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Murder by Decree (1-Feb-1979)
Director: Bob Clark Writer: John Hopkins Music Composed by: Carl Zittrer; Paul Zaza Producers: Rene Dupont; Bob Clark Keywords: Mystery, Sherlock Holmes Following apparent police disinterest in the matter, a group of storekeepers in Whitechapel ask sleuth Sherlock Holmes to investigate and stop Jack the Ripper in 1888 London. After probing bordellos and alleyways of the seediest parts of the city, he and Watson uncover a Masonic conspiracy reaching into high levels of the British government. Not the only film depiction of Holmes meeting Jack the Ripper, but certainly the best; failed miserably at the box office.
CAST | Christopher Plummer | ... Sherlock Holmes | | James Mason | ... Dr. Watson | | David Hemmings | ... Insp. Foxborough | | Susan Clark | ... Mary Kelly | | Anthony Quayle | ... Sir Charles Warren | | John Gielgud | ... The Prime Minister | | Frank Finlay | ... Insp. Lestrade | | Donald Sutherland | ... Robert Lees | | | and | | Geneviève Bujold | ... Annie Crook | | | co-starring | | Chris Wiggins | ... Dr. Hardy | | Teddi Moore | ... Mrs. Lees | | Catherine Kessler | ... Carrie | | Terry Duggan | ... Danny | | Peter Jonfield | ... William Slade | | Roy Lansford | ... Sir Thomas Spivey | | Ron Pember | ... Makins | | Ken Jones | ... Dock Guard | | | June Brown | ... Annie Chapman | | Hilary Sesta | ... Catherine Eddowes | | Anthony May | ... Lanier | | Betty Woolfe | ... Mrs. Hudson | | Iris Fry | ... Elizabeth Stride | | Geoffrey Russell | ... Home Secretary | | Peggy Ann Clifford | ... Lees' Housekeeper | | Ann Mitchell | ... Jane | | Katherine Stark | ... Molly | | Elaine Ives Cameron | ... Ellen | | Stella Courtney | ... Betty | | Judy Wilson | ... Emily | | Roy Pattison | ... Carroll | | Victor Langley | ... Prince of Wales | | Pamela Abbott | ... Princess Alexandra | | Robin Marchall | ... Duke of Clarence "Eddy" | | Richard Pescuid | ... Doctor | | Pat Brackenbury | ... Nurse | | Dan Long | ... Constable Long | | Michael Cashman | ... Constable Watkins |
REVIEWS Review by Walter Frith (posted on 7-Jun-2007) Bob Clark's 'Murder by Decree' is truly one of the most outstanding
buried treasures in all of film history. With the English detective
Sherlock Holmes having such a rich history on the big screen with
multiple portraits of him in the 1930's and 40's courtesy of Basil
Rathbone, the film makers were forced this time to look at Sherlock
Holmes from a different perspective. Rathbone's portrayal of Holmes is
probably the most well known version of the character to film buffs the
world over. First of all this time, they got somebody who wasn't
English to play Holmes. Although many thought that Rathbone was English
born, he was actually born in South Africa but was often mistaken as
English. Canadian Christopher Plummer, mistaken himself sometimes as
being English, plays Holmes with a shrewd and intelligent prowess. Born
in Toronto, Ontario, Plummer Grew up in the village of Senneville,
Québec, Canada and is the great grandson of former Canadian Prime
Minister Sir John Abbott. Another change from the 30's and 40's, is
that the story is more violent this time around with some gruesome
murders shown in a quick but effective manner which is in keeping with
the evolution of adult material put forward in the movies in the 1970's
and the entire film is exquisitely photographed using dark English
streets full of cobblestone buildings, fog and eerie street lamps. And
the film's final after thought is one that definitely stirs up
controversy involving English aristocrats of the highest order. Bob
Clark certainly shows us through the several films that he's made, that
he is a director of impressive diversity. Clark would follow-up 'Murder
by Decree' with two more more films after that that take a much
different path. 1980's 'Tribute' starring Jack Lemmon was about a
terminally ill stage entertainer trying to establish contact with his
estranged son before he dies. Then Clark would make 1982's 'Porky's,
the ultimate teenage sex comedy for its time and a film that would have
a million imitators. If you sat down to watch the last three films
mentioned, you would hardly guess they were all made by the same
director. Clark, who just turned 62 this past August 5th, has dabbled
extensively in Canadian made productions despite being American born
(from Louisiana) and educated at Hillsdale College in Michigan. 'Murder
by Decree' won six Genie awards. These are Canada's version of the
American academy awards. Included in those six Genie's was a win for
Clark in the best director category while Christopher Plummer won the
best actor prize. A major bonus for 'Murder by Decree' is the portrayal
of Dr. John Watson, Holmes' assistant, played wonderfully in a droll
and rigid manner by James Mason. Mason is one of the finest actors to
ever come out of England and was never knighted by the monarchy as a
"Sir" while other less deserving people have received the honour. Many
speculate that the reason Mason never got his due was his portrayal in
1951 of Nazi Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in 'The Desert Fox' which
caused a major stir in England upon its release. Many felt that Mason
should not have accepted the role for political reasons but he did a
splendid job and this really was a silly concern among those who
worried about it. For most people's money that I have talked to, many
feel that Mason is right up there with Laurence Olivier, Alec Guinness,
John Gielgud and other distinct British actors who did receive their
knighthood. 'Murder by Decree' has Holmes and Watson investigating the
murder of several prostitutes and homeless women on the streets of
London in 1888. Their deductions lead them to question many people and
a key interrogation takes place in a mental institution when Holmes
talks to Annie Crook (Geneviève Bujold) and finds that she has been
kept in the institution unnecessarily and has also had her child kept
from her for no good reason. This answers many important questions for
Holmes and Bujold won the Genie for best supporting actress in an
outstanding role that has her on screen for about ten minutes of the
entire film and it's a classic case of quality over quantity reigning
supreme. 'Murder by Decree' is written by John Hopkins, a writer whose
style was definitely bleak. Recurring themes in his works were human
loneliness, isolation, and alienation. Ironically, he died tragically
at the age of 67 in 1998 after slipping, falling and hitting his head
on a swimming pool deck and drowning after he fell in. With such a high
brow subject as Victorian England on his plate, he filled the audience
with enough intelligent dialogue and social afterthought long after the
film's villain is captured. There is a final scene where Holmes speaks
to the British Prime Minister and a couple of his dignitaries where he
makes his case for what was found during his investigation and how some
allegations are true while others are merely circumstantial. The film
seems to satisfy film goers who like a sense of closure with their
films while still satisfying others who like to leave a certain amount
to the imagination. [Visit Film Follow-Up by Walter Frith]
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