Jack the Ripper (1959) version control

[m35541]

Finally got my act together with this (i posted on it a few weeks ago).

There are three versions of this film:

(a) the UK theatrical print

I've seen this on the BBC. This is post all of the BBFC cuts to the film which were numerous. However, oddly, the UK theatrical print is missing the blood seeping from the floorboards at the end although this cut was not requested by the BBFC (and most of the cuts to the reaction shots of the Ripper about to be crushed were not made). This print is 100% black and white.

(b) The USA print

In the USA an uncut version of the UK version of the film was released. Producer Joseph Levine then tampered with it to:

* change the opening credits slightly (mainly to give himself some credit)
* insert a new music score
* colourise the shot of the blood seeping through the floorboards at the very end.

(c) The Continental print

This was the uncut version of the film with various alternate topless shots of shots that are clothed in the original.

* the scene in the chorus girls' backstage changing room has many of the actresses topless or with their breasts exposed. Note that the scene lasts several minutes.
* when two of the girls (the same actresses as in the UK print) go into a room to entertain two gentlemen one of them gets champagne poured over her chest. In the Continental version her breast gets uncovered when the guy licks the champage off, in the US print her breast remains covered, in the UK theatrical print the shot of licking is missing and soundtrack continuity maintained by a slow motion reaction shot of the other girl
* when the other girl subsequently encounters the Ripper her dress slips revealing her breast in the continental print. A later shot of her corpse also shows her topless. In the USA/UK prints her dress does not slip and the shot of her corpose shows her clothed.

[Mark Meakin]

TCM obviously show an uncut US version.HOWEVER I can confirm the blood was not colorised in their print.

[Mercury]

Sterling work there, M3.

[MarcMorris]

A USA DVD release is coming from Dark Sky. Here is a comparison of my BBC recording and French video release:

JACK THE RIPPER (1958)

The BBC transfer runs 80m 53s (25 fps). The French video runs 81m 41s (25 fps). The French video is dubbed into French. The BBC edition is in English. The French video is letterboxed at the original 1.66 ratio (with a few full-screen shots). The BBC transfer is croped to full-screen, eliminating a little image at the left and right of the frame. The French transfer is also brighter and more detailed.

The French version would appear to be uncut. The BBC transfer is cut in the following places:

1- The French video begins with a 10s logo for Regal Films. This is missing from the BBC print. The BBC print superimposes the words "A Mid-Century Film Production" over the opening shot. This does not appear in the French transfer. Just after this in the BBC print, the words "London 1888" are superimposed over the image. In the French version, the lettering is different, and a dash is added ("London - 1888").

2- 2m 32s in. The first murder has been shortened.

3- 16m 3s. The strangling has been shortened.

3- From 38m 7s to 39m 30s, the scene in the dressing room appears here in alternate clothed takes which eliminate nudity.

4- From 41m 28s to 41m 33s. Nudity has been eliminated from the middle of a shot. A close-up which should appear immediately after this shot has been inserted into the middle of it in order to disguise the cut.

5- From 42m 59s to 43m 9s. An alternate take without nudity appears here as the Ripper talks to one of his victims.

6- From 43m 25s to 43m 28s. An alternate clothed take of a woman's corpse appears here.

7- From 56m 1s to 56m 6s. An alternate take of a woman being stabbed appears here. This substitution, which eliminates the woman's grimace, involves cutting to some blatantly mis-matched footage in the middle of a shot!

8- 70m 40s and 70m 42s. Two cuts have been made to the scene in which the Ripper attacks a woman.

9- 79m 40s. A shot of the Ripper's blood dripping onto the floor has been cut.

A review of Sinister Cinema's tape of JACK THE RIPPER which appears in VIDEO WATCHDOG 3 (p. 13) suggests that Sinister's version (83m at 24 fps) did not include any of the nudity. However, this review mentions that Sinister's transfer contains a "spectacularly lurid finale (complete with color insert)". There is no colour in either of the transfers I have, but I suspect that the shot of the Ripper's blood dripping onto the floor (missing from the BBC edition) was supposed to appear in colour.

(comparison done by Brad Stevens)

[Mark Meakin]

Thanks for that Marc.One more for my growing wants list.Dark Sky have released some interesting films.

[m35541]

A couple of clarifications to Marc's posting:

(a) From 41m 28s to 41m 33s. Nudity has been eliminated from the middle of a shot. A close-up which should appear immediately after this shot has been inserted into the middle of it in order to disguise the cut.

There are actually two versions of the missing shot of champagne being poured over the woman's cleavage - in the French version her breasts are visible, but in the US version she's clothed. However, the BBFC insisted on removing even the clothed shot from the Uk print !!

(b) when the mob mistakenly persues the idiot (mortuary attendnant) I believe some close-ups of knives wielded by the mob have also been removed from the UK print. I will need to re-check this however

[Mark Meakin]

Anymore news about the Dark Sky release anybody ?.