Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder

The titular serial-killer has captivated film-makers and audiences ever since the Silent days: in fact, this was already at least the sixth time – after the 1926, 1932 and 1944 versions of THE LODGER, PANDORA'S BOX from 1929 and 1953's MAN IN THE ATTIC – his vicious exploits were brought to the screen (and countless more would follow)! Other notorious Victorian figures to which the cinema would return time and again are grave-robbers Burke and Hare and their eminent accomplice Dr. Robert Knox: indeed, THE FLESH AND THE FIENDS (which would also see the involvement of Baker and Berman) appeared shortly after this one…and, interestingly enough, both would be released in "Continental Versions" – a brief trend that incorporated entirely gratuitous and often jarringly-inserted nudity intended for more liberal markets, such as France (the copy I acquired of the title under review actually reverts to that language for its three 'alternate' scenes)!

Anyway, the script here (by the late Hammer stalwart Jimmy Sangster) attempts to give a face and a motive to the reputedly methodical perpetrator of these crimes – making him a respectable surgeon deranged by the obsession to seek out and chastise the ex-prostitute apparently responsible for his similarly-gifted but eventually wayward son's suicide; to be fair to it, some of the earlier and later 'Ripper' outings did likewise and their conclusions proved just as simplistic! Nevertheless, Sangster managed to subtly touch upon a number of issues along the way such as female emancipation (and the way it was looked at with suspicion by the male gender), illicit 'after-hours' cabaret activities (and how defenseless young women were practically blackmailed into acquiescing) and also the immediate socio-economic effect of the killings (resulting in deserted streets and a people constantly on edge and distrustful of strangers and authority who find mob violence an efficient outlet for their frustration, with a hunchback and mute morgue attendant – initially a clichéd device – the most convenient scapegoat).

More pragmatically, the finger of guilt seems to be pointing in the direction of John Le Mesurier, a sterling presence in many a classic British comedy but here playing it atypically – albeit effectively – stern (especially given his character's declared aversion to the Police, seedy environments and foreigners, notably Americans: with respect to the latter, let us not forget that the events of 1776 were little more than a hundred years removed from this era and the natural animosity between the two sides had not abated completely).

Incidentally, here we have fictitious support to the manhunt from the United States, with the young cop not only involved in the obligatory romance (as it happens, Le Mesurier's ward and also unwitting sponsor of the Ripper's intended target) but actually solving the case!; however, so as to uphold the established truth of its being an affair still shrouded in mystery, Sangster concocts an improbably bloody demise for the villain.

Despite the obvious low-budget (not helped by the fuzziness of the print on display), the period reconstruction seems fairly authentic – even if such thoroughness, at this stage, did not extend to the murder sequences, which are dealt with too swiftly for them to give an inkling of the adopted clinical approach (that said, the film-makers could have easily worked their way around this hurdle by turning the camera away while keeping the brutal action going in the background!).

The unsolved case of Jack the Ripper was largely exploited by movie industry, this British production sins a little bit when it offers a conclusion of the real killer, nonetheless brings to screen a decent version at Whitechapel's events with many authentic elements from those days, poorly enlightened narrow streets with dense fog from the chimneys, countless pubs, several burlesque theatre that was used as front to exploit prostitution and so on, here the picture expose a Doctor who asking revenge against Mary Clark who was the woman of an easy life and after discovered her past, Doctor's beloved son committed suicide, meanwhile he wandering for those streets looking for her, but ends up killing many women supposedly prostitutes, the Scotland Yard in charge of all enquires was under pressure to solve the case soon as can, the casting are almost unknown, although had a fine performance, anyway a fine movie restored from a copy found in France and insert another music score, on bonus material has many shoots cut off from the original with many nudes scenes, fantastic!!

Resume:

First watch: 2010 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.5

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.

There appear to be two versions of this film so beware. The colourised ending with the blood seeping out seems to have been done especially as a gimmick for the USA market.

In the UK version there is no colorised ending (it's all in black and white) and it also looks as if the ending has suffered from censor cuts.

Hopefully, one day we will see a DVD release with both endings included. All screenings in the UK (on TV) have been of the UK version with the black and white ending.

Those interested in this film may also care to check out A Study In Terror in which Sherlock Holmes tackles Jack the Ripper in a hammer forror-ish style.