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18 November, 2001
In an interview with SCI FI Wire, the Hughes brothers discussed the input from Alan Moore, the author of the graphic novel this film is based on. "We had one conversation with him," said Allen Hughes. "And it was just more like 'Hey, let's hook up, let's hook up.' And he goes ... 'You guys go on and make the movie you want to make. I did my thing. You do your thing.' That was the conversation."
That doesn't mean Moore had no influence on the project. "The script we had originally was a real Hollywood sanitized version," Allen said. "We just decided to go and take the graphic novel and put more of the flavor and social context in there ... because the original script we got, it didn't chronicle the women's lives or characters."
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25 September, 2001
The official site has opened up and they've done a nice job with it. It's a bit slow to load up if you're on dial-up but it is well stocked with information, images and stuff to download. Definitely worth a visit, particularly if you want some background on the Jack the Ripper case.
29 August, 2001
From Hell has been assigned an R rating for strong violence/gore, sexuality, language and drug content by the MPAA.
24 July, 2001
Our very own Hollyfeld was at this year's San Diego Comic Con. He sent in a report with lots of info on the movie's first trailer:
Then the special stuff - before the PotA presentation I notice Eddie Campbell, the artist behind such comics as Bacchus, Birth Caul and, you guessed it, From Hell, lingering backstage. So it comes as no surprise, to ME at least, that afterwards comes the premiere of the trailer to From Hell. This trailer will be attached to Planet of the Apes this weekend, and although I have some minor issues with the way the film is being marketed, it looks mighty fine.
The trailer begins with Inspector Fred Abberline (Johhny Depp) being interviewed by some off-screen voice, which explains Abberline's uncanny ability to "dream" the solutions to his cases. This, of course, is a bit of a departure from the novel - it appears that the writers have somewhat combined Abberline's character and that of noted psychic Robert Lees (who in the book admits to being a fraud, although the real Lees admitted no such thing). In any case, the trailer then shows a series of establishing shots of London, which I have to admit looks amazing (I confess having been skeptical that a color film could capture the look of the book, but no longer), some reaction shots to the murders, and even a few scattered action shots, including a high-speed carriage scene that is reminiscent of the early draft I reviewed in The Untitled Deadpool Column. I also caught a very brief shot of the Elephant Man sequence from the book, which I am glad made it into the final film. The most interesting aspect of the trailer is that the actor playing the Ripper was never shown, implying that his identity will be kept a secret in the film, as well. This is an interesting decision, especially in lieu of the fact that he is the main character of the book. The final scene of the trailer, which I confess is genuinely haunting, shows Abberline confronting an off-screen Ripper, who says, "One day, men will look back and say that I gave birth to the 20th century." Abberline then looks him right in the eyes and says, paraphrasing, "You won't live to see the 20th century."
The bulk of the trailer has a somewhat MTV-styled pace to it that concerns me a bit - either that will be the style of the film, which could be a mistake, or it's just being marketed that way, which could also be a mistake. Either way, Campbell walked up to the podium afterwards, got a big round of applause (I think I was one of maybe two or three people hollering, as well), and said, in regards Jack's line in the film, that it "sounded like Alan Moore's voice there." (Moore, arguably the most acclaimed writer in comics history, wrote the original book.) Earlier, I had Campbell sign a copy of his latest book for me, and I overheard him confirm that the filmmakers indeed did film two endings, and that Johnny Depp did in fact act as badly as possibly in the happier one, in order to make sure they used the right one. He did not say anything, however, about Heather Graham doing likewise, nor did he mention that they got stinking drunk as well (as also rumored).
You can read the entire report from the Con here.
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24 May, 2001
Producer Don Murphy denies recent reports that shock rocker Marilyn Manson had been hired to score the film. Manson never visited the set in London and wasn't considered for the job. He may be providing a song for the soundtrack however.
16 May, 2001
A poster is on display at the Cannes Film Festival for the film.
Over on AICN there are a pair of photos from the movies. They aren't for kids, that's for sure. What else to say about them, I don't know.
10 May, 2001
The release has been set for October 19.
9 April, 2001
Looking to get a bit more detail on the film, we contacted scooper 'Chevy Guevara' for more details on the screening.
"I think the costumes were great. Johnny Depp looked good. Heather Graham looked good, but I wasn't convinced by her Irish accent. In fact, as your other reviewer states, Heather Graham looked much, much better than the other prostitutes. Direction was good, actors were good. I just think the screenplay was really lacking something, I don't know what, but it needed something to get me 'into' the movie. I was kinda just sitting there waiting for everything to happen instead of getting into it and following things."
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27 March, 2001
According to a report on Dark Horizons, the movie has been renamed Jack in the US. This is presumably due to the MPAA's bizarre new rule banning the use of the word "hell" in movie titles. It's a shame as "From Hell" is a much better name. Plus it doesn't get confused with an existing Robin Williams movie.
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20 March, 2001
There was apparently a test screening of the movie in Las Vegas last night. We were lucky enough to get a review sent to us by a new spy, Chevy Guevara. There are some heavy spoilers in the review at the end so we're whiting it out for your protection. If you really want to know, swipe the area with your mouse. Keep in mind that this is a test screening and major changes can still be made to the movie.
I saw the movie tonight. It was an advance screening. So unfinished there was no credits, just the movie.
I can guarantee you this movie will not do well at the box office. Because I knew nothing of the author of the book or the book itself, and all I knew about the movie was 1) Johnny Depp 2) Heather Graham 3) Jack the Ripper, I was lost at the start of the movie and could not stay with it. This movie manages to make two hours feel like four. There's little character development, and the "romance" between Depp and Graham hardly exists; it's more like Depp's character just has a crush on her.
The ending had me thinking, "what the hell is this?" I'm glad I didn't pay to see it. The audience reaction was bad... a handful of people applauded, most people just sat there staring at the screen. Just thought I'd let you know... I'm spreading the good word. I'll tell you what happens at the end of the movie, if you like....
Major Spoilers FollowHeather Graham's character Mary Kelly lives at the end of the movie. Another prostitute is killed, but not before Mary Kelly escapes to Ireland. And yes, Mary Kelly in the movie is an Irishwoman. Johnny Depp's character ends up, thrity years after the murders, in Shanghai. His makeup makes him look like "Father Time" -- yes, that old. And when you see him like that, he's dead. He dies in an opium parlor. Finally (this will spoil the whole movie for you)... Jack the Ripper is actually the old guy that Johnny Depp's character talks to, the surgeon who says he's retired because of a bad arm. He ends up getting the three-hole treatment to his head and put in a mental asylum.
End Spoilers
You can also find another, more positive review over at AICN.
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14 March, 2001
Our very own Hollyfeld sat down with an older copy of the script and jotted down his thoughts for the rest of us. His review was mixed with some major but clearly labeled spoilers. Check it out.
28 November, 2001
Over at Coming Attractions they managed to get a couple of photos from the movie.
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1 September, 2000
The latest attempt to tell the story of infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper comes from the Hughes brothers. The movie stars Johnny Depp, Heather Graham and Robbie Coltrane. The script, reviewed below by the mighty Stax is by Rafael Yglesias.
Although this draft traveled down a road filmgoers have been down several times already, From Hell possessed enough ingredients to make it a worthwhile return to Whitechapel. The script established and maintained a macabre tone throughout, it never completely devolved into a generic slasher flick, and it re-created the historical setting in absorbing and harrowing detail. While it didn't suggest anything really new about who Jack the Ripper might have been, From Hell did propose a captivating theory about why he may have killed – and who his crimes would have benefited. Indeed, one of the most ghastly conclusions made here was that there could've been forces even more insidious than the Ripper at work in Whitechapel. This is all the more unsettling when you remember that "Jack the Ripper" really did get away with murder. – STAX
Read the entire review, here.
