Jack the Ripper Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Jack the Ripper Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 10, 2017

David Wickes' "Jack the Ripper" (1988) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British label Network Releasing. The supplemental features on the disc include a collection of original production stills; archival footage from the shooting of Barry Foster's version; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Inspector Frederick Abberline

London, 1888. Inspector Frederick Abberline (Michael Caine, Ashanti, The Quiet American), a middle-aged man with a serious drinking problem, is asked to solve a series of killings in Whitechapel. The victims are all prostitutes whose bodies are seriously mutilated.

Assisted by Sergeant George Godley (Lewis Collins, Who Dares Wins, TV's The Professionals), Abberline begins looking for suspects. The first man that could have committed the murders is the American actor Richard Mansfield (Armand Assante, Striptease, Hoffa), who is incredibly convincing when he plays Jekyll and Hyde and loves London’s brothels. The second suspect is the esteemed fortuneteller Robert James Lees (Ken Bones, Split Second, Cutthroat Island), who describes some of the victims to Abberiline, supposedly without ever having met them, with impressive accuracy. The third man is Dr. Theodore Acland (Richard Morant, On the Third Day), the son-in-law of Sir William Gull (Ray McAnally, The Mission, My Left Foot), a famous medical practitioner and Physician-in-Ordinary to Queen Victoria.

While Abberline and Godley try to understand the motive behind the murders, the killer strikes again. People in Whitechapel begin rioting and later on large vigilante groups attack the police. The concerned Prime Minister meets the Chief of Police and demands that the killer, who everyone already refers to as Jack the Ripper, is identified as quickly as possible.

Things become even more complicated when Abberline and Godley are told that Prince Albert Victor, Queen Victoria’s grandson, has been seen attending the brothels in Whitechapel.

David Wickes’ 1988 miniseries seem to be a step above the various films and TV productions that have been made during the years about the infamous Jack the Ripper. They are brilliantly scripted, very atmospheric, and well acted.

Admittedly, however, they are, like every other film about Jack the Ripper, easy to dismiss -- as there are so many other theories about the identity of the killer that make as much sense as the one presented by Wickes. For example, last year Spanish writer and handwriting expert Jose Luis Abad published a book titled Jack the Ripper: The Most Intelligent Murderer in History in which he claims that there is sufficient evidence to believe that the man who committed the murders in Whitechapel was in fact the same man who was in charge with their investigation, Inspector Abberline, whose handwriting apparently matches that in the Jack the Ripper’s diary (the controversial diary was discovered in a house in Liverpool in 1992).

Flawed or not, Wickes’ miniseries are enormously entertaining. Caine and Collins are very convincing as the representatives of the law who begin chasing a madman on the dirty streets of Victorian East London. Assante is also excellent as the eccentric American actor. Bones does not disappoint either, though there are a couple of scenes where he goes overboard with his visions.

Cinematographer Alan Hume’s (Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi) lensing and John Blezard’s (Nijinsky) production designs are first-class. When Jack the Ripper goes out to kill, some of the visuals are seriously scary. There is one specific sequence where his big black carriage slowly comes out of the dark and then stops in front of a large house that always makes my skin crawl.

Note: In 1989, Jack the Ripper won Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV (Michael Caine).

Jack the Ripper Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33: and 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, David Wickes' Jack the Ripper arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Network Releasing.

The following technical information is provided with this release:

"Jack the Ripper has been ARRI-scanned to 2K resolution from the 35mm original negatives and the two-part original broadcast version has restored in its correct aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The restoration involved automated and manual removal of film defects, correction of any major damage and instability, and the image has been grain managed and fully color graded. In addition to the TV version, both parts have been edited together and re-framed from the 2K scans for 16:9, allowing the viewer to experience Jack the Ripper as a full-length feature film.

The magnetic three-track master was transferred and each channel (dialogue, music and effects) restored and then re-combined to produce a new mono mix. The restored DME was then used to create a brand new 5.1 surround mix.

Network restoration producer: Mark Stanborough.
Picture restoration: Anthony Badger.
Colorist: Ray King.
5.1 surround mix: Dan De Pasquale.
Transfer facility: MXI, Acton.
Audio facility: Sony DADC."

The difference in quality between this new release and the German release we reviewed in 2012 is beyond dramatic, though I am not at all surprised because the previous release was sourced from an upscaled standard definition master of some sort. I viewed the 1.33:1 version and I could see the massive improvements in terms of terms of depth, clarity and fluidity practically everywhere. In fact, I would like to specifically mention that there are entire segments where now it is actually easy to see objects and nuances that are lost on the previous release (see screencaptures #2 and 3). The color scheme is also superior. The primaries are healthy and solid and there are plenty of nuances; during the darker/nighttime footage shadow definition is also vastly superior. In other words, the 2K restoration essentially brings back the native qualities of the production and actually makes it possible to enjoy its unique period style. There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections, but with some minor encoding optimizations the end result would have been even more impressive. Image stability is terrific. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Jack the Ripper Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the entire production.

The audio restoration is just as impressive. I used the 2.0 track and have to say that it exceeded my expectations. John Cameron's score has a very important role and the depth, nuanced dynamics, and fluidity are now simply exceptional. I also tested a couple of sequences with the 5.1 track and can confirm that there is definitely a noticeable difference. When the black carriage, for instance, appears the sound is expanded really well. So, definitely experiment and see which lossless track you like better.

Jack the Ripper Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One

• Original Version - the original 1.33:1 version of Jack the Ripper is presented here.

• Image Gallery - a collection of original production stills. (2 min).

• Rushes - Barry Foster Version - Jack the Ripper was original planned as a Thames Television videotaped drama starring Van der Valk star Barry Foster as Abberline. This was canceled part-way through recording when American co-funding became available for a bigger budget production. The raw studio recordings are all that remain of the original version. (Description provided by Network). In English, not subtitled. (22 min).

Disc Two

• Widescreen Version - the re-framed in 1.78:1 version of Jack the Ripper is presented here.

Jack the Ripper Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Network Releasing's new release of David Wickes' Jack the Ripper is quite the revelation. It comes a couple of years after the atrocious German release from WVG Medien, but it is sourced from a lovey new 2K restoration that was commissioned and completed by the British label. Honestly, I could not be happier with the end result because the quality of the presentation is every bit as impressive as that of the restored The Professionals. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.