Label: Severin Films
Region Code: Region-FREE
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 81 Minutes & 85 Minutes
Audio: English LPCM 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles (British Version Only)
Video: 1080p HD Full Frame (1.33:1) & Widescreen (1.66:1)
Directors: Robert S. Baker & Monty Berman
Cast: Lee Patterson, Eddie Byrne, Betty McDowall, Ewen Solon, John Le Mesurier, George Rose
Synopsis: In 1959, legendary showman Joseph E. Levine unleashed this grisly UK thriller on American moviegoers. But when audiences were horrified by the film’s startling violence, graphic nudity and bloody Technicolor climax, it became one of Levine’s most notorious failures. Today – in its notorious UK cut and the American version with a brassy new score – it remains among the most underappreciated and provocative shockers of its time. Eddie Byrne (THE MUMMY), Lee Patterson (TV’s SURFSIDE 6) and John Le Mesurier (DAD’S ARMY) star in this lurid classic produced/directed by Robert S. Baker & Monty Berman (BLOOD OF THE VAMPIRE) and written by Hammer Films’ legendary Jimmy Sangster (THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, HORROR OF DRACULA) that FilmFracture.com calls “the perfect combination of murder mystery and horror film with just the right amount of lovely ladies!”
British ripper-thriller Jack The Ripper (1959) is set in the year 1888 when the notorious Victorian killer of prostitutes was stalking the streets of London's East End, causing quite a panic. On the case is Scotland Yard’ Inspector O'Neill (Eddie Byrne, Island of Terror) who teams-up with a visiting New York City detective Sam Lowry (Lee Patterson, Chanto's Land). The first viable clue in the case comes when surgeon Sir David Rogers (Ewen Solon, The Curse of the Werewolf) theorizes after viewing one of the corpses that the wounds inflicted on the victim seem to have a surgical precision, indicating that the culprit could be someone in the surgical profession. Suspects come by way of Dr. Tranter (John Le Mesurier, The Hound of the Baskervilles), and others in the medical profession, including Dr. Urquhart (Garard Green, The Crawling Eye) a his hunchbacked assistant Benz (Endre Muller). We also have a love interest for one of the inspectors by way of Ann Ford (Betty McDowall, The Omen), whose charity work in the community makes her privy to the driving force of the killer, making her a likely candidate for murder!
Like ripper films both before and after it this entry offers a theory about the identity of the infamous killer, with moonlighting Hammer Films screenwriter Jimmy Sangster (Horror of Dracula) going for a more personal STD-trauma angle involving the killer looking for a particular woman, with each murder preceded by the killer approaching prostitutes and invoking the recurring phrase "are you Mary Kelly?" in a croaky voice before stabbing them with his scalpel.
The violence of this early British film is strong stuff for it's vintage but mighty tame by modern standards, but it's still a fun watch with the killer wearing a cape and top-hat while stalking the streets of fog-shrouded London, it certainly sets a tone with a bit of cheap atmosphere. Notably the U.S. version includes scenes originally censored by the British Board of Film Censors, including a technicolor splash of frothy crimson that brought a smile to my face, even though the scene loses some of it's visceral punch with the frothy blood coming up through the floorboards of an elevator looking a bit rusty-brown due to fading of the print.
The violence on display must have been eyebrow raising for audiences of the era, including a fevered finale that has the culprit being crushed to death in an elevator shaft, making this Ripper film a good early entry, notable for it's unique take on the killer's motives, even if lacks gore and nudity, but it still offers some good suspense and fog-shrouded old school London atmosphere.
Audio/Video: Jack the Ripper arrives on Blu-ray from Severin Films presenting two versions of the film on one disc. We have the shorter 82-minute British version presented in 1080p HD cropped full frame 1.33:1. This version is sourced from a 2005 HD telecine as the original elements for the film have long been considered lost. The other version is the longer running 85-minute US version which is sourced from a 35mm release print of the film on loan from the Library of Congress, presenting the film in the original 1.66:1 widescreen aspect ratio with a Paramount Pictures logo at the opening as they distributed the film in the domestically. This widescreen US version was my preferred viewing option, though it is well-worn with a constant barrage of dirt, debris, vertical lines, staining, speckling and scratches throughout. The contrast is also poor throughout, but I found it quite watchable, and preferable to the British version which is cropped. Neither version is anywhere near HD perfection, with the U.S. looking like a raw scan of the release print without much if any real restoration being applied to it. This is pure preservation of an obscure ripper film, not really a restoration, so if you're looking for something spiffy-looking you might be a bit disappointed by the grindhouse style presentation, but I'm pleased to see it get a wide release in HD.
Both versions of the film are presented in lossless English PCM 2.0, with optional English subtitles for the British version only. There's plenty of distortion, crackle and pops to contend with throughout, but the like the video it is never less than watchable. The British version is cleaner sounding, and notably features a different score than the U.S. version, a moody composition from Stanley Black (War Gods of the Deep), the US version was re-scored by TV composers Jimmy McHugh and Pete Rugolo who give it a very brassy re-imagining.
Extras come by way of an archival 2005 audio commentary from Co-Director/Co-Producer/Co-Cinematographer Robert S. Baker, Screenwriter Jimmy Sangster, Assistant Director Peter Manley, Moderated By British Horror Historian Marcus Hearn. It's a solid commentary with Hearn talking about the historical murders and Baker chiming in about his influences and Sangster speaks about his way of writing for dramatic effect more so than aiming for true historical accuracy.
There's also 11-minute of alternate and extended continental takes used for a French version of the film. The footage is full-frame and of even poorer quality, containing bawdier scenes of nudity and extended murder sequences not scene in the US or UK versions.
We also an 11-min interview with Denis Meikle, Author of “Jack The Ripper: The Murders And The Movies”, who speaks about the real-life origins of the story and the various movie adaptations based on the Ripper story, with plenty of production notes about this particular film. There's also a 14-minute discussion of the real murders with Ripper historian/author Richard Jones who speaks and the effects the real murders had on the city at the time, complete with historical photos and crime scene sketches, while touring the real-life murder scenes on the streets of London.
Extras are buttoned-up with a rough-looking/sounding 2-min trailer for the film and an image gallery of release posters, press books and lobby cards.
The single-disc release comes housed in a black Blu-ray keepcase with a one-sided sleeve of artwork that's very striking, a black and white image on a red background with yellow lettering. The same key art is also used as the disc artwork.
Special Features:
- British Version (82 min) HD
- US Version (85 min) HD
- Audio Commentary With Co-Director/Co-Producer/Co-Cinematographer Robert S. Baker, Screenwriter Jimmy Sangster, Assistant Director Peter Manley, Moderated By British Horror Historian Marcus Hearn
- Alternate Continental Takes (11 min)
- Interview With Denis Meikle, Author of “Jack The Ripper: The Murders And The Movies” (11 min) HD
- The Real Jack the Ripper Featurette (14 min) HD
- Theatrical Trailer (2 min) HD
- Poster & Still Gallery (4 min) HD
Jack The Ripper (1959) is a bit dry by modern standards in regard to bloodshed and nudity, but it is nonetheless a decent ripper entry that offers a unique motive for the culprit. This is by no means my favorite ripper film, but it is an entertaining slice of vintage British horror, with Severin's release offering two versions of the film, spotty though the presentations might be, plus a wealth of extras that dig into both the historical and cinematic context of the film, good stuff.
