FROM HELL: 5/5

First of a couple of scenes from Alan Moore's FROM HELL scripts that the movie people liked enough to include in the FROM HELL film.




Chapter 5
PAGE 5.
PANEL 1.
ONCE AGAIN, THE PAGE IS DIVIDED UP INTO THREE HORIZONTAL PANELS, EACH TAKING UP A FULL TIER. IN THIS FIRST PANEL WE HAVE A CLOSE UP SHOT OF POLLY NICHOLS, ASLEEP, TO MATCH THE IMAGE OF THE SLEEPING WILLAIM GULL THAT CLOSED OUR LAST PAGE. SINCE THE NEXT SIX PAGES DEPEND TO SOME DEGREE UPON THE RHYTHM OF THE ALTERNATING CROSS-CUTS BETWEEN GULL AND POLLY, MAYBE IT WOULD LOOK GOOD IF YOU FOUND SOME SIMPLE VISUAL WAY TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THE WORLDS OF THE TWO CHARACTERS. PERHAPS, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU COULD UTILIZE A LOT OF EMPTY WHITE SPACE IN THE IMAGES OF GULL, WHILE WITH THE SHOTS OF POLLY YOU COULD MAYBE USE THAT LITHOGRAPHIC CRAYON OR WHATEVER IT WAS THAT YOU USED IN CHAPTER 2, WHICH WOULD GIVE A FLICKING DARK-LIGHT-DARK-LIGHT-DARK RHYTHM TO THE VISUAL PROGRESSION OF IMAGES. AS EVER, IT’S ONLY A SUGGESTION AND THE END RESULT IS UP TO YOU. HOWEVER YOU DECIDE TO HANDLE IT, THIS PANEL SHOWS A CLOSE UP OF POLLY, ASLEEP. NOW, I CAN’T FIND ANY REFERENCE TO EXACTLY WHERE POLLY STAYED ON THE NIGHT OF THE 29TH /30TH OF JANUARY, ALTHOUGH IT WOULD SEEM THAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN IN EITHER THE COMMON LODGING HOUSE AT THRAWL STREET, OR IN THE COMING LODGING HOUSE AT FLOWER AND DEAN STREET. BASICALLY, WE CAN TAKE OUR PICK. WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SHOW, IF IT SEEMS RIGHT TO YOU, IS THE PRACTICE OF “SLEEPING ON A CLOTHESLINE” WHICH WAS SEEMINGLY COMMON IN THE DOSS HOUSES OF THAT PERIOD. THE VAGRANTS UNABLE TO AFFORD EVEN THE LOWLIEST BED FOR THE NIGHT WOULD PAY A PENNY TO SLEEP SITTING UP IN A ROW AGAINST THE DOSS HOUSE WALL WITH A LENGTH OF CLOTHESLINE STRETCHED OUT IN FRONT OF THEM TO STOP THEM FALLING FORWARD COMPLETELY IN THEIR SLEEP. I’D LIKE TO INCLUDE IT BECAUSE OF THE STRANGENESS OF THE IMAGE, AND ALSO BECAUSE IT WOULD PROVIDE A MORE STRIKING CONTRAST WITH THE IMAGES OF WILLIAM GULL AWAKENING TO A SUNNY, WELL-FURNISHED BEDROOM IN BROOK STREET. ON THE OTHER HAND, IF YOU HAVE A BETTER IDEA, OR A DIFFERENT DEPICTION THAT YOU’RE MORE COMFORTBALE WITH THEN PLEASE STICK IT IN. IF YOU DO DECIDE TO GO FOR THE CLOTHESLINE IDEA, HOWEVER, THEN WHAT WE SHOW IS AS FOLLOWS: HERE WE SEE A CLOSE UP OF POLLY, WHO IS SITTING WITH HER BACK TO THE DAMP AND STAINED DOSS-HOUSE WALL, WHICH IS OVER TOWARDS THE RIGHT OF THE PANEL. SHE IS ASLEEP, FULLY CLOTHED, AND THE UPPER HALF OF HER BODY SAGS FORWARD AGAINST THE STOUT ROPE OF THE CLOTHESLINE, HER HEAD NODDING DOWN ONTO HER NARROW, BIRD-LIKE BREAST. PERHAPS A THIN STRAND OF SOUR DROOL ESCAPES ONE CORNER OF HER MOUTH AND SETS OUT ACROSS THE BIG ADVENTURE OF HER CHIN. HER EYES ARE CLOSED AND HER FEATURES SLACK. HER HAIR IS AWRY, WITH THE MOUSEY STRANDS ESCAPING WHISILY FROM THE BUN OF HER HAIR THAT IS SLOWLY LOOSENING AND UNRAVELLNG AT THE BACK OF HER HEAD. SHE IS RIGHT AT THE END OF THE LINE OF SLEEPERS, AND THUS THE ONLY ONE THAT WE CAN SEE HERE. TO THE LEFT OF THE PANEL, WE CAN SEE WHERE THE END OF THE CLOTHESLINE IS FASTENED TO EITHER A POST OF A RING IN THE WALL. A PAIR OF MALE HANDS ARE ENTERING THE PANEL FROM OFF, UNTYING THE KNOT THAT HOLDS THE CLOTHES LINE WITH DEFT AND PRACTICED FINGERS. THE INTERIOR OF THE DOSS HOUSE ROOM HAS A MIASMIC AND SOOTY DARKNESS, ALTHOUGH CHINKS OF MORNING SUNLIGHT FALL UPON THE WORN THREADS OF POLLY’S CLOTHING FROM SOMEWHERE OFF PANEL, WHILE SHE DREAMS ON. UNCONCERNED WITH POLLY’S DREAM, THE HANDS OVER TO THE LEFT OF THE PANEL CONTINUE TO UNTIE THE ROPE THAT IS HOLDING UP HER SLEEPING FORM.
No Dialogue

PANEL 2.
NOW A SHOT OF WILLIAM GULL. WE HAVE PULLED BACK FROM OUR CLOSE UP IN THE LAST PANEL ON PAGE FOUR, AND NOW WE CAN SEE MORE OF THE LARGE BEDROOM. THE BAND OF SUNLIGHT THAT WE SAW PROGRESSING UPWARDS ACROSS GULL’S BELLY HAS NOW REACHED HIS FACE, AND HIS EYES OPEN. HE PERHAPS EVEN STARTS TO SIT UP A LITTLE, PROPPED UPON HIS ELBOWS AS HE LOOKS AROUND THE ROOM AND ORIENTS HIMSELF. BESIDE HIM, AND FURTHEST AWAY FROM US AS WE LOOK TOWARDS THE BED HERE, MRS. GULL SLEEPS SOUNDLY, RESTING ON HER SIDE AND FACING AWAY FROM US. AS GULLS EYES MOVE ACROSS THE ROOM HIS FACE HAS NO EXPRESSION. THE ROOM IS LIGHT, AIRY AND EXQUISITELY FURNISHED, ACCORDING TO THE TASTES OF THE TIME. THE SUNLIGHT FALLS IN SLATS ACROSS THE PATTERN ON THE WALLPAPER. BESIDE THE BED, ON GULL’S SIDE, RESTING ON THE BEDSIDE TABLE, ARE A PAIR OF SMALL, WIRE-RIMMED READING GLASSES, A BOOK WITH A MARKER BETWEEN ITS PAGES, AND A BAG OF GRAPES.
No Dialogue

PANEL 3.
WE CUT BACK TO POLLY IN THE DOSS HOUSE. HERE, WE HAVE PULLED BACK A LITTLE FROM OUR SHOT OF HER AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE, SO THAT NOW WE CAN SEE HER SITUATION MORE CLEARLY. WE CAN SEE THE OTHER VAGRANTS SITTING TO POLLY’S LEFT, TOWARDS OUR RIGHT IN THIS PANEL. THEY ALL SIT FACING US, AND ACROSS TO THE LEFT OF THE PANEL WE CAN SEE THE LOWER HALF OF THE MAN WHO HAS JUST UNTIED THE CLOTHESLINE, LETTING IT GO SLACK. AS HE DOES THIS, THE SLEEPING PAUPERS ARE ONCE MORE SUBJECTED TO THE NORMAL COURSE OF GRAVITY, AND ALL TOPPLE FORWARDS WITH A START, POLLY INCLUDED. HER GUMMY EYES COMING OPEN AS SHE WAKES TO FIND HER FACE PRESSED AGAINST THE FLOOR BOARDS. THE PANEL IS ARRANGED SO THAT POLLY IS OUR VISUAL FOCUS, WITH MOST OF OUR ATTENTION UPON HER AS SHE IS RUDELY AWAKENED IN THE CUSTOMARY FASHION. THE EXPRESSION CAUGHT BRIEFLY IN HER OPENING EYES IS ONE OF A SORT OF DISAPPOINTED BEWILDERMENT.
No Dialogue