From Hell

[paulvonscott]

Saw the movie just this week, looked great, fine cast, okay story, some nice touches.  Not a movie I'd rush to see again though.

For people who've read the graphoc novel and seen the film, what would you give each out of ten?  probably a six for the movie from me.  I never read the graphic novel so I wouldn't know about that.  

Incidentally I still need issue 7, before I can read my issues of from Hell, as I want to read it in one go.  I've had these for about ten yaars now, what a nightmare.  Has anyone got an Issue 7 spare they want to seel, or want to swap the comics 1-6,8-10 for the graphic novel?

Having just read League of Ext-Ord. Gents volume 1, I'm suddenly enthused by Mr Moore again.

Cheers

PVS

[plastikman]

PVS to respond to your posting - without really responding, if you know what i mean...

I can't get enough of Alan Moore - the first of his that i read was Watchmen and it just didn't agree with me at all. That was a few years ago and stumped my re-emerging interest in comics.

Recently having started reading 2000 again i started looking for Graphic novels and picked up Top Ten (which is awesome), V (as i mentioned in my other post) and i've noticed that he also wrote Killing Joke - is there no end to this man's talent?

Something is stopping me from buying "From Hell" - don't know what, maybe I'll give it a go.

plastikbore.  

[satchmo]

I love the From Hell graphic novel,the research Alan Moore an Eddie Campbell put into it is astonishing.Its a fantastic book,and you'll come away from it thinking you know everything there is to know about saucy jack.
The film on the other hand,they haven't done a bad job,but it felt a little bit superficial to me,possibly not as good as that tv version with Michael Caine.
scores on the doors?
comic 9/10
film  6/10

[Buddy]

Just so every body knows ALAN MOORE IS UNPARALED IN THE FIELD OF COMICS.. I hav'nt read FROM HELL (partly because I don't really like Eddie Campbell's artwork... looks a bit like a child with a burnt stick... but I intend on reading it).

Watchmen...Killing Joke...V for Vendetta...Swamp Thing... no one has made such a mark on myself, regarding comics, more than he. I usually favour artists (Bolland, McMahon, Miller, Adams (Neil and Arther), Gibson, Gibbons, Esquerra, McCarthy, Riot, Seal, Rotima, Kirby, Ditko, Quietly, Shelton, Bagge, Munoz, Totlebean, Bizley, Fabry, Ronald oh my... the list goes on.....) but writers I could name on one hand. Moore is top of the list. No question.

Link: http://www.ximoc.co.uk" target="_blank">http://www.ximoc.co.uk

[Tu-plang]

Alan Moore's From Hell was bloody fantastic.  I really didn't know much about Jack before this bu it just feels like you've had the whole story after you've read it.  It all fits and is a fucking great story while it's at it.  The movie wasn't half as good mind.  It seemed false, cause they needed to steer it too far from the truth to make a good movie of it.  It would have done so much better in my mind as a TV mini-series.  But I think that was done in the eighties with Michael Cane, wasn't it?

[Trout]

Comic ten out of ten; film seven out of ten.

But then I'm a generous soul.

I almost read some script thing that was in the fan fiction.

MikeD, trout and about

[wrighty47]

The From Hell GN is unparralled in the field of comics as an example of how good the medium can be. Superbly researched account of a familiar story that is almost common knowledge. Educational, thought provoking *and* entertaining. 10/10

The movie was quite good. Dumbed down for a less attentive audience. Features some good performances (Robbie Coltrane, Katrine Cartlidge) and some poor (Johhn Depp is Dick Van Dyke). Misses out too much from the book to be considered important. 7/10


Alan!

[Adrian Bamforth]

Funnily enough I saw watched the movie on Thursday.

Fine movie, about as good as could be done within the constraints of Hollywood and the way it insists on doing things.

The most impressive thing was that the main themes of the book (magic, madness, masonry etc) were included, be it in briefly (i.e whole chapters condensed into a few lines), though I wouldn't fancy sitting through a 10-hour film either.

W.G was a shadow of his character in the book, basically because of their decision to make it a traditional whodunnit, again a hollywood decision.

Heather Graham was a bit ropey and the love story unconvincing enough to be hardly worth it. Robbie Coltrane annoyed me a bit, he didn't really serve any function other than giving Depp someone to chat to (keeping the character of Leas would have been better) and he looked like  Cracker waiting to take over the case.

However, my real complaint is the pointless change to recorded fact at the end of the film. Why on earth have Kelly survive when it hardly made for a happy ending when they went and killed off Abberline. And even without Abberline's death, someone was still killed. Should have kept to recorded facts, then ended with the young Alice in Ireland, the survivor of the story. It was clearly bowing to the need for a twist, yet when it came it seemed rather pointless.

ADE

Link: www.adrianbamforth.co.uk

[christophe]

SPOILER



Dear Adrian,

The graphic novel also has mary kelly safe in Ireland at the end, so the film does not make a change with this. In reality it is possible Jack the Ripper got the correct address but the wrong woman. A small chance, but possible.

I don't remember the girl from bruxelles in the book, but there was another woman in Kelly's room in the GN.

I give the GN 9/10 and the film 7/10. It looked well (especially the beautiful Heather Graham) but was not dramatic. Good performance from all lead actors also, especially Depp and Graham.

C.

[Adrian Bamforth]

"The graphic novel also has mary kelly safe in Ireland at the end"

Oh yeah, so she did - how embarassing. I either forgot as I haven't read if for some time, or didn't notice, I wouldn't put it past myself. I I just assumed Alan kept to the accepted wisdom on that one. Also, I checked the appendix after seeing the film and the notes are written as if it was Kelly who was killed - it's left deliberately ambiguous so as not to spoil it for the reader

As I say, I haven't read the thing for ages, though flicking through it I wonder why Moore wrote it to be someone else - I can't find anything about it being in anyone's written theories, or accounts of Kelly in later life.

ADE

Link: www.adrianbamforth.co.uk

[paulvonscott]

Having just finished From Hell the graphic work of messrs Moor and Campbell it scores a palable nine on my sensibilities.

No doubt I shall traverse the myriad appendices fully on subsequent visits to the haunting blood-soaked streets of Hell.

Was it worth a ten year frustrating wait, ten years of books lying in the dark unread?  I'd have to say yes, yes it was.

But I'd better let my nerves rest awhile before I begin on Top Ten.  Current reports indicate that excessive literary consumption of Moore may result in numerous nervous complaints...

[Permand]

I got the GN last year, and it was a stunning yet hard read. I had the feeling when I flipped through it, that I wasn't going to like it. Boy, was I wrong.

From Hell is probably one of the best comics out there. 10 out of 10, no question. And the artwork, fantastic.

The movie disappointed me, though it looked good and Depp and especially Iain Holm was great. 6 out of 10. The depth of the novel was only scratches in here, but what can you expect?

Per

[Dominic O'Rourke]

Paul, which publication of the single issues do you have? Kitchen Press? if they are first editions (you can check on the publishers info page)I'd swap my GN in a flash!

But be wary of people like me, the Kitchen Sink books are v collectable.

[paulvonscott]

Most are first editions, some aren't.  Issue two is a bit worn.  I hate having lots of comics, I just like graphic novels, so I would be interested if the GN was as new.  If you are getting the better deal by a long way, you can pay the postage costs involved, otherwise I'm up for a straight swap.  Cheers.

[Oddboy]

All this talk has got me drooling at the prospect of reading it... I enjoyed the film & I knew it was a comic adaptation but I never realized before that it was Alan Moore!

Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0861661419/ref=sr_aps_books_1_1/026-9594400-9285252" target="_blank">From Hell (Amazon)