A Tale of the Batman Gotham by Gaslight

I have recently read Gotham by Gaslight which tells the tale of Batman. However, in this story there is a twist, as Jack the Ripper has arrived in Gotham City, the murders in Gotham seem to resemble Jack the Rippers murders. There are suspects in the comic like Bruce who has been sentenced to be hung, but Bruce escapes. Batman interrupts just as the Ripper is about to murder his next victim which reminds me off when Israel Schwartz interrupted the Ripper whilst he was murdering a victim. It is revealed that Jacob Packer is the Ripper. Packer has gone mad, ever since Bruce's mother, Martha, laughed at him after he told her he loved her and he has been killing women who resemble Martha to silence the laughter he hears in his head. This shows that he is mentally ill, it was thought that Jack the Ripper was also mentally ill.
The letter in the introduction tells the reader about the murders, the dates of the murders, the suspects and about Jack the Ripper, though the letter seems like it was written by Jack the Ripper "Some said I was a doctor, a medical student, a slaughterhouse worker, perhaps a boot-maker skillful with a knife", this shows the different suspects and it seems like Jack the Ripper is laughing at the naivety of the public.
On the left hand side I scanned a page from the comic which my group found really interesting as we loved some of the shots and we incorporated some of the shots in our opening.
I really like the close up of the womens face with a hand covering her mouth, the knife shot and the women walking out of the pub. In our storyboard we was going to have the victim walking out of the pub, however we then decided we wanted to have the victim standing outside a house fixing her top to show that she is a prostitute.
I found the comic very interesting and I felt that it helped our opening as it inspired our camera angeles, the costumes and our props such as the knife and the long skirt for the woman.
Below is a camera shot which we used in our opening, the shot was inspired by the close up of the victims face with a hand covering her mouth, this shot shows the victims fear.

Serial Killers Book

In the Daily Mirror on Sunday there was a magazine about Britain's worst serial killers, the magazine had a double paged spread on Jack the Ripper. I found the article very interesting and I learnt many facts about Jack the Ripper from the magazine. Above and to the side are pages from the magazine which I scanned about Jack the Ripper.
More than 120 years ago Jack the Ripper murdered five women, all prostitutes in their 40's they are the known victims though the suspected total is 7-11 women in three months, even though during the 1800's there was no modern technology like we have now but it is surprising that Jack the Ripper was not caught, as there was police and vigilantes that patrolled London's East End. Also, I found out about the injuries e.g. Mary Ann Nichols died on the Friday night of August 31 where her body was found with a four inch and eight inch gashes from her throat to neckbone and the inquest recorded that the "lower part of the person was completely ripped open", Annie Chapman was next to die at 6am on Saturday the 8th of September her throat cut to the spine. Part of her intestine had been thrown over her right shoulder and her womb and bladder was "entirely removed". Three weeks later the killer struck twice in 45 minutes, Elizabeth Stride's body was not mutilated because the killer had been disturbed by a man leaving a political meeting. Isreal Schwartz who later told police he saw a man assault Stride but he ignored the incident believing it was a domestic dispute, I found this really shocking as he did not even try to stop the abuse. Jack the Ripper then found an alternative victim who was Catherine Eddowes who was a mother-of-four, Constable Watkins who saw Eddowes body said she was "ripped up like a pig in the market". Eddowes face and chest had been mutilated, her intestines cut out and thrown over her shoulder, her womb and left kidney removed. The killer had sliced of her nose and earlobes and slashed her checks too. Again, there was a witness. Cigerette-Seller Joseph Lawende's description of a shabby man, aged around 30, with fair skin and peaked cap which was almost the same description as the first witness of Jack the Ripper. On Friday the 9th of November Mary Kelly was murdered, Jack the Ripper slashed her neck to the bone, front, back and sides, hacked at her face and cut off her breasts. He then emptied Mary's abdomen and placed her womb and kidneys under her head. Police found her intestines and spleen on the floor and the skin and muscle which had been carved from her thighs on the table. More women were murdered in Whitechapel and the cases added to the Ripper file up to 1891. The mystery of Jack the Ripper has never been solved though Sir Robert Anderson, assistant commissioner for CID, who claimed to have solved the crime wrote "I am almost tempted to disclose the identity of the murderer... but no public benefit would result from such a course" I found this statement very weird as he says he knows who the murderer was but he will not say. Jack the Ripper is still well known to this date as there are hundreds of books have been written, policemen published memoirs, dozens of DVDs produced and there are guided tours and unbelievably Jack the Ripper toys.
There was information about the suspects and Jack the Ripper as well, Dr Edward Bond who examined the final victim, Mary Kelly, wrote of the killer: "The character of mutilations indicate that the man may be in a condition sexually that may be called satyriasis. It is possible that the homicidal impulse may have developed from a revengeful or brooding condition of the mind, or that religious mania may have been the original disease". It will never be known if Jack the Ripper had "satyriasis" - permanent sexual arousal - but the nature of his mutilations were plain to use.
The suspects who were thought to be Jack the Ripper were Aaron Kosminski a Polish Jaw, aged 33, who suffered from from "mania" "delusions" and "hallucinations". He once threatened to kill his sister and was declared insane by his family in 1888 on grounds of "self-abuse". Scotland Yard chief Sir Melville Macnaughton said Kosminski had a "great hatred of women". Francis Tumblety an American doctor who was gay, hated women and was a notorious "quack". He was in London at the time and had an obsession with female reproductive organs. Tumblety fled to France in November 1888 following his arrest for homosexuality then returned to America. James Maybrick a Liverpool cotton merchant who confessed in his diary. Historians questioned its authenticity and the published admitted forging it. Forensic analysis showed the inks used were not available until the 1970s and the handwriting does not match his will. Seweryn Klowoski who was a Polish barber who later poisoned three wives and was hanged in 1903. He was known for his hatred of women and could have been capable. But modern criminologists are doubtful about his guilt as serial killers rarely change a successful method of killing. The last suspect was Prince Albert Victor the son of King Edward VII who has been the subject of many conspiracy theories. In one, the Prince went mad after contracting syphilis from a prostitute. Others suggest he had an illegitimate daughter with a Catholic shopkeeper and Government agents killed those who knew.
I found the article really interesting and I did not know this information before. I find it amazing how Jack the Ripper remained unmasked still do this day and there are theories that Jack the Ripper had died after the murders or perhaps he emigrated or was committed to an asylum. I think that Jack the Rippers identity will never be discovered.

Jack the Ripper Speech

When I was researching Jack the Ripper I came across a very interesting article about Ian Porter who is a Jack the Ripper specialist. The article consists of him annoucing that he will be giving a speech about his new novel which is based on Jack the Ripper and in gives an insight to the era. Ian Porter has written Whitechapel which I will read, reviews from people have said that it is a very well researched book.
This is a review on http://forum.casebook.org/showthread.php?t=3159. The review is by a fan who has read the book and it is also posted on the Jack the Ripper casebook forum. "I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, set in Whitechapel at the time of the Ripper murders. Although I do not profess to be an expert on the Ripper cases, or indeed that period of history, the novel came across as being very well researched. "
The article was published on this website http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/4844288.MEOPHAM__Jack_the_Ripper_murders_talk_at_library/

This is the article: "A JACK the Ripper expert is giving a talk on his new novel set in the year of the legendary murders.
Debut novelist Ian Porter, from Tunbridge Wells, will be talking about his book Whitechapel at Meopham Library in Wrotham Road at 1.30pm on Friday (January 22).
The novel explores whether the murders in 1888 did more to bring about social change in the East End of London than any philanthropist or politician.
Library customer service officer Becky Waghorn said: “It will be an exciting insight into how Ian Porter came to write the novel and the times of Jack the Ripper.” "

If I cannot attend this event, I will try and use http://www.youtube.com/ to see if the speech will appear on it. I think that if I read the book it will give my group more of an insight to Jack the Ripper and the era he was living in and in the authors opinion how Jack the Ripper did not get caught.

Jack the Ripper letter

When researching Jack the Ripper I came across a Metropolitan Police Service Case Study of the murders, evidence and the location of where the deaths of eleven murders took place. However, the police believe that Jack the Ripper did not commit all of the murders. Whilst researching I also found out that J the R kept the hearts as a prize, or he eat them or J the R sent the heart to the police. I found it disgusting that J the R eat the hearts of his victims but from my research I know that no one knows the truth about the murders and that the eating of the heart is a myth.

I found this website very helpful to my research http://www.met.police.uk/history/ripper.htm. I found that the use of this website gave me a lot of in site to the evidence of the case by the message on the wall. The irony of the message is insane as the use of the red makes people think of blood and J the R says 'Good Luck!' to the police officers trying to find him as it seems that he out smarts them and that he is challenging them, even though some people say that he only killed prostetauts but his made himself out like a villian.

The name

Almost certainly the one single reason for the enduring appeal of this rather sordid series of prostitute murders is the name Jack the Ripper. The name is easy to explain. It was written at the end of a letter, dated 25 September, 1888, and received by the Central News Agency on 27 September, 1888. They, in turn, forwarded it to the Metropolitan Police on 29 September.
The letter was couched in lurid prose and began "Dear Boss......" It went on to speak of "That joke about Leather Apron gave me real fits......'' ('Leather Apron' was a John Pizer, briefly suspected at the time of the Chapman murder). "I am down on whores and I shant quit ripping them till I do get buckled..."; and so on in a similar vein. The appended "trade name" of Jack the Ripper was then made public and further excited the imagination of the populace.
The two murders of 30 September 1888 gave the letter greater importance and to underline it the unknown correspondent again committed red ink to postcard and posted it on 1 October. In this communication he referred to himself as 'saucy Jacky...' and spoke of the "double event......." He again signed off as Jack the Ripper. The status of this correspondence is still being discussed by modern historians.

The message on the wall
Immediately after the Eddowes murder a piece of her bloodstained apron was found in a doorway in Goulston Street, Whitechapel. Above the piece of apron, on the brick fascia in the doorway, was the legend, in chalk, "The Juwes are The men that Will not be Blamed for nothing." A message from the murderer, or simply anti-Semitic graffiti? Expert opinion is divided.

The message on the wall

Immediately after the Eddowes murder a piece of her bloodstained apron was found in a doorway in Goulston Street, Whitechapel. Above the piece of apron, on the brick fascia in the doorway, was the legend, in chalk, "The Juwes are The men that Will not be Blamed for nothing." A message from the murderer, or simply anti-Semitic graffiti? Expert opinion is divided.

1888 Timeline

Our two minute film is set in 1888, so I thought I would explore what historical and social events happened in 1888 which has effected today's society. I thought that if I researched this time period it would give me a border outlook of 1888. Also, Jack the Ripper and his victims are mentioned in the timeline, which shows that it was a significant event in that time period and as it is a worldwide timeline the case was international. The timeline contains when the football league started, Brazil abolishes slavery and the first African-American nominated for US president.

January 1888:

Tuesday 03:
The 91 cm refracting telescope at Lick Observatory is used for the first time. It was the largest telescope in the world at the time.
Tuesday 24:
Jacob L. Wortman patents the typewriter ribbon.
Friday 27:
In Washington, DC the National Geographic Society is founded.

March 1888:

Friday 02:
The Convention of Constantinople is signed, guaranteeing free maritime passage through the Suez Canal during war and peace.
Sunday 11:
The Great Blizzard of '88 begins along the eastern seaboard of the United States, shutting down commerce and killing more than 400.
Thursday 22:
The Football League is formed.

April 1888:

Wednesday 11:
The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam is inaugurated.

May 1888:

Sunday 13:
With the passage of the Lei Áurea ("Golden Law"), Brazil abolishes slavery.

June 1888:

Sunday 03:
The poem "Casey at the Bat", by Ernest Lawrence Thayer, is published in the San Francisco Examiner.
Saturday 23:
Frederick Douglass is the first African-American nominated for US president.

August 1888:

Tuesday 21:
The first successful adding machine in the United States was patented by William Seward Burroughs.
Friday 31:
Mary Ann Nicholls is murdered. She is perhaps the first of Jack the Ripper's victims

September 1888:

Tuesday 04:
George Eastman registers the trademark Kodak, and receives a patent for his camera which uses roll film.
Thursday 06:
a feat since accomplished only by Tom Richardson (twice), J.T. Hearne, Wilfred Rhodes (twice) and Tich Freeman (six times).
Saturday 08:
In England the first six Football League matches ever are played.
Tuesday 11:
Death of the Argentine politician Domingo Sarmiento, after whom the Latin American Teacher's Day was chosen.
Sunday 30:
Jack the Ripper kills his third and fourth victims, Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes.

October 1888:

Tuesday 09:
The Washington Monument officially opens to the general public.
Wednesday 17:
Thomas Edison files a patent for the Optical Phonograph (the first movie).

November 1888:

Tuesday 06:
U.S. presidential election, 1888: Democrat incumbent Grover Cleveland wins the overall popular vote, but is voted out of office because he loses in the Electoral College to Republican challenger Benjamin Harrison.
Friday 09:
Jack the Ripper kills Mary Jane Kelly, his last known victim.

December 1888:

Saturday 08:
Bulgaria's National Assembly adopts an Act on establishing a higher school in Sofia.
Sunday 09:
Herman Hollerith installs his computing device at the United States War Department

The Murders

I have been researching the Jack the Ripper murders. I found alot of information on wikipedia about the murders itself. This is the information about the murders such as alot of women died around that era in Whitechapel but no one knows if they were all victims of Jack the Ripper, how they were murdered and their were two other murders around that period unrealted to Jack the Ripper which I did not know about. I also found that the Jack the Ripper victims are called 'Canonical Five'. What I find to interesting about this case is that no one knew who it was and how different murders are solved in that era in comparison to ours, because of the huge impact of technology and we have forensic science.

This is from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_the_Ripper.

The above map shows the sites of the first seven Whitechapel murders Osborn Street (centre right), George Yard (centre left), Hanbury Street (top), Buck's Row (far right), Berner Street (bottom right), Mitre Square (bottom left), and Dorset Street (middle left).

Murders

The large number of horrific attacks against women in the East End during this era adds uncertainty to how many victims were killed by the same person. Eleven separate murders, stretching from 3 April 1888 to 13 February 1891, were included in a London Metropolitan Police Service investigation, and were known collectively in the police docket as the "Whitechapel murders". Opinions vary as to whether these murders should be linked to the same culprit or not, but five of the eleven Whitechapel murders, known as the "canonical five", are widely believed to be the work of the Ripper. Most experts point to deep throat slashes, abdominal and genital-area mutilation, removal of internal organs, and progressive facial mutilations as the distinctive features of Jack the Ripper's modus operandi.
The first two cases in the Whitechapel murders file, those of Emma Elizabeth Smith and Martha Tabram, are non-canonical. Smith was robbed and sexually assaulted on Osborn Street, Whitechapel, on 3 April 1888. A blunt object was inserted into her vagina, which ruptured her peritoneum. She developed peritonitis, and died the following day at London Hospital. She said that she had been attacked by two or three men, one of whom was a teenager. Though this attack was linked to the later murders by the press, it was almost certainly gang violence unrelated to the Ripper.
Tabram was killed on 7 August 1888. She had 39 stab wounds. The savagery of the murder, the lack of obvious motive, and the closeness of the location (George Yard, Whitechapel) and date to those of the later Ripper murders led police to link them.However, the attack differs from the canonical ones in that Tabram was stabbed rather than slashed at the throat and abdomen. Many experts today do not connect it with the later murders because of the difference in the wound pattern.

Publicity of Jack the Ripper Today

I am currently researching Jack the Ripper and I always knew that Jack the Ripper was a very famous case study, but I never expected the results that I got.
When I google search Jack the Ripper about 2,530,000 search pages came up, which included facts about Jack the Ripper, Jack the Ripper victims and the suspects of Jack the Ripper.
I also searched on http://www.play.com/ and there are multiple DVD's, games, books, costumes and books about Jack the Ripper. This is the link to the website http://www.play.com/Search.aspx?searchtype=allproducts&searchstring=jack+the+ripper&page=search&pa=search.
Now knowing how popular and mainstream the Jack the Ripper story is, it defiantly adds even more pressure to be true to the story. However, now knowing this I feel that we need to make it unique and different from other films about the story, even though we are not Hollywood directors I feel that we can make the story come to life and make it special. Maybe by adding the shot of the knife and it being red or use many flashes and quick shots.