Jack the Ripper: screencaps

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George Lusk (Michael Gothard) first comes to the attention of Chief Insp. Frederick Abberline and Sgt. George Godley at the Coroner’s Court. Lusk is in the company of journalist Benjamin Bates (Jonathan Moore) of The Star, hearing testimony from Dr. Llewellyn (Michael Hughes) about the first of the Whitechapel murders.



Lusk helps stir up the crowd when two of the other suspects, Richard Mansfield and Robert James Lees, appear in public.



After another murder has been committed, Lusk leads a mob to terrorise a cobbler. The scene turns very ugly, with bricks being thrown through the cobbler’s windows.



The police arrive, including Sgt. Godley (Lewis Collins). Lusk sensibly refrains from hitting him. Godley asks what he is doing.

“Found an apron by the corpse, didn’t they?” Lusk replies. “Well, he wears one! Murderer!” However, it is clear that Lusk is far too intelligent to believe his own faulty logic.



Lusk next shows up at the police station, in his capacity as Chairman of the Vigilance Committee, and demands to see Chief Insp. Frederick Abberline (Michael Caine).



The two face off. Lusk claims that his Committee will keep the streets safe, but Abberline says that all Lusk wants is power.



In this scene, Lusk watches the local prostitutes arguing with a pimp, and exchanges glances with Mary Jane Kelly (Lysette Anthony), before looking at his pocket-watch and departing, just as another murder is about to be committed.



Following yet another murder, Lusk turns up with a mob, and needles Abberline about his failure to catch the murderer. He then tells the crowd that the police “don’t want the streets safe” because they don’t care about the common people.



Bates comes into the pub to show Lusk a front-page article he has written about him. Lusk is not terribly impressed, and tells Bates to shut up and do his job!



Lusk gives an impassioned speech in the pub, again making class the main issue, saying that if some of the murdered girls had been duchesses “they’d have brought the army in.”



He finishes with “Long live the revolution! And long live Karl Marx!” Mary Jane Kelly is very impressed. Her pimp, Billy (Gary Shail) is far from happy.



Many Jane resolves to talk to Lusk, over Billy’s objections; and finds that there is something she can do “for the revolution.”



Billy tries again to prise Mary Jane away from Lusk; Lusk says “She’s breaking free of pimps and scum” and tells him to go back to the sewers. Billy accuses Lusk of being a fraud – “trying to talk like us.”



Lusk gets annoyed – then throws Billy to his two henchmen to deal with.



Lusk resumes his place with the ladies, who are not too worried about what is happening to Billy, outside.



Bates arrives to tell Lusk he’s got him a photographer; Lusk says he wants more than one.



Lusk’s mob takes to the streets once more. This time they are demanding the resignation of Sir Charles Warren, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.



They besiege Scotland Yard. Lusk thinks they only need one more push to take over the streets.



Mary Jane has been found dead. Lusk again leads the disillusioned mob, looking for Abberline and demanding that he be strung up.



He confronts Abberline and Godley, saying they don’t care about working people. The crowd begins to chant “No police!”



Abberline has had enough, and goes for Lusk; Godley drags him away.



Lusk and Bates revel in their power.



On the night when Abberline and Godley have set a trap for the Ripper, Billy watches Lusk with unveiled suspicion.




Doing his last duty as red herring, Lusk checks his watch, and departs.