Murder by Decree
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Murder by Decree | |
|---|---|
Original film poster |
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| Directed by | Bob Clark |
| Produced by | Bob Clark René Dupont |
| Written by | John Hopkins Elwyn Jones John Lloyd |
| Starring | Christopher Plummer James Mason David Hemmings Susan Clark |
| Music by | Paul Zaza Carl Zittrer |
| Cinematography | Reginald H. Morris |
| Distributed by | AVCO Embassy Pictures |
| Release date(s) | |
| Running time | 124 min. |
| Language | English |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Murder by Decree is a 1979 Anglo-Canadian film involving Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson in the case of the serial murderer Jack the Ripper. As Holmes investigates London's most infamous case, he finds that the Ripper has friends in high places. The film's story of the plot behind the murders is taken from the book Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution by Stephen Knight, though the names of several of the supposedly guilty parties are changed.
The movie was directed by Bob Clark. It stars Christopher Plummer and James Mason as Holmes and Watson, respectively, and presents a largely different version of Holmes from the Rathbone days, with the aesthete still prevailing, yet tinged with a humanity and emotional empathy. James Mason's Dr. Watson is also a departure. Although he may appear at first to resemble the bumbling Nigel Bruce version of the character, he soon shows his level head and scientific and medical training to be valuable assets. The supporting cast includes Donald Sutherland, Susan Clark, John Gielgud and Geneviève Bujold. Frank Finlay plays Inspector Lestrade, a part he had previously portrayed in the similar 1965 film A Study in Terror.
[edit] Cast
- Christopher Plummer (Sherlock Holmes)
- James Mason (Dr. John Watson)
- David Hemmings (Inspector Foxborough)
- Susan Clark (Mary Kelly)
- Frank Finlay (Lestrade)
- Anthony Quayle (Sir Charles Warren)
- Donald Sutherland (Robert Lees)
- Geneviève Bujold (Annie Crook)

