Jack the Ripper [Blu-ray]

Thorough period drama. The film is split into two parts and is lengthy. It is rich in period detail and the killings are covered in graphic detail mirroring the original photography of the period. Michael Caine is superbly cast as the detective in a role similar to his 'Jekyll And Hyde' film also by the same director. The identity of the notorious 'Jack The Ripper' is revealed and will be a surprise to thos who watch it fully. The plot follows the story of a Victorian detective who tries to solve the mystery behind a series of killings in London's Whitechapel district.

This film is awesome, I never get tired of watching it

This is one of my all time favorite movies and I've watched it several times over the years. I'll first give some notes about the only current blu-ray version which offers English or German language options only.IMPORTANT NOTE:The only blu-ray version of this movie that currently exists is a Region B German release, so it cannot be viewed on US players.NTSC/PAL 'all region' blu-ray players are available on Amazon.com should US customers like to purchase one.Viewers can watch the movie & bonus features in either English or German.Considering this was a 1988 made for TV movie, the audio and video quality are very good.BLU-RAY BONUS FEATURES:Some of the blu-ray extras are also found on previous DVD releases. By far, the best bonus feature on this blu-ray is the audio commentary by David Wickes with researcher Susan Davies and journalist Johnathon Sothcott. Susan Davies did 4 years of extensive research on Jack the Ripper and this movie runs along the lines of a particular theory as to who Jack might actually have been, though no one knows for certain and we will probably never know his identity.There is also a 'Deleted Scenes' extra, but this mostly looks like rehearsal material so in my opinion is not really worth watching a second time. These have Barry Forster as Inspector Abberline, before Michael Caine was finally selected to play that role.For those unfamiliar with Jack, there is a 'Documentation' extra that briefly recounts the actual events that took place in London, 1888.It really would have been nice to include actor interviews and commentary as extra features, and this will hopefully be done on future blu-ray releases.THE MOVIE:Jack the Ripper was released in 1988 to mark the first centenary of the original events. It was first aired in the US as a 2 part TV mini-series. The movie length is 189 minutes.It stars Michael Cane in the lead role as Chief Inspector Frederick Abberline of Scotland Yard and Armand Assante as American actor Richard Mansfield playing the lead in the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde premiere at the Lyceum theatre. Both of these performers were excellent, and I thought all of the players were quite good except for Michael Gothard who over-played the role of Lusk, maybe because that script could have been better and more accurately written to protray the actual Mr. Lusk rather than this hyped up movie version.The story recounts the murder of 5 prostitutes and the hunt for Jack the Ripper. It is not always factually accurate and does employ 'dramatic license' several times to appeal to audiences, but it is a great movie nonetheless. Director/Producer David Wickes and his crew did an excellent job on this film. The cinematography, realistic Victorian settings and costumes are excellent.In 1989, Michael Caine won the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV, and Armand Assante was Nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV. The movie was also Nominated for Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV.Release Date: 21 October 1988 (USA)DIRECTED BY DAVID WICKESWRITING CREDITS: DEREK MARLOWE & DAVID WICKESPRODUCER: DAVID WICKESORIGINAL MUSIC BY JOHN CAMERONCAST:MICHAEL CAINE - CHIEF INSP. FREDERICK ABBERLINEARMAND ASSANTE - RICHARD MANSFIELDRAY MCANALLY - SIR WILLIAM GULLLEWIS COLLINS - SGT. GEORGE GODLEYKEN BONES - ROBERT JAMES LEESSUSAN GEORGE - KATE EDDOWESJANE SEYMOUR - EMMA PRENTISSHARRY ANDREWS - CORONER WYNNE E. BAXTERLYSETTE ANTHONY - MARY JANE KELLYROGER ASHTON-GRIFFITHS - RODMANPETER ARMITAGE - SGT. KERBYDESMOND ASKEW - COPY BOYTREVOR BAXTER - LANYONMIKE CARNELL - NEWSVENDORANN CASTLE - LADY GULLDEIRDRE COSTELLO - ANNIE CHAPMANJON CROFT - MR. THACKERAYANGELA CROW - LIZ STRIDEKELLY CRYER - ANNETTEMARC CULWICK - PRINCE ALBERT VICTOR CHRISTIAN EDWARDJOHN DAIR - ISENSCHMIDROY EVANS - DOORKEEPERJOHN FLETCHER - P.C. WATKINSSHERIDAN FORBES - MILLIEHUGH FRASER - SIR CHARLES WARRENMARTIN FRIEND - NEWSVENDORCHRISTOPHER FULFORD - SGT. BRENTBRUCE GREEN - PIZERRIKKI HARNET - PICKPOCKETRONALD HINES - HENRY MATTHEWSDENYS HAWTHORNE - ASSISTANT COMM. ANDERSONMICHAEL HUGHES - DR. REES LLEWELLYNPETER HUGHES - MR. PAULSONFRANK JARVIS - 1ST PASSERBYEDWARD JUDD - CHIEF SUPERINTENDENT ARNOLDGERTAN KLAUBER - LOUIS DIEMSCHUTZJON LAURIMORE - INSP. JOHN T. SPRATLINGMIKE LEWIN - DUTY GUARDROD LEWIS - MORTICIANGARY LOVE - DEREKCODEGEORGE MALPAS - OLD MANERIC MASON - PUBLICANBERNADETTE MILNES - WOMAN IN DOORWAYJONATHAN MOORE - BENJAMIN BATESRICHARD MORANT - DR. THEODORE ACLANDT.P. MCKENNA - O'CONNORJOHN NORMINGTON - DRESSERRONALD NUNNERY - DAVISSANDRA PAYNE - MRS. ACLANDNEVILLE PHILLIPS - CABINET SECRETARYIAIN RATTRAY - DR. GEORGE BAGSTER PHILLIPSGEORGE SWEENEY - JOHN NETLEYDAVID SWIFT - LORD SALISBURYNORMAN WARWICK - RICHARDSONBRIAN WESKE - PORTERMICHAEL GOTHARD - GEORGE LUSK (UNCREDITED)David Wickes later went on to make a Jekyll and Hyde movie starring Michael Caine, and that is also something you may want to check out.

I enjoyed watching this it was very good .

I am going to start by confessing to a guilty pleasure;- I love this mini series! I recall watching it when it first came out in 1988. I bought it on VHS and now I have it on DVD.Originally, I loved it for the visuals, it looked like it should be 1888. Michael Caine is in imperiously loud form. Lewis Collins smirking half his lines and channeling Bodie for the other half Brilliant stuff. My abiding memory though was the gates opening and the musical cue as the Ripper set off. evil had never felt so cool.Now I have read a lot of books on the subject ( some are brilliant some are atrocious) and know that the prostitutes and even the east end are too clean, the portrayal of George Lusk is down there with Henry Hook in Zulu for sheer misrepresentation. I learned that Abberline was neither the drunkard here portrayed, nor the junkie of the cinematic From Hell Actually he was a slightly dull, ponderous man who was a meticulous and capable detective. I have grown older and wiser, but I still love this show.Why?Well, Michael Caine and Lewis Collins remain an engaging duo shouting, fighting and threatening anyone who gets in their way.Though now I love the way Caine endlessly and pointlessly victimises the Police Surgeon Dr Llewellyn, despite having no evidence to suggest his involvement. Perhaps the only hint of heroic incompetence..Lewis Collins' threat of closing the Star for sedition is a master class in smarmy sneering that just about falls on the right side of scenery chewing. Sir William Gull is a distractingly sweet grandfather figureThe real reason why I still love this though is the epiphany scene where Abberline and Sgt Godley deduce the existence of the coach. It never ceases to crack me up. As a poster boy example of following a logical non-sequitur it cannot be beaten. The idea is that during the so called "Double event" the killer would not have had time to walk between the two crime scenes and find her. Only a coach would have given him sufficient time. On the face of it, the theory makes sense;- the killings were some 40 minutes apart if it is a 10-15 minute walk it is not very long to first find then kill and inflict the seriously horrific wounds to Cathy Eddowes. The problem is that the facts are that the woman was found. The show's theory would only work if Eddowes was deliberately targetted and had to be eliminated in a set time period. This is a claim the show never makes. The entire premise is that the killer is after guinea pigs and neither knows, nor cares, what their names are. He found her in that time because they met each other not because he was hunting her particularly If it had taken the Ripper and extra 20 mins to find another victim then so be it.