Klaus Kinski as a crazed killer- what a shock. Today's Film is Jack the Ripper, a 1976 Film by Jesus Franco. The obvious hook here is Klaus as the killer. It's no SPOILER- the Film shows him right away! Let me ask the obvious question- did we need this Movie? Even in 1976, there were alot of them. Saucy Jack was all over TV and Films in the previous Years. Can this one bring anything new? Well, it is before Time Travel became a key Plot Point, so...we'll see. To see if we needed another one, read on...
This shot is so good that it is on my DVD's Cover, apparently.
In a nice little twist, the killer has a helper.
Unfortunately, they drag the body past a rare plant, setting up a Plot Point for later.
Jack is actually Dr. Orloff and he treats some patients. If you think that this guy being a Patient and later having him talk to the Police about Suspects is important, you're right.
Do you write Screenplays?
One of the Detectives working the case has his own Subplot...
His Girlfriend is a Dancer and there's conflict over him being overly-protective. of her. He's also a bit controlling, but trying to work on it.
Will this come into play later?
Kinski's Doctor/Jack is conflicted due to this past. He's also a bit crazy.
So here's the thing: the Film was shot without sound, making the dubbing for distribution later quite easy.
I mention this because the English Dubbing literally explains his problem. F@#k subtext!
A key piece of evidence- circumstantial as it is- involves the blind man recognizing a rare plant smell on the Doctor.
Will this be the key to finding Kinski?
The girlfriend/dancer goes undercover as a Burlesque Dancer to lure out 'Jack' and it works.
Less effective- the lighting on this DVD Transfer.
Kinski finally snaps and tries to kill the woman, but the Police arrive to stop him.
He hides from them...
...and then comes out like nothing happened.
They say that he's under arrest, but sarcastically wishes them good luck in proving it. The Film just kind of stops there, so...um, the End.
A pretty nothing Film, even if it tries to do something. The whole idea here is to focus less on the mystery and more on the man. Kinski is good here, even if his performance is hampered by the fact that he's 100% dubbed. It's hard to say how good he is when a good half of his performance was done by someone else, no? His motivations aren't that interesting. His Mom was a Prostitute and he hated her, so...he became a Doctor that killed them? Nothing all that exciting or unique, no? The other aspect involving the woman going undercover is alright, but is not a big hook here either. Considering that she doesn't actually stop him is what kills it for me. She just becomes another victim- who does survive, at least- so what does it gain us? All of the peripheral ideas- like this and the blind guy helper- don't add up to enough to make this Jack the Ripper Film feel fresh or unique. Just make him an Alien already or count me out! Another quick note- make your fake blood look less like primer too...
Next time, a famous French Film finally gets its due. If you're so Lost, maybe don't live in the middle of the Sea. Stay tuned...
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