Murder by Decree (1979)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Bob Clark

Writers:

Arthur Conan Doyle (characters)
John Hopkins (screenplay)
(more)

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
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)

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
S.C. Dacy	....	publicist
Robert A. Goldston	....	presenter
Bob Halliday	....	police liaison
Marjorie Lavelly	....	continuity

Production Companies

• Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC) (produced with the assistance of)
• Famous Players (produced with the assistance of)
• Highlight
• Murder by Decree Productions

Distributors

• Ambassador Film Distributors (1979) (Canada) (theatrical)
• AVCO Embassy Pictures (1979) (USA) (theatrical)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (1980) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Magnetic Video (1980) (USA) (VHS)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1981) (USA) (TV)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Studio Canal (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Filmways Australasian Distributors (Australia) (theatrical)
• BMG Video (UK) (VHS)
• Embassy Video (video)
• Globo Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Lee Lighting  lighting
• MGM Laboratories  release prints
• Medallion Labs  answer print
• Pathé Sound and Post Production Center  post-production facilities
• Rank Film Laboratories  processing

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:

Bob Clark had to do research to see if the word "fart" was in existence in 1888. It was.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Watson is arrested by the police after being conned into a small courtyard with only one entrance two policemen enter but three policemen leave

Quotes:

Dr. John H. Watson: [Offended by the booing of the Prince of Wales by the theater gallery] It's a damn disgrace!
Sherlock Holmes: On the contrary. I prefer bad manners in the theater to active violence in the streets.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Cinemania: Oi pio diavoitoi dolofonoi: Alithines istories!" (2009)

Soundtrack:

God Save the Queen

Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper

In 1888 London, Sherlock Holmes (Christopher Plummer) and Dr. Watson (James Mason) are asked by a citizen's group to find and stop Jack the Ripper. For some reason the police don't want Holmes to investigate. However he does and as the bodies pile up Holmes and Watson slowly uncover a trail that might lead to the highest reach of British government.

This was released and died VERY quickly in 1979. I'm probably one of the few people who saw it in a theatre. The critics almost unanimously praised it, it had a huge cast of good actors...but it just died. That's too bad because this is a very good Sherlock Holmes film.

It's atmospheric (LOTS of foggy streets), has exquisite production design and is beautifully directed by Bob Clark (I love the way the first murder is done--very effective). Also the acting is great. Plummer gives a very good, different interpretation of Holmes--he makes him more emotional than other actors have...but it works. Mason nicely underplays the role of Watson--he does not make him a bumbling fool like Nigel Bruce did back in the 1940s. In small roles Susan Clark, John Gielgud and especially Genevieve Bujold are excellent. Donald Sutherland, Anthony Quayle and David Hemmings unfortunately are not that good.

There are some problems with this movie though. It's too long (a long sequence involving Watson and some prostitutes could have been completely cut) and is needlessly convoluted. Also they throw politics in the plot which seems out of place. And, strangely, Holmes' deductive reasoning is almost never used. He comes across more as a protector of the people than a detective. Plummer's performance though carries it through. It's quite bloody too--not enough for an R rating but pretty strong for the PG it got back then (PG-13 wasn't a rating yet).

Reservations aside though, I think this is one of the best Holmes' film ever made. Recommended.