by Sean Donnelly
On a hot August night in Redhook, Brooklyn I ventured onto the set of “A Rogue In Londinium”, having been invited a few days before by the producers Patrick Sullivan and Thom Milano. It was late in the evening amid the centuries old cobblestones that the filmmakers erected a snow machine. Actors dressed in wool sucked down bottles of Poland Spring water like they were in Death Valley. However, on the screen it is a brisk winter evening with a light snow falling. Ice cubes in the character’s mouths provided the cold breath necessary for a realistic portrayal. Crewmembers cranked up the behemoth snow machine and if you were deaf it would be a quaint November evening with Jack Frost nipping at your nose.
It was in the late Fall of 1888 that Jack the Ripper committed his last and most gruesome murder of Mary Kelly. This movie does not try to explain or even portray Jack the Ripper, but rather tells the story of an artist at the wrong place at the wrong time during the infamous serial killer’s reign of terror in London’s notoriously dangerous and poverty stricken East End. The question does arise, though. Could this sensitive artist be soulless enough to brutally murder and mutilate women? And still fall in love with a socially conscious reformer? Can a murderer be reformed, redeemed? It would be naïve and ridiculous to think that Jack the Ripper, whoever he was, was the only murderer in town at that time. There were plenty of unsolved murders and random killings to keep the police on their toes at every turn.
Whit Hamilton plays Richard Rhys, a Victorian painter and if you saw him from a distance you’d think, oh, yeah, another Johnny Depp. But Whit has his own style and demeanor that is a departure from Depp’s characters. There is a different type of intensity deep in his eyes. And it is quite obvious why he was hired. He is sexy. And coming from a straight man that is a compliment. However, it’s not overt. It is a sensual ease with which he conducts himself. He is incredibly charming and quite disarming when you speak with him. Put a little blood on his hands and a frock coat and top hat and you’ve got yourself a convincingly scary sociopath. Soft spoken and controlled it is in his subtlety that he creeps you out. He is a small guy standing only about 5’6” but so was Claude Reins and he is ‘Notorious’ for his portrayals of bad guys. Pun intended. There are moments on the set when I’m not sure whether I’m speaking to Whit or Richard. And it isn’t a conscious effort on his part. Frankly I don’t think he knows that he is blurring the lines. The Wardrobe mistress, Ashley, says she thinks he channels Richard since he is so unaware of himself (and creeps her out simply by reading the paper). Something anathema to some actors who seem to be painfully aware of themselves and what they are doing.
Playing opposite Whit is Rebecca Damon. Her character, Victoria Thornton, is a member of the Astor family---the English branch. Ultra Rich and endowed with a conscience and several foundations she moves about the East End of London trying to help women of the evening find another line of work. She imbues her character with a compassion one only reads about in history books. She seems completely out of place in this industrial dark, dank area. Confronting the prostitutes of White Chapel her voice is helpful and yet pleading. Ms. Damon could be a cross between Kate Beckinsale and Mary Louise Parker (pre-Weeds) and delivers a woman conflicted between the status Quo of an arranged marriage and her growing restlessness with great aplomb. Jennifer Larkin plays Beatrice Potter Webb, (not the Beatrix of Peter Rabbit fame) another reformer working hard to change the tide of poverty. As the scene unfolds Richard has been attacked and blood trickles down his face. He stumbles across the cobblestones as Victoria moves to him. Two strangers meet and the chemistry is electric. When they set eyes on each other the scene becomes otherworldly and the recognition of soul mates is entrancing. Beatrice, cautious and conservative, does not care for Victoria’s naiveté and Jennifer plays the part with astute British-ness (if that is a word). With almost no lines she conveys an entire character in her demeanor that only Emma Thompson might top. The Director and Crew set up an extended jib arm on a spider dolly. The cobblestones posed a technical nightmare regarding staying level, but Patrick Sullivan ever the problem solver figured out a solution with a little help from Lowes. The shots look like something way beyond a micro-budget indie. The production value from the costumes, sets, and cinematography would rival any multi-million dollar budget film. I’m not saying it is of blockbuster quality but it is way better and far more interesting and thought-provoking than the Blair Witch Project. Bjornquist Films knows that it is far better to own your equipment than to rent. Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Milano said it took them almost seven years of steady work to acquire the needed production package. Start small and build big. And whatever you do, keep shooting.
Earlier in the day I paid a visit to the filmmaker’s apartment. It is located in Fort Greene, Brooklyn and is a lovely brownstone complete with high ceilings and crown molding built in 1858. I want to know why living spaces like that don’t exist any more. Whatever happened to craftsmanship? They occupy the parlor floor and upon entering I was astounded at how they turned their living space into an elaborate Victorian set. The kitchen was temporarily designed and decorated to be Charles Thornton’s smoking parlor. Once again, Mr. Sullivan erected false walls of gator board to hide the stove, fridge and sink. The wallpaper, a red damask pattern quite suited to the place and time. The set dresser, Elizabeth Hodges, told me that everything---and I mean everything down to the knick knacks and tintypes on the mantel were bought at auction on ebay. I asked how that could possibly work since film sets must adhere to a strict schedule. She demurred that months and months in advance each room was designed and decorated via what was available and won on Ebay. “In a sense Ebay had a say in how the room formed”. Divine intervention? Perhaps. A lot of the props and dressing are the real deal. Antiques found by trolling internet flea markets and garage sales. “Some people just don’t know what they have”, Elizabeth said. The filmmakers plan on re-auctioning most of their treasures and hopefully make a profit reselling. “That is the business plan for now”, Thom Milano added. “It’s a risk. Especially with the economy as it is, but we have time. We own it all. We can sell it when there is an upturn in consumer spending. Until then we can use it in other projects or rent things out like a small prop house. Either way we’ll make our money back on this part of the budget”.
As I was touring the set with the producers, the crew and talent were getting last looks for the first shot of the first scene of the movie. Ms. Damon is costumed in a lovely Japanese Kimono. (an ebay find and another real deal). Keith Herron playing Charles Thornton, one of the richest men in the British Empire arrived in his smoking jacket looking quite dashing. As the scene unfolded we are immediately aware that husband and wife have come to some kind of arrangement. It is not a physical union whatsoever. However, the devotion and true friendship that underlies the marriage is tender and we can empathize why they are together and stay committed. I have seen Keith Herron’s work before and I am a huge fan. I don’t understand why some savvy casting director or film producer doesn’t just snap him up and put him to work. He is a chameleon and can do anything. He can play anything. He IS Charles Thornton in this movie. Keith is the type of actor who can have a long, varied career playing roles that other lesser actors have been playing for years; Indie, mainstream, experimental, television (HBO in particular), podcasts---you name it, Keith can do it and do it extremely well.
It is one o’clock and the set is boiling. The actors are in full costume---God Bless them! Unfortunately the air conditioners and fans have to be turned off because of sound issues when camera rolls. To top that, the carriage doors had to be closed to the kitchen to cut out unwanted ambient noise. By lunchtime I had sweated off several pounds and thought maybe I should go and hydrate at a local eatery, The Smoke Joint---a Fort Greene treat, and save myself for the evening’s shoot. Stick with me, kid. We’re going places and this blog and the film I’m writing about have only just begun…
Still Photography courtesy of Elisa Gierasch
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