Jack the Ripper

Maybe it was the black and white film,maybe the ending,don't know,I just liked this version the best so far.For a 50's flick it was bloody,but not as much as later versions.The story plot takes a twist toward the ending giving a different view of the killer and a ending leaving no questions.

Jack the Ripper (1959)

** (out of 4)

Atmospheric and moody version of the infamous serial killer. This isn't quite as good as the version with Klaus Kinski but it remained entertaining throughout. The director does a great job building up the atmosphere of 1888 London but for some strange reason he never pushes the "mystery" surrounding the case. He throws a lot of suspects at us but for some reason he never tries to build up a mystery film as to who the killer is. There's a big twist at the end, which makes one think the film is going to do something with it but it never does. I'm not exactly sure what the filmmakers were going for but the movie still works.

In the 50s and 60s British film producers made 2 versions of their films.One the version that would be shown in UK cinemas and the other for more broadminded tastes the other side of the channel.So about half way through the film in the music hall the dancers have just finished the can can.They go back to their dressing room.They start talking in French ,with English subtitles,and all the dancers are undressed.This goes on for the next 5 minutes or so till the next murder.I have often pondered what happened to the continental versions and here some enterprising soul has cut the relevant scenes into the film.It certainly livens it up as it is not one of the better Ripper films,since it deals with it as a who dunnit.The final scenes with the lift though are the most effective part of the film.

Considering an obviously small budget this film is well written and has an authentic "foggy Victorian look" about it,aided by a complimentary Stanley Black score.It's real merit is the fine character performances especially Euan Solon as a very autocratic hospital surgeon and it is also interesting to see John Le Mesurier far removed from his mild mannered Sargeant Wilson of Dad's Army.The East End/Whitechapel appears to be inhabited by an array of unsavoury characters from music hall impresarios,run of the mill pickpockets and aggressive vigilante thugs.

Still,the plot unwinds at a reasonable pace and the Lee Patterson/Betty McDowell romance doesn't interfere too much with the grizzly goings on in the streets.The final unmasking of Jack is quite unsettling in its brutality,but all the loose ends are nicely tied up with the realisation that due to circumstance(i.e. Jack the Ripper is killed) the true identity of the killer will always be known to the police but not the public.

Well worth a look if you like this genre of film.

Every once in a while one finds a film that is mostly mediocre but has one redeeming feature.

The bright spot of Jack the Ripper is it's beautiful lightning. Some B&W films are just gray when to me the beauty of it is in the strong contrast between light and shadow.

All in all this is a very easy film to like. It is beautifully naive in it's portrayal of it's sex murder topic yet at the same time it succeeds in making a powerful point about lynching mob attitude.

The characters are rather predictable and bland with one exception: the young American policeman visiting London. With his accent and idealism displayed under a greasy fifties Buddy Holly hairstyle (remember that this is a period piece set in the 19th century)he brings a nice cowboy twist to the legend of Jack the Ripper.