The New Perspective •
November 1, 2001 • Page 10
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Douglass/doctor in the desert From Page 8
the Ark isnÕt; where do you think it is?" "Our friend at the bridge," he said, tapping the pocket containing the rubbing of one of the stone tablets that bore the first four commandments, "was, eh, he was just about to tell us, IÕm afraid. If youÕve seen Raiders of the Lost Ark, then perhaps you know the theory that it was stolen when Shishak, the Pharaoh, raided SolomonÕs temple, but I donÕt think that one holds, eh, holds any water. The Egyptians kept very good record of what they stole, and the Ark isnÕt mentioned. I think that, wherever the Ark may be, weÕre going to have to learn what that symbol means if weÕre going to find it." Jack pointed at a tattoo on the back of the neck of a man sitting alone at the table next to them, who was obviously listening to their conversation. He covered it as soon as he heard what the doctor said and, realizing he had just betrayed himself, stood and ran away. Jack jumped up immediately, throwing his chair back with his legs, and bolted off. The man was rather suspiciously dressed, and so following him was not difficult, but the doctor kept knocking people over and tripping over tables, chairs, and the like as he went. He followed him to the main area of the depot, where a train that had just stopped was unloading passengers and luggage, and lost him in the crowd. Hearing two gunshots behind him and, thinking the worst, he lay down on the floor violently instructing others to do the same-this was not the first time the Doctor had been shot at, but, unfortunately, he did not think he was the target. He quickly got up and made excellent time back to the cafŽ, but he was too late. His breakfast was sitting on the table next to BrieÕs sweater, and the letter, handkerchief, and his cigarettes had been replaced by a note that said, "For your friendÕs safety and for your own, go home!" The cafŽ was empty, BrieÕs chair had been knocked over, and Jack noticed two 9mm bullet holes in the far wall. He thanked God that she was safe and kicked himself for leaving her alone. The train ride wasnÕt too long, but it gave Jack the opportunity to get some much needed rest. He enjoyed a second box of cigarettes
and far too much English gin, as well as some of the best tea the doctor ever had, and he was sorely disappointed at the number of tourists who were going with him to see the GiantÕs Ring, more commonly called Stonehenge. Once they got to the top of the hill, out of the crowd came a small man with a pair of mirrored Ray Bans who handed Jack a rather heavy envelope and promptly disappeared. He left the tour guide, who was giving a lengthy and incorrect explanation as to how the sacred monument was built (Dr. Douglass, for his own legitimate reasons, firmly believed that it was brought from Ireland by Utherpendragon and his army), and made his way back to the bus to pour over the contents of the envelope alone. Inside was a letter, written in the same hand as before, as well as photographs of the backlit Kebrah Nagast, clearly showing the comical family tree that traced the lineage of Henry VII all the way back to Abraham. The letter bore the same symbol as before, but gave much more detail. "TheyÕre on to me," he said, "and by now theyÕre probably on to you too. If youÕre reading this, I didnÕt make it to the bridge in time. Whatever has become of me is of no importance; this quest is yours now, but you had better be careful, and always travel alone--let nobody know who or where you are, because the enemy is everywhere. Trust nobody. There is a fisherman in Alexandria who will take you to the church in Askum; it is vitally important that you see the new Holy of Holies. Good luck, and may God be with you. --J.S.S." His advice about trusting nobody was wise, since the fisherman had pulled a knife on Jack about two hours before they were to reach their destination. The doctor had barely escaped with his life after a lengthy and bloody brawl, and left the traitorous fisherman unconscious on the opposite bank several hours ago, stealing away as quickly as possible with whatever food and water he could find. And so here sits Dr. John Douglass, alone in the middle of the desert with very little food and water, unsure where his destination lay, able to do nothing but continue walking, and that not for too much longer.
Graham and Depp: A prostitute and a detective are the unrequited love story From Hell BY
AMANDA JOHNSON Features Editor
From Hell is 115 minutes of gripping horror, suspenseful twists, and not to mention stomach-churning gore. ThatÕs of courseÉif you like that sort of thing. If you get weak at the sight of blood, if the times of Ôole piss you off, if you like to get the job done and take an eye for an eye, if youÕre the type of person that could kill for a successful love matchÉthen this isnÕt the movie for you. Straight from England 1888, From Hell takes you up close and personal to the killings by Jack the Ripper. Based on the graphic comic novel of the same title by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell and also using the theories of Stephan Knights book Jack the Ripper: The final solution, From Hell paints an interesting, political and already scary picture of the famed serial killer. Starring Johnny Depp (Sleepy Hollow) as Detective Fred Abberline and Heather Graham (Austin Powers 2) as Mary Kelly, a prostitute and purposed final victim of Jack the Ripper. As always, with every reenacted genre, not everything youÕll see in From Hell is historically accurate, but then we should all know by now you canÕt believe everything you see in the movies. Some historians do give kudos to the directors, the Hughes Brothers (Menace II Society), for their mostly accurate portrayal of Whitechapel, just one of the London districts where the murders took place. Of course itÕs the little things that Hollywood always seems to add that discredits their hard work. Abberline (Depp), for instance, was in reality an older and rounder gentle-
man as opposed to DeppÕs just shy of 30 looks and inviting style. While From HellÕs Abberline spends time Òchasing the dragonÓ, the real Abberline had no addiction to opium, nor did he have any psychic visions of the murders. The movie also gives a twist to GrahamÕs character, allowing her to escape to Ireland and wait for her love, Abberline, to join herÉ it doesnÕt happen so donÕt even waste time on the hopeful pair. Reality aside, movies are meant to entertain. This movie does give one hell of a ride into the dark world of the time bringing to light our sad medical background, silencing people with the crudeness of lobotomies, mixing with the suppression of an older ÒdonÕt defy the powerfulÓ theme and the topper of a sick and twisted serial killer. Just the premise of government conspiracies and secret brotherhoods ruling the day, before Josh Jackson escaped The Skulls, while no surprise, still brings an overwhelming anger of stupidness to mind. The movie, nothing but a theory to the answer of one of the worldÕs greatest murder mysteries is and will be added to its brothers of speculations and Òwhat if 'sÓ of who, what, when and why. There are and will probably always be an ongoing list of suspects in the Ripper killings, but the fact that we will probably never know who ÒdunnitÓ is what draws people to the mystery. From Hell portrays just one of the conspiracy theories of these heinous murders. Not to give away the first twenty minutes, but it cuts straight to the crown, pitting someone close to the thrown, just watch carefully, if you dare, because you may be looking in the wrong surgical bag when it comes time to figure out the truth.