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by Jennifer Alpeche Published: May 24, 2002
Inspector Fred Abberline investigates mysterious, precision murders in Victorian England in “From Hell,” a film by Albert and Allen Hughes -- new on DVD. Based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, “From Hell” condenses the novel’s 500-plus pages into a 121-minute mystery. Although the case of Jack the Ripper has gone unsolved, the film explores one theory, one suspect in particular, and even develops a motive for him. With strong performances by Johnny Depp, Ian Holm, and Robbie Coltrane, and Heather Graham playing the survivor, Mary Kelly, the film manages to tell a familiar story, while maintaining the seductive lure of suspense 'til the end. Taking on an investigative approach, the two-disc DVD “From Hell” takes the viewer on a journey into the dark, dank streets of Whitechapel and into the mind of a man gone mad. Featuring a full-length commentary, as well as deleted scenes, Disc One is a treat. The Hughes Brothers, along with screenwriter Rafael Yglesias, cinematographer Peter Deming, and actor Robbie Coltrane, offer commentary for the entire film, helping us see the scenes and characters through their eyes, enabling us to add their vision to our own. A well-done commentary track offers a good deal of insight into the film and "From Hell" achieves this with the filmmakers expounding on the filmmaking process, helping us "see" even though we only "hear" them as director, screenwriter, cinematographer, and actor. We are privy to the conversations, discussions, and debates that went on during filming. Discussions they had with each other and with themselves. We see how carefully planned the film was, how the smallest of details could become an issue and how they all had to be dealt with before moving on. Everything and everyone worked together, making revisions when necessary, improvising at times. As we listen to Rafael Yglesias for instance, explain how he inserted more red herrings than needed, we see how the filmmakers cleverly chose to pull the audience in. How our efforts to solve the mystery were conjoined with that of Abberline and Godley (Johnny Depp and Robbie Coltrane). Insider secrets such as these are shared throughout the track and I believe, improve the film. It certainly helped in my understanding of it. The end of the track takes on a very personal tone as Allen Hughes shares his reaction to making such a lavish film, this being the first “studio film” ever made by Albert or himself. The experience leaves him questioning his future in film-making, and whether or not the vision and style of the Hughes Brothers has a place in Hollywood considering the ever-increasing importance of box-office success. A surgeon's bag opens to reveal beautiful, pristine instruments for us to click. Thus begins Disc Two, which features courses on “Ripperology,” the mind-altering drug, absinthe, and the graphic novel from which “From Hell” was inspired. The disc includes: For me, the best featurette on Disc Two is the graphic novel-to-film comparison, where the filmmakers talk about the comic book, the novel from which it was based, and how “From Hell” was ultimately a coming together of all source material, including past films. We learn how the graphic novel at 500-plus pages was condensed down into a two-hour film, how the point-of-view character was shifted from Jack the Ripper to Abberline, and how the Hughes Brothers took actual images and dialogue from the comic book and transferred them to film – as closely as possible. It is gorgeous seeing the film images overlap the drawings from the novel. “The experience of making the movie was more profitable than the film was…” This quote by Allen Hughes, although about the creative process versus box-office numbers, pretty much sums up my feelings about the DVD. I enjoyed the film very much, but found the DVD features most interesting. We not only learn more about the film and its characters, but also about the filmmaking process, the effort and passion put into this five-year journey. The Hughes Brothers were not so sure we as viewers would be interested in such details, but I'm very glad that they chose to share their thoughts with us in the end. It made for quite the trip. Indeed, I think the next time I watch "From Hell," the very next time, it'll be with the commentary track on. Overall Rating: B for the film, B+ for the DVD. |
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