Hands of the Ripper (1971) Movie Script
It's the Ripper! Come on!
It's the Ripper! Come on!
There he goes!
- He's gone in a house!
- Now we've got him!
There was another murder. They're
looking for Jack the Ripper.
It's you!
It's you they're looking for!
Anna... Anna...
It's very cold here, Granny.
It's lonely. Very lonely.
'It's so cold, Granny. So cold.'
Mary, dear, listen
carefully to Granny.
Is there no one with you in the
spirit world to play with, dear?
Is there no one at all?
'It's very lonely, Granny.'
Well, look around you, dear.
Is there no one at all with you?
There must be someone with you.
Oh, I don't think
you're trying, dear.
Look behind you.
'Yes.'
Who is it, dear? See who it is.
Look hard for Granny, dear, please.
'I-It's a little girl like me.
'A little girl.'
Ask her her name, dear.
Find out her name.
Not her spirit name, dear.
We wouldn't know her spirit
name down here, would we?
She says her name's Claudia.
She's very nice but her
dress, it's all wet.
It's Claudia! Claudia, my baby.
Claudia, can you hear Mama?
'Claudia, speak to Mama, please.'
I hear voices, strange voices,
but I can't make out
what they're saying.
What is happening? I don't
understand the foreign language.
Italian? Is it Italian?
La poverina.
I see a boat. There's been an
accident. Is that what I see?
I see a boat and I see
water. Lots of water.
- A lake...
- Claudia, can you hear me?
Speak to me. Please.
Is Claudia happy, Mary?
Ask the little girl,
is she happy, dear?
It's Granny, dear.
Ask the little girl, is she happy?
Can you hear me, Mary?
You must try, dear, or Granny
will get very annoyed.
It's no use. We've lost contact
with the spirit world.
Oh, please try.
If the spirits won't cooperate,
there's nothing we can do this end.
According to the stars,
the spirits should be very
auspicious next Wednesday,
if you'd like to try again.
I can spare a little time about
8:30 if you'd like to pass by then.
Mrs Golding, as a
student of the occult
I've never witnessed such close
contact with the spirit world.
A truly amazing talent, madam.
A very natural talent, Mr Dysart.
Very natural talent, madam.
- I'll do all I can to help.
- Thank you. We're very grateful.
- Thank you.
- Till Wednesday, then.
This was your first visit to a
medium, then, Mr Pritchard?
Yes, it is.
The young have no
interest in spirits.
There are so few people
they know who are dead.
As one gets older, one finds
that death separates us more
and more from loved ones.
I wager you find that
true, Dr Pritchard?
Yes, Mrs Golding.
- Ow! Get off!
- My dear young lady!
- What are you doing, girl?
- Did I hurt you?
Yes, you did, sir...
I mean, no, of course
you didn't, sir.
What are you doing down here?
She loves to listen to the
spirit voices. Run along now.
I told her, she mustn't loiter down
here when I've got customers...
Guests... She doesn't
listen to a word I say.
Your child, Mrs Golding?
I took her in from an
orphanage some years ago,
out of the goodness of my heart.
Her mother was done in, I fear.
She's a trifle touched, I'm afraid.
God knows what happened to her
father if she ever had one.
But one has to do all one can
for the poor creatures of this world.
Don't you agree, Dr Pritchard?
Yes, Mrs Golding. One must.
Good night, gentlemen. Good night.
For a music hall turn,
it was entertaining.
Music hall turn?
Criminal deception.
That poor woman was
driven to hysteria.
Mrs Golding's a bloodsucker
making money out of human grief.
A letter or two in the press
should put her and her like
out of business for good.
Sorry, my boy. I can't expect you
to be interested in my pet causes.
- Home now, Pleasants, if you please.
- Home?
- Tonight's my stag party.
- So soon?
Laura arrives tomorrow, the
wedding's only six days away.
- How these things catch up on one.
- I wouldn't phrase it that way.
We'll talk later. You take the
carriage. I might walk home.
Run along to your club, my boy.
- Good night.
- Have a good time.
Right, giddy-up now!
Like a cab, sir? I can run down
the Strand and get you one, sir.
Very well. I'll wait here.
Oh, it's like selling
my own flesh and blood.
I'll never forgive myself.
The poor little dear is only 17.
Oh, come now. It's bound to happen.
Sooner than later if I'm
any judge of the girl.
You will be kind to her.
She is an innocent girl.
She'd better be at that price.
If I wasn't desperate for
money, I'd never allow this.
Of course not.
Hello, my dear.
Don't be frightened, my dear.
Surely your aunt told you I was
going to pay you a visit tonight?
Yes, sir.
Shall we close this, my dear?
Makes things more cosy, hmm?
Oh, come on!
I've brought you a
little present, Anna.
Look.
There, now. What do you
think of that, eh?
I'll wager you've never had anything
as pretty as that before, have you?
It's all precious stones, you know.
How do you like it?
It's all yours, you know.
I say, girl, are you all right?
What's the trouble, eh?
Look, damn it, what
are you playing at?
Is this some sort of trick?
Come on. You're not dealing with some
rustic on his first night in London.
Get up! Come on,
you little bitch! Get up!
- Get up!
- Stop it! Stop it, Mr Dysart.
She's only a poor, innocent girl.
Look, you old bitch, you're not
putting me off with this game.
There, there, Anna. It's all right.
It happens to all of us. Mr
Dysart didn't mean to hurt you.
Oldest trick there is. I expect
you've sold her as a virgin before.
- Never!
- Well, I'll have my way with her
or I'll have my money back...
Stop it! Stop it, Mr Dysart!
All right, then.
There's your money.
Good grief, woman! Have
you no sense of values?!
There, there, dear.
It's all right now.
'Anna...'
Look what you've done...!
Mrs Golding?
Go on! Clear off. Get off
out of it! Buzz off!
Right, now. Come on. Out you come.
One fact is abundantly
clear, gentlemen...
whoever impaled that woman
possessed immense strength.
In going through your individual
statements, however,
I've found details that do not...
shall we say, provide
a clear picture.
Inspector, I have a number of
urgent appointments in the Commons.
Mr Dysart, I shall endeavour not
to keep you longer than necessary.
Now, then... Mr and Mrs Wilson.
You were the first to leave
Mrs Golding's house,
once the so-called chat with the
spirit world was concluded.
- That is correct.
- You came out of the house,
got into the carriage
and were driven away.
- Did you see anyone leave after you?
- No, Inspector.
Are you absolutely certain?
My wife was upset. I didn't
notice much beyond that fact.
Then, Dr Pritchard,
you left with your son.
My son took our carriage to his club,
as I told you in my statement.
I sent a boy to the
Strand to fetch me a cab.
When the cab was arriving,
I heard the scream.
And when did you leave
the house, Mr Dysart?
Shortly after the Pritchards.
The door was hardly closed.
- I told you all this.
- Then, Dr Pritchard,
you must have seen Mr
Dysart leave the house.
- No, I did not.
- But you were across the street.
Perhaps, Mr Pritchard,
you noticed Mr Dysart?
I'm afraid not.
I hope you realise what
you're suggesting.
Perhaps you can explain why
you were not seen leaving
by Dr and Mr Pritchard
who were 20 feet away?
I, er...
Inspector, it occurs to me that if
Mr Dysart left two minutes after us,
it's possible we didn't see him
because we were on the far
side of our carriage.
Yes, Dr Pritchard. That is a
possibility that occurred to me.
It is a possible explanation.
Of course. How stupid of me.
I remember the carriage now.
It slipped my mind.
Will you stand up, Mr Dysart?
Dr Pritchard, you are the
only witness I have.
I ask you to observe
Mr Dysart with care.
Could Mr Dysart possibly be the man
you saw leave Mrs Golding
after she screamed?
It was dark. Could you
possibly be mistaken, Doctor?
Think, please, before you answer.
No, I don't think it was Mr Dysart,
Inspector. It was a much larger man.
I'm afraid the villain of this piece
seems to have escaped you, Inspector.
She got herself lost,
Mr Michael. I knew it.
Poor, poor girl.
Mrs Bryant, I'd be obliged if
you didn't use that expression.
There's nothing poor
about Laura. There she is!
Come on, ladies and gentlemen!
I'm waiting for my fianc.
He should be here in a moment.
Laura?
Michael!
Oh, my love, at last!
Oh, it's been a year and four days,
and the four days were the longest.
It'll never happen
again, I promise you.
- Welcome home, Miss Laura.
- Oh, Nanny Bryant.
Now I now I'm really home at last.
My father couldn't make it,
due to "pressure of business".
Your poor father.
He works too hard.
Things have changed. He's now
a follower of this man Freud.
He calls himself a psychoanalyst.
Now, now, you two.
You're not married yet.
Mrs Bryant has orders to keep us
in sight until we're married.
I'm to stay at my club.
- The carriage, Miss Laura.
- It's Pleasants!
How nice to hear your voice again.
Drive slowly, so that Michael can
relate to me all that is happening.
We questioned her, Doctor, but
she's no memory of the murder.
None at all?
A complete withdrawal?
I see.
Get us out of here! We're starving!
We're not certain it wasn't
too much for the girl's mind.
With Ms Golding gone,
who'll look after her?
It'll be the streets for
her, like so many others.
Come in, dearie, why don't you?
Come and see how royalty live.
Only half a crown.
Perhaps as a doctor,
I may be able to help.
She'd be grateful, Doctor.
Want me to put on a show
for the doc, Inspector?
- Come for Little Miss Muffet?
- Come along, you lot.
Move away there.
Dirty bitches have taken
her clothes, Inspector.
Right. That's enough. Let the
gentleman through. Stop that!
Don't you do that to me.
You'll get your turn. Watch it!
What have I said?
Anna?
Do you remember me, Anna?
Yes, sir. I remember you.
Hey, what about one
of us, then, eh?
Belt up, you lot! Not so
much of it, you hear?
Do you know where
we're going, Anna?
I don't know, sir.
We're going to my home.
I'm going to look after you from
now on. Would you like that?
No, you'll be quite safe.
There'll be no more seances...
with you playing the ghost.
No more gentlemen calling on you
in the middle of the night.
- You'll lead a very different life.
- Will I work in the kitchens?
No, Anna. No.
I have a perfectly fine, cook,
housekeeper and a maid.
All you will have to do is to learn
to become one of the family.
- Family, sir?
- Yes.
Muffins! Muffins!
We're here, sir.
Here we are. We're home.
This is where I live.
Thank you, sir.
Do you approve?
Oh, yes, sir! It's beautiful!
Well, let's go in.
This will be your room, Anna.
This used to be my wife's room.
She died a long time ago.
But from now on, it will
known as Anna's room.
Dolly, help Miss Anna in
any way that you can.
Yes, sir.
Well, Anna. Are you pleased?
Well, I... see from
that that you are.
Dolly, the first thing to do is
get Miss Anna bathed and dressed.
Yes, sir. I'll get the bath ready.
Perhaps you could find something
from my wife's wardrobe
suitable for Miss Anna
to wear for dinner.
Yes, sir. There's the pink dress.
Miss Anna will look lovely in that.
Yes...
Well... Dolly seems to
know where everything is,
so don't hesitate to ask her for
anything that you may want.
Don't you worry, sir. You'll
never recognise her, sir.
Come on, Miss Anna.
Pleasants, bring the luggage.
Yes, Mr Michael.
Oh, Michael, it's
so good to be back.
Three steps down...
Oh, and here's the
umbrella stand...
Oh! Here's your knobbly old
stick, do you remember that?
Oh, it's that horrible old clock.
I remember that, too.
We broke it.
And study door...
And the mirror,
which no longer holds any
interest for me at all.
And the table, the chair...
and the Chinese vase...
and now the stairs...
- Laura...
- Oh, Michael, you've moved.
You've got the wrong man, Laura.
Dr Pritchard. I'm so sorry.
Forgive me.
How are you, Laura? I hope
you had a pleasant voyage.
- In the guest room, Pleasants.
- Isn't Laura having Mother's room?
I'm afraid not. We
already have a guest.
- May I ask what guest, Father?
- Oh, I can learn a room in minutes.
It's no problem. I'm only
here for a few days.
It's that girl from Mrs Golding's.
They were keeping her in the cells
amongst... very dubious company.
I've said that she may
stay here with us.
You've brought her here?!
Anna?
Anna?
Would you come down
a moment, my dear?
This is my son Michael.
You remember him?
- How do you do, sir?
- Welcome to our home, Anna.
- Thank you, sir.
- This is my fiance Laura.
- Hello, Anna.
- Laura is blind, my dear.
- Miss Laura...
- Oh, don't be worried.
It's just a nuisance.
I see with my hands.
Dolly, take Miss Anna
to have her bath.
Come along, Miss Anna.
I've got the water ready.
And I must get back to work.
See you at dinner later, Laura.
Call Mrs Bryant and get her
to show Laura to her room.
What a kind man he is.
I've been expecting you.
Doctor, I've no idea why you saw fit
to save me from great embarrassment
but I'm much obliged to you, sir.
It was a misunderstanding...
one which could have ruined
my parliamentary career.
Yes, Mr Dysart. Being hanged could
have ruined your neck, as well.
I don't wish to slight
your contribution
but it wouldn't have gone that far.
Really? Mr Dysart, either you
or Anna killed Mrs Golding.
Oh, come now!
Surely you don't think a
respectable Member of Parliament
goes about murdering people.
If you even suspected I was guilty,
why did you lie to save me?
Because it suited my purpose.
My knowledge of certain
mental diseases
leads me to suspect one of you.
- I could be wrong.
- I saw it. She was possessed.
Her whole body was
contorted. Her hands...
- They weren't her hands.
- Really? Whose were they?
How should I know?
She was possessed.
If she wasn't, how could
she manage, a frail girl,
to drive the poker
through flesh and bone
plus an inch and a half oak door?
The hysteria accompanying
certain disorders
can produce extraordinary strength.
- That's one explanation.
- The other being that I did it?
A possibility.
I don't understand. If you thought
I committed a crime that brutal,
we'd hardly be discussing
it about your home.
- Anna is upstairs at this moment.
- She's what?!
I intend to study her. To do that,
she must remain in my care.
Damn it, she's a possessed
being, as savage as any beast.
Listen to me. Since time began, men
have been murdering one another.
When it happens, we
hunt the murderer down
and use the law to
murder him in return.
We've tortured him, burned him
alive, disembowelled him,
though nowadays we're more
humane... we simply hang him.
And all this time, we have never
once tried to understand him,
to find out why.
Why one human being murders
another human being.
So we go on having murders
and murdering in revenge.
Only the graveyard
worms are richer.
- But she was possessed...
- Nonsense!
I believe the girl is suffering
from a disorder of the mind,
possibly brought on by some
terrifying experience in childhood.
Maybe it was congenital,
but it has divided her mind.
There's an Austrian doctor
called Freud who studied this.
It's called schizophrenia.
He also used a new science
called psychoanalysis
to explore the mind and its
disorders, to find out why.
This is the technique I
would like to use with Anna
but I need your help.
Now perhaps you can understand
my behaviour at the police station.
I want you to use your position
to find out about her past...
her family, where she
lived, everything.
The slightest detail could be vital
to understanding her condition.
- What if she murders somebody else?
- She won't.
Even if she did, to understand
the psychology of murder
would be worth the risk.
And if I refuse?
I might just remember
who it was I saw
leaving the house after the murder.
With greater accuracy this time.
You'd better go the way you came.
One thing you've got
to learn around here
is to affect what Dr Pritchard
calls a happy countenance,
which means he likes to see people
with smiles on their faces, he does.
Not that he's one for smiles and
giggles himself, know what I mean?
- Not like us.
- I wasn't crying because I was sad,
I was crying because I was happy.
- It's such a beautiful room.
- I know you were, Miss Anna. Oh!
Oh, it's all right.
It's only Dr Pritchard.
Anna, at my age, one treats modesty
as an affectation of the ugly.
It'll fit Miss Anna a treat, sir.
See how this goes with the dress.
Oh, sir. It's lovely!
We'll be at the restaurant
within the hour,
as soon as I can leave the embassy.
I've left you the carriage.
Pleasants will see you to the door.
Dolly.
Don't let her out of your sight
until she's in the carriage.
She's had a disturbing day.
She needs company.
All right, sir. Oh, Miss Anna.
You're going to look like a
proper princess tonight.
You just wait and see.
- Here.
- Ooh!
Ooh, it's a tight fit.
Goodness, look at the time.
Oh, darling, your holding me like
this is ruining our reputations,
but I could do it all night.
- Then we shall.
- When we're married, please.
But now there's no more music,
and your father's waiting.
Oh, Father...
Oh, it's so hot.
- Let's go back and dance.
- No. My feet hurt. I'm sitting down.
- I'm so hot.
- To your right.
Ah! That's better.
The dancing's made me thirsty. Oh!
Oh, my goodness.
It's all right.
I must leave. I'm worried about Anna.
She should have arrived by now.
- We shan't be late.
- Mrs Bryant will look after you.
Thank you, Dr Pritchard.
I'm sorry. Something seems to have
spoilt the evening for your father.
But not for me.
Oh, Dolly. It's so beautiful.
I'm afraid to move for
fear I'll wake up.
You're not asleep, Miss Anna.
Here. Take a look at the back.
Do you have to all me "Miss"?
I'd much prefer us to be friends.
No, that would never do.
You can't have the likes of me
talking to a lady on
such familiar terms.
- But I'm not a real lady yet.
- Wait till you see yourself in this.
Oh, Miss Anna, you're going
to look lovely tonight.
Everybody's going to
be looking at you.
You're going to be the belle of
the ball, you just wait and see.
There. It'll look
lovely on that dress.
There now.
Oh, Miss Anna, do you like it?
Oh, you do like it.
I knew you would.
Miss Anna, you look just
like a little doll,
all done up to meet the queen.
I'll kiss you now, then,
before you become a lady.
'Anna...'
Pleasants, go to the restaurant and
tell Mr Michael that you're waiting.
- I'll take a cab if I need one.
- Very good, sir.
Anna...
Anna?
Give it to me, Anna.
Give it to me.
I will keep it for you.
Stay here.
Stay here.
Dolly?
Anna...
Come with me.
What am I doing here?
- We should be at the restaurant.
- It's all right.
It's very late.
You've had long day.
You're becoming very sleepy.
Yes, I am. Very sleepy.
- Has anything happened?
- Nothing, my dear.
You dozed off and had a bad dream.
Oh, Dr Pritchard...
You came back and found me asleep.
Oh, I'm so ashamed.
- Ah, this is what I was looking for.
- Dr Pritchard.
It's all right, Mrs Bryant. Laura's
capable of putting herself to bed.
You must get your sleep, considering
the heavy time ahead of us.
Oh, yes. The wedding arrangements.
That Dolly promised to wake
me up when you came in, sir.
Where has the girl gone?
I'm afraid we've lost
our Dolly, Mrs Bryant.
As Anna and I were leaving,
a man brought a message
from Dolly's mother.
I never knew she had one. I'd never
heard her speak of her mother.
Apparently, her
mother's gravely ill.
There was nothing I could do but send
her off to give what help she could.
- She was terribly upset.
- That kind of girl does come and go.
All young girls today
lack character.
It's a fact. Can I get
you anything, Doctor?
No, thank you. I just
came back for this.
I shall be here when Laura returns,
so there's no need to stay up.
If you're certain that
I won't be needed,
I think I will take a little rest.
- I'll call if I need you.
- Thank you, Doctor.
It's time you were up, Miss Anna.
Come, now, Miss Anna,
it's way past noon.
If you don't get up, it'll be too
late to bother getting up at all.
- Oh, this is disgraceful.
- Mrs Bryant.
Let her sleep. I gave her
a sedative last night.
I want you to keep an eye on her.
I don't want her to leave the house.
Is she not well, Doctor?
- It isn't contagious, is it?
- No, Mrs Bryant.
It's just that she needs
rest and care, that's all.
Whatever you say, Doctor.
There you are, Pritchard.
Your message suggested, as well
as hysteria, that you've had success.
Doctor, being a scientist,
you'll find nothing I say
about possession believable.
So you've found someone
to say it for you?
As you know, our dear
Queen Victoria herself...
Really, Dysart, the beliefs of that
dear lady have no interest for me.
- What have you found out about Anna?
- Nothing whatsoever.
I've checked newspapers,
police files, all without success.
However, I have contacted
a certain personage.
The Royal Medium, Madame Bullard.
Please, Dysart, not a seance.
Madame Bullard has kindly consented
to give you an interview tomorrow.
I advise you to go. You have no
idea what you're dealing with.
I know very well what
I'm dealing with.
Unless you keep that appointment
tomorrow, I'm going to the police.
Now, Anna, we're going
on a voyage, you and I,
back in time to when you
were a very little girl.
I want you to try and remember as
far back as you can. Back in time.
Try and search in your mind for that
time when you were very, very small.
Do you remember you mother,
Anna? What was she like?
She wore a silk dress... with
a frill around the bottom.
Mm-hm...
There was a fire in the
grate, and it was warm.
'Sometimes...'
'Sometimes?'
'Sometimes?'
'Sometimes I'd sit on her lap by
the fire. Sometimes on the rug.'
- There were bars.
- Where?
Around my bed. There
were bars around my bed.
There were bars around my bed.
And it got very cold. The
fire died away very slowly.
It got very, very cold.
My mother kept...
kept lying there so still...
for a long time...
staring at me.
Yes, Anna. Go on.
Rest, Anna.
Rest a moment.
- I can't let you go.
- We'll be all right.
Oh, Doctor. I'm sorry
if we disturbed you,
but Mr Michael and Miss Laura,
they're being very rebellious.
We're only going out to dinner.
I can hardly chaperone them and look
after Miss Anna and yourself as well.
I'm only a singular person.
Yes, you're quite right.
Go with them to dinner.
Anna and I can manage.
Now, if you'll excuse me.
Hurry up, Nanny.
Anna?
Anna!
- What are you doing?
- Get out of here!
You're a bit young for
this game. Get off home!
'Ere you. What are
you doin'? Go on!
Hello, there. You lost
yourself, have you, my dear?
You're a bit young for
this game, aren't you?
Them old bags up there'll
have your hair off
if they catch you on their beat.
Let's look at you.
Nice little thing.
Anna?
Anna?
Anna?
When I started, it was a
different kettle of fish.
Every girl for herself. None of this
business of having your territory.
Ooh, there was lovely houses in them
days, all crystal and silk hangings,
and lovely gentlemen to tip
you a guinea just for luck.
Beautiful, it was.
Anna?
Come on, dearie. Come on!
Anna.
No, it's all too
regulated now, dear,
what with the police on you and
the price of gin what it is,
and how even so-called
nice ladies act!
You can't tell the professionals
from the amateurs! Just a minute.
Oh, now... Bloody key.
Oh, there we are.
Now, watch your step, dear.
Now. There. That's it.
There you are. Wait there, dear.
Nice little thing, she is.
There. That's put some
light on the subject.
Now, a pretty young
girl like yourself,
you've got to start out right.
And the right way isn't by tramping
up and down on some street
what's already being solicited on.
Now, I'll just take a little drop
of this, dear... for my throat.
No, you see, that's what could have
put all those girls in such a temper.
But don't you worry, dear.
Long Liz is gonna look after you.
Anna?
Anna?
I'm looking for a girl, this tall,
in a cloak. Have you seen her?
- I've seen many girls pass.
- Have you seen this one?
- Round by the Crown and Trumpet.
- Crown and Trumpet?
- Anna!
- If it's a real woman you want...
No, even though the good
days is gone for all of us,
there's still good
pickings to be made.
Especially for the likes
of you... at your age.
You're quite a pretty little thing.
'Ere. Stand up, m'dear.
Let's have a little
look at you, then.
Come on, then.
Oh, you're a bit modest there
for most gentlemen's taste,
but not to worry, they'll
get plumper in time,
and a few little tricks I know.
Oh, poor little thing,
shivering with the cold?
It's a wonder you didn't freeze.
'Anna...'
Time you and I...
Oh, my God!
I'm looking for a girl wearing
a cloak. Have you seen her?
- I'll pay you well.
- That must be the new one.
Yeah, we saw her. She'll remember
us, too. Right little grabber.
I shouldn't have thought she
was enough woman for you.
- Where is she?
- Where's that money?
- Liz took her back to her place.
- Oh, yeah.
- Who's Liz? Where does she live?
- Liz likes the little girls.
- Where does she live?
- Not so bloody hard!
Hands off me! Don't squeeze the
fruit unless you're buying it.
- Tell me where to find this Liz!
- Blimey! There she is now!
Who the bloody hell done this?
Somebody get the police!
Anna?
Cab?
You bastard! We'll
have you! Over this way.
Hey, you! Stop!
That bloke's all right. He was
with us when we found Long Liz.
'In sickness and in health...'
In sickness and in health...
- For better and for worse...
- For better and for worse...
- Till death us do part...
- Till death us do part...
And even then,
I plight thee my troth.
And even then,
I plight thee my troth.
If anyone here assembled
knows just cause
why this couple should not
be joined in holy wedlock,
let him speak now or
forever hold his peace.
- I know of one very just cause, sir.
- What?
If you go any further, they'll be
properly married at their rehearsal.
Quite right, Doctor.
It's true, you know.
Once when I was a very young
curate, I got so carried away
that I prematurely
spliced the couple
right on the spot.
- When do we rehearse the kissing?
- I was wondering the same thing.
Laura, I believe you'd like a little
practice finding the register?
- Yes, please.
- The rest of you may stand easy
while we sort out the
stroll to the vestry.
Step up now. That's it...
That's good.
Why are you crying, Anna?
Because it's all so beautiful.
They look so lovely and happy.
I don't know what I'll
do at the real wedding.
Come, Anna.
- Dr Pritchard, do you think...?
- Anna...
I want you to think of me
as a friend, to trust me.
Would it help if you
called me John?
- Oh, no, sir. I couldn't.
- Well, I won't have "sir",
and Dr Pritchard sounds
much too formal.
- Dr John.
- Hmm. All right.
- You were going to ask something?
- Yes, I was wondering...
"Even then, I plight
thee my troth."
Do you think we know each other
in that other world, Dr John?
- What do you mean?
- Well, at Mrs Golding's sometimes,
I know I was only pretending...
but sometimes I got
into their world.
They were so mad,
so full of hate...
unhappy.
- Last night...
- That was just a bad dream, Anna.
- I told you, a bad dream.
- No.
No, I felt them coming
to me so clearly.
Anna, there are no such things
as spirits. This is nonsense.
- I want you to meet a certain lady.
- Is she a doctor, too?
No, she's not a doctor. Trust me.
Anna...
Anna... Trust me.
A gentleman and young
lady to see you, madame.
- They gave no name.
- Ask them to come in, Maude.
They are expected.
Do come in.
And be seated.
This is Miss Anna.
Hello, my dear.
Sit here, won't you?
- What a pretty dress you have on.
- Thank you, madame.
- I hear you have lost your past.
- It's facts I need, madame.
- I can only tell you what I see.
- What the crystal ball reveals?
Sir, I do not really
understand the process myself,
but I use no apparatus, unless
I can call myself apparatus.
No crystal ball, not
even tea leaves.
Sorry if I disappoint you.
Shall I proceed?
Oh, what a very pretty little
face you have, my dear.
Don't be alarmed.
Nothing I do will harm you.
I've often helped people
to find their past,
an sometimes it can be such
a very pleasant exper...
There is a violence in this girl.
I felt it. Quite sudden.
It's still there now.
Something horribly violent.
Something to do with
someone close to her.
I see a room, firelight,
a red carpet...
a bed and a child.
A little girl is in the bed.
There is a woman, her mother,
and a man, her fa...
Yes. Her father.
He's well-dressed, well-spoken.
A nobleman.
His clothes are years ago.
There's blood on his clothes.
He is a man who murders.
The little girl... it is Anna.
She's alone. There is a woman
on the floor, lying there, still.
Blood.
The man has murdered the
mother of his child.
And that child...
That child is Anna.
Who is this man?
Berner Street... Berner Street.
Why, it's...
Oh, my God!
He's the Ripper!
Who was it?
Who was this man? I must know!
I can't tell you.
But I warn you, the violence
of that man is still in this girl.
She is what I would call possessed.
Poor child!
There, there. It's all right.
Don't be frightened.
You're all right now.
Poor child.
'Anna...'
Come along, Anna.
It's time for us to go.
Madam...
Anna!
Anna!
Why?
Why?!
Giddy-up.
Come in.
- What the devil do you want?
- What did Madame Bullard say?
Nothing.
A lot of mumbo jumbo about Jack
the Ripper being her father.
- I knew it!
- He's been dead years.
- That explains it.
- Rubbish. It's not a fact.
- If Madame Bullard...
- She's a fake!
Dysart, I'm beginning
to make progress.
I'm discovering the causes of
her actions. I will cure her.
You can't cure Jack the Ripper!
- That's who she is!
- Listen to me, Dysart!
Listen to me.
Let me show you what
I've discovered.
Come, Anna.
Now, lie down, Anna.
Now you're feeling
very tired, Anna.
Sleep.
Sleep.
Sleep.
Her condition is induced by nothing
more than a flickering light.
Do you remember where this began?
She used to hide behind a
grille at Mrs Golding's.
The firelight flickering through
the grille set up a conditioning,
which she associated with
this spirit world nonsense.
She's an emotional, sensitive girl.
In reaction against the terrors
of the world she grew up in,
her mind went into revolt.
It sought every opportunity
available to forget,
to escape into a safer world,
where no one could intrude...
or inflict pain...
or lust.
While the light flickered,
Anna felt safe.
She felt needed and useful.
So, in moments of stress,
her mind seized on any
similar pattern to escape.
You may be right, but she's a
murderer, a murderer's daughter.
You can't escape that.
- Murder must be punished.
- Please, let me prove my theory.
Anna?
Anna?
Anna, I want you to open your
eyes and look at something.
Can you see it, Anna?
Yes.
I remember.
I thought it was lost.
Now, look at it again, Anna.
Thank you, Anna.
Now I want you to close
your eyes and sleep again.
Rest, Anna... Rest...
You're very tired.
- She's perfectly safe in that state.
- How can a murderer be safe?!
What sets her off?
Why does she kill?
I haven't discovered what triggers
her violence but when I do...
Don't you see? I'm near a discovery
that could change conceptions
of crime... and punishment.
Yes, all very
interesting, I'm sure.
But it doesn't solve the problem,
which is still one of morality.
The girl brutally murdered a woman,
possibly more, and she is unpunished.
Is that all you can think of? I'm
about to find out why she has to kill
and all you can think of
is revenge. I can cure her.
The only cure for her trouble
is a length of good, stout
rope about her neck.
It was always the answer. I must
have been mad to listen to you.
Fear has made me neglect my duty.
And I think, Pritchard, any
revised testimony you give
about seeing me that night will
be a waste of your breath,
once it's out you're
harbouring a murderer.
As a public servant, I intend
to expose this menace.
Good day to you, sir.
Anna, my dear...
I failed.
I failed you and I failed myself.
Forgive me, Anna.
'Anna...
'Anna...'
No! Anna!
Anna!
The alterations to the
dress will take hours.
- I can't possibly go with you.
- We'll go alone.
Go alone?! You can't
be seen out together,
two days before your
wedding, unchaperoned.
Ah, there's your solution.
- Where are you off to?
- Anna, you're just in time
to save not only our reputation
in society but honour, as well.
Don't get too tired, Miss Laura.
- See she doesn't, Mr Michael.
- She'll be all right.
Goodbye.
Dr Pritchard, is that you?
Yes, Mrs Bryant.
Is Michael with you?
He and Miss Laura have gone to
his office in the city, Doctor,
but it's all right, sir.
Anna's with them as chaperone.
I wouldn't let them go alone.
I'll just go off and get
your tea ready, Doctor.
Take the stairs on the left for
the Whispering Gallery, madam.
Thank you.
Do you know there are
258 steps up here?
My father used to bring me
when I was a little girl.
I used to so look forward to it.
He'd sit on one side,
100 feet away,
and I'd sit on the other side.
He'd whisper a line of poetry, and
I'd whisper the next if I knew it.
That way, I learnt to speak
poetry before I could even read.
Anna, give me your hand.
I'm longing for you to see this.
It's really beautiful.
We shall be just under the
dome when we reach the top.
Whoa, there. We're here, sir.
- You all right, sir?
- Get Mr Michael, quickly.
Right away, sir.
Paper! Paper! Read all about it!
Latest edition! Paper! Paper!
- Anna, Laura, where are they?
- St Paul's.
- Get in. We must get there quickly.
- What's the matter?
- St Paul's, quickly.
- Giddap!
Ah.
Oh, I'm exhausted after
all those stairs.
Anna, why don't you go
over to the rail? Look down.
I knew you'd like it. Now,
go over to the other side,
and sit down and listen to what
I'm going to whisper to you.
Go on, Anna.
Are you there yet, Anna? Anna?
Are you there yet, Anna? Anna?
Are you there yet?
- Anna?
- Anna?
Dr John, help me.
In her trance...
any kiss would bring
back the horror...
of the last image... of her father.
Then... he would possess her.
He would make her kill.
I was wrong.
I made a terrible mistake.
We must get to Laura
before anything happens.
Anna, what are you saying?
I can't hear you.
Anna, what are you saying?
I can't hear you.
'We finished him off, my dear.'
Dr John?
'He's dead and gone,
'along with all the others.'
Anna, is there someone with you?
Anna, is there someone with you?
Help me!
'The dead can't help, Anna.
'Neither can the living.'
Help me!
Anna, what's the matter?
'The dead can't help, Anna.'
It's perfectly safe.
You can't fall. You stay there.
I'm coming round to you.
Don't be frightened.
Have two young ladies just gone up?
A little while back, yes, sir.
- Go ahead. I can't make it.
- We're about to close.
I'm coming, Anna. Anna?
'Anna...'
Anna? Anna, where are you?
Anna?
They were not all dreams.
Not all dreams.
'What are dreams, and
what's real, Anna?
'I've never known.
- 'What does it matter?'
- They were not all dreams!
Dr John!
Dr John!
Oh, Dr John, help me!
Anna!
Laura!
Anna, dear, whatever is the matter?
You're trembling like a leaf.
Don't be frightened.
Just don't look down.
Hold on to me, and
I'll lead you back.
Laura!
Anna?
'Whose darkness do
we meet in, Laura?
'Your darkness or mine?'
Anna, come to me!
Anna, come to me!
Anna... come to me.
Come to me!
Laura.
It's all right. It's
all right, darling.
Come to me!
Dr John!
Anna...
It's the Ripper! Come on!
There he goes!
- He's gone in a house!
- Now we've got him!
There was another murder. They're
looking for Jack the Ripper.
It's you!
It's you they're looking for!
Anna... Anna...
It's very cold here, Granny.
It's lonely. Very lonely.
'It's so cold, Granny. So cold.'
Mary, dear, listen
carefully to Granny.
Is there no one with you in the
spirit world to play with, dear?
Is there no one at all?
'It's very lonely, Granny.'
Well, look around you, dear.
Is there no one at all with you?
There must be someone with you.
Oh, I don't think
you're trying, dear.
Look behind you.
'Yes.'
Who is it, dear? See who it is.
Look hard for Granny, dear, please.
'I-It's a little girl like me.
'A little girl.'
Ask her her name, dear.
Find out her name.
Not her spirit name, dear.
We wouldn't know her spirit
name down here, would we?
She says her name's Claudia.
She's very nice but her
dress, it's all wet.
It's Claudia! Claudia, my baby.
Claudia, can you hear Mama?
'Claudia, speak to Mama, please.'
I hear voices, strange voices,
but I can't make out
what they're saying.
What is happening? I don't
understand the foreign language.
Italian? Is it Italian?
La poverina.
I see a boat. There's been an
accident. Is that what I see?
I see a boat and I see
water. Lots of water.
- A lake...
- Claudia, can you hear me?
Speak to me. Please.
Is Claudia happy, Mary?
Ask the little girl,
is she happy, dear?
It's Granny, dear.
Ask the little girl, is she happy?
Can you hear me, Mary?
You must try, dear, or Granny
will get very annoyed.
It's no use. We've lost contact
with the spirit world.
Oh, please try.
If the spirits won't cooperate,
there's nothing we can do this end.
According to the stars,
the spirits should be very
auspicious next Wednesday,
if you'd like to try again.
I can spare a little time about
8:30 if you'd like to pass by then.
Mrs Golding, as a
student of the occult
I've never witnessed such close
contact with the spirit world.
A truly amazing talent, madam.
A very natural talent, Mr Dysart.
Very natural talent, madam.
- I'll do all I can to help.
- Thank you. We're very grateful.
- Thank you.
- Till Wednesday, then.
This was your first visit to a
medium, then, Mr Pritchard?
Yes, it is.
The young have no
interest in spirits.
There are so few people
they know who are dead.
As one gets older, one finds
that death separates us more
and more from loved ones.
I wager you find that
true, Dr Pritchard?
Yes, Mrs Golding.
- Ow! Get off!
- My dear young lady!
- What are you doing, girl?
- Did I hurt you?
Yes, you did, sir...
I mean, no, of course
you didn't, sir.
What are you doing down here?
She loves to listen to the
spirit voices. Run along now.
I told her, she mustn't loiter down
here when I've got customers...
Guests... She doesn't
listen to a word I say.
Your child, Mrs Golding?
I took her in from an
orphanage some years ago,
out of the goodness of my heart.
Her mother was done in, I fear.
She's a trifle touched, I'm afraid.
God knows what happened to her
father if she ever had one.
But one has to do all one can
for the poor creatures of this world.
Don't you agree, Dr Pritchard?
Yes, Mrs Golding. One must.
Good night, gentlemen. Good night.
For a music hall turn,
it was entertaining.
Music hall turn?
Criminal deception.
That poor woman was
driven to hysteria.
Mrs Golding's a bloodsucker
making money out of human grief.
A letter or two in the press
should put her and her like
out of business for good.
Sorry, my boy. I can't expect you
to be interested in my pet causes.
- Home now, Pleasants, if you please.
- Home?
- Tonight's my stag party.
- So soon?
Laura arrives tomorrow, the
wedding's only six days away.
- How these things catch up on one.
- I wouldn't phrase it that way.
We'll talk later. You take the
carriage. I might walk home.
Run along to your club, my boy.
- Good night.
- Have a good time.
Right, giddy-up now!
Like a cab, sir? I can run down
the Strand and get you one, sir.
Very well. I'll wait here.
Oh, it's like selling
my own flesh and blood.
I'll never forgive myself.
The poor little dear is only 17.
Oh, come now. It's bound to happen.
Sooner than later if I'm
any judge of the girl.
You will be kind to her.
She is an innocent girl.
She'd better be at that price.
If I wasn't desperate for
money, I'd never allow this.
Of course not.
Hello, my dear.
Don't be frightened, my dear.
Surely your aunt told you I was
going to pay you a visit tonight?
Yes, sir.
Shall we close this, my dear?
Makes things more cosy, hmm?
Oh, come on!
I've brought you a
little present, Anna.
Look.
There, now. What do you
think of that, eh?
I'll wager you've never had anything
as pretty as that before, have you?
It's all precious stones, you know.
How do you like it?
It's all yours, you know.
I say, girl, are you all right?
What's the trouble, eh?
Look, damn it, what
are you playing at?
Is this some sort of trick?
Come on. You're not dealing with some
rustic on his first night in London.
Get up! Come on,
you little bitch! Get up!
- Get up!
- Stop it! Stop it, Mr Dysart.
She's only a poor, innocent girl.
Look, you old bitch, you're not
putting me off with this game.
There, there, Anna. It's all right.
It happens to all of us. Mr
Dysart didn't mean to hurt you.
Oldest trick there is. I expect
you've sold her as a virgin before.
- Never!
- Well, I'll have my way with her
or I'll have my money back...
Stop it! Stop it, Mr Dysart!
All right, then.
There's your money.
Good grief, woman! Have
you no sense of values?!
There, there, dear.
It's all right now.
'Anna...'
Look what you've done...!
Mrs Golding?
Go on! Clear off. Get off
out of it! Buzz off!
Right, now. Come on. Out you come.
One fact is abundantly
clear, gentlemen...
whoever impaled that woman
possessed immense strength.
In going through your individual
statements, however,
I've found details that do not...
shall we say, provide
a clear picture.
Inspector, I have a number of
urgent appointments in the Commons.
Mr Dysart, I shall endeavour not
to keep you longer than necessary.
Now, then... Mr and Mrs Wilson.
You were the first to leave
Mrs Golding's house,
once the so-called chat with the
spirit world was concluded.
- That is correct.
- You came out of the house,
got into the carriage
and were driven away.
- Did you see anyone leave after you?
- No, Inspector.
Are you absolutely certain?
My wife was upset. I didn't
notice much beyond that fact.
Then, Dr Pritchard,
you left with your son.
My son took our carriage to his club,
as I told you in my statement.
I sent a boy to the
Strand to fetch me a cab.
When the cab was arriving,
I heard the scream.
And when did you leave
the house, Mr Dysart?
Shortly after the Pritchards.
The door was hardly closed.
- I told you all this.
- Then, Dr Pritchard,
you must have seen Mr
Dysart leave the house.
- No, I did not.
- But you were across the street.
Perhaps, Mr Pritchard,
you noticed Mr Dysart?
I'm afraid not.
I hope you realise what
you're suggesting.
Perhaps you can explain why
you were not seen leaving
by Dr and Mr Pritchard
who were 20 feet away?
I, er...
Inspector, it occurs to me that if
Mr Dysart left two minutes after us,
it's possible we didn't see him
because we were on the far
side of our carriage.
Yes, Dr Pritchard. That is a
possibility that occurred to me.
It is a possible explanation.
Of course. How stupid of me.
I remember the carriage now.
It slipped my mind.
Will you stand up, Mr Dysart?
Dr Pritchard, you are the
only witness I have.
I ask you to observe
Mr Dysart with care.
Could Mr Dysart possibly be the man
you saw leave Mrs Golding
after she screamed?
It was dark. Could you
possibly be mistaken, Doctor?
Think, please, before you answer.
No, I don't think it was Mr Dysart,
Inspector. It was a much larger man.
I'm afraid the villain of this piece
seems to have escaped you, Inspector.
She got herself lost,
Mr Michael. I knew it.
Poor, poor girl.
Mrs Bryant, I'd be obliged if
you didn't use that expression.
There's nothing poor
about Laura. There she is!
Come on, ladies and gentlemen!
I'm waiting for my fianc.
He should be here in a moment.
Laura?
Michael!
Oh, my love, at last!
Oh, it's been a year and four days,
and the four days were the longest.
It'll never happen
again, I promise you.
- Welcome home, Miss Laura.
- Oh, Nanny Bryant.
Now I now I'm really home at last.
My father couldn't make it,
due to "pressure of business".
Your poor father.
He works too hard.
Things have changed. He's now
a follower of this man Freud.
He calls himself a psychoanalyst.
Now, now, you two.
You're not married yet.
Mrs Bryant has orders to keep us
in sight until we're married.
I'm to stay at my club.
- The carriage, Miss Laura.
- It's Pleasants!
How nice to hear your voice again.
Drive slowly, so that Michael can
relate to me all that is happening.
We questioned her, Doctor, but
she's no memory of the murder.
None at all?
A complete withdrawal?
I see.
Get us out of here! We're starving!
We're not certain it wasn't
too much for the girl's mind.
With Ms Golding gone,
who'll look after her?
It'll be the streets for
her, like so many others.
Come in, dearie, why don't you?
Come and see how royalty live.
Only half a crown.
Perhaps as a doctor,
I may be able to help.
She'd be grateful, Doctor.
Want me to put on a show
for the doc, Inspector?
- Come for Little Miss Muffet?
- Come along, you lot.
Move away there.
Dirty bitches have taken
her clothes, Inspector.
Right. That's enough. Let the
gentleman through. Stop that!
Don't you do that to me.
You'll get your turn. Watch it!
What have I said?
Anna?
Do you remember me, Anna?
Yes, sir. I remember you.
Hey, what about one
of us, then, eh?
Belt up, you lot! Not so
much of it, you hear?
Do you know where
we're going, Anna?
I don't know, sir.
We're going to my home.
I'm going to look after you from
now on. Would you like that?
No, you'll be quite safe.
There'll be no more seances...
with you playing the ghost.
No more gentlemen calling on you
in the middle of the night.
- You'll lead a very different life.
- Will I work in the kitchens?
No, Anna. No.
I have a perfectly fine, cook,
housekeeper and a maid.
All you will have to do is to learn
to become one of the family.
- Family, sir?
- Yes.
Muffins! Muffins!
We're here, sir.
Here we are. We're home.
This is where I live.
Thank you, sir.
Do you approve?
Oh, yes, sir! It's beautiful!
Well, let's go in.
This will be your room, Anna.
This used to be my wife's room.
She died a long time ago.
But from now on, it will
known as Anna's room.
Dolly, help Miss Anna in
any way that you can.
Yes, sir.
Well, Anna. Are you pleased?
Well, I... see from
that that you are.
Dolly, the first thing to do is
get Miss Anna bathed and dressed.
Yes, sir. I'll get the bath ready.
Perhaps you could find something
from my wife's wardrobe
suitable for Miss Anna
to wear for dinner.
Yes, sir. There's the pink dress.
Miss Anna will look lovely in that.
Yes...
Well... Dolly seems to
know where everything is,
so don't hesitate to ask her for
anything that you may want.
Don't you worry, sir. You'll
never recognise her, sir.
Come on, Miss Anna.
Pleasants, bring the luggage.
Yes, Mr Michael.
Oh, Michael, it's
so good to be back.
Three steps down...
Oh, and here's the
umbrella stand...
Oh! Here's your knobbly old
stick, do you remember that?
Oh, it's that horrible old clock.
I remember that, too.
We broke it.
And study door...
And the mirror,
which no longer holds any
interest for me at all.
And the table, the chair...
and the Chinese vase...
and now the stairs...
- Laura...
- Oh, Michael, you've moved.
You've got the wrong man, Laura.
Dr Pritchard. I'm so sorry.
Forgive me.
How are you, Laura? I hope
you had a pleasant voyage.
- In the guest room, Pleasants.
- Isn't Laura having Mother's room?
I'm afraid not. We
already have a guest.
- May I ask what guest, Father?
- Oh, I can learn a room in minutes.
It's no problem. I'm only
here for a few days.
It's that girl from Mrs Golding's.
They were keeping her in the cells
amongst... very dubious company.
I've said that she may
stay here with us.
You've brought her here?!
Anna?
Anna?
Would you come down
a moment, my dear?
This is my son Michael.
You remember him?
- How do you do, sir?
- Welcome to our home, Anna.
- Thank you, sir.
- This is my fiance Laura.
- Hello, Anna.
- Laura is blind, my dear.
- Miss Laura...
- Oh, don't be worried.
It's just a nuisance.
I see with my hands.
Dolly, take Miss Anna
to have her bath.
Come along, Miss Anna.
I've got the water ready.
And I must get back to work.
See you at dinner later, Laura.
Call Mrs Bryant and get her
to show Laura to her room.
What a kind man he is.
I've been expecting you.
Doctor, I've no idea why you saw fit
to save me from great embarrassment
but I'm much obliged to you, sir.
It was a misunderstanding...
one which could have ruined
my parliamentary career.
Yes, Mr Dysart. Being hanged could
have ruined your neck, as well.
I don't wish to slight
your contribution
but it wouldn't have gone that far.
Really? Mr Dysart, either you
or Anna killed Mrs Golding.
Oh, come now!
Surely you don't think a
respectable Member of Parliament
goes about murdering people.
If you even suspected I was guilty,
why did you lie to save me?
Because it suited my purpose.
My knowledge of certain
mental diseases
leads me to suspect one of you.
- I could be wrong.
- I saw it. She was possessed.
Her whole body was
contorted. Her hands...
- They weren't her hands.
- Really? Whose were they?
How should I know?
She was possessed.
If she wasn't, how could
she manage, a frail girl,
to drive the poker
through flesh and bone
plus an inch and a half oak door?
The hysteria accompanying
certain disorders
can produce extraordinary strength.
- That's one explanation.
- The other being that I did it?
A possibility.
I don't understand. If you thought
I committed a crime that brutal,
we'd hardly be discussing
it about your home.
- Anna is upstairs at this moment.
- She's what?!
I intend to study her. To do that,
she must remain in my care.
Damn it, she's a possessed
being, as savage as any beast.
Listen to me. Since time began, men
have been murdering one another.
When it happens, we
hunt the murderer down
and use the law to
murder him in return.
We've tortured him, burned him
alive, disembowelled him,
though nowadays we're more
humane... we simply hang him.
And all this time, we have never
once tried to understand him,
to find out why.
Why one human being murders
another human being.
So we go on having murders
and murdering in revenge.
Only the graveyard
worms are richer.
- But she was possessed...
- Nonsense!
I believe the girl is suffering
from a disorder of the mind,
possibly brought on by some
terrifying experience in childhood.
Maybe it was congenital,
but it has divided her mind.
There's an Austrian doctor
called Freud who studied this.
It's called schizophrenia.
He also used a new science
called psychoanalysis
to explore the mind and its
disorders, to find out why.
This is the technique I
would like to use with Anna
but I need your help.
Now perhaps you can understand
my behaviour at the police station.
I want you to use your position
to find out about her past...
her family, where she
lived, everything.
The slightest detail could be vital
to understanding her condition.
- What if she murders somebody else?
- She won't.
Even if she did, to understand
the psychology of murder
would be worth the risk.
And if I refuse?
I might just remember
who it was I saw
leaving the house after the murder.
With greater accuracy this time.
You'd better go the way you came.
One thing you've got
to learn around here
is to affect what Dr Pritchard
calls a happy countenance,
which means he likes to see people
with smiles on their faces, he does.
Not that he's one for smiles and
giggles himself, know what I mean?
- Not like us.
- I wasn't crying because I was sad,
I was crying because I was happy.
- It's such a beautiful room.
- I know you were, Miss Anna. Oh!
Oh, it's all right.
It's only Dr Pritchard.
Anna, at my age, one treats modesty
as an affectation of the ugly.
It'll fit Miss Anna a treat, sir.
See how this goes with the dress.
Oh, sir. It's lovely!
We'll be at the restaurant
within the hour,
as soon as I can leave the embassy.
I've left you the carriage.
Pleasants will see you to the door.
Dolly.
Don't let her out of your sight
until she's in the carriage.
She's had a disturbing day.
She needs company.
All right, sir. Oh, Miss Anna.
You're going to look like a
proper princess tonight.
You just wait and see.
- Here.
- Ooh!
Ooh, it's a tight fit.
Goodness, look at the time.
Oh, darling, your holding me like
this is ruining our reputations,
but I could do it all night.
- Then we shall.
- When we're married, please.
But now there's no more music,
and your father's waiting.
Oh, Father...
Oh, it's so hot.
- Let's go back and dance.
- No. My feet hurt. I'm sitting down.
- I'm so hot.
- To your right.
Ah! That's better.
The dancing's made me thirsty. Oh!
Oh, my goodness.
It's all right.
I must leave. I'm worried about Anna.
She should have arrived by now.
- We shan't be late.
- Mrs Bryant will look after you.
Thank you, Dr Pritchard.
I'm sorry. Something seems to have
spoilt the evening for your father.
But not for me.
Oh, Dolly. It's so beautiful.
I'm afraid to move for
fear I'll wake up.
You're not asleep, Miss Anna.
Here. Take a look at the back.
Do you have to all me "Miss"?
I'd much prefer us to be friends.
No, that would never do.
You can't have the likes of me
talking to a lady on
such familiar terms.
- But I'm not a real lady yet.
- Wait till you see yourself in this.
Oh, Miss Anna, you're going
to look lovely tonight.
Everybody's going to
be looking at you.
You're going to be the belle of
the ball, you just wait and see.
There. It'll look
lovely on that dress.
There now.
Oh, Miss Anna, do you like it?
Oh, you do like it.
I knew you would.
Miss Anna, you look just
like a little doll,
all done up to meet the queen.
I'll kiss you now, then,
before you become a lady.
'Anna...'
Pleasants, go to the restaurant and
tell Mr Michael that you're waiting.
- I'll take a cab if I need one.
- Very good, sir.
Anna...
Anna?
Give it to me, Anna.
Give it to me.
I will keep it for you.
Stay here.
Stay here.
Dolly?
Anna...
Come with me.
What am I doing here?
- We should be at the restaurant.
- It's all right.
It's very late.
You've had long day.
You're becoming very sleepy.
Yes, I am. Very sleepy.
- Has anything happened?
- Nothing, my dear.
You dozed off and had a bad dream.
Oh, Dr Pritchard...
You came back and found me asleep.
Oh, I'm so ashamed.
- Ah, this is what I was looking for.
- Dr Pritchard.
It's all right, Mrs Bryant. Laura's
capable of putting herself to bed.
You must get your sleep, considering
the heavy time ahead of us.
Oh, yes. The wedding arrangements.
That Dolly promised to wake
me up when you came in, sir.
Where has the girl gone?
I'm afraid we've lost
our Dolly, Mrs Bryant.
As Anna and I were leaving,
a man brought a message
from Dolly's mother.
I never knew she had one. I'd never
heard her speak of her mother.
Apparently, her
mother's gravely ill.
There was nothing I could do but send
her off to give what help she could.
- She was terribly upset.
- That kind of girl does come and go.
All young girls today
lack character.
It's a fact. Can I get
you anything, Doctor?
No, thank you. I just
came back for this.
I shall be here when Laura returns,
so there's no need to stay up.
If you're certain that
I won't be needed,
I think I will take a little rest.
- I'll call if I need you.
- Thank you, Doctor.
It's time you were up, Miss Anna.
Come, now, Miss Anna,
it's way past noon.
If you don't get up, it'll be too
late to bother getting up at all.
- Oh, this is disgraceful.
- Mrs Bryant.
Let her sleep. I gave her
a sedative last night.
I want you to keep an eye on her.
I don't want her to leave the house.
Is she not well, Doctor?
- It isn't contagious, is it?
- No, Mrs Bryant.
It's just that she needs
rest and care, that's all.
Whatever you say, Doctor.
There you are, Pritchard.
Your message suggested, as well
as hysteria, that you've had success.
Doctor, being a scientist,
you'll find nothing I say
about possession believable.
So you've found someone
to say it for you?
As you know, our dear
Queen Victoria herself...
Really, Dysart, the beliefs of that
dear lady have no interest for me.
- What have you found out about Anna?
- Nothing whatsoever.
I've checked newspapers,
police files, all without success.
However, I have contacted
a certain personage.
The Royal Medium, Madame Bullard.
Please, Dysart, not a seance.
Madame Bullard has kindly consented
to give you an interview tomorrow.
I advise you to go. You have no
idea what you're dealing with.
I know very well what
I'm dealing with.
Unless you keep that appointment
tomorrow, I'm going to the police.
Now, Anna, we're going
on a voyage, you and I,
back in time to when you
were a very little girl.
I want you to try and remember as
far back as you can. Back in time.
Try and search in your mind for that
time when you were very, very small.
Do you remember you mother,
Anna? What was she like?
She wore a silk dress... with
a frill around the bottom.
Mm-hm...
There was a fire in the
grate, and it was warm.
'Sometimes...'
'Sometimes?'
'Sometimes?'
'Sometimes I'd sit on her lap by
the fire. Sometimes on the rug.'
- There were bars.
- Where?
Around my bed. There
were bars around my bed.
There were bars around my bed.
And it got very cold. The
fire died away very slowly.
It got very, very cold.
My mother kept...
kept lying there so still...
for a long time...
staring at me.
Yes, Anna. Go on.
Rest, Anna.
Rest a moment.
- I can't let you go.
- We'll be all right.
Oh, Doctor. I'm sorry
if we disturbed you,
but Mr Michael and Miss Laura,
they're being very rebellious.
We're only going out to dinner.
I can hardly chaperone them and look
after Miss Anna and yourself as well.
I'm only a singular person.
Yes, you're quite right.
Go with them to dinner.
Anna and I can manage.
Now, if you'll excuse me.
Hurry up, Nanny.
Anna?
Anna!
- What are you doing?
- Get out of here!
You're a bit young for
this game. Get off home!
'Ere you. What are
you doin'? Go on!
Hello, there. You lost
yourself, have you, my dear?
You're a bit young for
this game, aren't you?
Them old bags up there'll
have your hair off
if they catch you on their beat.
Let's look at you.
Nice little thing.
Anna?
Anna?
Anna?
When I started, it was a
different kettle of fish.
Every girl for herself. None of this
business of having your territory.
Ooh, there was lovely houses in them
days, all crystal and silk hangings,
and lovely gentlemen to tip
you a guinea just for luck.
Beautiful, it was.
Anna?
Come on, dearie. Come on!
Anna.
No, it's all too
regulated now, dear,
what with the police on you and
the price of gin what it is,
and how even so-called
nice ladies act!
You can't tell the professionals
from the amateurs! Just a minute.
Oh, now... Bloody key.
Oh, there we are.
Now, watch your step, dear.
Now. There. That's it.
There you are. Wait there, dear.
Nice little thing, she is.
There. That's put some
light on the subject.
Now, a pretty young
girl like yourself,
you've got to start out right.
And the right way isn't by tramping
up and down on some street
what's already being solicited on.
Now, I'll just take a little drop
of this, dear... for my throat.
No, you see, that's what could have
put all those girls in such a temper.
But don't you worry, dear.
Long Liz is gonna look after you.
Anna?
Anna?
I'm looking for a girl, this tall,
in a cloak. Have you seen her?
- I've seen many girls pass.
- Have you seen this one?
- Round by the Crown and Trumpet.
- Crown and Trumpet?
- Anna!
- If it's a real woman you want...
No, even though the good
days is gone for all of us,
there's still good
pickings to be made.
Especially for the likes
of you... at your age.
You're quite a pretty little thing.
'Ere. Stand up, m'dear.
Let's have a little
look at you, then.
Come on, then.
Oh, you're a bit modest there
for most gentlemen's taste,
but not to worry, they'll
get plumper in time,
and a few little tricks I know.
Oh, poor little thing,
shivering with the cold?
It's a wonder you didn't freeze.
'Anna...'
Time you and I...
Oh, my God!
I'm looking for a girl wearing
a cloak. Have you seen her?
- I'll pay you well.
- That must be the new one.
Yeah, we saw her. She'll remember
us, too. Right little grabber.
I shouldn't have thought she
was enough woman for you.
- Where is she?
- Where's that money?
- Liz took her back to her place.
- Oh, yeah.
- Who's Liz? Where does she live?
- Liz likes the little girls.
- Where does she live?
- Not so bloody hard!
Hands off me! Don't squeeze the
fruit unless you're buying it.
- Tell me where to find this Liz!
- Blimey! There she is now!
Who the bloody hell done this?
Somebody get the police!
Anna?
Cab?
You bastard! We'll
have you! Over this way.
Hey, you! Stop!
That bloke's all right. He was
with us when we found Long Liz.
'In sickness and in health...'
In sickness and in health...
- For better and for worse...
- For better and for worse...
- Till death us do part...
- Till death us do part...
And even then,
I plight thee my troth.
And even then,
I plight thee my troth.
If anyone here assembled
knows just cause
why this couple should not
be joined in holy wedlock,
let him speak now or
forever hold his peace.
- I know of one very just cause, sir.
- What?
If you go any further, they'll be
properly married at their rehearsal.
Quite right, Doctor.
It's true, you know.
Once when I was a very young
curate, I got so carried away
that I prematurely
spliced the couple
right on the spot.
- When do we rehearse the kissing?
- I was wondering the same thing.
Laura, I believe you'd like a little
practice finding the register?
- Yes, please.
- The rest of you may stand easy
while we sort out the
stroll to the vestry.
Step up now. That's it...
That's good.
Why are you crying, Anna?
Because it's all so beautiful.
They look so lovely and happy.
I don't know what I'll
do at the real wedding.
Come, Anna.
- Dr Pritchard, do you think...?
- Anna...
I want you to think of me
as a friend, to trust me.
Would it help if you
called me John?
- Oh, no, sir. I couldn't.
- Well, I won't have "sir",
and Dr Pritchard sounds
much too formal.
- Dr John.
- Hmm. All right.
- You were going to ask something?
- Yes, I was wondering...
"Even then, I plight
thee my troth."
Do you think we know each other
in that other world, Dr John?
- What do you mean?
- Well, at Mrs Golding's sometimes,
I know I was only pretending...
but sometimes I got
into their world.
They were so mad,
so full of hate...
unhappy.
- Last night...
- That was just a bad dream, Anna.
- I told you, a bad dream.
- No.
No, I felt them coming
to me so clearly.
Anna, there are no such things
as spirits. This is nonsense.
- I want you to meet a certain lady.
- Is she a doctor, too?
No, she's not a doctor. Trust me.
Anna...
Anna... Trust me.
A gentleman and young
lady to see you, madame.
- They gave no name.
- Ask them to come in, Maude.
They are expected.
Do come in.
And be seated.
This is Miss Anna.
Hello, my dear.
Sit here, won't you?
- What a pretty dress you have on.
- Thank you, madame.
- I hear you have lost your past.
- It's facts I need, madame.
- I can only tell you what I see.
- What the crystal ball reveals?
Sir, I do not really
understand the process myself,
but I use no apparatus, unless
I can call myself apparatus.
No crystal ball, not
even tea leaves.
Sorry if I disappoint you.
Shall I proceed?
Oh, what a very pretty little
face you have, my dear.
Don't be alarmed.
Nothing I do will harm you.
I've often helped people
to find their past,
an sometimes it can be such
a very pleasant exper...
There is a violence in this girl.
I felt it. Quite sudden.
It's still there now.
Something horribly violent.
Something to do with
someone close to her.
I see a room, firelight,
a red carpet...
a bed and a child.
A little girl is in the bed.
There is a woman, her mother,
and a man, her fa...
Yes. Her father.
He's well-dressed, well-spoken.
A nobleman.
His clothes are years ago.
There's blood on his clothes.
He is a man who murders.
The little girl... it is Anna.
She's alone. There is a woman
on the floor, lying there, still.
Blood.
The man has murdered the
mother of his child.
And that child...
That child is Anna.
Who is this man?
Berner Street... Berner Street.
Why, it's...
Oh, my God!
He's the Ripper!
Who was it?
Who was this man? I must know!
I can't tell you.
But I warn you, the violence
of that man is still in this girl.
She is what I would call possessed.
Poor child!
There, there. It's all right.
Don't be frightened.
You're all right now.
Poor child.
'Anna...'
Come along, Anna.
It's time for us to go.
Madam...
Anna!
Anna!
Why?
Why?!
Giddy-up.
Come in.
- What the devil do you want?
- What did Madame Bullard say?
Nothing.
A lot of mumbo jumbo about Jack
the Ripper being her father.
- I knew it!
- He's been dead years.
- That explains it.
- Rubbish. It's not a fact.
- If Madame Bullard...
- She's a fake!
Dysart, I'm beginning
to make progress.
I'm discovering the causes of
her actions. I will cure her.
You can't cure Jack the Ripper!
- That's who she is!
- Listen to me, Dysart!
Listen to me.
Let me show you what
I've discovered.
Come, Anna.
Now, lie down, Anna.
Now you're feeling
very tired, Anna.
Sleep.
Sleep.
Sleep.
Her condition is induced by nothing
more than a flickering light.
Do you remember where this began?
She used to hide behind a
grille at Mrs Golding's.
The firelight flickering through
the grille set up a conditioning,
which she associated with
this spirit world nonsense.
She's an emotional, sensitive girl.
In reaction against the terrors
of the world she grew up in,
her mind went into revolt.
It sought every opportunity
available to forget,
to escape into a safer world,
where no one could intrude...
or inflict pain...
or lust.
While the light flickered,
Anna felt safe.
She felt needed and useful.
So, in moments of stress,
her mind seized on any
similar pattern to escape.
You may be right, but she's a
murderer, a murderer's daughter.
You can't escape that.
- Murder must be punished.
- Please, let me prove my theory.
Anna?
Anna?
Anna, I want you to open your
eyes and look at something.
Can you see it, Anna?
Yes.
I remember.
I thought it was lost.
Now, look at it again, Anna.
Thank you, Anna.
Now I want you to close
your eyes and sleep again.
Rest, Anna... Rest...
You're very tired.
- She's perfectly safe in that state.
- How can a murderer be safe?!
What sets her off?
Why does she kill?
I haven't discovered what triggers
her violence but when I do...
Don't you see? I'm near a discovery
that could change conceptions
of crime... and punishment.
Yes, all very
interesting, I'm sure.
But it doesn't solve the problem,
which is still one of morality.
The girl brutally murdered a woman,
possibly more, and she is unpunished.
Is that all you can think of? I'm
about to find out why she has to kill
and all you can think of
is revenge. I can cure her.
The only cure for her trouble
is a length of good, stout
rope about her neck.
It was always the answer. I must
have been mad to listen to you.
Fear has made me neglect my duty.
And I think, Pritchard, any
revised testimony you give
about seeing me that night will
be a waste of your breath,
once it's out you're
harbouring a murderer.
As a public servant, I intend
to expose this menace.
Good day to you, sir.
Anna, my dear...
I failed.
I failed you and I failed myself.
Forgive me, Anna.
'Anna...
'Anna...'
No! Anna!
Anna!
The alterations to the
dress will take hours.
- I can't possibly go with you.
- We'll go alone.
Go alone?! You can't
be seen out together,
two days before your
wedding, unchaperoned.
Ah, there's your solution.
- Where are you off to?
- Anna, you're just in time
to save not only our reputation
in society but honour, as well.
Don't get too tired, Miss Laura.
- See she doesn't, Mr Michael.
- She'll be all right.
Goodbye.
Dr Pritchard, is that you?
Yes, Mrs Bryant.
Is Michael with you?
He and Miss Laura have gone to
his office in the city, Doctor,
but it's all right, sir.
Anna's with them as chaperone.
I wouldn't let them go alone.
I'll just go off and get
your tea ready, Doctor.
Take the stairs on the left for
the Whispering Gallery, madam.
Thank you.
Do you know there are
258 steps up here?
My father used to bring me
when I was a little girl.
I used to so look forward to it.
He'd sit on one side,
100 feet away,
and I'd sit on the other side.
He'd whisper a line of poetry, and
I'd whisper the next if I knew it.
That way, I learnt to speak
poetry before I could even read.
Anna, give me your hand.
I'm longing for you to see this.
It's really beautiful.
We shall be just under the
dome when we reach the top.
Whoa, there. We're here, sir.
- You all right, sir?
- Get Mr Michael, quickly.
Right away, sir.
Paper! Paper! Read all about it!
Latest edition! Paper! Paper!
- Anna, Laura, where are they?
- St Paul's.
- Get in. We must get there quickly.
- What's the matter?
- St Paul's, quickly.
- Giddap!
Ah.
Oh, I'm exhausted after
all those stairs.
Anna, why don't you go
over to the rail? Look down.
I knew you'd like it. Now,
go over to the other side,
and sit down and listen to what
I'm going to whisper to you.
Go on, Anna.
Are you there yet, Anna? Anna?
Are you there yet, Anna? Anna?
Are you there yet?
- Anna?
- Anna?
Dr John, help me.
In her trance...
any kiss would bring
back the horror...
of the last image... of her father.
Then... he would possess her.
He would make her kill.
I was wrong.
I made a terrible mistake.
We must get to Laura
before anything happens.
Anna, what are you saying?
I can't hear you.
Anna, what are you saying?
I can't hear you.
'We finished him off, my dear.'
Dr John?
'He's dead and gone,
'along with all the others.'
Anna, is there someone with you?
Anna, is there someone with you?
Help me!
'The dead can't help, Anna.
'Neither can the living.'
Help me!
Anna, what's the matter?
'The dead can't help, Anna.'
It's perfectly safe.
You can't fall. You stay there.
I'm coming round to you.
Don't be frightened.
Have two young ladies just gone up?
A little while back, yes, sir.
- Go ahead. I can't make it.
- We're about to close.
I'm coming, Anna. Anna?
'Anna...'
Anna? Anna, where are you?
Anna?
They were not all dreams.
Not all dreams.
'What are dreams, and
what's real, Anna?
'I've never known.
- 'What does it matter?'
- They were not all dreams!
Dr John!
Dr John!
Oh, Dr John, help me!
Anna!
Laura!
Anna, dear, whatever is the matter?
You're trembling like a leaf.
Don't be frightened.
Just don't look down.
Hold on to me, and
I'll lead you back.
Laura!
Anna?
'Whose darkness do
we meet in, Laura?
'Your darkness or mine?'
Anna, come to me!
Anna, come to me!
Anna... come to me.
Come to me!
Laura.
It's all right. It's
all right, darling.
Come to me!
Dr John!
Anna...