MURDER BY DECREE [1979 / 2021] [Blu-ray] [UK Release]
The Best Sherlock Holmes Vintage Classic Movie Ever Made!
IN THIS BRAND-NEW RESTORATION OF THE 1979 CLASSIC DIRECTED BY BOB CLARK [‘A Christmas Story’], WHERE SHERLOCK HOLMES HUNTS HIS DEADLIEST ADVERSARY – JACK THE RIPPER!
London 1889 – When Scotland Yard fails to stop the gruesome rampage of Jack the Ripper, Sherlock Holmes [Christopher Plummer] and his trusted associate Dr. John H. Watson [James Mason] decide to investigate. Undeterred by the police withholding crucial information, the duo begin a dangerous adventure through London's underworld, finding themselves at the door of psychic Robert Lees [Donald Sutherland] who helps to set them on the right path. But even if Sherlock Holmes' remarkable powers of deduction can unmask the maniacal fiend, where Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John H. Watson face the most shocking secret of all?
‘MURDER BY DECREE’ features an all-star cast, including Sir John Gielgud, David Hemmings, Susan Clark and Anthony Quayle.
FILM FACT No.1: 1980 Edgar Allan Poe Awards: Nominated: Best Motion Picture for John Hopkins. 1980 Genie Awards: Win: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for Christopher Plummer. Win: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for Geneviève Bujold. Win: Best Achievement in Direction for Bob Clark. Win: Best Achievement in Film Editing for Stan Cole. Win: Best Music Score for Carl Zittrer and Paul Zaza. Win: Best Achievement in Cinematography for Reginald H. Morris. Win: Best Sound Editing for Kenneth Heeley-Ray. Win: Best Achievement in Sound for David Appleby and Joe Grimaldi. 1980 National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA: Nominated: NSFC Award for Best Supporting Actor for James Mason.
FILM FACT No.2: The film ‘MURDER BY DECREE’ was shot on location in London in 1978. The interior sets, including a vast Victorian era street, were created at Elstree Studios. The docks set were built at Shepperton Studios.
Cast: Christopher Plummer, James Mason, David Hemmings, Susan Clark, Anthony Quayle, Sir John Gielgud, Frank Finlay, Donald Sutherland, Geneviève Bujold, Chris Wiggins, Tedde Moore, Peter Jonfield, Roy Lansford, Catherine Kessler, Ron Pember, June Brown, Ken Jones, Terry Duggan, Hilary Sesta, Anthony May, Betty Woolfe, Iris Fry, Geoffrey Russell, Peggy Ann Clifford, Ann Mitchell, Katherine Stark, Elaine Ives-Cameron, Stella Courtney, Judy Wilson, Roy Pattison, Victor Langley, Pamela Abbott, Robin Marchal, Richard Pescud, Pat Brackenbury, Dan Long, Michael Cashman, Tony Clarkin uncredited), Peter Dean (uncredited), Norman Gay uncredited) and Jim McManus (uncredited)
Director: Bob Clark
Producers: Bob Clark, Len Herberman, Robert A. Goldston and René Dupont
Screenplay: Arthur Conan Doyle (characters), John Hopkins (screenplay), Elwyn Jones (co-author) (book "The Ripper File"), John Lloyd (co-author) (book "The Ripper File") and Stephen Knight (book)
Composers: Carl Zittrer and Paul Zaza
Costume Design: Judy Moorcroft
Cinematography: Reginald H. Morris, C.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: English: 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English SDH
Running Time: 123 minutes
Region: Region B/2
Number of discs: 1
Studio: AVCO Embassy Pictures / STUDIOCANAL
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘MURDER BY DECREE’ [1979] is a Canadian-British horror film about Sherlock Holmes investigating the true-life Jack the Ripper murders, and , Sherlock Holmes [Christopher Plummer] and Dr. John H. Watson [James Mason] are tasked with tracking down Jack the Ripper in this inspired film that attempts to uncover the motives behind the famous historical killings. As they unravel the mystery, Sherlock Holmes finds out the plight of the prostitutes living on the streets of Whitechapel and uncovers a conspiracy that leads at least to the Prime Minister, if not higher. There’s also political intrigue as a bunch of revolutionaries make the case even murkier.
‘MURDER BY DECREE’ isn’t an original story by Arthur Conan Doyle; rather, it’s based on The Ripper File, a book about the Jack the Ripper killings that details the murders and offers some explanations to motive. Director Bob Clark’s film takes things one step further by inserting the fictional Sherlock Holmes into the mix, placing him deep into a conspiracy involving the Prime Minister and other high-ranking officials. The idea is exciting, and ‘MURDER BY DECREE’ certainly understands the appeal of Victorian characters like Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes; however, viewer patience will be key to enjoying this verbose and exposition-heavy film.
Christopher Plummer stars as Sherlock Holmes, who plays him with both pathos and stoicism. It helps to have James Mason right there next to him as Dr. John H. Watson, because the film works best when Holmes and Watson are trading wit and barbs. The two have a good rapport and both are at the top of their game and it’s nice to see Bob Clark giving both Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John H. Watson time for individual endeavours as they explore two sides of the mystery.
The story itself is an intriguing idea as well, although it becomes obvious that Sherlock Holmes will not actually “solve” the case since there have been no historical resolution to the Jack the Ripper killings. But ‘MURDER BY DECREE’ goes a different direction than just introducing a mysterious killer; instead, it focuses on a governmental cover-up as Sherlock Holmes follows a list of people who know more about the prostitute slayings than meets the eye. It leads him to Freemasons, a “psychic” Robert Lees [Donald Sutherland], and the uncomfortable understanding that the women who walk the streets of Whitechapel have been forced into their position by the very people who are supposed to protect them.
Bob Clark has an empathetic eye for the poor and downtrodden, as does Sherlock Holmes himself, at first reticent to accept the case, but Sherlock Holmes soon learns that his help is necessary in order to stop the killing of prostitutes who are basically subhuman to most people.
Bob Clark’s film at just over two hours, and it relies heavily on dialogue and exposition. The entire conclusion is one long courtroom scene as Sherlock Holmes runs down the solution to the mystery, basically spelling out the subterfuge that the Prime Minister himself has been involved in (or, as the title suggests, the crime that he “decreed”). The film relies on telling a bit too much especially at the end, and while it’s clear that Bob Clark was attempting to avoid the more salacious aspects of the Jack the Ripper case, the film could have used more of the murders themselves.
For those looking for a Sherlock Holmes film with wit and mystery, ‘MURDER BY DECREE’ is a good recommendation; but it is quite slow, and it definitely hits on the more classic notes of Victorian literature rather than the newer era of Sherlock Holme’s storytelling. Many might find the film too much of a slog, but if one perseveres, they’ll find a noble attempt at realizing Arthur Conan Doyle’s character.
‘MURDER BY DECREE’ does have some interesting moments, like a slow motion scene where a man removes the bloody body of a prostitute from his carriage, the aforementioned scene of Jack the Ripper torturing Mary Kelly, and the strange hanging of the Jack the Ripper killer in some shipyard netting. None of these will be particularly gory, but Bob Clark has a way of showcasing the horror of these moments.
There are certainly moments in the film ‘MURDER BY DECREE,’ particularly in its special effects, yet the quality of the cinematography and editing have stood the test of time, especially in the tracking shots utilised to depict Jack the Ripper’s perspective as he stalks his victims. Bob Clark’s film is a must-see for all lovers of Sherlock Holmes, and even those less well-versed in the detective’s adventures should still come away thoroughly entertained. If you like classic horror films and don’t mind watching a film 124 minutes long, then this is a film for you.
MURDER BY DECREE FILM MUSIC TRACK
GOD SAVE THE QUEEN (uncredited) (Traditional) (Arranged by Ivor Slaney) [Played at the opera]
Preludio from "Partita für Violine solo Nr.3 E-Dur BWV.1006" (uncredited) (Music by Johann Sebastian Bach) (Arranged by Paul Zaza and Carl Zittrer) [Played by Holmes on violin]
COTTAGE INDUSTRY (uncredited) (Music by Paul Lewis)
ABIDE WITH ME (uncredited) (Written by William H. Monk) (Arranged by Edrich Siebert)
A WAND’RIN MINSTREL (uncredited) (Music by Arthur Sullivan) (Arranged by Keith Papworth)
FLOWERS OF THE FOREST (uncredited) (Traditional) (Arranged by Paul Zaza and Carl Zittrer)
ONWARD CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS (uncredited) (Music by Arthur Sullivan) (Arranged by Edrich Siebert)
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Blu-ray Image Quality – AVCO Embassy Pictures and STUDIOCANAL present the film ‘MURDER BY DECREE’ with a stunning 1080p image and really enhanced with a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. One must understand this film has a very intentionally diffused look as it underwent additional processing during post-production to give the image that hazy dreamy quality. Cinematographer Reginald H. Morris offers those same hazy details, heavy grain, hot whites, and slightly washed-out colours to give London 1889 the look of that period of ominous murders and fear. There are some interior moments and outdoor daylight sequences that look pretty damn good and seeing Dr. John H. Watson interviewing prostitutes is funny but it also looks great. A mid-point sequence where Sherlock Holmes races to speak with Mary Kelly is an example of how good the film could look with clean lines, details, and stable grain. Please Note: Playback Region B/2: This will not play on most Blu-ray players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Learn more about Blu-ray region specifications.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – AVCO Embassy Pictures and STUDIOCANAL brings us the film with one standard 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio experience. The good news with this release is that the audio mix is well balanced allowing for clean and clear dialogue. Early in the film when Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John H. Watson are at the Opera a few of Christopher Plummer's lines sound a bit muddy, but that was the only oddity I ever noticed. Throughout the rest of the film, it isn't difficult to follow what's being said even in busy crowd scenes or a few of the action moments. The composed film score by Paul Zaza and Carl Zittrer is well resolved and lends itself to the drama and suspense of the film. But most of the time the film is basically conversational there's not a lot of channel movement, but a chase sequence and the finale punch things up. Atmosphere is also well defined allowing for enough echo in those foggy streets of London to feel very authentic. Audio levels are spot on as I never felt the need to alter my volume during a couple of viewings.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Audio Commentary with Film Journalist Kim Newman and Crime Fiction Historian Barry Forshaw: Here to first introduce themselves is Barry Forshaw and feels ‘MURDER BY DECREE’ is the nearest truth about the infamous Jack the Ripper murders and feels Kim Newman is the greatest expert on Sherlock Holmes, especially with the numerous books he has brought out on all aspects of Sherlock Holmes. Next up to introduce himself is Kim Newman and of course as you will hear that both are massive Sherlock Holmes experts and they dive into this audio commentary with geeky enthusiasm. Kim Newman talks about Tower Bridge you see in the background when the titles appear and at the time of the jack the Ripper murders was actually being constructed and the only person to get this aspect right is the director Guy Richie and his first Sherlock Holmes film. They also both comment on the cast list, which they think is amazing and also comment that some of the actors were Canadian and of course the film was a joint British/Canadian production, which I suppose is quite logic, especially having token Canadian actors, as otherwise the film would not of gotten made. The first scene in the film is the Royal Opera House, which we are informed is really the The Courtauld Institute of Art, commonly referred to as The Courtauld that was founded in 1932, and when they shot the film in 1978 there were a plethora of Victorian buildings available and they were spoilt for choice for film locations, but if filmed today it would have to be all done by CGI special effects or film in Prague, capital city of the Czech Republic. Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw both think the Whitechapel set is totally brilliant and gives an evil presence, as well as giving you the idea what life was like to live in Victorian Whitechapel at the time of the Jack the Ripper murders, because people lived in total poverty. They both condemned the newspaper critics in saying the film was slow and boring, but I also agree those critics were out of order, and I agree with Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw when they say the film is totally the opposite, because with the running time of just over two hours, it takes its time and has some textures to the storyline, as well as taking the time to get to know the characters, and especially because it has a complicated scenario and again with the running time of just over two hours, it slowly reveals eventually the shocking end to the film. What was interesting is that Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw talk about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and he based Sherlock Holmes in Baker Street in London, but most of his life Sir Arthur Conan Doyle lived most of his life outside London and only visited the city now and again. Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw pointed something out that I noticed, when Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John H. Watson is called out for the first gruesome murder of the prostitute, Dr. John H. Watson has to look away, whereas he is supposed to be a medical man who lived in India and was supposed to have witness some really gruesome murders of really badly mutilated victims’ bodies. Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw talk about the scene where Dr. John H. Watson is trying to spear one pea with his fork and Sherlock Holmes gets hold of the fork and squash’s the pea, which upsets Dr. John H. Watson and calls it an act of violence, well Kim Newman finds this one of his favourite scene in the film, whereas Barry Forshaw did not like this scene at all. When Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John H. Watson at the dark and murky atmospheric wharf and are talking to the man underneath in the rowing boat, Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw comment about how amazing the set looks. Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw both praise the actor Donald Sutherland, who set up the "Hemsdale" Production Film Company. With the film ‘MURDER BY DECREE’ you see Sherlock Holmes in lots of wigs a plenty, and also Sherlock Holmes has to prove an authority figure is wrong and the authority organisations tries to treat Sherlock Holmes as an idiot and we really enjoy it when Sherlock Holmes proves he has been right all along that the establishment is corrupt, and we also get two conspiracy scenarios and Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw really like this with this film. Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw feel James Mason playing Dr. John H. Watson is a very sympathetic character, but at the same time can be very naïve, especially when talking to that one prostitute to find out information about a mysterious woman they are trying to seek out, so all in all, they think James mason is a very accomplished actor and has been in some very good films and was brilliant and evil in the America TV Special “Salem’s Lot.” When Sherlock Holmes spots the mysterious woman Mary Kelly at the funeral and then chases after her and eventually catches up with her to talk to her to find out where the mysterious woman and her young child is in hiding. At this point in the audio commentary, Barry Forshaw ask why the film had divided opinion with the critics, but the film had a lot of admirers and also some considered it an underwhelming film, but Kim Newman says, “The newspaper critics at the time, maybe thought the film too main stream and also might be too cerebral.” When we get to the scene where Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John H. Watson goes to the women’s asylum to talk to the mysterious woman played by Geneviève Bujold, Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw say that this is the pivotal part of the film, is where we finally find out the real reason for the attacks of Jack the Ripper on the prostitutes and the cover up by the corrupt upper class establishment people, but Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw point out that it is the only Sherlock Homes film where the character cries, because of the injustice done towards the young woman locked up in the asylum against her will, so the truth cannot be revealed to the outside world, because if it was revealed it would bring the Government crashing down in revealing how corrupt their society was and especially the Royal family in Victorian times, but Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw point out at this point on the mazing Blu-ray image you get with this film, especially the close up of Christopher Plummer’s skin, whereas they point out the previous inferior DVD release, the quality of the image was atrocious. When Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John H. Watson come upon the gruesome scene where the prostitute is being brutally attacked by two men with knives and you see Sherlock Holmes break in to stop this gruesome act and the main evil man runs off an leaves the other man to the police, so you see Sherlock Holmes chase after this evil man with that nasty steel murdering instrument and we see him get his final comeuppance justice. But Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw finds this scene where Sherlock Holmes meets the Prime Minister played by Sir John Gielgud and the other two authority corrupt characters where Sherlock Holmes sands his ground and shows his metal, in showing up the nasty cover up these three characters have created the scandal involving Jack the Ripper and the Royal family. As we get near to the end of the film where Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John H. Watson are back in their Baker Street residence and the two characters reflect on what they have experienced, well Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw also reflect on the film and conclude that the film is one of the more interesting Sherlock Holmes film and really fits in with the great tradition of a Sherlock Holmes film and at that point the audio commentary ends. This is a highly intelligent and entertaining audio commentary and is a must listen not only for fans of the film but also for fans of Sherlock Holmes and for anyone with an interest in the Jack the Ripper case and definitely gets a five star rating from me.
Special Feature: Film Journalist Kim Newman on ‘MURDER BY DECREE’ [2021] [1080p] [1.78:1] [19:01] Here we meet Kim Newman in his home to talk about the film ‘MURDER BY DECREE’ and comments that the film characters are based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but it is not based on any actual work by author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and it is one of several fictional attempts to have Sherlock Holmes solve the most famous unsolved case of the Victorian era of the Jack The Ripper murders. In the 1960’s there had been a rather fun sleazy film entitled ‘A Study In Terror,’ which is more like a “who done it” type of scenario and is more like a Hammer Horror film, whereas ‘MURDER BY DECREE’ is a much more serious and intelligent film and a much more serious film about the Jack the Ripper murders. Kim Newman says that if you look at the end credits of the film, it informs you that it acknowledges the screenplay that is by the excellent playwright John Hopkins and it was based on the book “The Ripper Files” by Elwyn Jones and John Lloyd which is The Documentary Investigation by Detective Chief Superintendents Charles Barlow and John Watt and Kim Newman holds up the actual paperback book and points out the famous British actor Stratford John who appeared in the successful British BBCTV Series “Z Cars,” and then continued into the other British BBCTV Series “Softly Softly,” “Task Force” and “Barlow At Large,” and Stratford John always played Detective Chief Superintendents Charles Barlow who was always played a very tough policeman, and those TV Series were really outstanding and very professionally produced. The BBC even produced a television docudrama entitled “Jack the Ripper” in six episodes and was set in present day policing and Detective Chief Superintendents Charles Barlow and John Watt’s investigate the unsolved crime of Jack the Ripper and later on the BBC did a follow up television series investigating other unsolved crimes throughout the ages. On top of all that, there was a film released entitled ‘FROM HELL’ [2001] which was an American slasher film directed by the Hughes Brothers and written by Terry Hayes and Rafael Yglesias. It is loosely based on the graphic novel From Hell by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell about the Jack the Ripper murders and starred Johnny Depp, Heather Graham, Ian Holm and Robbie Coltrane, and was identically plagiarised from the film ‘MURDER BY DECREE’ and Kim Newman and makes the case for ‘MURDER BY DECREE’ as being one the best Sherlock Holmes films ever released. Also Kim Newman feels it is always hard to come up with fresh idea for a film starring Sherlock Holmes, because the character has been around for a very long time and feels the film ‘MURDER BY DECREE’ does this so splendidly. But Kim Newman also feels the Billy Wilder film ‘The Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes’ was equally a wonderful film and I agree with him 100% as I felt the actor Robert Stephens played Sherlock Holmes totally brilliant and Colin Blakely as Dr. John H. Watson was equally brilliant. But Kim Newman feels Christopher Plummer is one of the best Sherlock Holmes, who he feels the character is more politically engaged, more compassionate character, who has a great deal of wit and is also self-regarding, and also feels James Mason was equally impressive as Dr. John H. Watson, but Kim Newman feels that other portrayals of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John H. Watson in other films and television productions always seem to hate each other and that Sherlock Holmes is a massive drug user, whereas Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John H. Watson in ‘MURDER BY DECREE’ are characters we want to see and love in a film, because they work so well together as a team spirit. Of course another brilliant Sherlock Holmes film that Kim Newman comments on, was also released around the same time as ‘MURDER BY DECREE’ was the film ‘Time After Time’ and starred Malcolm McDowell and David Warner, but sadly both of these films did not do very big business when released in the cinemas, which was such a shame, as Kim Newman feels both of these Sherlock Holmes films are really excellent and since then they have become very popular with the general public and even more so now that have been released on these superb Blu-ray disc releases. Whereas, Kim Newman feels the film ‘Kramer vs. Kramer’ [1979] the American legal drama film written and directed by Robert Benton and starred Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Jane Alexander and Justin Henry, and despite getting massive amount of awards, has now faded away and totally forgotten, especially it an over the weepy film about two adults getting divorced and I start to start yawing thinking about this boring film, that I unfortunately went to see at the cinema. But films about Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper are much more interesting and fascinating characters. Of course sadly Christopher Plummer passed away recently and if you look back on his illustrious career, especially his film roles; the list is incredible with his career performances, and his performance as Sherlock Holmes is up there with his best screen work ever, as he takes the character of Sherlock Holmes very seriously, but not solemnly. At that point the Kim Newman interview special feature ends. Kim Newman is always fascinating and very engaging to listen to, and this definitely makes a great companion piece with this brilliant Blu-ray release of ‘MURDER BY DECREE.’ The only slight negative aspect with this interview is that the sound is not very good, they must have had a real bad microphone, as Kim Newman’s voice in not 100% clear.
Finally, ‘MURDER BY DECREE’ as a horror film, the atmosphere is sustained with extending sequences along the dark, twisty, foggy cobblestone streets of London in 1888. As a mystery, and as a serious treatment of the Whitechapel murders, the film is excellent. The film has a vivid period touch, with plenty of clever staging and off-kilter angles, and even some dark humour, such as the scene in which Sherlock Holmes helps Dr. John H. Watson capture the last pea on his plate. But the real selling point of this film is the villain Jack the Ripper. A really excellent cast helps round things out and ‘MURDER BY DECREE’ will no doubt continue to divide viewers, particularly those with special interests in either Sherlock Holmes or Jack the Ripper or both. It remains a powerful thriller, and the fantastic cast are worth the price of admission alone. Stellar performances from all involved here, especially from Christopher Plummer who adds Sherlock Holmes just the right degree of pragmatism, painted with a thoughtful sensitivity we haven’t necessarily seen in the character before. Director Bob Clark does a magnificent job of recreating Victorian-era London, complemented by a classy score from composer Paul Zaza. There is action aplenty, especially as the film nears its conclusion. The highlight, a dockside battle wherein Sherlock Holmes wields a lethal weight tied to his scarf, is exhilarating. Christopher Plummer as Sherlock Holmes and James Mason as Dr. John H. Watson are really excellent duo and as is the first-rate supporting cast. Period detail of London looks fine, from the costumes and props to the real-life London in 1888 locations chosen to shoot on. The reason Jack the Ripper endures in both history and fiction is that he was never caught and therefore comes with a lot of baggage about nineteenth-century social hypocrisy, the failings of the authorities and plain and simple chills. So all in all, this to my mind is a very enjoyable Sherlock Holmes. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
