2 things that get on my nerves in this movie.... (SPOILERS, obviously) - From Hell (2001) Discussion

[–] There_Is_No_Sayid 14 years ago

WRT the second question, that's basically the case. In the book it's implied that he's a government driver but the real Netley seems to have been an independent hackney driver. It may have been that Netley WAS a favored carriage driver for royals and their circle when they went slumming.

"Unless Alpert's covered in bacon grease, I don't think Hugo can track anything."

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[–] cookiela2001 14 years ago

<< the real Netley seems to have been an independent hackney driver. It may have been that Netley WAS a favored carriage driver for royals and their circle when they went slumming. >>

I imagine most of these debauched jaunts were impulsive, so if that were the case, I wonder how they'd contact him. It's not like they had cell phones back then to reach the driver out in the field. And even sending an errand boy to look for him would create one more witness who could be questioned some day.

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[–] jh66 14 years ago

They would know where and how to find Netley.

http://englistory.darkbb.com

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[–] cookiela2001 14 years ago

<< They would know where and how to find Netley. >>

But doesn't he have any other jobs to do? Even if he's just catering to slumming royals, how do they know all their schedules won't collide? Presumably, he's out driving about London and beyond for jobs...and he doesn't just drop these people off, he waits outside until they want to go home.

It's just kind of jarring and off, on the surface. And it never gets explained.

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[–] jh66 14 years ago

Cookie, maybe we're led to believe that he only works specific regions of Whitechapel? The powers that be had their intelligence to find anyone- the Special Branch and the Commissioner?

Also, if you remember, Netley was occasionally seen parked up waiting for a fare? Maybe he was known to people for being in certain areas at certain times?

http://englistory.darkbb.com

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[–] cookiela2001 14 years ago

I guess so.

There are several scenes of this actor's that were cut from the finished film. Maybe some more details about how his jobs work are in those scenes.

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[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] bladou20 13 years ago

I was going to add split personality as well. The eyes were a bit over the top, but by that point I realized the film was going a good bit away from the actual facts of the case and not much would have surprised me.

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[–] CaptainClaudius9 10 years ago

1.) Why does the Ripper speak to his driver in that hushed, throaty voice in all their scenes together? It's not like he has to disguise his voice for his EMPLOYEE....it's obviously a device to keep the audience from knowing the Ripper's identity till the end.

I think the voice is meant to symbolize that Dr. Gull has undergone some kind of mystical transformation into something else that is so different than who he is normally that his entire being is something else.

This was probably done to tie into the philosophical and mystical theme of the graphic novel. Gull wasn't just an ordinary killer, he something else entirely. What's interesting is that in the graphic novel Dr. Gull talks normally to Netley and treats him as an equal in a sacred mission. In the film Netley is portrayed as a dumb goon, which I thought was an unnecessary change.

2.) Why is his driver also employed by Prince Albert? (Don't we see him picking him up or dropping him off from his mistress/wife's apartment?) Does he run some kind of taxi service for aristocrats walking on the wild side??

Netley is a coachman to the royal family and he probably keeps that job because he is loyal. He can drive Prince Albert around and keep quiet about it and he can drive Dr. Gull around and keep quiet about that. He also has value as knows the Whitechapel area well enough to know where to take Prince Albert to find women.

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