IT CAME FROM THE BOTTOM SHELF!

While it isn’t unusual for a novel or story to spark multiple cinematic adaptations (such as The Three Musketeers, Treasure Island, and Little Women), it is rare for a literary character to capture the imagination of the public in such a way that the character is spun off in a number of original adventures and adaptations outside of the stories by the original author.   There are only a handful of examples, such as Count Dracula, Tarzan, the Frankenstein Monster, and James Bond.  However, the king of non-canonical adventures is Sherlock Holmes.  Holmes and his reliable sidekick, Dr. Watson, have appeared in hundreds of stories, novels, stage plays, radio shows, movies, and television episodes that were not based directly on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  Of course, the fidelity and quality of the non-canonical Holmes productions vary from project to project.  However, most Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts and film critics agree that one of the very best of the non-canonical movies was Murder by Decree (1979) from director Bob Clark, which features the fantastic pairing of Christopher Plummer as Holmes and James Mason as Watson.

One of the most popular ideas for non-canonical Holmes stories is imagining what if the world’s greatest consulting detective had investigated the “Jack the Ripper” murders.  That is precisely the subject of Murder by Decree.  With hysteria at its peak over a series of grisly murders in the Whitechapel district of London, a citizen’s committee approaches Sherlock Holmes (Plummer) to investigate the killings.  Holmes does not agree to take on the men as clients, but he decides to look into the matter on his own, with the help of Dr. Watson (James Mason), of course.  While some of the police, including Inspector Foxborough (David Hemmings) and Inspector Lestrade (Frank Finlay) welcome the help, the Commissioner of Scotland Yard, Sir Charles Warren (Anthony Quayle) absolutely forbids Holmes’ involvement.  Will that stop the great detective?  Not bloody likely.

Despite a relatively small, four million dollar budget, Murder by Decree is a prestige production across the board.  With the help of movie magic such as miniatures and matte paintings, the footage taken on both studio sets and existing London locations looks fantastic.  Bob Clark gets most out of a dream cast by using long takes, often involving moving dolly shots, to allow the actors to interact naturally without cuts that break up the action.  Also, having created the “killer POV” camera technique for Black Christmas (1979), he employs the same method here.  As a consequence, the “Ripper” scenes play like a proto-slasher movie and have the look of a Hammer horror film.

As previously mentioned, the cast is incredibly rich.  Christopher Plummer makes a fantastic Holmes.  He’s logical, yet funny, and a bit more emotional than most depictions.  He only portrayed Holmes one other time, in a 1977 half-hour television version of Silver Blaze.  His performance in Murder by Decree leaves us wishing that he had assayed the role a few more times.  James Mason matches Plummer’s Holmes with a wise and capable Watson.  Fans of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stories may poo-poo the idea of a Watson who is twenty years older than Holmes, but Mason’s Watson is not the befuddled buffoon that Nigel Bruce portrayed in the Basil Rathbone films.  I would not sacrifice the lovely interplay between Plummer and Mason for a Watson more suitable in age, because the pairing of actors is Murder by Decree‘s greatest pleasure.  The rest of the cast is populated by a numerous professionals at the top of their game, including David Hemmings, Susan Clark, Anthony Quayle, John Gielgud, Frank Finlay, Donald Sutherland, and Genevieve Bujold.

If I was to pose any criticism of the film, it would be that the mystery itself is a bit uninvolving and is slightly hard to follow.  For example, I’m still not sure how seriously we are supposed to take the testimony of psychic Robert Lees (portrayed by a suitably weird Donald Sutherland).  However, the best mysteries are more about the journey and character interaction, rather than about the puzzle itself.  Murder by Decree is most certainly an enjoyable excursion.

Murder by Decree is the perfect film for a lazy Sunday afternoon.  Brew a cup of tea, load the Blu-ray in its tray, and settle in an easy chair.  The game is afoot!

US/C-124m./Dir: Bob Clark/Wr: John Hopkins/Cast: Christopher Plummer, James Mason, David Hemmings, Susan Clark, Anthony Quayle, John Gielgud, Frank Finlay, Donald Sutherland, Genevieve Bujold

For Fans of: If you are an official “Baker Street Irregular” or just a fan of the world’s greatest consulting detective, you won’t want to miss Murder by Decree.  It is one of the best Sherlock Holmes movies that isn’t based on one of the original Arthur Conan Doyle stories.

Video: Kino Lorber Studio Classics released Murder by Decree on Blu-ray on June 23rd from a new digital master.  On the whole, the film looks sharp and colorful.  However, scenes involving heavy fog occasionally give the image a softer or smeary quality.  While this Blu-ray will never be used as demonstration disc to show off your video set-up, the video and audio quality supports the film quite well.  It is likely the best home video presentation the movie will ever receive.

The disc is rounded out with a nice collection of extras:

• A vintage audio commentary with director Bob Clark — I’m glad Kino was able to include this commentary as it is very entertaining and informative.  Bob Clark goes into his intentions, his working methods, remembrances of the actors, and how they got the most production value from their limited budget.
• A new audio commentary by film historians Howard S. Berger and Steve Mitchell
• The original theatrical trailer
• Bonus trailers for The Silent Partner, Ordeal by Innocence, The Great Train Robbery, and The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes
• Optional English subtitles

Streaming: At the time of this review, Murder by Decree was not streaming on any of the major subscription services.  However, it could be rented in Standard Definition through Amazon, iTunes, and other digital services.

More to Explore: If you’re looking for adaptations of the canonical Sherlock Holmes, you can’t beat the Granada television series starring Jeremy Brett.  However, for another excellent non-canonical adventure, I highly recommend The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970), which is one of Billy Wilder’s best and most underrated movies.

Trivia: Murder by Decree was not the first motion picture to pit Sherlock Holmes against Jack the Ripper.  A Study in Terror (1965) starred John Neville and Donald Houston as Holmes and Watson on the trail of the Whitechapel killer.  Interestingly, Frank Finlay played Inspector Lestrade in both films.

For More Info: Few literary characters have been filmed as often as Sherlock Holmes, and
Sherlock Holmes On Screen (Updated Edition): The Complete Film and TV History by Alan Barnes and Starring Sherlock Holmes: A Century of the Master Detective on Screen by David Stuart Davies both do a very nice job of covering the many different takes on the character.