From Hell (2001)

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General		Extras
Category	Horror	Menu Audio Audio Commentary-Albert Hughes, Rafael Ygiesias, Peter Deming,Robbie Coltrane Deleted Scenes-20 +/- audio commentary Featurette-Victim/Suspect Files Featurette-Production Design Featurette-Tour Of The Murder Sites Featurette-Graphic Novel Featurette-Absinthe Makes The Heart Grow Fonder Featurette-A View From Hell
Rating
Year Of Production	2001
Running Time	117:21
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL (66:09) Dual Disc Set	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	2,4	Directed By	The Hughes Brothers
Studio Distributor	Twentieth Century Fox	Starring	Johnny Depp Heather Graham Ian Holm Robbie Coltrane
Case	?
RPI	$44.95	Music	Trevor Jones

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (384Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (96Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	Croatian Czech Danish English for the Hearing Impaired Finnish Hebrew Hungarian Icelandic Norwegian Polish Portuguese Swedish Turkish	Smoking	Yes, Including opium somking.
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    While the graphic novel on which the film was based (also titled From Hell) is a look at the descent into madness of the Ripper himself, the Hughes' bothers decided that having the Ripper as the central character would not work for a film. Instead, the story concentrates on the man assigned to solve the murders - Inspector Fred Abberline (Johnny Depp). Abberline is a troubled man who is still trying to get over the loss of his wife, more often than not in an opium den. Luckily for Abberline, his assistant, and good friend, Peter Godley (Robbie Coltrane) is prepared to drag him out of the dens and onto a case. This time, however, he is put on a case that is more difficult than any he has previously encountered. Women, prostitutes all, are being murdered in the streets of the grimy Whitechapple district of inner-London, and it is going to take someone of Abberline's skill - and talents (he has prophetic dreams) - to solve these murders. As he pursues the case, Abberline finds himself becoming attracted to one of the women who seems to be a target of the Ripper. Can he figure out who the Ripper is in time to save Mary Kelly (Heather Graham), or will he find himself grieving another lost loved one?

    Overall, the story, and the plot, are solid and more than serviceable, but the real strength of From Hell is in its visuals. The Hughes' brothers have crafted a stylish and atmospheric film that is at once impressive to watch, and sufficient to move the audience to late 19th century London. Cinematographer Peter Deming should also gain some of the credit here, as much of the style of this film is attributable to the lighting which is moody and very well suited to the other aspects of the film. Many of the scenes here have obviously been inspired by the graphic novel, and it shows.

    The performances, with the exception of Heather Graham, are all outstanding. Johnny Depp has played this type of role many times before and slips effortlessly into the Abberline guise. Robbie Coltrane is always enjoyable, and this time he delivers a very strong supporting role as Abberline's offsider, managing just the right level of affection and diffidence, while Ian Holm is excellent as a royal surgeon Abberline brings in to aid in the investigation. The problem with Heather Graham is not so much her acting - it is competent, if not to the same standard as her fellow cast members - but the fact that her casting as a London street-walker is just way off. These women were driven to their occupation by desperation and lack of any choice, but Graham plays the role in an almost light-hearted manner, and it simply does not ring true.

    This is the second time I have reviewed this film on DVD, having previously looked at the rental version. From Hell is a film that holds up well to repeated viewings. This is compounded by the nature of the film, being such an astounding visual experience. While the straightforward storyline leaves little new to be found in the narrative, the look of the film is reward enough to revisit From Hell. It is not unlike looking on an amazing view many times - while the actual view does not change, each time it is just as good.

Video

    Presented in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1, this transfer is 16x9 enhanced.

    The first noticeable improvement from the rental transfer is that this transfer is a little sharper. Overall, it is not an enormous difference, but it does make quite an impact. The sharpness is very good, highlighting all necessary detail without ever becoming too sharp. There are a few instances of grain, such as on the sky at 30:36, but they are few and far between, and even the most obvious are quite minimal. Shadow detail is likewise excellent, and in a movie as dark as From Hell that is very important. There is no low-level noise present in this transfer.

    Colour is probably the most important area for From Hell and again there is an improvement in this transfer from that of the rental. The colours are rich and vibrant and really help to bring out the brooding, gothic atmosphere of the production - and for a production that is all about atmosphere, proper representation is a vital ingredient.

    The final improvement over the rental transfer is in the compression of the film itself. While the rental just looked as if it had been squeezed a little too much to fit onto a single layer, this transfer has no such problems, being much clearer for it. Additionally, the many smoky and foggy scenes are rendered without any difficulty.

    The largest problem with the transfer is aliasing. It is quite consistent, and the increase in clarity and sharpness over the rental has lead to an increase in the aliasing. There are many instances of obvious aliasing, and some such as on the stairs of the royal gallery from 64:54 to 65:07 (the worst instance from the rental transfer), cause almost the entire screen to break out into shimmering and detract quite substantially from the viewing experience. Film artefacts are another problem. While there are no large artefacts, the frequency of them, and the fact that they tend to be white artefacts in such a dark film, means that they do become annoying.

    Subtitles are close to word-for-word accurate, are well paced, and easy to read.

    This is an RSDL formatted disc with the layer change occurring in Chapter 18 at 66:09. It occurs on a static screen, but the break in the soundtrack does still announce its presence.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    There are only two audio tracks present on this disc, being the original English dialogue in Dolby Digital 5.1 (at 384 Kbps), and an audio commentary track in Dolby Digital 2.0 surround (at 96 Kbps).

    Dialogue is clear and easy to hear at all times. Some of the Cockney accents can be difficult to interpret (the subtitles set me straight about some lines of dialogue I had not heard correctly), but that is not the fault of the transfer. Audio sync is not a problem at all.

    The score is provided by Trevor Jones and is a mix of gothic classical stylings and "techno/ambient" instrumentals. It is an extremely effective mix, and works very well to raise the tension. The effect of an almost constant bass rumble is quite pronounced, as it effectively produces a claustrophobic and brooding atmosphere.

    The surround channels are used extremely aggressively throughout the movie to carry ambient sounds, effects sounds, and directional sounds. It is one of the most consistently active surround soundtracks produced, and is again used to good effect to create tension and immerse the listener in the movie's world.

    The subwoofer, like the surround channels, is used aggressively and often to back both effects and music. There are many instances of extremely deep bass that will cause windows to rattle and chairs to shudder. This is one soundtrack that really begs to be turned up and experienced.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Menu

Disc 1

Audio Commentary - Albert and Allen Hughes (Directors), Rafael Yglesias (Screenwriter), Peter Deming (Cinematographer), Robbie Coltrane (Actor)

Deleted Scenes (22:54)

Disc 2

Featurette - Victim/Suspect Files (29:33)

Featurette - Production Design (11:23)

Featurette - Graphic Novel (9:39)

Featurette - Absinthe Makes The Heart Grow Fonder (9:33)

Featurette - Tour of the Murder Sites (7:29)

Featurette - A View From Hell (13:56)

• DTS 5.1 half bitrate audio track
• 448 Kbps Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack
• Branching footage in victim documentary
• Theatrical Trailer
• Trailer for Unfaithful
• Animated Menus

• Multi-lingual subtitles

    The video quality is very good, being better than the rental transfer, but still not without problems, especially aliasing.

    The audio quality is also very good, providing an extremely active and immersive soundtrack.

    The extras are both extensive and well thought out. They cover the back story of Jack the Ripper, the making of the film, and go further still, making for a very interesting exploration of both the film, the story, and the world of the story.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall