Out of the twenty-six Sherlock Holmes films I have seen, "Murder by Decree" is my personal favorite. There are certainly some that come close: the superb Hammer version of "Hound of the Baskervilles" from 1959 starring Peter Cushing, and the unbelievably entertaining Rathbone/Bruce film "House of Fear", a film a lot of serious Holmes enthusiasts like to scoff at, but which works beautifully on its own terms. Still, "Murder by Decree" remains perhaps the most satisfying of Holmes' screen adventures for various reasons.
To begin with, the plot and script by John Hopkins are fantastic, in both meanings of the word. It's far-fetched and unbelievable, and treads on the iffy ground of rather silly conspiracy theories, but this particular script is so earnest in its exploration of the matter, even going as far as developing a corruption vs. decency subtext which is handled rather well, that it becomes particularly endearing. Also, for a Jack the Ripper movie which doesn't hold back on gruesome imagery, foggy streets, and continually keeps the audience cowering in fear of another close-up on those creepy black eyes, the film has a surprising amount of humor, and excellent, understated humor it is, with one or two allowances for sillier things like Watson being felt up by a prostitute and a bizarre but fun conversation about a pea.
Among latter-day, post-"Private Life of Sherlock Holmes" films, "Murder by Decree" stands out as a more traditionalist, classical Holmes tale. The plot is original, not taken from Arthur Conan Doyle's stories, but it's really something that he could have written for the most part. The characterization of Holmes and Watson is particularly good, they are slightly different from the stories but this is still unquestionably one of the most faithful film adaptations in this regard. The relationship between Holmes and Watson also feels just right for the material, and their banter is superb. There is no deconstruction of the Holmes mythology here, but it has in common with the later Holmes films a refreshingly human main character instead of the super-sleuth seen in most earlier films.
Christopher Plummer may just be my favorite Sherlock Holmes- there is just enough pathos there, but also a lot of humanity, some bitterness and righteous anger, and all the brooding, contained energy of all of the better portrayals of the character. The script also provides plenty of room for old-fashioned scenes of typically clever Holmes deductions, which are a lot of fun as usual. James Mason is quite easily my favorite Watson, at least as far as theatrical films go, and the rest of the cast are strong as well. The film also boasts superb cinematography, particularly during the creepy, stunningly atmospheric night-time scenes, and old-fashioned, restrained, yet very effective direction by Bob Clark. Best enjoyed on a winter night or in the wee hours of the morning with a nice hot cup of tea.
To begin with, the plot and script by John Hopkins are fantastic, in both meanings of the word. It's far-fetched and unbelievable, and treads on the iffy ground of rather silly conspiracy theories, but this particular script is so earnest in its exploration of the matter, even going as far as developing a corruption vs. decency subtext which is handled rather well, that it becomes particularly endearing. Also, for a Jack the Ripper movie which doesn't hold back on gruesome imagery, foggy streets, and continually keeps the audience cowering in fear of another close-up on those creepy black eyes, the film has a surprising amount of humor, and excellent, understated humor it is, with one or two allowances for sillier things like Watson being felt up by a prostitute and a bizarre but fun conversation about a pea.
Among latter-day, post-"Private Life of Sherlock Holmes" films, "Murder by Decree" stands out as a more traditionalist, classical Holmes tale. The plot is original, not taken from Arthur Conan Doyle's stories, but it's really something that he could have written for the most part. The characterization of Holmes and Watson is particularly good, they are slightly different from the stories but this is still unquestionably one of the most faithful film adaptations in this regard. The relationship between Holmes and Watson also feels just right for the material, and their banter is superb. There is no deconstruction of the Holmes mythology here, but it has in common with the later Holmes films a refreshingly human main character instead of the super-sleuth seen in most earlier films.
Christopher Plummer may just be my favorite Sherlock Holmes- there is just enough pathos there, but also a lot of humanity, some bitterness and righteous anger, and all the brooding, contained energy of all of the better portrayals of the character. The script also provides plenty of room for old-fashioned scenes of typically clever Holmes deductions, which are a lot of fun as usual. James Mason is quite easily my favorite Watson, at least as far as theatrical films go, and the rest of the cast are strong as well. The film also boasts superb cinematography, particularly during the creepy, stunningly atmospheric night-time scenes, and old-fashioned, restrained, yet very effective direction by Bob Clark. Best enjoyed on a winter night or in the wee hours of the morning with a nice hot cup of tea.