From Hell (film)

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From Hell
From Hell film.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byThe Hughes Brothers
Screenplay by
Based onFrom Hell
by Alan Moore
Eddie Campbell
Produced by
  • Don Murphy
  • Jane Hamsher
Starring
  • Johnny Depp
  • Heather Graham
  • Ian Holm
  • Robbie Coltrane
CinematographyPeter Deming
Edited by
Music byTrevor Jones
Production
companies
  • Underworld Pictures
  • 20th Century Fox
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date
  • October 19, 2001 (2001-10-19)
Running time
122 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$35 million
Box office$74.6 million[1]

From Hell is a 2001 American thriller film[2] directed by the Hughes Brothers and written by Terry Hayes and Rafael Yglesias. It is loosely based on the graphic novel From Hell by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell about the Jack the Ripper murders. The film stars Johnny Depp as Frederick Abberline, the lead investigator of the murders, and Heather Graham as Mary Kelly, a prostitute targeted by the Ripper. Other cast members include Ian Holm, Robbie Coltrane, Ian Richardson, and Jason Flemyng in supporting roles.

From Hell was theatrically released in the United States on October 19, 2001, by 20th Century Fox. The film grossed over $74 million worldwide and received mixed reviews from critics, with many praising the performances (particularly Depp and Graham), atmosphere and production values, but was negatively compared to its source material.[3][4]

Plot[]

In 1888, Mary Kelly and a small group of London prostitutes trudge through unrelenting daily misery. Their friend Ann Crook is a former prostitute now married to a wealthy painter named Albert, and she recently gave birth to their daughter, Alice. When Ann is kidnapped, the women are drawn into a conspiracy with links to high society. Ann's kidnapping is followed by the gruesome murder of another one of the women, and it soon becomes apparent that each of the prostitutes are being hunted down one by one, murdered, and mutilated post-mortem by a killer referred to as Jack the Ripper.

The prostitutes' murders grab the attention of Whitechapel Police Inspector Frederick Abberline, a brilliant, yet troubled, man whose police work is often aided by his psychic "visions." Abberline is still grieving the death of his wife during childbirth two years prior. His colleague, Sergeant Peter Godley, tries to grasp his friend's strange theories. Abberline's investigations reveal that an educated person, likely knowledgeable in human anatomy, is responsible for the murders due to the highly precise, surgical methods used.

Ann is soon located in a workhouse, having been lobotomized after doctors supposedly deemed her violent and insane. It is heavily implied that this was done to silence her.

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

Abberline deduces that Freemason influence is present in the murders. His superior, a high ranking Freemason himself, opposes Abberline's methods and suspends him from the case. Thereafter, Abberline persists and discovers that Gull is the killer. Gull was instructed to dispose of all witnesses to the forbidden marriage of painter Albert Sickert's to Ann Crook, the mother of his legitimate daughter, Alice. In a plot twist, Sickert is revealed to be Prince Albert, grandson of reigning Queen Victoria. Albert is dying of syphilis, which makes baby Alice the soon-to-be heiress to the British throne. Gull boasts to Abberline that he will go down in history for giving "birth to the 20th century." Abberline draws his gun, vowing that Gull will never see the 20th century, but before he is able to shoot Gull, he is knocked out by Ben Kidney, another Freemason.

The Freemasons try to eliminate Abberline without leaving any witnesses, but Abberline fights back and kills two of the assassins by overturning a carriage. Abberline rushes to save Mary but arrives too late, and blames his superior for not helping him or Godley on the cases. Gull's increasingly sinister behavior lends an insight into his murderous, but calculating, mind. Rather than publicly charge Gull, the Freemasons decide to lobotomize him to protect themselves and the Royal Family from the scandal. Gull defiantly states he has no equal among men, remaining unrepentant up to his lobotomy, resulting in him becoming an invalid like Ann.

Abberline goes to the Ten Bells Tavern in Whitechapel and receives a mysterious letter, which he soon realizes is from Mary. It is revealed that Gull had mistaken another prostitute, Ada, for Mary and killed her instead. To protect Mary, Abberline decides not to look for her, as the Freemasons are still watching his every move. He burns Mary's letter, knowing that he can never have a normal life with her. Sergeant Godley later finds Abberline dead of an opium overdose (in reality, he died of natural causes aged 86). Distraught, Godley places two coins over Abberline's eyes, and mournfully says "Good night, sweet prince."

Years later, Mary is shown to have adopted Alice, and the two are living in a cottage on a cliff by the sea.

Cast[]

  • Johnny Depp as Inspector Frederick Abberline, a sympathetic police officer who investigates the Ripper murders. The consumption of drugs makes him dream scenes from the murders, but he nevertheless conducts the investigation in a rational way.
  • Heather Graham as Mary Kelly, a young prostitute, who builds up a relationship with Abberline and eventually falls in love with him.
  • Ian Holm as Sir William Gull, a retired surgeon and physician ordinary to Queen Victoria, teaching at the Royal London Hospital.
  • Robbie Coltrane as Sergeant Peter Godley, the humorous and literary-minded subordinate assistant and friend of Abberline.
  • Ian Richardson as Sir Charles Warren, a stiff bureaucrat and Abberline's superior.
  • Jason Flemyng as John Netley, the coachman and stooge of the Ripper.
  • Samantha Spiro as Martha Tabram, prostitute.
  • Annabelle Apsion as Polly Nichols, prostitute.
  • Katrin Cartlidge as Annie Chapman, prostitute.
  • Susan Lynch as Liz Stride, prostitute.
  • Lesley Sharp as Kate Eddowes, prostitute.
  • Estelle Skornik as Ada, an old friend of Liz Stride from Brussels.
  • Paul Rhys as Dr. Ferral, an ambitious young doctor and specialist in the treatment of dementia.
  • Vincent Franklin as George Lusk - chairman of the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee.
  • Ian McNeice as coroner Robert Drudge
  • David Schofield as McQueen
  • Sophia Myles as Victoria Abberline, Frederick Abberline's late wife.
  • Joanna Page as Ann Crook, Mary Kelly's friend, who was kidnapped.
  • Mark Dexter as Prince Albert Victor aka Albert Sickert.
  • Anthony Parker as Joseph Merrick, The Elephant Man.

Production[]

The film took a number of years to go into production, with two studios putting it into turnaround before it found its home at Fox. The Hughes Brothers originally wanted Daniel Day-Lewis to play Abberline.[5] Later, in a 1997 interview, Alan Moore stated that Sean Connery had been cast in the role.[6] When Connery dropped out, the Hughes Brothers met with Brad Pitt and Jude Law, before deciding to cast Johnny Depp.[7]

Principal photography began on June 5, 2000[8] in and around Prague, Czech Republic and at Barrandov Studios, on a massive backlot set recreating the 19th-century Whitechapel district of London.[9] Additional exteriors were filmed in the United Kingdom, including Crackington Haven and Boscastle in Cornwall, and at Goldings estate in Hertfordshire.

Nigel Hawthorne was originally cast as Sir William Gull,[10] but on July 26, 2000 it was announced that Hawthorne had withdrawn from the role, due to terminal cancer. He was replaced by Ian Holm.[11] The disparity in height between Hawthorne and the much shorter Holm led to some of the scenes being changed. Hawthorne died two months after the film's release.[citation needed]

Marilyn Manson originally intended to work with the film's composer, Trevor Jones, to remix portions of the score for use within the film.[12] It proved impossible to do this work before the film's release date, so Manson instead contributed a remixed version of his song The Nobodies, which plays over the film's end credits.[13]

Reception[]

Critical response[]

On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 57% based on 151 reviews, with an average rating of 5.30/10. The site's critic consensus reads: "Visually impressive, but this latest Ripper tale is dull and far from scary."[3] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 54 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."[14] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B–" on an A+ to F scale.[15]

E! Online stated the film is "two hours of gory murders, non-sequitur scenes, and an undeveloped romance" and gave the film a C-. The New York Post called it a "gripping and stylish thriller". Roger Ebert gave the film "two thumbs up". Leonard Maltin gave the film three stars, calling it "colorful and entertaining; an impressive showing for the Hughes Brothers”.[16]

Empire's Kim Newman gave the film four out of five stars, praising the "range of squirmingly superior British acting talent" although noting that "the script can't quite sell its Jack as at once a purposeful assassin and a mad killer."[17] Philip French was impressed by the film, praising Depp's "very good" performance alongside those of the actresses who played the Ripper's victims. French also praised the production design and cinematography which evoked representations of London by the artists Whistler and John Atkinson Grimshaw.[18]

The original comic's writer, Alan Moore, criticized the replacement of his "gruff" version of Frederick Abberline with an "absinthe-swilling dandy".[4]

Box office[]

The film grossed $31.6 million in the United States and a total of $74.6 million worldwide.[1]

In its opening weekend the film made $11 million, finishing first, before dropping to third place in its second weekend with $6.3 million.

Home video[]

The film was released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on DVD on May 14, 2002.[19]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "From Hell (2010)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  2. ^ Deming, Mark. "From Hell". AllMovie. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b From Hell (2001). Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "Shared - Movies - Interviews - M - Moore Alan 060315". Mtv.com. 2006-03-09. Retrieved 2015-09-29.
  5. ^ Salisbury, Mark (2002-01-25). "The set that Jack built". the Guardian. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
  6. ^ Meth, Clifford (30 November 2013). ComicBook Babylon. ISBN 9781888669206.
  7. ^ Salisbury, Mark (2002-01-25). "The set that Jack built". the Guardian. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
  8. ^ Ill Hawthorne Bails, Holm Enters From Hell - IGN, retrieved 2021-07-30
  9. ^ Salisbury, Mark (2002-01-25). "The set that Jack built". the Guardian. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
  10. ^ "Allen Hughes - Interview". Sci-fi-online.com. Retrieved 2015-09-29.
  11. ^ Ill Hawthorne Bails, Holm Enters From Hell - IGN, retrieved 2021-07-30
  12. ^ "Trevor Jones - Interview". www.soundtrack.net. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
  13. ^ Archive-Jon-Wiederhorn. "Marilyn Manson Cover 'Tainted Love,' Record Live DVD". MTV News. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
  14. ^ "From Hell Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  15. ^ "Find CinemaScore" (Type "From Hell" in the search box). CinemaScore. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  16. ^ Maltin, Leonard (2009), p. 501. Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide. ISBN 1-101-10660-3. Signet Books. Accessed May 9, 2012
  17. ^ Newman, Kim (January 1, 2000). "From Hell Review". Empire Online. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  18. ^ French, Philip (10 February 2002). "Jack the knife" – via The Guardian.
  19. ^ Rivero, Enrique (April 11, 2002). "Fox Planning More Limited Edition DVDs". hive4media.com. Archived from the original on April 20, 2002. Retrieved September 10, 2019.

External links[]

Preceded by
Training Day 		Box office number-one films of 2001 (USA)
October 21 		Succeeded by
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