FROM HELL 5/33

W e encountered a minor logistical problem on this page of FROM HELL in that upon a thorough examination of whatever maps I had assembled, it was necessary for Gull and Netley to exit into the foreground rather than the backgound, as Alan pictured in the script.

FROM HELL. CHAPTER 5. PAGE 33. (words 1,158)
PANEL 1.
NOW ANOTHER NINE PANEL PAGE. IN THIS FIRST ONE WE ARE STILL LOOKING THROUGH GULL’S EYES, BUT HE SEEMS TO HAVE STRAIGHTENED UP SLIGHTLY, BECAUSE OUR VIEW IS DIFFERENT. THE BUTCHERED WOMAN IS STILL PROMINENT, DOWN TOWARDS THE BOTTOM OF THE FOREGROUND, BUT LOOKING PAST HER WE CAN NOW SEE NETLEY SOME FEW FEET AWAY. PERHAPS NETLEY HAS PUT THE LANTERN DOWN AND IS HERE SEEN REPLACING THE LISTON KNIFE IN THE AMPUTATION CASE, ABOUT TO PUT IT BACK INTO THE GLADSTONE BAG. HE GLANCES ACROSS AT US HERE AS GULL SPEAKS. IN THE FOREGROUND, GULL HAS RAISED HIS CUPPED HANDS FROM WITHIN POLLY’S STOMACH WOUND. CUPPED IN THEM IS A SHIFTING POOL OF BEAUTIFUL AND LUMINOUS WHITE MIST THAT ILLUMINES EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. PHOSPHORESCENT DROPLETS OF LIGHT FALL SOFTLY FROM BETWEEN GULL’S FINGERS, DRIPPING GORGEOUSLY BACK INTO THE MOTHER POOL OF RADIANCE STILL VISIBLE IN POLLY’S OPEN STOMACH. WE LOOK DOWN INTO THE LIGHT CUPPED IN GULL’S HANDS HERE, AND SHARE HIS ALMOST DIVINE ELATION. THIS IS SO UNEXPECTED AND BEAUTIFUL.
GULL (OFF): Oh.
GULL (OFF): Oh, look at it! It’s..
GULL (OFF): What is it? I’ve never seen anything quite like…

PANEL 2.
SAME SHOT. IN THE BACKGROUND, NETLEY IS DROPPING THE NOW CLOSED AMPUTATION CASE INTO THE GLADSTONE. AS HE DOES SO HE GAZES ACROSS AT US RATHER THAN AT WHAT HE IS DOING. IN THE FOREGROUND, GULL HOLDS OUT HIS CUPPED HANDS TO NETLEY, AS SEEN THROUGH GULL’S EYES. CUPPED IN THE HAND IS THE HOLY LIQUID LIGHT OF POLLY’S SOUL. FALLING IN SLOW AND TWISTING RIVULETS BACK TO THE POOL OF LIGHT THAT’S HELD IN POLLY’S STOMACH. THE LIGHT FROM GULL’S CUPPED HANDS EVEN LIGHTS UP NETLEY’S FACE IN THE BACKGROUND, LIGHTING IT FROM BENEATH. NETLEY’S EXPRESSION IS WIDE EYES AND OPEN MOUTHED. FROM THE LIGHTING, THE NATURE OF HIS EXPRESSION IS AMBIGUOUS. IT MIGHT BE RELIGIOUS AWE.
GULL (OFF): Look at it, Netley.
GULL (OFF): Can you SEE?

PANEL 3.
NOW WE REVERSE ANGLE SO THAT WE ARE LOOKING THROUGH NETLEY’S EYES TOWARDS GULL. GULL KNEELS BY THE BODY, ALMOST IN AN ATTITUDE OF PRAYER. HE HOLDS OUT HIS CUPPED HANDS TOWARDS US. THEY ARE FULL OF INTESTINES, THE SNAKE-LIKE ROPES TRAILING BACKWARDS TO THE OPENED WOUND IN POLLY NICHOLS’ STOMACH. THE BLOOD IS THICK UPON GULL’S FINGERS. AS HE LOOKS UP AT US ACROSS THE ENTRAILS HE HAS A WONDERING AND CHILDLIKE SMILE THAT IS GENUINELY TOUCHING. HIS EYES ARE BRIMMING WITH TEARS OF JOY AND HUMILITY.
GULL: Can you SEE it, Netley?

PANEL 4.
CHANGE ANGLE, PERHAPS WE ARE LOOKING UP SLIGHTLY, FROM PAVEMENT LEVEL AT GULL AS HE CROUCHES ABOVE THE BODY, TEARS STARTING TO ROLL ACROSS HIS CHEEKS AS HE STARES AT THE BODY IN CHILDLIKE WONDER. HE LETS HIS HANDS SINK BACK TO THE STOMACH WOUND, REPLACING THE HANDFUL OF GUTS WITH A GENTLE AND LOVING SMILE. HE IS CLEARLY MOVED BEYOND WORDS. LOOKING UP PAST HIM WE SEE NETLEY AS HE WALKS CLOSER TO US, CARRYING BOTH THE CLOSED GLADSTONE BAG AND THE LANTERN. HE LOOKS DOWN AT GULL WITH A GRIMACE OF UNCOMPREHENDING HORROR, BUT TRIES TO SPEAK AS CALMLY AND LEVELLY AS HE CAN. HE’S GOT TO GET THIS FUCKING LUNATIC AWAY FROM HERE BEFORE THE POLICE ARRIVE. THE PAIR OF THEM GOT TO BUCK’S ROW AT JUST AFTER THREE THIRTY, MISSING THE NIGHT WATCHMAN BY TWO OR THREE MINUTES. THEIR WORK THUS FAR HAS TAKEN ABOUT TEN OR TWELVE LONG MINUTES, AND NETLEY IS CLEARLY ANXIOUS TO BE OUT OF THERE. GULL STARES AT THE BODY, STILL ENGROSSED, AS HE REPLACES POLLY’S CUTS. HE HAS A SMALL FLECK OF BLOOD UPON HIS FOREHEAD THAT HE DOES NOT APPEAR TO HAVE NOTICED.
NETLEY: Uh..
NETLEY: Uh, yes, sir. Yes, I reckon I can.
NETLEY: Look, we ought to be goin’, sir…

PANEL 5.
PERHAPS WE ARE LOOKING DOWN FROM A POINT JUST ABOVE NETLEY, LOOKING DOWN PAST HIM AT GULL AS HE HELPS THE OLD DOCTOR TO HIS FEET. GULL SLOWLY AND RELUCTANTLY STANDS UP FROM HIS POSITION NEAR THE BODY. LOOKING LIKE ONE WAKING FROM A DREAM. HE STILL KEEPS LOOKING BACK AT THE BODY EVEN AS HE RELUCTANTLY STANDS UP, LEAVING IT BEHIND. NETLEY, IF WE CAN SEE HIS FACE, IS STARING AT GULL WITH A VERY WORRIED EXPRESSION. PERHAPS GULL PLACES ONE BLOODIED HAND UPON NETLEY’S SHOULDER TO SUPPORT HIMSELF AS HE PULLS HIMSELF UP FROM HIS KNEELING POSITION. SEE WHAT LOOKS NATURAL TO YOU AND DO ACCORDINGLY.
GULL: Yes.
GULL: Yes, of course. You’re right. Ought to be going. Yes.
GULL: Yes, but..

PANEL 6.
HERE, WE ARE DOWN AT PAVEMENT LEVEL. POLLY’S BODY LIES IN THE FOREGROUND, THE BLACK BONNET STILL RESTING UNTOUCHED BY HER RIGHT SIDE. LOOKING UP BEYOND HER WE CAN SEE GULL AND NETLEY AS THE LATTER GENTLY LEADS THE FORMER AWAY UP THE STREET. BACK TOWARDS BRADY STREET AND THE WHITECHAPEL ROAD BEYOND. AS GULL ALLOWS NETLEY TO LEAD HIM ALONG HE HAS HIS HEAD TURNED TO LOOK TOWARDS THE YOUNG COACHMAN AS HE SPEAKS. THEY BOTH WALK AWAY FROM US, LEAVING THE BODY BEHIND THEM, STILL AND DEAD.
GULL: Light, Netley.
GULL: Did you SEE?

PANEL 7.
CHANGE ANGLE. GULL IS HEAD AND SHOULDERS IN THE FOREGROUND OVER TO THE RIGHT OF THE PANEL. HE IS TURNING HIS HEAD BACK AWAY FROM US TO LOOK BACK TOWARDS THE BODY AS HE AND NETLEY LEAVE BUCKS ROW. WE CAN SEE A LITTLE OF HIS FACE, TURNED AWAY FROM US IN PERHAPS A QUARTER PROFILE AS HE LOOKS BACK TOWARDS THE CORPSE IN THE BACKGROUND. POLLY LIES ON HER BACK. LIGHT IS BRIMMING FROM HER STOMACH AND RUNNING DOWN HER SIDES TO POOL ABOUT HER IN A RADIANT PUDDLE. FROM WHAT LITTLE OF GULL’S EXPRESSION WE CAN SEE HE LOOKS HUMBLE AND AWE-STRUCK AS HE CASTS A LAST GLANCE BACK TOWARDS THE BODY.
GULL: She was full of light.

PANEL 8.
NOW WE HAVE CHANGED ANGLE SO THAT THE BLOODIED BODY IS NOW MOTIONLESS, SPRAWLED IN THE FOREGROUND. THERE ARE NO LIGHTS. IN THE DARKNESS, WE CAN’T EVEN SEE A LOT OF BLOOD. LOOKING PAST THE BODY WE SEE GULL AND NETLEY, HEADING AWAY FROM US RIGHT AT THE TOP OF BUCKS ROW. WHERE IT JOINS BRADY STREET. THEY ARE ABOUT TO TURN THE CORNER AND WALK OUT OF SIGHT, AND WE CAN REALLY ONLY MAKE OUT THEIR DISTANT FIGURES HERE BY THE WEAK GLOW OF NETLEY’S LANTERN. THE MAIN FOCUS OF THIS PANEL IS POLLY’S STILL, DEAD BODY, AN INCREASINGLY SHADOWY MASS IN THE FOREGROUND, THE BONNET LYING TO ITS RIGHT.
No Dialogue

PANEL 9.
THIS FINAL PANEL IS EXACTLY THE SAME SHOT AS LAST PANEL, ONLY HERE, GULL AND NETLEY ARE NO LONGER VISIBLE, HAVING TURNED THE CORNER INTO BRADY STREET AND TAKEN THEIR LANTERN WITH THEM. IN THE FOREGROUND, POLLY’S BODY LIES ALONE IN THE DARK, A BARELY DISTINCT SHAPE AS SHE SPRAWLS UPON THE COLD COBBLES.
No Dialogue