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<html> <head> <title>Murder by Decree</title> <meta name="googlebot" content="noodp"> <meta name="robots" content="noodp"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" href="/silly-nndb-icon.png" /><style type="text/css">  </style><script type="text/javascript" src="/sortable.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/trailer.js"></script> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/trailer.css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/style.css" /> </head> <body bgcolor=#ffffff> <div> <center> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr><td valign=top><table width=550 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0> <tr><td bgcolor=white><table width="100%" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" background="/nndb.gif"> <tr> <td rowspan="2" align="left" valign="top"><a href="http://www.nndb.com/"><img src="/title.gif" width="260" height="50" border=0 alt="NNDB"></a></td> <td><table width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="6"> <tr align="center"> <td width="25%" nowrap>This is a beta version of NNDB</td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" valign="middle"> <form action="http://search.nndb.com/search/nndb.cgi" method="get"> <input type="hidden" name="nndb" value="1"></input> Search: <select name="omenu"> <option value="unspecified" selected>All Names</option> <option value="living">Living people</option> <option value="dead">Dead people</option> <option value="bands">Band Names</option> <option value="books">Book Titles</option> <option value="movies">Movie Titles</option> <option value="fulltext">Full Text</option> </select> for <input name="query" value="" size=24 maxlength=96> <input type=submit value="Search"> </form></td> </tr> </table>        </td></tr> <tr><td bgcolor=red height=2></td></tr> <tr bgcolor=F0F0F0><td bgcolor=F0F0F0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=15 width=100%><tr><td bgcolor=F0F0F0> Murder by Decree (1-Feb-1979) <img src="t.mbd-1.jpg" height=220 width=148 hspace=10 vspace=10 align=right> Director: <a href="/people/103/000130710/">Bob Clark</a>Writer: John HopkinsMusic Composed by: Carl Zittrer; Paul ZazaProducers: Rene Dupont; <a href="/people/103/000130710/">Bob Clark</a>Keywords: <a href="/lists/803/000083554/">Mystery</a>, <a href="/lists/768/000083519/">Sherlock Holmes</a><div><img src="/full-star-20.png"><img src="/full-star-20.png"><img src="/full-star-20.png"><img src="/empty-star-20.png"></div>Following apparent police disinterest in the matter, a group of storekeepers in Whitechapel ask sleuth Sherlock Holmes to investigate and stop Jack the Ripper in 1888 London. After probing bordellos and alleyways of the seediest parts of the city, he and Watson uncover a Masonic conspiracy reaching into high levels of the British government. Not the only film depiction of Holmes meeting Jack the Ripper, but certainly the best; failed miserably at the box office. <table border=1 class="sortable bordered" id="sort_actors"> <tr><th>Name</th><th>Occupation</th><th>Birth</th><th>Death</th><th>Known for</th></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/people/961/000047820/">Geneviève Bujold</a></td> <td><center>Actor</center></td> <td align=right><tt>1-Jul-1942</tt></td> <td align=right><tt> </tt></td> <td>Coma</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="/people/305/000131909/">Susan Clark</a></td> <td><center>Actor</center></td> <td align=right><tt>8-Mar-1940</tt></td> <td align=right><tt> </tt></td> <td>Katherine Papadapolis on Webster</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="/people/266/000205648/">Frank Finlay</a></td> <td><center>Actor</center></td> <td align=right><tt>6-Aug-1926</tt></td> <td align=right><tt>30-Jan-2016</tt></td> <td>Othello</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="/people/589/000033490/">John Gielgud</a></td> <td><center>Actor</center></td> <td align=right><tt>14-Apr-1904</tt></td> <td align=right><tt>21-May-2000</tt></td> <td>Prospero's Books</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="/people/064/000115716/">David Hemmings</a></td> <td><center>Actor</center></td> <td align=right><tt>18-Nov-1941</tt></td> <td align=right><tt>3-Dec-2003</tt></td> <td>Blow-Up</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="/people/873/000023804/">James Mason</a></td> <td><center>Actor</center></td> <td align=right><tt>15-May-1909</tt></td> <td align=right><tt>27-Jul-1984</tt></td> <td>North by Northwest</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="/people/316/000023247/">Christopher Plummer</a></td> <td><center>Actor</center></td> <td align=right><tt>13-Dec-1929</tt></td> <td align=right><tt> </tt></td> <td>A Beautiful Mind</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="/people/734/000101431/">Anthony Quayle</a></td> <td><center>Actor</center></td> <td align=right><tt>7-Sep-1913</tt></td> <td align=right><tt>20-Oct-1989</tt></td> <td>Ice-Cold in Alex</td> </tr> <tr> <td><a href="/people/531/000023462/">Donald Sutherland</a></td> <td><center>Actor</center></td> <td align=right><tt>17-Jul-1935</tt></td> <td align=right><tt> </tt></td> <td>The Dirty Dozen</td> </tr> </table> CAST<table border=0><tr><td><a href="/people/316/000023247/">Christopher Plummer</a></td><td>   ...   Sherlock Holmes</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/people/873/000023804/">James Mason</a></td><td>   ...   Dr. Watson</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/people/064/000115716/">David Hemmings</a></td><td>   ...   Insp. Foxborough</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/people/305/000131909/">Susan Clark</a></td><td>   ...   Mary Kelly</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/people/734/000101431/">Anthony Quayle</a></td><td>   ...   Sir Charles Warren</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/people/589/000033490/">John Gielgud</a></td><td>   ...   The Prime Minister</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/people/266/000205648/">Frank Finlay</a></td><td>   ...   Insp. Lestrade</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/people/531/000023462/">Donald Sutherland</a></td><td>   ...   Robert Lees</td></tr><tr><td colspan=2 style="height: 0.75em"></td></tr><tr><td colspan=2>and</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/people/961/000047820/">Genevi鑦e Bujold</a></td><td>   ...   Annie Crook</td></tr><tr><td colspan=2 style="height: 0.75em"></td></tr><tr><td colspan=2>co-starring</td></tr><tr><td>Chris Wiggins</td><td>   ...   Dr. Hardy</td></tr><tr><td>Teddi Moore</td><td>   ...   Mrs. Lees</td></tr><tr><td>Catherine Kessler</td><td>   ...   Carrie</td></tr><tr><td>Terry Duggan</td><td>   ...   Danny</td></tr><tr><td>Peter Jonfield</td><td>   ...   William Slade</td></tr><tr><td>Roy Lansford</td><td>   ...   Sir Thomas Spivey</td></tr><tr><td>Ron Pember</td><td>   ...   Makins</td></tr><tr><td>Ken Jones</td><td>   ...   Dock Guard</td></tr><tr><td colspan=2 style="height: 0.75em"></td></tr><tr><td>June Brown</td><td>   ...   Annie Chapman</td></tr><tr><td>Hilary Sesta</td><td>   ...   Catherine Eddowes</td></tr><tr><td>Anthony May</td><td>   ...   Lanier</td></tr><tr><td>Betty Woolfe</td><td>   ...   Mrs. Hudson</td></tr><tr><td>Iris Fry</td><td>   ...   Elizabeth Stride</td></tr><tr><td>Geoffrey Russell</td><td>   ...   Home Secretary</td></tr><tr><td>Peggy Ann Clifford</td><td>   ...   Lees' Housekeeper</td></tr><tr><td>Ann Mitchell</td><td>   ...   Jane</td></tr><tr><td>Katherine Stark</td><td>   ...   Molly</td></tr><tr><td>Elaine Ives Cameron</td><td>   ...   Ellen</td></tr><tr><td>Stella Courtney</td><td>   ...   Betty</td></tr><tr><td>Judy Wilson</td><td>   ...   Emily</td></tr><tr><td>Roy Pattison</td><td>   ...   Carroll</td></tr><tr><td>Victor Langley</td><td>   ...   Prince of Wales</td></tr><tr><td>Pamela Abbott</td><td>   ...   Princess Alexandra</td></tr><tr><td>Robin Marchall</td><td>   ...   Duke of Clarence "Eddy"</td></tr><tr><td>Richard Pescuid</td><td>   ...   Doctor</td></tr><tr><td>Pat Brackenbury</td><td>   ...   Nurse</td></tr><tr><td>Dan Long</td><td>   ...   Constable Long</td></tr><tr><td>Michael Cashman</td><td>   ...   Constable Watkins</td></tr></table>REVIEWSReview by Walter Frith (posted on 7-Jun-2007)Bob Clark's 'Murder by Decree' is truly one of the most outstanding buried treasures in all of film history. With the English detective Sherlock Holmes having such a rich history on the big screen with multiple portraits of him in the 1930's and 40's courtesy of Basil Rathbone, the film makers were forced this time to look at Sherlock Holmes from a different perspective. Rathbone's portrayal of Holmes is probably the most well known version of the character to film buffs the world over. First of all this time, they got somebody who wasn't English to play Holmes. Although many thought that Rathbone was English born, he was actually born in South Africa but was often mistaken as English. Canadian Christopher Plummer, mistaken himself sometimes as being English, plays Holmes with a shrewd and intelligent prowess. Born in Toronto, Ontario, Plummer Grew up in the village of Senneville, Québec, Canada and is the great grandson of former Canadian Prime Minister Sir John Abbott. Another change from the 30's and 40's, is that the story is more violent this time around with some gruesome murders shown in a quick but effective manner which is in keeping with the evolution of adult material put forward in the movies in the 1970's and the entire film is exquisitely photographed using dark English streets full of cobblestone buildings, fog and eerie street lamps. And the film's final after thought is one that definitely stirs up controversy involving English aristocrats of the highest order. Bob Clark certainly shows us through the several films that he's made, that he is a director of impressive diversity. Clark would follow-up 'Murder by Decree' with two more more films after that that take a much different path. 1980's 'Tribute' starring Jack Lemmon was about a terminally ill stage entertainer trying to establish contact with his estranged son before he dies. Then Clark would make 1982's 'Porky's, the ultimate teenage sex comedy for its time and a film that would have a million imitators. If you sat down to watch the last three films mentioned, you would hardly guess they were all made by the same director. Clark, who just turned 62 this past August 5th, has dabbled extensively in Canadian made productions despite being American born (from Louisiana) and educated at Hillsdale College in Michigan. 'Murder by Decree' won six Genie awards. These are Canada's version of the American academy awards. Included in those six Genie's was a win for Clark in the best director category while Christopher Plummer won the best actor prize. A major bonus for 'Murder by Decree' is the portrayal of Dr. John Watson, Holmes' assistant, played wonderfully in a droll and rigid manner by James Mason. Mason is one of the finest actors to ever come out of England and was never knighted by the monarchy as a "Sir" while other less deserving people have received the honour. Many speculate that the reason Mason never got his due was his portrayal in 1951 of Nazi Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in 'The Desert Fox' which caused a major stir in England upon its release. Many felt that Mason should not have accepted the role for political reasons but he did a splendid job and this really was a silly concern among those who worried about it. For most people's money that I have talked to, many feel that Mason is right up there with Laurence Olivier, Alec Guinness, John Gielgud and other distinct British actors who did receive their knighthood. 'Murder by Decree' has Holmes and Watson investigating the murder of several prostitutes and homeless women on the streets of London in 1888. Their deductions lead them to question many people and a key interrogation takes place in a mental institution when Holmes talks to Annie Crook (Geneviève Bujold) and finds that she has been kept in the institution unnecessarily and has also had her child kept from her for no good reason. This answers many important questions for Holmes and Bujold won the Genie for best supporting actress in an outstanding role that has her on screen for about ten minutes of the entire film and it's a classic case of quality over quantity reigning supreme. 'Murder by Decree' is written by John Hopkins, a writer whose style was definitely bleak. Recurring themes in his works were human loneliness, isolation, and alienation. Ironically, he died tragically at the age of 67 in 1998 after slipping, falling and hitting his head on a swimming pool deck and drowning after he fell in. With such a high brow subject as Victorian England on his plate, he filled the audience with enough intelligent dialogue and social afterthought long after the film's villain is captured. There is a final scene where Holmes speaks to the British Prime Minister and a couple of his dignitaries where he makes his case for what was found during his investigation and how some allegations are true while others are merely circumstantial. The film seems to satisfy film goers who like a sense of closure with their films while still satisfying others who like to leave a certain amount to the imagination. [Visit Film Follow-Up by Walter Frith] <hr width=15% align=left><table><tr><td><img src="/rarrow.gif"></td><td>Have you seen this film? 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