TotalTelly.co.uk
Devoted to Popular, Cult and Retro TV
A Study In Terror [1965]
![A Study In Terror [1965]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51M44J7Q78L._SL160_.jpg)
RRP: £12.99
Our Price: £5.97 (subject to change)
Editorial
Synopsis
Jack The Ripper is on the loose, and it seems as though the only man capable of tracking him down and exposing his identity is Sherlock Holmes...
You won't see anything like it this side of Hell
Review date: 2008-06-08 Rating: 6 out of 10
Far inferior to Bob Clark's later Murder By Decree (1979), this first cinematic attempt to pit Sherlock Holmes against Jack the Ripper is a reasonably exciting horror thriller in its own right, but is let down by an unimaginitive plot and the rather too broad playing of the lead actors. Compared to the deadly straight team of Peter Cushing and Andre Morell, Holmes and Watson in the Hammer version of The Hound of the Baskervilles made just a few years earlier, John Neville and Donald Houston play the central roles with their tongues firmly in their cheeks. Houston in particular goes the Nigel Bruce route in his playing of Watson, his flamboyant pomposity unsuited to the grim subject matter of the story. Robert Morley, too, goes for overt comedy with his Mycroft Holmes, the first time the character had ever appeared on screen, as does Cecil Parker as Lord Salisbury, whose performance lacks the chilly menace of John Gielgud's turn as the same man in Murder By Decree. The best performance in the movie comes from Anthony Quayle in the small role of Doctor Murray; by this point in his career a veteran of well-regarded war epics like Ice Cold in Alex and The Guns of Navarone, he's the biggest star in the film and justly steals every scene he's in. Also featuring small, early supporting roles for curent British TV `golden girls' like Judi Dench and Barbara Windsor, a jazzy score, and a couple of surprisingly bloody deaths, A Study In Terror is a long way from being the definitive `Holmes vs. the Ripper' story, but is a decent enough way to pass an hour and a half.
Similar Products
- Murder by Decree [1980] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- The Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes [1970]
- Sherlock Holmes - Incident At Victoria Falls
- Sherlock Holmes And The Leading Lady [1991]
- The Sherlock Holmes Collection [1968]
Reviews
An Entertaining Sherlock Holmes Story
Review date: 2006-07-11 Rating: 8 out of 10
A study in terror revolves around Sherlock Holmes up against the infamous Jack the Ripper in the backstreets of Victorian London. A cast of well-known stars including Anthony Quayle, Robert Morley, Frank Finley and stage actor John Neville as the notorious sleuth. The harsh colour and ghostly music adds to the gritty realism of the period. Another similar and maybe more sophisticated movie is Murder by Decree which deals with pretty much the same plot but delves deeper into the workings of the Masonic conspiracies. A good transfer onto DVD including the original theatrical trailer makes this a recommended purchase.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Donald Houston
Barbara Windsor
Anthony Quayle
John Neville
Robert Morley
Creators:
John Neville (Primary Contributor)
Donald Houston (Primary Contributor)
Director(s):
Recording label: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Fremantle Home Entertainment
EAN: 5030697008466
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2005-03-28
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Running time: 94 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1965
Language: English (Original Language)