susan Lynch (Liz Stride); Paul Rhys (Dr. Ferral); Lesley Sharp (Kate Eddowes); Estelle Skornik (Ada); Nicholas McGaughey (Officer Bolt); Annabelle Apsion (Polly); Joanna Page (Ann Crook); Mark Dexter (Albert Sickert/Prince Edward)
brief synopsis
After one prostitute is abducted, her small circle of friends are viciously murdered one-by-one... and one of the potential victims falls in love with the investigator from Scotland Yard.
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Production designer Martin Childs meticulously recreated the murder sites based upon photographs and descriptions on record. The result is the most visually accurate Ripper film ever to come to the theater. However, the film also plays fast and loose with certain facts (when the "From Hell" letter arrived; the habits and fate of investigator Frederick Abberline). Obviously it was shooting for drama over accuracy, but it tries so hard in so many ways to be accurate that it's hard to understand why it make these changes when the true story is much more dramatic. The film sometimes even changes the graphic novel in its effort to ratchet up the drama. But these efforts fail. Nevertheless, it remains a good cinematic Ripper experience overall... largely due to its refusal to glamorize most of the victims or gloss over the horror of the crimes or the poverty in the East End.
types
Investigation Rippers: Johnny Depp plays FreddyAbberline during the course of the 1888 Ripper investigation. The investigation depicted in the film, of course, departs in many ways from the actual Ripper investigation. However, the crimes Abberline investigates in this film are the same crimes that Abberline investigated in real life... something of a rarity in Ripper cinema.
Jack the Ripper Fantastique: Even though the film is essentially realistic, it still puts great emphasis on the psychic realm by giving psychic abilities to Frederick Abberline, the chief detective on the actual Jack the Ripper case. In the actual case, incidentally, London "psychic" Robert Lees claimed to have visions concerning the killer.
Period Atmosphere: Probably the best depiction of the life of the prostitutes in any of the Ripper films. Shows the grit and grime of the East End brilliantly. Second only to Jack the Ripper (1988) in its recreation of London, Fall 1888. It even shows the Blood Red Sky. Attempts to recreate murder sites as accurately as possible.
Political Rippers: As sometimes occurs in Ripper cinema, the investigation into the murders encounters political conspiracy and intrigue.


Por Antonio Noblejas Solis