Murder by Decree

1979 film by Bob Clark

Murder by Decree

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| Bob Clark
Screenplay by| John Hopkins
Based on| The Ripper File
John Lloyd
Elwyn Jones
Sherlock Holmes characters by
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Produced by| Bob Clark
René Dupont
Starring| Christopher Plummer
James Mason
David Hemmings
Susan Clark
Anthony Quayle
John Gielgud
Frank Finlay
Donald Sutherland
Genevieve Bujold
Cinematography| Reginald H. Morris
Edited by| Stan Cole
Music by| Paul Zaza
Carl Zittrer

Production
companies

CFDC
Famous Players

Distributed by| AVCO Embassy Pictures (in the United Kingdom through Columbia-EMI-Warner Distributors[1])
Ambassador Film Distributors (Canada)[1]

Release dates

* 1 February 1979 (1979-02-01) (University Theatre, Toronto)[2]

Running time

| 124 minutes
Countries| Canada
United Kingdom
Language| English
Budget| $5 million[3]
Box office| $1.9 million (Canada)[4]

Murder by Decree is a 1979 mystery thriller film directed by Bob Clark. It features the Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who are embroiled in the investigation surrounding the real-life 1888 Whitechapel murders committed by "Jack the Ripper". Christopher Plummer plays Holmes and James Mason plays Watson. Though it features a similar premise, it is somewhat different in tone and result to A Study in Terror. It is loosely based on The Ripper File by Elwyn Jones and John Lloyd.

The film's premise of the plot behind the murders is influenced by the book Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution (1976), by Stephen Knight, who theorised that the killings were part of a Masonic plot. The original script contained the names of the historical suspects, Sir William Gull and John Netley.[5] In the actual film, they are represented by fictional analogues: Thomas Spivy (Gull) and William Slade (Netley).[5] This plot device was later used in other Jack the Ripper-themed fiction, including the graphic novel From Hell.

## Plot

[edit]

After the Metropolitan Police fail to apprehend the serial killer Jack the Ripper, Sherlock Holmes is approached to investigate the recent murders of prostitutes in the Whitechapel district of London. Helped by Dr. Watson and the medium Robert Lees, Holmes discovers that all the victims were companions of Annie Crook, a woman locked in a mental institution.

Members of the police hierarchy and several politicians, all Freemasons, seem to be protecting one of their own. Furthermore, Inspector Foxborough, the policeman who is in charge of the case, is in fact the secret leader of the radicals, a political movement waiting for the British government to fall because of its inability to solve the Whitechapel murders. Holmes must rely on his skills to find and confront the murderer.

## Cast

[edit]

* Christopher Plummer as Sherlock Holmes[6]
* James Mason as Dr. John Watson
* David Hemmings as Inspector Foxborough
* Susan Clark as Mary Kelly
* Frank Finlay as Inspector Lestrade
* Anthony Quayle as Sir Charles Warren
* Donald Sutherland as Robert Lees
* Geneviève Bujold as Annie Crook
* John Gielgud as Lord Salisbury
* Peter Jonfield as William Slade
* Roy Lansford as Sir Thomas Spivey
* Ron Pember as Makins

## Production

[edit]

The film was directed by Bob Clark and written by playwright John Hopkins, who scripted the Bond film Thunderball (1965).[5] The script partially was inspired by Elwyn Jones's book The Ripper File.[5] Hopkins referenced Conan Doyle's work, particularly Holmes' deduction and science skills but downplayed other aspects of the characters, such as Holmes' drug use, in favour of making them more likeable and human.[7]

The film stars Christopher Plummer and James Mason as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson respectively, and presents a largely different version of Holmes from the Basil Rathbone movies of the 1940s, with the aesthete still prevailing, yet tinged with humanity and emotional empathy. Plummer stated that he tried to make Holmes more human and caring, saying "This is a passionate and caring Holmes."[5] James Mason's Watson is also a departure from previous incarnations; 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 as valuable assets as they were in the original stories. Like Plummer, Mason wanted to play up Watson's skills and avoid the buffoonish way the character had been portrayed before.[8] Mason received especially good reviews for his performance.[9] Plummer had earlier portrayed Holmes in 1977's Silver Blaze.[5]

The supporting cast includes Donald Sutherland, Susan Clark, John Gielgud, Anthony Quayle, David Hemmings and Geneviève Bujold. Frank Finlay plays Inspector Lestrade, a part he had portrayed in the similar film A Study in Terror (1965), in which Quayle also played a supporting role.[5] Finlay continued his association with Holmes by appearing in an episode of Granada TV's Sherlock Holmes, starring Jeremy Brett.[10]

The film 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 was built at Shepperton Studios.[5]

$3 million of the budget came from Canada, $2 million from the UK.[3]

## Reception

[edit]

Vincent Canby of The New York Times called the film "a good deal of uncomplicated fun, not in a class with Nicholas Meyer's The Seven Percent Solution, but certainly miles ahead of many other current movies that masquerade as popular entertainment".[11] A review in Variety called it "probably the best Sherlock Holmes film since the inimitable pairing of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce in the 1940s series at Universal. Unfortunately, it also shares some of the defects of those films, i.e. slow pacing, an improbable story line, and an undue emphasis on odd characters."[12] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film two-and-a-half stars out of four and wrote that its "biggest problem is its script, which runs on for a full 120 minutes with no place to go. We see a couple of murders, meet a psychic (Donald Sutherland) and a long-suffering woman trapped in a psychiatric prison (Genevieve Bujold), then the story doubles back with recapitulation after recapitulation. The film has at least two false endings. I mistakenly put on my coat with one reel to go. All of this is a shame, because the cast is excellent."[13] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "Unfortunately, under Bob Clark's uninspired, plodding direction, Hopkins' elaborations make for a slow and ponderous film, despite a starry cast and some scary moments. Not helping matters is Christopher Plummer's rather colorless Sherlock Holmes. The one real joy in the film is James Mason's warm, loyal, sometimes dense Dr. Watson."[14] Lawrence O'Toole of Maclean's declared, "If you were to look for the right word to describe Murder By Decree you would have to go into the archives, lift it lightly from its resting place, and dust it off. The word? Splendid."[15] Gary Arnold of The Washington Post stated, "While never as playful or ingenious as Nicholas Meyer's screenplay for 'The Seven Per-Cent Solution,' Hopkins' mystery is crisp and chilling right up to the denouement. At that point it might be wise to edge toward the exits, since the solution leaves much to be desired."[16] David Ansen of Newsweek wrote that the film was "not a new idea" but declared it "a decided success. Christopher Plummer and James Mason seize their roles like a couple of happy musicians handed prize antique instruments: their duets are by turns droll, lyric and touching."[17]

The film was nominated for eight Genie Awards in 1980, of which it won five,[5] including Best Achievement in Direction (Bob Clark), Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Geneviève Bujold) and Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Christopher Plummer).

The film was the fourth highest-grossing film ever in Canada, with a gross of $1.9 million.[4] On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a rating of 81% from 16 reviews.[18]

## See also

[edit]

* A Study in Terror
* Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson
* The Last Sherlock Holmes Story
* From Hell

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Murder by Decree". Library and Archives Canada. 12 May 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
2. ^ "'Hollywood' opening set for Toronto". The Globe and Mail. 24 January 1979. F.13.
3. ^ a b Lee, Grant (13 January 1979). "FILM CLIPS: Canadians Shooting for the Big Leagues". Los Angeles Times. p. b10.
4. ^ a b "Canada-Only B.O. Figures". Variety. 21 November 1979. p. 24.
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnes, Alan (2011). Sherlock Holmes on Screen. Titan Books. pp. 121–126\. ISBN 9780857687760.
6. ^ Robert Cettl (2003). Serial Killer Cinema: An Analytical Filmography with an Introduction. McFarland & Company. pp. 297–298\. ISBN 978-0-7864-1292-1.
7. ^ Holler, Brian (9 February 2010). "Murder by Decree". PopMatters. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
8. ^ "Sherlock Holmes on Screen: "Murder by Decree" (1979)". 4 February 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
9. ^ Sweeney, Kevin (1999). James Mason: A Bio-bibliography. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 188\. ISBN 9780313284960.
10. ^ Monty, Scott (3 February 2016). "Remembering Frank Finlay". I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
11. ^ Canby, Vincent (9 February 1979). "Film: 'Murder by Decree' in Foggy Old London". The New York Times. C1.
12. ^ "Film Reviews: Murder By Decree". Variety. 24 January 1979. 22.
13. ^ Siskel, Gene (20 March 1979). "Holmes film: The violence is 'Murder'". Chicago Tribune. Section 2, p. 7.
14. ^ Thomas, Kevin (9 March 1979). "Holmes Vs. Ripper; Watson Vs. Pea". Los Angeles Times. Part IV, p. 23.
15. ^ O'Toole, Lawrence (12 February 1979). "Elegant, my dear Watson". Maclean's. 54.
16. ^ Arnold, Gary (30 March 1979). "'Decree': Crisp Chiller". The Washington Post. B1.
17. ^ Ansen, David (26 February 1979). "London Fog". Newsweek. 81.
18. ^ "Murder by Decree". Rotten Tomatoes.

## External links

[edit]

* Murder by Decree at IMDb
* Murder by Decree at Rotten Tomatoes
* Christopher Plummer and Murder By Decree

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Bob Clark

* The Emperor's New Clothes (1966)
* She-Man (1967)
* Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things (1972)
* Deathdream (1974)
* Black Christmas (1974)
* Breaking Point (1976)
* Murder by Decree (1979)
* Tribute (1980)
* Porky's (1981)
* Porky's II: The Next Day (1983)
* A Christmas Story (1983)
* Rhinestone (1984)
* Turk 182 (1985)
* From the Hip (1987)
* Loose Cannons (1990)
* My Summer Story (1994)
* I'll Remember April (1999)
* Baby Geniuses (1999)
* Now & Forever (2002)
* The Karate Dog (2004)
* Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2 (2004)

* v
* t
* e

Works written by John Hopkins

Television|

* Fable (1965)
* Talking to a Stranger (1966)
* Smiley's People (1982)
* Codename: Kyril (1988)

Film|

* Two Left Feet (1963)
* Thunderball (1965)
* The Virgin Soldiers (1969)
* The Offence (1972)
* Divorce His, Divorce Hers (1973)
* Murder by Decree (1979)
* The Holcroft Covenant (1985)
* Hiroshima (1995)

* v
* t
* e

Screen adaptations of Sherlock Holmes

Theatrical films|

| Silent|

* Sherlock Holmes Baffled (1900)
* Adventures of Sherlock Holmes; or, Held for Ransom (1905)
* Sherlock Holmes in the Great Murder Mystery (1908)
* Arsène Lupin contra Sherlock Holmes (1910)
* Éclair film series (1912–1913)
* Der Hund von Baskerville (1914)
* Detektiv Braun (1914)
* A Study in Scarlet (1914 British film)
* A Study in Scarlet (1914 US film)
* The Valley of Fear (1916)
* Sherlock Holmes (1916)
* Sherlock Holmes (1922)
* The Hound of the Baskervilles (1929)

| Stoll series|

* The Dying Detective (1921)
* The Devil's Foot (1921)
* The Man with the Twisted Lip (1921)
* The Hound of the Baskervilles (1921)
* The Sign of Four (1923)

|

Wontner series|

* The Sleeping Cardinal (1931)
* The Missing Rembrandt (1932)
* The Sign of Four (1932)
* The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes (1935)
* Silver Blaze (1937)

Rathbone–Bruce
series|

* The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939)
* The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939)
* Voice of Terror (1942)
* Secret Weapon (1942)
* Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943)
* Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943)
* The Spider Woman (1943)
* The Scarlet Claw (1944)
* The Pearl of Death (1944)
* The House of Fear (1945)
* The Woman in Green (1945)
* Pursuit to Algiers (1945)
* Terror by Night (1946)
* Dressed to Kill (1946)

Downey series|

* Sherlock Holmes (2009)
* A Game of Shadows (2011)

Other films|

* The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1929)
* The Limejuice Mystery (1930)
* The Speckled Band (1931)
* Lelíček ve službách Sherlocka Holmese (1932)
* The Hound of the Baskervilles (1932)
* Sherlock Holmes (1932)
* A Study in Scarlet (1933)
* The Hound of the Baskervilles (1937)
* The Grey Lady (1937)
* The Man Who Was Sherlock Holmes (1937)
* Deduce, You Say! (1956)
* The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959)
* The Deadly Necklace (1962)
* A Study in Terror (1965)
* The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970)
* They Might Be Giants (1971)
* The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975)
* The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976)
* The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978)
* Murder by Decree (1979)
* The Case of Marcel Duchamp (1984)
* Young Sherlock Holmes (1985)
* The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
* Without a Clue (1988)
* Zero Effect (1998)
* A Samba for Sherlock (2001)
* Case Closed: The Phantom of Baker Street (2002)
* Holmes & Watson. Madrid Days (2012)
* Mr. Holmes (2015)
* The Empire of Corpses (2015)
* Sherlock Gnomes (2018)
* Holmes & Watson (2018)
* Sherlock Holmes and the Great Escape (2019)

Television/
streaming/
direct-to-video|

| Films|

| Ian Richardson|

* The Sign of Four (1983)
* The Hound of the Baskervilles (1983)

|

Peter O'Toole
(animated)|

* Sherlock Holmes and a Study in Scarlet (1983)
* Sherlock Holmes and the Baskerville Curse (1983)
* Sherlock Holmes and the Sign of Four (1983)
* Sherlock Holmes and the Valley of Fear (1983)

Vasily Livanov
series|

* Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson (1979)
* The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson (1980)
* The Hound of the Baskervilles (1981)
* The Treasures of Agra (1983)
* The Twentieth Century Approaches (1987)

Christopher Lee|

* The Leading Lady (1991)
* Incident at Victoria Falls (1992)

Matt Frewer|

* The Hound of the Baskervilles (2000)
* The Sign of Four (2001)
* The Royal Scandal (2001)
* The Case of the Whitechapel Vampire (2002)

Ian Hart (as Watson)|

* The Hound of the Baskervilles (2002)
* The Case of the Silk Stocking (2004)

Other films|

* The Three Garridebs (1937)
* The Man Who Disappeared (1951)
* The Hound of the Baskervilles (1972)
* The Longing of Sherlock Holmes (1972)
* Doctor Watson and the Darkwater Hall Mystery (1974)
* The Return of the World's Greatest Detective (1976)
* Sherlock Holmes in New York (1976)
* Silver Blaze (1977)
* The Strange Case of the End of Civilisation as We Know It (1977)
* The Hound of the Baskervilles (1982)
* The Masks of Death (1984)
* The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1987)
* Hands of a Murderer (1990)
* The Crucifer of Blood (1991)
* 1994 Baker Street: Sherlock Holmes Returns (1993)
* The Hound of London (1993)
* Sherlock: Case of Evil (2002)
* Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars (2007)
* Sherlock Holmes (2010)
* Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes (2010)

Television series|

* Sherlock Holmes (1951)
* Sherlock Holmes (1954)
* Sherlock Holmes (1965–1968)
* Sherlock Holmes (1967–1968)
* Sherlock Holmes (1968)
* Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson (1979–1980)
* Young Sherlock: The Mystery of the Manor House (1982)
* The Baker Street Boys (1983)
* Sherlock Hound (1984–1985)
* Sherlock Holmes (1984–1994)
* episodes
* The Adventures of Shirley Holmes (1997–2000)
* Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century (1999–2001)
* Sherlock (2010–2017)
* Tantei Opera Milky Holmes (2010–2016)
* Aria the Scarlet Ammo (2011)
* Elementary (2012–2019)
* Sherlock Holmes (2013)
* Sherlock Holmes (2014–2015)
* Miss Sherlock (2018)
* Sherlock: Untold Stories (2019)
* Case File nº221: Kabukicho (2019–2020)
* Moriarty the Patriot (2020–2021)
* Sherlock in Russia (2020)
* The Irregulars (2021)
* Mademoiselle Holmes (2024)
* Watson (2025–present)
* Sherlock & Daughter (2025; upcoming)
* Young Sherlock (2025; upcoming)

Actors by role|

* Sherlock Holmes
* Dr. Watson
* Inspector Lestrade
* Mycroft Holmes
* Mrs. Hudson
* Professor Moriarty

* v
* t
* e

Jack the Ripper in fiction and other media

Seminal works|

* The Lodger
* Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution

Letters|

* "Dear Boss" letter
* "From Hell" letter
* "Saucy Jacky" postcard

Film|

* Waxworks (1924)
* The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927)
* Pandora's Box (1929)
* The Lodger (1932)
* The Lodger (1944)
* Room to Let (1950)
* Man in the Attic (1953)
* Jack the Ripper (1959)
* Lulu (1962)
* A Study in Terror (1965)
* Hands of the Ripper (1971)
* Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971)
* The Ruling Class (1972)
* What the Swedish Butler Saw (1975)
* Jack the Ripper (1976)
* Murder by Decree (1979)
* Time After Time (1979)
* Jack's Back (1988)
* Edge of Sanity (1989)
* Deadly Advice (1994)
* Ripper (2001)
* From Hell (2001)
* Bad Karma (2002)
* Case Closed: The Phantom of Baker Street (2002)
* Shanghai Knights (2003)
* Ripper 2: Letter from Within (2004)
* The Lodger (2009)
* Holmes & Watson. Madrid Days (2012)
* Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (2018)

Parody|

* Bizarre, Bizarre (1937)
* The Phantom Raspberry Blower of Old London Town (1976)
* Amazon Women on the Moon (1987)

Music|

* "Jack the Ripper" (1963)
* "The Ripper" (1976)
* "Killer on the Loose" (1980)
* The Somatic Defilement (2007)
* Jack the Ripper vs. Hannibal Lecter (2014)

Stage|

* Earth Spirit (1895 play)
* Pandora's Box (1904 play)
* Lulu (1937 opera)
* The Lodger (1960 opera)
* The Ruling Class (1968 play)

Comics|

* Blood of the Innocent (1985)
* Gotham by Gaslight (1989)
* From Hell (1989-98)
* Wonder Woman: Amazonia (1997)
* The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume III: Century (2009)

Literature|

| Sherlock Holmes|

* The Last Sherlock Holmes Story (1978)
* The Whitechapel Horrors (1992)
* Sherlock Holmes: The Unauthorized Biography (2005)
* Dust and Shadow (2009)
* The Ripper Legacy (2016)

|

Short stories|

* "A Toy for Juliette" (1967)
* "The Prowler in the City at the Edge of the World" (1967)

Other|

* A Feast Unknown (1969)
* Time After Time (1979)
* Night of the Ripper (1984)
* Phantom Blood (1987)
* Naomi's Room (1991)
* Anno Dracula (1992)
* A Night in the Lonesome October (1993)
* Jack the Ripper, Light-Hearted Friend (1996)
* Matrix (1998)
* Lost (2001)
* Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper—Case Closed (2002)
* Blood and Fog (2003)
* The Witches of Chiswick (2003)
* Broken (2006)
* Darkside (2007)
* Lifeblood (2007)
* Dracula the Un-dead (2009)
* I, Ripper (2015)
* The Cutthroat (2017)

Television|

| Series|

* Jack the Ripper (1973)
* Jack the Ripper (1988)
* Sanctuary (2007-11)
* Whitechapel (2009-13)
* Ripper Street (2012-17)
* Time After Time (2017)
* Case File nº221: Kabukicho (2019-20)
* Sherlock in Russia (2020)
* Beforeigners (2019-present)

|

Episodes|

* "Wolf in the Fold" (1967)
* "Comes the Inquisitor" (1995)
* "Ripper" (1999)
* "Sanctuary for All" (2008)
* "The Great British Fake Off" (2020)

Other|

* Bridge Across Time (1985 TV film)

Video games|

* Jack the Ripper (1987)
* The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes (1992)
* Ripper (1996)
* Duke Nukem: Zero Hour (1999)
* Shadow Man (1999)
* MediEvil 2 (2000)
* Jack the Ripper (2004)
* Sherlock Holmes Versus Jack the Ripper (2009)
* The Ripper (canceled)
* The Order: 1886 (2015)
* Assassin's Creed Syndicate: Jack the Ripper (2015)
* Dance of Death: Du Lac & Fey (2019)

Other|

* Casebook: Jack the Ripper
* Blood!: The Life and Future Times of Jack the Ripper

* Category

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