Murder by Decree (1979)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Bob Clark

Writers:

Arthur Conan Doyle (characters)
John Hopkins (screenplay)

Release Date:

9 February 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Sherlock Holmes unveils the secrecy of Jack the Ripper - clue by clue - murder by murder.

Plot:

Sherlock Holmes investigates the murders commited by Jack the Ripper and discovers a conspiracy to protect the killer.

Plot Keywords:

Sherlock Holmes | Jack The Ripper | Murder | Conspiracy | Asylum

Awards:

5 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Christopher Plummer	...	Sherlock Holmes
James Mason	...	Dr. John H. Watson
David Hemmings	...	Inspector Foxborough
Susan Clark	...	Mary Kelly
Anthony Quayle	...	Sir Charles Warren
John Gielgud	...	Prime Minister Lord Salisbury
Frank Finlay	...	Inspector Lestrade
Donald Sutherland	...	Robert Lees
Geneviève Bujold	...	Annie Crook
Chris Wiggins	...	Doctor Hardy
Tedde Moore	...	Mrs. Lees (as Teddi Moore)
Peter Jonfield	...	William Slade
Roy Lansford	...	Sir Thomas Spivey
Catherine Kessler	...	Carrie
Ron Pember	...	Makins

Also Known As:

Sherlock Holmes and Saucy Jack (USA)
Sherlock Holmes: Murder by Decree

Runtime:

124 min | Sweden:110 min

Country:

UK | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Sweden:15 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (original rating) | UK:15 | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC)

Trivia:

Frank Finlay also played Inspector Lestrade in A Study in Terror (1965), another film that pitted Sherlock Holmes against Jack the Ripper. Both films also featured Anthony Quayle in a supporting role.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: The piper at Catherine Eddowes's funeral is not playing any notes on the chanter and in one sequence and has both hands totally still whilst a musical sequence is played.

Quotes:

Sherlock Holmes: Watson, what are you doing?
Dr. John H. Watson: I'm trying to corner the last pea on my plate.
Dr. John H. Watson: [Holmes squashes the pea] You squashed my pea.
Sherlock Holmes: Well, now you've got it cornered.
Dr. John H. Watson: Yes but squashing a fellow's pea.
Sherlock Holmes: Just trying to help.
Dr. John H. Watson: I didn't want it squashed, I don't like it that way - I like it whole so that you can feel it pop when you bite down on it.
Sherlock Holmes: Sorry, I wasn't thinking.

Movie Connections:

References A Study in Terror (1965)

Soundtrack:

Preludio

Superbly atmospheric, produced but flawed...

"Murder by Decree" could have been one of THE great Sherlock Holmes films but suffers from problematic scenes that need to be edited or cut altogether. Outstanding art direction and recreation of London in 1888 help to salvage it. It also features winning interpretations of Holmes and Watson by Christopher Plummer and James Mason (my favorite Dr. Watson), and fine performances by a strong supprting cast. It also features one of the scariest moments I've ever seen in a film, when the black eyes of the killer appears in a tight close-up. Scary! Overall: sluggish at time, but entertaining.