It is true that the plot of this movie is based on a largely-discredited theory of the Ripper murders. It is also true that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle never wrote of this clash between his fictional detective and the all-too-real serial killer.
None of that matters, however.
"Murder By Decree" may be the best Holmes OR the best Ripper movie ever made. ***SPOILERS*** While Ripper scholars have rejected the Prince Eddy theory, writer John Hopkins makes it plausible enough to sustain this film.
In this task, Hopkins and Director Bob Clark are amply aided by the best cast ever to grace a Ripper or Holmes film. Christopher Plummer and James Mason are the most likeable Holmes and Watson in cinema. No one has ever equalled Jeremy Brett's cold and clinical portrayal of Holmes; for viewers of a certain age (myself included)all Holmes/Watson combos are evaluated against a perspective of Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce. But here, for the first time, are a Holmes and Watson who seem genuinely to like each other. These men, we realize, COULD, in fact, be lifelong friends. Plummer's Holmes is suitably erudite, but also has a core of humanity which Brett since,and Rathbone before, sometimes overlooked.
The supporting cast is equally excellent. Deserving of special mention are Anthony Quayle and John Gielgud as splendidly pragmatic politicians who would rather see murder go unpunished than upset the precarious Victorian social order. Frank Finlay is the definitive Inspector Lestrade. Donald Sutherland is eerily excellent as the psychic Robert Lees. Even Susan Clark does well in her turn as the real Ripper's real last victim, Mary Kelly.
I pause briefly here to state categorically that I am NOT a Genevieve Bujold fan. With the exception of "Anne of the Thousand Days," I consider Ms. Bujold's enormous talents to have been largely wasted. This movie, however, may be her finest performance. I defy anyone with a shred of human feeling to remain unmoved by her scene in a Victorian insane asylum, when Holmes and Watson finally track down an Annie Crook driven to madness by her secret. As she whimpers plaintively of "Eddie" and "my baby," one can see why it became necessary for Holmes to show real human feelings in this film.
Sadly, this film does not appear to be available on tape from the major distributors. If you can find it in a library or on pay-tv, I urge you to schedule the time to see this underappreciated classic.
None of that matters, however.
"Murder By Decree" may be the best Holmes OR the best Ripper movie ever made. ***SPOILERS*** While Ripper scholars have rejected the Prince Eddy theory, writer John Hopkins makes it plausible enough to sustain this film.
In this task, Hopkins and Director Bob Clark are amply aided by the best cast ever to grace a Ripper or Holmes film. Christopher Plummer and James Mason are the most likeable Holmes and Watson in cinema. No one has ever equalled Jeremy Brett's cold and clinical portrayal of Holmes; for viewers of a certain age (myself included)all Holmes/Watson combos are evaluated against a perspective of Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce. But here, for the first time, are a Holmes and Watson who seem genuinely to like each other. These men, we realize, COULD, in fact, be lifelong friends. Plummer's Holmes is suitably erudite, but also has a core of humanity which Brett since,and Rathbone before, sometimes overlooked.
The supporting cast is equally excellent. Deserving of special mention are Anthony Quayle and John Gielgud as splendidly pragmatic politicians who would rather see murder go unpunished than upset the precarious Victorian social order. Frank Finlay is the definitive Inspector Lestrade. Donald Sutherland is eerily excellent as the psychic Robert Lees. Even Susan Clark does well in her turn as the real Ripper's real last victim, Mary Kelly.
I pause briefly here to state categorically that I am NOT a Genevieve Bujold fan. With the exception of "Anne of the Thousand Days," I consider Ms. Bujold's enormous talents to have been largely wasted. This movie, however, may be her finest performance. I defy anyone with a shred of human feeling to remain unmoved by her scene in a Victorian insane asylum, when Holmes and Watson finally track down an Annie Crook driven to madness by her secret. As she whimpers plaintively of "Eddie" and "my baby," one can see why it became necessary for Holmes to show real human feelings in this film.
Sadly, this film does not appear to be available on tape from the major distributors. If you can find it in a library or on pay-tv, I urge you to schedule the time to see this underappreciated classic.