MovieChat Forums > From Hell (2001) Discussion > this is the most factually incorrect mov...

this is the most factually incorrect movie ever

posted 16 years ago by tfalc62
57 replies | jump to latest

first of all there was only four deaths. william gull was never proved to be the killer and was not sent to a prison. frederick aberline never loved any of the victims. frederick did not have an opium addiction. frederick did not die as young as his character did in the book he died at age 86. jack the ripper was never found. frederick did not have that much incounter with william gull. even if this is just fictional it was still way over done. the horror was not needed at all. the stupid horror just took away from the plot. although i love johnny depp this has to be one of his worsts because the ending was ridicuos as well.

[–] Dustbowler 14 years ago

Who goes into a mainstream movie expecting 100% historical fact? Crack open a book or watch a documentary.

Who says violence is not the answer?

[–] Blake4014 14 years ago

actually I think it'd be nice if it was more historically accurate. movies dont have to pander to hollywood, sometimes the original story and material is entertaining enough. In this case, it would have been.

[–] Vaggeli 14 years ago

OP, I'll do you one better. The Expendables was based on the U.S. Invasion of Panama.

The film does plenty right. I can shut my ears and pretend Robbie Coltrane is playing Abberline and Johnny Depp is Lees.

There is no such thing as a 'hard PG-13'.

[–] angelexposed 14 years ago

Whether alot of the facts in this movie factually incorrect or not, the point here is that it IS a movie. It doesn't have any actual "warnings" at the beginning of the movie stating that "the story you are about to see is a 100% accurate representation of the events that occurred during the murders of Jack the Ripper".

I'm like alot of you, I've read the police reports, I've seen the pictures (even the SECOND picture of Mary Kelly's murder scene), I've looked at lists of the suspects, read the statements, seen the pictures of Millers Court, etc (god bless www.casebook.org). I noticed the inconsistences, and I noted alot of things to be completely fiction (Abberline's death at 86 years old for example, which by the way, I was the one to add to the trivia section well over a year ago).

Despite the misrepresentation of what REALLY happened during the Ripper case, I wasn't put off the film in the least, I thoroughly enjoyed it (and I did love the "horror" as you put it, it didn't take away from the case for me, it added some actual atmosphere in my opinion).

If we'd had a correct version of this movie, there'd be no conclusion, we'd still be in the dark, Mary Kelly WOULD have been slaughtered, and the film would have been twice as long as we were led through various suspects, supposed witnesses and other detectives involved in the case.

Because it's a film and doesn't claim to be 100% true, it doesn't need to be completely accurate. It's for entertainment purposes. That's all.

[–] teresafannin 14 years ago

Anyone who is a history geek KNOWS before they go to any movie "based on facts" that MOST of the movie will be historically incorrect. I leave my history geek side at the door when I see these types of movies. That way, I can judge the movie on how entertaining it is or isn't.

I enjoyed "From Hell" on a purely film fan basis. The cast was not bad, the cinematography is wonderful & the music sets the appropriate tone. The filmakers totally captured the feel of Victorian London.

[–] PoppyTransfusion 14 years ago

Any conversation about 'facts', when the perpetrator(s) of what are known as 'the Jack the Ripper murders' was/were never caught, are highly suspect. I'm not going to pretend I know lots about it myself, but neither does anyone. A film can exercise 'poetic license' in how it tells a tale and there were many other angles to this besides who was Jack the Ripper. The rudimentary beginnings of forensic practices in criminal investigation, criminal profiling vis a vis the conversations between the alleged perpetrator and detective of the film, the Masons and their role in society, class divisions, the desperations in Victorian society vis a vis addictions and prostitution and so on.

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[–] corek1949 14 years ago

From the title of the thread the author has never seen "Titanic" or "Pearl Harbor" both of which rate as being very inaccurate in fact (and Pearl Harbor in acting as well).

[–] Zero_70 14 years ago

As a few people have pointed out it is from the GRAPHIC NOVEL BY ALAN MOORE! It is not supposed to be totally factual.

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[–] richimorton 14 years ago

Shaddap !

That which does not Kill me makes me Stranger . . .

[–] smittebo 14 years ago

This is a movie loosely based around the Jack the Ripper murders. Set against the ripper murders "backdrop" if you will. And as a-fore-mentioned based on a graphic novel. Only a total moron would go to this expecting it to be a totally factual documentary-level accurate film. I'm an 18 year old high school slacker with no education beyond that and I could see that so what the hell does that say about you??

I liked this movie. I thought it was an interesting spin on the ripper murders. If I wanted accuracy I'd flick on the history channel. In addition, sure, accuracy and and facts has it's place but don't knock a film for taking some creative license and presenting a brand new story based around an historical event. You should try viewing it that way. It's actually entertaining and interesting once you get over yourself and stop being stuffy and closed minded :)

So get the hell over it is my point.

[–] Littlebitsofgaming 14 years ago

It was not meant to be 'factually correct' anyway.
So pointing this out is a compliment and proved the film-makers did a good job.

This is not a documentary on the Ripper murders.
It's a fictional 'horror' film that uses a 'real life' piece of history as it's backdrop/setting.
It's also based on a graphic novel...not actual events.

It's more of a 'what if' senario of a real life crime.

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[–] DennisAlexis 14 years ago

Eh, this movie was never meant to be a documentary or even remotely correct. It's fiction.

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[–] Tommo8540 13 years ago

It's a film dude, it's not meant to be correct lots of it is correct but it's just someone else take on what really happened nobody will ever know what really happened so that's like saying you can't make a film about Jack The Ripper as nobody knows the full story.