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Murder by Decree
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Murder by Decree (1979) More at IMDbPro »

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Murder by Decree (1979) -- Sherlock Holmes investigates the murders commited by Jack the Ripper and discovers a conspiracy to protect the killer.

Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   1,318 votes
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Up 5% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Bob Clark
Writers:
Arthur Conan Doyle (characters)
John Hopkins (screenplay)
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Sherlock Holmes and Saucy Jack on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
9 February 1979 (USA) more
Tagline:
Sherlock Holmes unveils the secrecy of Jack the Ripper - clue by clue - murder by murder. more
Plot:
Sherlock Holmes investigates the murders commited by Jack the Ripper and discovers a conspiracy to protect the killer. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
5 wins & 4 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(5 articles)
Back Catalogue #4: Vci Entertainment
 (From Fangoria. 26 October 2009, 4:34 AM, PDT)

Murder By Decree Comes To DVD December 15th
 (From shocktillyoudrop. 22 September 2009)

User Comments:
The Ultimate Holmes/Ripper Meeting more (61 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

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
June Brown ... Anne Chapman
Ken Jones ... Dock Guard
Terry Duggan ... Danny
Hilary Sesta ... Catherine Eddowes
Anthony May ... Lanier
Betty Woolfe ... Mrs. Dobson
Iris Fry ... Elizabeth Stride
Geoffrey Russell ... Home Secretary Henry Matthews
Peggy Ann Clifford ... Lees' Housekeeper

Ann Mitchell ... Jane
Katherine Stark ... Molly
Elaine Ives-Cameron ... Ellen
Stella Courtney ... Betty
Judy Wilson ... Emily
Roy Patterson ... Carroll
Victor Langley ... Prince of Wales
Pamela Abbott ... Princess Alexandra
Robin Marchall ... Duke of Clarence 'Eddy'
Richard Pescud ... Doctor (as Richard Pescuid)
Pat Brackenbury ... Nurse
Dan Long ... Constable Long
Michael Cashman ... Constable Watkins
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Peter Dean ... Police Constable (uncredited)
Jim McManus ... Policeman (uncredited)
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Directed by
Bob Clark 
 
Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
Arthur Conan Doyle  characters
John Hopkins  screenplay
Elwyn Jones  co-author (book "The Ripper File")
John Lloyd  co-author (book "The Ripper File")

Produced by
Bob Clark .... producer
René Dupont .... producer
Robert A. Goldston .... producer
Len Herberman .... executive producer
 
Original Music by
Paul Zaza 
Carl Zittrer 
 
Cinematography by
Reginald H. Morris 
 
Film Editing by
Stan Cole 
 
Casting by
Karen Hazzard 
 
Production Design by
Harry Pottle 
 
Art Direction by
Peter Childs 
 
Set Decoration by
Denise Exshaw 
 
Costume Design by
Judy Moorcroft 
 
Makeup Department
Peter Robb-King .... makeup artist
 
Production Management
Peter Davis .... production manager: UK
Ted Rouse .... production manager: Canada
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ariel Levy .... assistant director
Ken Roch .... second assistant director
Guy Travers .... second assistant director
 
Art Department
Percy Godbold .... production buyer
Adrian Start .... art stand-by
 
Sound Department
David Appleby .... sound re-recording mixer (as Dave Appleby)
Dennis Drummond .... sound editor
Patrick Drummond .... sound editor
Wayne Griffin .... sound editor
Joe Grimaldi .... sound re-recording mixer
Kenneth Heeley-Ray .... supervising sound editor (as Ken Heeley Ray)
John W. Mitchell .... sound recordist (as John Mitchell)
Don White .... foley recording mixer
 
Special Effects by
Michael Albrechtsen .... special effects
 
Visual Effects by
Cliff Culley .... visual effects supervisor
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Maurice Gillett .... gaffer
Jimmy Turrell .... camera operator (as James Turrell)
David Wynn-Jones .... focus puller (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ron Beck .... wardrobe supervisor
 
Editorial Department
Ian McBride .... assistant editor
 
Music Department
Frank Morrone .... music recordist
 
Other crew
Marilyn Clarke .... production coordinator
S.C. Dacy .... publicist
Robert A. Goldston .... presenter
Bob Halliday .... police liaison
Marjorie Lavelly .... continuity
 

Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Sherlock Holmes and Saucy Jack (USA)
Sherlock Holmes: Murder by Decree
more
Runtime:
124 min | Sweden:110 min
Country:
UK | Canada
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
According to Bob Clark, the budget was less than $4 million. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: When Watson questions the ladies in the Black Horse Tavern a Salvation Army band is playing "Onward Christian Soldiers" in the street. But the tune "St. Gertrude" was not composed and published by Sir Arthur Sullivan until after the purported time setting of the film (1888). more
Quotes:
Sherlock Holmes: [Reacting to the tardiness of the Prince of Wales] I suppose since, after all, he's only the Prince of Wales, we should not expect the same degree of courtesy.
Dr. John H. Watson: And since you are the Prince of Detectives, Holmes, I don't think you should presume to criticize a man who one day will be King of England.
Sherlock Holmes: [amused] Well done, Watson! You have cut me to the quick. Hmm! Only the Prince of Detectives, you say? Then who, pray tell, is the King?
Dr. John H. Watson: Lestrade, of course.
[Holmes laughs]
more
Soundtrack:
God Save the Queen more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
6 out of 8 people found the following comment useful.
The Ultimate Holmes/Ripper Meeting, 21 October 2000
Author: Rob-120 (lindsayrs@msn.com) from Renton, WA

"Murder By Decree" is the ultimate meeting between the two greatest figures of Victorian mystery: Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper. There have been other meetings between the two (including a terrible novel in which Holmes WAS the Ripper), but none quite as satisfying to devotees of both Holmes and the Ripper case.

There is widespread speculation, among those of us who consider Sherlock Holmes a very real person, as to his possible role in investigating the Jack the Ripper murders of 1888. Given Holmes's passion for unsolved mysteries, it seems unlikely that he would not have taken up the Ripper case. And if he did, it seems very unlikely that Holmes would NOT have solved it. So why does the Ripper's identity remain a mystery? Is the Ripper case one of those "unpublished" cases that Dr. Watson occasionally refers to in the Sherlock Holmes stories? If so, who did Watson choose not to publish an account of Holmes's involvement in the Ripper investigation.

"Murder By Decree" answers these questions with true Holmesian style. Christopher Plummer, as Holmes, is a deductive reasoner with an ounce of compassion and a sharp sense of justice. James Mason, as Watson, is not a bungler but an active, intelligent aide to Holmes's investigation. And we have scenes that are mainstays of the classic Holmes tales, including the chase through dark, foggy, gaslit streets, and a visit by hansom cab to a dark foreboding asylum, which resembles Baskerville Hall.

And then there's the Ripper, the ultimate unsolved mystery. The movie places Holmes among real-life characters in the Ripper drama, such as Charles Warren, Robert Lees, Mary Kelly, Annie Crook, and Prime Minister Lord Salisbury. It re-creates the murder scenes with historical accuracy. It shows us the East End as it was (and more or less still is): A horrific maze of alleys that is the perfect stalking ground for a predator like the Ripper. The shots from the Ripper's POV, moving through a maze of dark, foggy alleys, accompanied by ominous footsteps and heavy breathing, are particularly scary. This air of mystery surrounding this unknown fiend is partially why the Ripper murders are remembered even today.

The movie takes one of the more imaginative Ripper theories (the "Prince Eddy/Annie Crook" conspiracy) as its explanation for why Holmes and Watson kept silent about their involvement in the case. The movie becomes exceptional when Holmes himself becomes a victim of the conspirators. Holmes discovers to his horror that his deductive reasoning has been used. The conspirators have purposely set him on the Ripper's trail, knowing that he will lead them to the elusive Mary Kelly, who becomes the Ripper's last victim.

Is the "Annie Crook" theory true? Probably not, but it still refuses to die. (The NEXT Ripper movie, "From Hell" starring Johnny Depp, uses the "Annie Crook" theory as its base.) But who cares if it's fiction! It's STILL a terrific "conspiracy theory." And it makes for a case worthy of Holmes, one which he solves but cannot win. He stops the conspirators, but emerges from the case outraged and grief-stricken over having led the murderers to Mary Kelly. A more flawed, more human Holmes we have rarely seen, outside of Jeremy Brett.

But Watson reminds Holmes that Mary Kelly died willingly to protect the bastard child of Annie Crook and Prince Eddy, the source of the Ripper conspiracy. And Holmes, through his investigation of the conspiracy, has insured the child's safety. There is still decency in the world. The closing credits, played to music from Holmes's violin, give a sense that, with the Ripper nightmare over, Holmes and the city of London will emerge into the light once more.

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The 'Pea' scene moviegoer36
a fun link to 'chat' with Jack! Montmartre1
One of my favorite films on Jack luciefilm
A complete jumble of a movie **spoilers** boomcoach
The most human Holmes? wordbug
I watch it once a month... mcquestion
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