Rating: 
Summary: Don't miss Sherlock's speech in the end of the movie!!!!!!
Review: "You will not feel for them", says Sherlock to the men in power and how right he is!
'Them' are the poor and desolate, those who, with their work, produces the goods we all live from. And when they die prematurely there is sorrow in the heart of all the decent, like Sherlock in this movie but not in the heart of those who profit from them, like those he speaks to in this final scene.
What can I say? This is simply a very surprising film and the dignity of Sherlock Holmes has never shone more brightly in any film before or since this film.
I'm in awe.
Rating:
Summary: THANKS FOR MBD
Review: All right, the DVD is in the original mono, and the print has grain and in some scenes some purple scratches. But I'd like to say thanks anyway to Anchor Bay and Studio Canal for putting out what is all in all a great DVD. I didn't expect MBD to come out on DVD, and if it came out I thought such a terrific but relatively obscure movie would probably be dumped on the market as a full screen version with no extras.However, this is an anamorphic wide-screen version that I can enjoy on my Mitsubishi big screen with my DVD player's enhanced black feature turned on (which really helps clean up and strengthen the picture quality). Including a commentary track, picture gallery, trailer and -- most surprisingly the script -- is all fantastic. I would have liked Christopher Plummer to be on the commentary track, and would have liked Bob Clark to talk more, but these are quibbles. There's a hard-core fan base out there for this clever, atmospheric and ultimately touching film, and putting forth the effort shown to make this an enjoyable DVD instead of just dumping it on us without any concern for the fans, I'm sure will result in more sales. Thanks for this respectful treatment of a minor classic. I agree with the other reviewers. This is much better than FROM HELL, and the best Sherlock Holmes movie ever.
Rating: 
Summary: The Best Jack the Ripper movie....
Review: Although not based on anything written by Arthur Conan Doyle, Murder by Decree is both one of the best Sherlock Holmes movies and it is THE best Jack the Ripper movie ever made. The conspiracy theory that this movie puts forth should be familiar to anyone who is familiar with the Jack the Ripper story. It is basically the same plot as in From Hell. This is a much better movie than From Hell (although that graphic novel is one of the best of all time). It is inevitable that someone would pit Holmes against Jack the Ripper sooner or later. Holmes made his literary debut around the same time as the Ripper, but Conan Doyle never put him on the case (because Sherlock would have to SOLVE the case and, of course, the Ripper's identity is still a mystery). In this version, fictional characters like Lestrade mingle with real-life characters like Sir Charles Warren - historically, a man whose incompetence hindered the capture of the Ripper. At this point in history, Holmes and Watson would have been comparatively young men at the start of their careers. Christopher Plummer (Holmes) and James Mason (Watson) are middle-aged and elderly, respectively. However, both actors are so fine that it is a pleasure to watch them act. James Mason - an underappreciated actor today - brings the dignity to Watson that Conan Doyle bequeathed him (this character is usually played as a dunce for comic relief). Christopher Plummer plays a humanist Holmes that would have been a tad unfamiliar to Conan Doyle - at one point, Holmes breaks down in tears, something the literary character would NEVER do. Even though Basil Rathbone will always own the part, Plummer plays him as a real person and not a caricature. The movie was directed by Bob Clark, whose most famous film is A Christmas Story (I won't mention Porky's here). However, he also directed the greatest "the calls are coming from inside the house!" movie, Black Christmas. Here we see the same techniques as he employs the fish-eye lens to show the twisted POV of the killer. Unlike other directors, he holds this perspective even during the murder. I've taken the Jack the Ripper tour and seen this area in real life - although now it is almost unrecognizable. This film does a good job of re-creating the look and feel of the gloomy East End of Victorian England all those years ago.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Jack the Ripper movie....
Review: Although not based on anything written by Arthur Conan Doyle, Murder by Decree is both one of the best Sherlock Holmes movies and it is THE best Jack the Ripper movie ever made. The conspiracy theory that this movie puts forth should be familiar to anyone who is familiar with the Jack the Ripper story. It is basically the same plot as in From Hell. This is a much better movie than From Hell (although that graphic novel is one of the best of all time). It is inevitable that someone would pit Holmes against Jack the Ripper sooner or later. Holmes made his literary debut around the same time as the Ripper, but Conan Doyle never put him on the case (because Sherlock would have to SOLVE the case and, of course, the Ripper's identity is still a mystery). In this version, fictional characters like Lestrade mingle with real-life characters like Sir Charles Warren - historically, a man whose incompetence hindered the capture of the Ripper. At this point in history, Holmes and Watson would have been comparatively young men at the start of their careers. Christopher Plummer (Holmes) and James Mason (Watson) are middle-aged and elderly, respectively. However, both actors are so fine that it is a pleasure to watch them act. James Mason - an underappreciated actor today - brings the dignity to Watson that Conan Doyle bequeathed him (this character is usually played as a dunce for comic relief). Christopher Plummer plays a humanist Holmes that would have been a tad unfamiliar to Conan Doyle - at one point, Holmes breaks down in tears, something the literary character would NEVER do. Even though Basil Rathbone will always own the part, Plummer plays him as a real person and not a caricature. The movie was directed by Bob Clark, whose most famous film is A Christmas Story (I won't mention Porky's here). However, he also directed the greatest "the calls are coming from inside the house!" movie, Black Christmas. Here we see the same techniques as he employs the fish-eye lens to show the twisted POV of the killer. Unlike other directors, he holds this perspective even during the murder. I've taken the Jack the Ripper tour and seen this area in real life - although now it is almost unrecognizable. This film does a good job of re-creating the look and feel of the gloomy East End of Victorian England all those years ago.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: An absolutely wonderful movie by - would you believe it - Bob Clark, the director of "A Christmas Story" and "Porky's", to name but a few. I actually saw this movie in the theater during its 1979 release, and have not seen it since. Imagine how thrilled I was to find that it was to be released on DVD. If you are a Holmes fan, you just can't do any better than this. Each actor has their fanbase (Rathbone, Cushing, Brett, etc.) but for my money, Christopher Plummer and James Mason absolutely captured the essence of how I like to think Conan Doyle must have imagined his creations.
Rating:
Summary: Murder By Decree
Review: Arthur Conan Doyle, MD, had a lot of spare time on his hands between patients. To fill the empty hours, he created Sherlock Holmes. He based Holmes on medical professor Dr. Joseph Bell, known for his awesome powers of deductive reasoning. Sherlock Holmes is the most famous of all Victorian literary creations. Mail still arrives 221B Baker Street seeking his help.
In MURDER BY DECREE Holmes (Christopher Plummer) and Watson (James Mason) are up against Jack the Ripper. Not based on a Doyle story, this surprising tale is from an intelligent screenplay by John Hopkins (Thunderball). The all star cast includes Donald Sutherland, David Hemmings, Sir John Guilguld and Genvieve Bujold. Directed by Bob Clark before he got sidetracked with Porky's. This is a highly entertaining film and the DVD transfer looks great. It would be interesting to see Holmes up against the convincing revelation of the Ripper character that is suggested by Patricia Cornwell's true crime book (I don't want to give anything away here).
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT HOLMES VERSUS THE RIPPER
Review: Arthur Conan Doyle, MD, had a lot of spare time on his hands between patients. To fill the empty hours, he created Sherlock Holmes. He based Holmes on medical professor Dr. Joseph Bell, known for his awesome powers of deductive reasoning. Sherlock Holmes is the most famous of all Victorian literary creations. Mail still arrives 221B Baker Street seeking his help.
In MURDER BY DECREE Holmes (Christopher Plummer) and Watson (James Mason) are up against Jack the Ripper. Not based on a Doyle story, this surprising tale is from an intelligent screenplay by John Hopkins (Thunderball). The all star cast includes Donald Sutherland, David Hemmings, Sir John Guilguld and Genvieve Bujold. Directed by Bob Clark before he got sidetracked with Porky's. This is a highly entertaining film and the DVD transfer looks great. It would be interesting to see Holmes up against the convincing revelation of the Ripper character that is suggested by Patricia Cornwell's true crime book (I don't want to give anything away here).
Rating:
Summary: Bloody well done
Review: Christopher Plummer and James Mason make an excellent Holmes and Watson. The movie does an excellent job of capturing foggy, gas-lit London, 221B Baker Street, and the seediness of the East End. Some frightening, effective scenes as "Jack the Ripper" stalks his victims. Much more graphically violent and bloody than most Holmes' affairs, but most of it is cleverly implied.
Rating:
Summary: A Sherlock Doyle could have been proud of
Review: Christopher Plummer captures Sherlock Holmes. Holmes was a complex character, often seemingly aloof and yet full of passion when properly provoked. In the closing scenes and particularly in the scene in the asylum, Plummer plays Holmes to perfection. Mason is a fabulous Watson. Although perhaps a bit older than Watson is generally portrayed, Mason and script and director avoid the common sin of showing Watson as a dim-witted sidekick. Watson is a partner here, and one who holds his own during investigation and action. Forget the historicity of the conspiracy theory, this is just enthralling film-making and story-telling.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Sherlock Holmes Thriller...
Review: Christopher Plummer is Sherlock Holmes. James Mason is Dr.Watson.
A battle-array of nefarious,murdering "aristocrats"is JACK THE RIPPER in perhaps the greatest non-Conan Doyle Holmes adventure yet conceived. MURDER BY DECREE posits a grand Masonic conspiracy to "protect" the throne of Victorian England. Did the Royal Prince, Duke Albert Edward Victor, Heir Presumptive, sire a child...out of wedlock with a Catholic "commoner"? Did potential explosiveness of scandal for the future "Defender of the Anglican Church" and legitimacy of the Monarchy itself breed the most monstrous serial killer in English history and folk lore? The all-star cast includes Sir John Gielgud, Anthony Quayle, David Hemmings, Donald Sutherland and Genevieve Bujold. The film combines superb pacing, art direction and atmospherics to produce a SHERLOCK HOLMES THRILLER that is anything but elementary...
| 
