NappieB

I agree with D Cairns. "From Hell" could have been really good if they'd kept it factual and less sensational. Certainly they should have replaced Johnny Depp with someone more credible like...hmmmm... maybe Roy Marsden (?), showed more fog-wrapped murder locations before/during/after.. and explored and expounded on some theories and not gone off on a tangent about laying and springing a trap for Jack the Ripper.

As an amateur (very amateur!) Ripperologist, I must tell you that I subscribe to neither the Tumblety theory nor the Polish Jew theory.

Torquemada

'Murder By Decree'. Because I believe it to be the truth.

ChristineCB

"Murder By Death" is not? Please don't tell me "Clue" wasn't based on a true story either. Darn... I was almost positive it was Tim Curry...

batman

What about the Ripper Diary and the James Maybrick theory .... I have read both the diary and the follow up book and both are very interesting

"Daddy, why haven't you got any marbles? Did you lose them?"

716Jones

One of my favourite films, due entirely to Mary Steenburgen! That's the one where I fell in love with her. Sad or what?

ChristineCB

I'll bet THE BUTCHER'S WIFE might not have been much of a 'cure' for your crush on Mary. She was pretty great in her singing performances in that one. A bit cartoonishly demure, perhaps, but one of my guilty-pleasure fluff films. It's a film that I love the construction - they get so much accomplished so quickly, with such concise writing and insertion of characters.

Piccadilly

Don't know how close it was to what actually happened but there was a two-part TV series starring Michael Caine that was very involving.

NappieB

I believe this to be the truth too... or at least conceptually the truth - i.e. the murders were not committed by a psycho-wacko serial killer but instead were carefully planned to destroy evidence of indiscretions in the Royal household.

Further, I believe that the killer targeted Mary Kelly from the beginning but made a mistake with the Martha Tabram killing (this is the weak point in my theory - most expert Ripperologists do not believe that Martha was a Ripper victim!)

to continue: The discovery by Jack that Martha was not Mary Kelly, presented him with three problems:

1) The real Mary Kelly was still at large and therefore the danger of a Royal expose` was very real.

2) The real Mary Kelly might well have been spooked by someone asking about her whereabouts just prior to the Marta Tabram murder, and so she might have gone into hiding.

3) If the police connected Jack's earlier search for Mary Kelly with the Tabram murder some embarrassing facts might emerge.

Therefore, to continue with his quest, allay Mary's fears from (2) above and police questioning in (3) above, the Ripper pretends (and does!) go on an orgy of killing in an attempt to create a grand carnival-of-horror style diversion from his true purpose while at the same time managing to pursue his original goal.

Just my amateurish theory... but Barlow and Watt laid the clues bare for all to see, and "Murder By Decree" is probably at least 80% accurate.

There was no woman-hating psychotic involved in the Ripper murders. Hence my dislike of the "Polish Jew", "Maybrick/Ripper Diary" and "Sickert" theories.

dylan

From memory the Barlow and Watt investigation ended with Barlow saying "When the name of the Ripper is finally known, everyone will say *Who?*"

ChristineCB

I'm unconvinced of this "no woman-hating involved" notion. True, he didn't kill ALL women but I noticed a distinct lack of any other sex being killed and mutilated. The decision to kill women comes from somewhere - probably not borne of great respect or fondness, I'd proffer.

I'm always waiting for the next books or documentaries to arrive to re-stir the kettle.

NappieB

"True, he didn't kill ALL women but I noticed a distinct lack of any other sex being killed and mutilated. "

[Sorry, the conventional Quoting method isn't working on my computer.]

Christine - you're missing the point! My theory is that he killed and mutilated the 4 women between Martha Tabram and Mary Kelly simply to disguise the fact that he had a very real target...i.e. Mary Kelly.

Therefore, he was trying to convince everyone that he was indeed a wacko serial killer of women, killing and then dismembering women chosen randomly... in that way he hoped to divert the attention of the police -and everyone else, including his targted victim - that these events occurred spurred solely by his maniacal whims. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.

He has obviously done a good job with that deception, even to this day!!

ChristineCB

Oh, I see that point. And I see the point that men who do hate women are making, too.

How low on your point-total does the film MARY REILLY stand? I have never seen it due to lack of interest, but your point makes me more than idly-curious.

NappieB

Aha! My "Quote" feature is working now!

MARY REILLY was the movie (starring Julia Roberts) about the housemaid to Dr. Jekyll. I thought it was quite a good movie.. an excellent variation on the RLS story and well acted.

Are we talking about the same movie?

716Jones

Can you believe it I've never seen the Butcher's Wife! Thanks for the tip, it's definitely one to look for. (You can tell I still haven't got over her can't you )

D Cairns

Sadly, Bob Clark, director of MURDER BY DECREE, was recently killed by a hit-and-run driver.

Less sadly, there is no real evidence to supprt the Royal ripper theory expressed in that film. No. Real. Evidence.

The Ripper diary is a hoax. There is no way to firmly connect it to the man who is supposed to have written it, and it contains mistakes he would not have made. The books written to "prove" it is genuine are full of ludicrous and bad-faith arguments.

If we look at modern crimes closely comparable to the Ripper murders, we find that they are in fact, the work of woman-hating psychopaths and schizophrenics.