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Murder By Decree [1980]
![Murder By Decree [1980]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/511GVQ0SFML._SL160_.jpg)
The story may not be unique in post-Doyle Holmes adventures--the private investigator pursues Jack the Ripper during the latter's murderous reign in foggy London--but the script by John Hopkins (Thunderball) is keenly intelligent, developing concentric circles of power and evil with great subtlety. Before losing himself in Porky's, director Bob Clark did a masterful job of surprising audiences with Murder by Decree, convincing viewers they were watching one kind of drama but then unleashing something very different, very unsettling. --Tom Keogh
RRP: £12.99
Our Price: £19.99 (subject to change)
Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review
Murder by Decree has the distinction of being not only one of the best Sherlock Holmes films, but one of the best pastiches (i.e., a Holmes fiction created by someone other than author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) featuring the late-Victorian detective. Christopher Plummer is very good as Holmes, and James Mason redeems the many mishandled screen portrayals of Dr John Watson with a rare, insightful performance.
Editorial
Special Features
2.35 Wide Screen
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
English
Region 2
Editorial
Synopsis
Christopher Plummer and James Mason take on the roles of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in this entertaining mystery-thriller. The famous sleuth and his loyal sidekick try to figure out the identity of Jack the Ripper and stop the madman's killing spree once and for all. In the process, they uncover a conspiracy involving the Freemasons and members of the royal family.
Sherlock Holmes vs. The Establishment
Review date: 2008-08-28 Rating: 10 out of 10
!MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!
This is a wonderful film, concerning the investigations of Holmes and Watson into the 'Jack the Ripper' Whitechapel murders. A variation on this story had already been filmed as 'Study In Terror' with John Neville and Donald Houston as Holmes and Watson respectively. While that is a very fine film, and well worth checking out, it is a strictly B-movie affair, and far more lurid in its story telling.
This is simply sumptous. The fog shrouded streets of East London, have never been filmed to look so beautiful and so dangerous at once.
The police, led by pompous Sir Charles Warren have already warned to leave the case alone, and our sleuthing duo begin to understand why, when they uncover a web of corruption and deceit, involving secret Masonic orders, the Royal family and even the higher echelons of the Government. Every move that they make is being watched, and every attempt is made to stop them from solving the case.
This is partly such a big success, due to so many great performances in one film. Christopher Plummer is a passionate, crusading Sherlock Holmes, constantly battling the establishment, and his anger at the injustices he encounters. I really do believe that he gives the definitive ortrayal of Conan Doyle's great sleuth. James Mason's Doctor Watson is also a briliant reading of the character, much calmer and solemner than the anarchic Holmes, but every bit his intellectual equal. The days of Nigel Bruce's portrayal of a bumbling buffoon are long forgotten. Add to this some great performances by Anthony Quayle, Susan Clark, David Hemmings and Donald Sutherland as the mystic Robert Lees who has premonitions of the murders, and you have a winner all the way.
The direction is also spot on, the two hour running time allowing the complicated plot time to be explained in a leisurely, calm manner.
A brilliant film, highly recommended
Similar Products
- A Study In Terror [1965]
- The Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes [1970]
- Without A Clue [1988]
- Sherlock Holmes And The Case Of The Silk Stocking
- Sherlock Holmes - Incident At Victoria Falls
Reviews
Surprisingly good and atmospheric
Review date: 2008-06-06 Rating: 10 out of 10
If you have seen the movie "From Hell..." then here is the film where they got most of their best ideas from! As one earlier reviewer put it, this is not a film with which you approach with much enthusiasm. You are expecting the same old plod over familiar territory of Jack the Ripper murders with Sherlock Holmes investigating. But it is a little gem of a movie with some surprisingly subtle touches to it. The atmospheric studio sets of fog bound East End streets are remarkably good and the clever use of location work just adds to the quality feel of this movie.
Christopher Plummer turns in a fine performance as a very believable and fallible Sherlock Holmes. James Mason, one of Britain's finest ever screen actors, gives a masterclass in understatement as Dr Watson, giving the character depth and dignity, something denied to Dr Watson from Nigel Bruce onwards. Add to this a guest list of epic proportions including John Gielgud, Donald Sutherland, David Hemmings, Frank Finlay, Anthony Quayle, Genevieve Bujold, and even "EastEnders" very own Pete Beale as a Cockney Copper and you know you're on to a winner.
Effectively creepy in places and bringing the Masonic side of the Ripper theories to the fore, this is a great film for dark nights and will even deliver a scare or two.
SHERLOCK HOLMES VS JACK THE RIPPER!! EXCELLENT 1978 MOVIE...
Review date: 2008-05-27 Rating: 8 out of 10
Surprisingly decent 1978 Sherlock Holmes tale - A top quality UK/Canada joint production, with Canadian veteran Christopher Plummer excellent as the iconic sleuth.
The Jack The Ripper element is tailor made for Conan Doyle's legendary detective & a rare, successful marriage of fact & fiction!
Christopher Plummer & James Mason are both really good in their respective roles of Holmes & Watson. As in the Peter Cushing/Andre Morrell pairing, both men appear to be on an equal level with a mutual respect & reliance on one another - certainly not like the 1930's movies which often made Watson look oafish & a liability at times.
There's also a wonderful supporting cast - David Hemmings, Anthony Quayle, John Gielgud etc. Most of these fine actors are no longer with us & the acting world is a poorer place for it.
I find that the presence of the mostly British cast makes all the difference in this genre.
The key factor for this type of movie is ATMOSPHERE, and it has it in spades! The narrow, cobbled streets, gaslights, the creeping fog, it's all here!
The London of 1888 is well brought to life by some great set designs & matte painting/miniature visual effects. Strongly authentic!
The plot is almost identical to the 2002 Ripper movie, From Hell starring Johnny Depp - but the Holmes presence makes for a different movie.
There's a slight horror feel to this with the sinister, point of view Ripper attacks & modest injection of gore. However the murders are never as graphically depicted as the afore mentioned From Hell, with the possible exception of the appalling slaughter of Mary Kelly.
This film is actually quite similiar in feel to the excellent, 1988 TV Feature, Jack The Ripper starring Michael Caine & Lewis Collins.
A great movie for Holmes fans, especially if you like the more Gothic tales like Hound Of The Baskervilles or The Scarlet Claw - and an essential if you a student of Jack The Ripper (not literally, I hope!) and enjoyed the hypothesis of From Hell.
A STUDY IN EXCELLENCE
Review date: 2007-05-10 Rating: 10 out of 10
I first saw MURDER BY DECREE on tv about twenty years ago late one night in bed. I hadn't planned to watch it but, boy, was I glad I did. This is the best ever pairing of actors to play Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson.
What we have here is a superbly atmospheric story with genuinely disturbing elements, and it compliments perfectly the spot-on performances by CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER and JAMES MASON. Hey, with this sort of pedigree in the thespian dept - including several neat turns from ANTHONY QUAYLE, JOHN GIELGUD and DAVID HEMMINGS - I can forgive the odd ropey model shot of smoky rooftops overlooking central London. (At least it wasn't a Toho Studios miniature c/w a giant green Moriarty.)
Plummer plays SHERLOCK HOLMES with a warmth and humanity not often seen on screen, and very nice it is, especially in the interplay with his colleague JOHN WATSON. Of course this bond was always evident in the books - that's partly why they remain so successful - but to those who still say JEREMY BRETT is the definitive article, well, on this evidence(!), they're just plain wrong. Check it out.
The plot about JACK THE RIPPER being a member of the Royal Family and the ensuing cover-up by the Government and Freemasons to throw Holmes off the trail is tautly handled and the action scenes are performed with gusto. Holmes is physically very proactive in this outing, being as equally assured with his weapons as his wits. The Ripper Murders are mildly gory but they're more disturbing than excessive - again, it's the thought of who might be doing them that leaves an unpleasant taste in the mouth.
In all, then, a solid British/Canadian production not just worthy of those who love the genre, but for anyone who likes a classic period chiller. I'm a firm believer that any film you can watch more than twice is worth owning and MURDER BY DECREE fulfils that requirement many times over.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Holmes and Watson jack up The Ripper!
Review date: 2007-01-12 Rating: 10 out of 10
Though by no means a perfect Sherlock Holmes film, Bob Clark's Murder by Decree is an intelligent pastiche in which the Great Detective tracks down real-life murderer Jack the Ripper. This premise also informed the earlier A Study in Terror (1965), though this later movie is far more effective in terms of both suspenseful storytelling and emotional impact. That is manages to achieve this whilst subscribing to the most outlandish and unlikely of Ripper theories (it goes for the hoary `Royals and Freemasons' angle) makes it even more impressive. Those who write about this movie seem to either love or hate it; they either take exception to the characterisation of Sherlock Holmes and the attempts to weave him in amongst real-life events, or praise the opulent sets, direction, witty script, and outstanding performances. And though a Holmes fan, I can say that I fall firmly into the latter category; Christopher Plummer doesn't look or talk like the more obviously faithful interpretations by Peter Cushing or Jeremy Brett, but the fact is that their interpretations simply wouldn't have worked here, where Holmes is required to display a social conscience and outrage at the authority figures he holds responsible. Also, the film scores highly with an absolutely first-rate Dr Watson from James Mason, who not only avoids making the character a figure of fun, but also invests him with an innate, old-world decency that increases in importance as the movie progresses. Fine performances are given by Frank Finlay as Lestrade, David Hemmings, and Anthony Quayle, and though Donald Sutherland is rather oddly cast as an introverted medium, he is nowhere near as bad as some writers would have you think. The production design is consistently impressive, and Clark stages the murder scenes in horrific fashion, the raddled whores meeting their doom in a realistically squalid Whitechapel. A superior period thriller that overcomes the absurdity of its premise to make some telling comments about the abuse of power, Murder by Decree's premise ensures that it isn't beloved of Ripperologists, but it still stands up as the most intelligent film made on the subject.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Anthony Quayle
Christopher Plummer
Susan Clark
James Mason
David Hemmings
Creators:
Christopher Plummer (Primary Contributor)
James Mason (Primary Contributor)
Director(s):
Recording label: Momentum Pictures
Manufacturer: Momentum Pictures
EAN: 5060049140414
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, PAL, Widescreen,
Release date: 2003-03-17
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 119 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1979-02-09
Language: English (Original Language)