Johnny Depp takes on Jack the Ripper with all the Cockney slang he can muster, as "From Hell" hits double disc DVD with some interesting extra features.
TECHNICAL FEATURES
Picture Cor blimey, strike a light, it may be foggy in old London tahn but you can see everything! (That's enough mockney - Ed.) In other words, a stunning transfer of the misty streets of Whitechapel awaits you with detail high, even in the darkest scenes.
Sound The 5.1 sound mix is liable to give your amp the creeps, with grand orchestral sweeps of music studded with dramatic effects, and deliciously unsettling noises for the rear speakers.
DISC ONE SPECIAL FEATURES
Audio Commentary The Hughes brothers weren't keen on doing an audio commentary, but as they've listened to so many on other discs, were compelled to provide one. Comments have also been mixed in from cinematographer Peter Deming, screenwriter Raphael Yglesias, and Robbie Coltrane. The Hughes chat about the long history of the production, while Yglesias proudly admits to putting in as many red herrings as possible into the script. You'll certainly be left in no doubt as to everyone's intentions by this commentary, which also includes Coltrane talking about Johnny Depp's acting style.
Deleted Scenes There are 21 deleted scenes on offer here, most of which run for a couple of minutes. The Hughes add a perfunctory commentary for these.
DISC TWO SPECIAL FEATURES
Victim/Suspect Files With the sheer amount of mythology about Jack the Ripper, it's easy to forget that he really existed. This 30-minute documentary clears that matter up fast through a staggering amount of news drawings of the period, and gruesome early photos of the victims. Stuart P Evans and Donald Rumbelow provide narration that not only forms a mine of fascinating information, but also makes the clear point that this was a brutal sadistic killer who preyed on real, vulnerable victims.
Production Design This 12-minute featurette takes a look at some of the impressive buildings used for interiors in Prague, as well as the contruction of the massive Whitechapel set, which on a cost basis could only have been done in the Czech Republic. There's some good behind-the-scenes footage here of the acting talent at work.
Graphic Novel "From Hell" is based upon a graphic novel of the same name, and this ten-minute featurette takes an in-depth look at what was used, and what was left out. There's also an excellent comparison of the novel's artwork and the scenes of the movie inspired by it.
Absinthe Makes the Heart Grow Fonder Barnaby Conrad - Absinthe aficionado and author of "Absinthe: History in a Bottle" - talks us through the roots of the drink, and his personal encounters with the green fairy. He doesn't reveal if he still drinks five glasses of the stuff in an evening, as he first did, but takes an interesting look at a drink that's apparently worth seeking out in bootleg form.
Tour of the Murder Sites The Hughes Brothers take us on a tour of the impressive Whitechapel set. Now, they may be talking crap for most of the seven minutes this takes, but the set is remarkable in its size, and how good it looks, even when shot on digital video.
A View From Hell Let's call this the featurette from hell. It's another of those HBO efforts, this time introduced by Heather Graham (well she says, "Hi, I'm Heather Gram", but she looks like that blonde actress) in a revolting dress. There are actually some good cast and crew comments here, but the flashy presentation is dreadful. It's only one poor featurette out of six, though, which is still an impressive score for most DVDs.
Region: 2
Chapters: 32
Ratio: 2.35:1 (anamorphic)
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Technical Features: Scene selection, animated menus, multiple language subtitles, and English captions for the hearing impaired.
This DVD was reviewed on a JVC XV-S57 DVD player.
