A still from Murder by Decree showing the Goulston Street graffiti containing the word Juwes, which is portrayed erroneously as a Masonic term.

Murder by Decree is a 1978 Anglo-Canadian film that presents a largely different version of Sherlock Holmes from the Rathbone days, with the aesthete still prevailing yet tinged with a humanity and emotional apathy. Sherlock Holmes investigates London's most infamous case, Jack the Ripper. As he investigates, he finds that the Ripper has friends in high places. James Mason's Dr. Watson is also a departure, as what appears in the beginning as a take on cinema's famous bumbling Nigel Bruce soon shows his level head and scientific and medical training to be valuable assets. Image File history File links Juwes1. ... Image File history File links Juwes1. ... The word Juwes reportedly appeared in chalk graffiti on a wall in the Whitechapel district of London following killing and mutilation of Catherine Eddowes on September 30, 1888 as part of the Jack the Ripper series of murders. ... the Square and Compasses Freemasonry is a worldwide fraternal organization. ... See also: 1977 in film 1978 1979 in film 1970s in film years in film film Events February 1 - Bob Dylans film Renaldo and Clara, a documentary of the Rolling Thunder Revue tour premieres in Los Angeles, California March 1 - Charlie Chaplins coffin is stolen from a Swiss... Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes (1854–1957, according to William S. Baring-Gould) is a fictional detective of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, created by British author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. ... Basil Rathbone (June 13, 1892 – July 21, 1967) was an English actor most famous for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes and swashbuckler film villain roles. ... The clock tower of the Palace of Westminster, which contains Big Ben London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... Jack the Ripper is the pseudonym given to an unidentified serial killer active in the largely impoverished Whitechapel area of London, England in the second half of 1888. ... James Mason in North by Northwest. ... Dr. John H. Watson is a fictional character, the sidekick of Sherlock Holmes, the fictional 19th century detective created by Arthur Conan Doyle. ... William Nigel Bruce (September 4, 1895 – October 8, 1953), usually credited as Nigel Bruce, was a British character actor, best known as Dr. Watson in a series of films starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes. ...

The film is largely based upon author Stephen Knight's discredited royal conspiracy theory. Stephen Knight (born September 26th, 1951 at Hainault, Essex; died 25th July 1985) Stephen Knight is most well known for The Brotherhood and Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution both of which have a very strong anti-Masonic tone. ... It has been suggested that Royalty and urban legends#Rumour: Prince Albert Victor was Jack the Ripper be merged into this article or section. ...

The film

It is England in the autumn of 1888 and Victoria of the United Kingdom still rules over the British Empire. Sherlock Holmes (Christopher Plummer) the legendary private detective and his loyal companion and chronicler, the earnest Dr. Watson (James Mason), are enjoying an opulent first night at the opera in London’s fashionable West End. Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (mid-2004) - Density Ranked 1st UK 50. ... 1888 is a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria) (24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and Empress of India from 1 January 1877 until her death. ... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps The British Empire was the worlds first global power (today known as a hyperpower), a product of the European Age of Exploration that began with the global maritime empires of Portugal and... Christopher Plummer photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1959 Christopher Plummer (born Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer on December 13, 1927) is a Canadian theatrical, film and television actor. ...

Meanwhile, in the squalid jungle of the East End of London, a prostitute is being horribly murdered. The dreaded killer, commonly known as Jack the Ripper for the gruesome manner in which he mutilates the bodies of his victims, has struck again. The sickly miasma of fear is as palpable as the autumn fogs which envelop the slums. The forces of law and order seem powerless to stop the savage butchery. The term East End is most commonly used to refer to the East End of London. ...

Holmes is approached by shadowy figures to take on the case. Although Police Inspectors Foxborough (David Hemmings) and Inspector Lestrade (Frank Finlay) more than welcome his assistance, Sir Charles Warren (Anthony Quayle), the Commissioner of Police from Scotland Yard, actively does not. David Hemmings in the late 1960s David Hemmings (November 18, 1941 – December 3, 2003) was a British movie actor, whose most famous role was the photographer in Michelangelo Antonionis Blow-Up (1966), one of the films that best represented the spirit of the 1960s. ... Inspector Lestrade is a Scotland Yard detective appearing in several of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. ... Frank Finlay, CBE (born on August 6, 1926 in Farnworth, Lancashire, England, UK) is a Roman Catholic British actor of English, Irish and Scottish extraction. ... General Sir Charles Warren GCMG KCB FRS (7 February 1840–21 January 1927) was a British soldier. ... Anthony Quayle Sir John Anthony Quayle (7 September 1913 – 20 October 1989) was an English actor and director. ... New Scotland Yard, London New Scotland Yard, often referred to simply as Scotland Yard or The Yard, is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service, responsible for policing Greater London (although not the City of London itself). ...

The master criminologist is guided in his pursuit of justice, through the seamy Victorian era underworld, to the psychic Robert Lees (Donald Sutherland) who fearfully points him in another direction. Holmes and Watson, constantly in danger for their lives and liberty, become not only the grand masters but also the pawns in this lethal game of hide and seek. Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her Accession to the Throne, 20 June 1837) gave her name to the historic era The Victorian Era of Great Britain (sometimes known simply as period) is considered the height of the British industrial revolution and the apex of the British Empire. ... Robert Lees (aka J. E. Selby) (1913 – June 13, 2004) was a Hollywood screenwriter, famous for writing comedy, including several Abbott and Costello films. ... Donald Sutherland Donald Sutherland OC (born July 17, 1935) is a Canadian actor. ...

They search out and are found by the hapless Mary Jane Kelly (Susan Clark), a girl of the streets, whose only crime is the knowledge of a fatal secret, which she will protect at all costs. She in turn leads them to Annie Crook (Geneviève Bujold), a servant who made the mistake of marrying above her station, whom even the illustrious detective cannot protect from herself. Mary Jane Kelly (c. ... Susan Clark starred as Katherine Papadapolis in the TV show Webster. ... Geneviève Bujold (born July 1, 1942 in Montréal, Quebec) is a Canadian actress. ...

The hunters and the hunted stealthily move through the mist-shrouded maze of Whitechapel’s cobblestone streets where every shadow instills fear. Watson is violently attacked by, and Holmes at last comes face to face with, the Ripper. Whitechapel is a neighbourhood in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. ...

As he inexorably unravels the mystery, Holmes crosses swords with Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (John Gielgud), the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and finds himself threatened by the macabre power of a secret society and the all-pervasive, long reaching might of the Establishment. He is challenged by no ordinary murderer but one with influential and determined friends and what he has to stop – if he can – is Murder by Decree. The Most Honourable Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, KG, GCVO, PC (3 February 1830–22 August 1903), known as Lord Robert Cecil before 1865 and as Viscount Cranborne from 1865 until 1868, was a British statesman and Prime Minister. ... John Gielgud as photographed in 1936 by Carl Van Vechten Sir Arthur John Gielgud OM CH (April 14, 1904–May 21, 2000) was an English theatre and film actor, regarded by many as one of the greatest of his time. ... In the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister is the head of government, exercising many of the executive functions nominally vested in the Sovereign, who is head of state. ...

Cast:

• Sherlock Holmes – Christopher Plummer
• Dr. Watson – James Mason
• Robert Lees – Donald Sutherland
• Annie Crook – Geneviève Bujold
• Inspector Foxborough – David Hemmings
• Mary Kelly – Susan Clark
• Sir Charles Warren – Anthony Quayle
• Lord Salisbury – Sir John Gielgud
• Inspector Lestrade – Frank Finlay
• Dr. Hardy – Chris Wiggins
• Mrs. Lees – Tedde Moore
• William Slade – Peter Jonfield
• Sir Thomas Spivey – Roy Lansford
• Carrie – Catherine Kessler
• Henry Matthews – Geoffrey Russell
• Makins – Roy Pember
• Elizabeth Stride – June Brown
• Catherine Eddowes – Hilary Sesta

Christopher Plummer photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1959 Christopher Plummer (born Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer on December 13, 1927) is a Canadian theatrical, film and television actor. ... James Mason in North by Northwest. ... Donald Sutherland Donald Sutherland OC (born July 17, 1935) is a Canadian actor. ... Geneviève Bujold (born July 1, 1942 in Montréal, Quebec) is a Canadian actress. ... David Hemmings in the late 1960s David Hemmings (November 18, 1941 – December 3, 2003) was a British movie actor, whose most famous role was the photographer in Michelangelo Antonionis Blow-Up (1966), one of the films that best represented the spirit of the 1960s. ... Susan Clark starred as Katherine Papadapolis in the TV show Webster. ... Anthony Quayle Sir John Anthony Quayle (7 September 1913 – 20 October 1989) was an English actor and director. ... John Gielgud as photographed in 1936 by Carl Van Vechten Sir Arthur John Gielgud OM CH (April 14, 1904–May 21, 2000) was an English theatre and film actor, regarded by many as one of the greatest of his time. ... Frank Finlay, CBE (born on August 6, 1926 in Farnworth, Lancashire, England, UK) is a Roman Catholic British actor of English, Irish and Scottish extraction. ... Elizabeth Stride is believed to be the third victim of the notorious unidentified serial killer Jack the Ripper, who killed and mutilated prostitutes in the Whitechapel area of London during the late summer and autumn of 1888. ... June Brown (born February 16, 1927) is a British actress and director. ... Catharine (Kate) Eddowes (often spelled Catherine) is widely believed to be the fourth victim of the notorious unidentified serial killer Jack the Ripper, who killed and mutilated prostitutes in the Whitechapel area of London during the late summer and autumn of 1888. ...

Sherlock versus the Ripper

The idea of Sherlock Holmes tackling the Ripper case is hardly a new idea now, nor was it in 1978 when Bob Clark (Co-producer, story and director) started piecing together his story for Murder by Decree. This is first and foremost a Ripper film rather than a Holmes film as Holmes simply provides the vehicle for telling the story. We had last seen Holmes tackle the Ripper in the 1965 film A Study in Terror which featured John Neville as Holmes and based on an Ellery Queen novel. Bob Clark (full name: Benjamin Clark) is the director of the 1982 hit film Porkys and its sequel. ... 1965 was a common year starting on Friday (link goes to calendar). ... A Study in Terror is a 1965 Sherlock Holmes film in which the detective goes on the trail of Jack the Ripper. ... John Neville was a UK Theatre and film actor, popular in the 1950s but enjoying a resurgence in the 1980s as a result of his starring role in Terry Gilliams The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. ... Ellery Queen stamp issued by San Marino. ...

In an odd twist, two actors from the previous film, one as the same character, would also appear in the new one. That version, as satisfying as it was, didn’t actually take into account much of the popular Ripper mythology that had sprung up around the unsolved case. The basic premise behind Murder by Decree can actually be traced directly to a 1973 BBC documentary titled simply Jack the Ripper that first introduced the suspects and their motives as used in the film. 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ...

“I first came up with the idea of the film when I heard about that very first theory printed by a British journalist saying the Duke of Clarence was the killer. I thought, what an incredible notion for a movie. That theory was soon discredited and the theories that we’re following are much later ones. I really didn’t want to make a film to prove any history, I’m not trying to prove anything. I’m just doing a “what if” history. That’s why I brought Sherlock Holmes into it, who is a semi-fictional character. He’s not real, but so many think he is. By bringing him into the story, we’re saying in effect that we’re not claiming this is fact.” Prince Albert Victor [of Wales], Duke of Clarence and Avondale (Albert Victor Christian Edward Wettin) (January 8, 1864 – January 14, 1892) was born in Windsor, England, the eldest son of the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII) and Alexandra of Denmark, and was therefore the second in line...

“The relationship between the two men appealed to me deeply. This is a passionate and caring Holmes; I wanted to get through his traditional reserve. I have aimed for a humanizing of the characters.”

“First of all, we were looking for two men who really do have a relationship between them. Although I loved the Basil Rathbone – Nigel Bruce teaming, what I didn’t like was Holmes continually patronizing Watson without really enjoying him as much as he should. James has created a much more intelligent Watson, still a bit of a fustian old soldier type, because the movie Watson is invariably that image. But James is not stupid, his character has got a good sense of humor. He’s pretty quick on the uptake; yet he remains a step behind Holmes at all times naturally. But he has center stage himself several times, he does some pretty good sleuthing on his own and he’s never befuddled or patronized by Holmes. He’s much more perceptive, which I think is a necessary updating.” Basil Rathbone (June 13, 1892 – July 21, 1967) was an English actor most famous for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes and swashbuckler film villain roles. ... William Nigel Bruce (September 4, 1895 – October 8, 1953), usually credited as Nigel Bruce, was a British character actor, best known as Dr. Watson in a series of films starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes. ... Fustian is a term for a variety of heavy woven cotton fabrics, chiefly prepared for mens wear. ...

External links

• Theories on Jack the Ripper
• Stephen Knight (1951 - 1985)
• ISBN 0586046526 Stephen Knight's Jack the Ripper: The Final Solution Out of print and pricey