Murder by Decree

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Murder by Decree

Original film poster
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) Canada February 1, 1979
USA February 9, 1979
Running time 124 min.
Language English
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile
A still from Murder by Decree showing the Goulston Street graffiti containing the word Juwes, which is portrayed erroneously as a Masonic term.
A still from Murder by Decree showing the Goulston Street graffiti containing the word Juwes, which is portrayed erroneously as a Masonic term.

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.

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