Memorable, crazy movie

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Copyright 1979 by AVCO Embassy Pictures. A Robert A. Goldston Presentation. Filmed with the assistance of the Canadian Film Development Corporation. USA release through AVCO Embassy: 9 February 1979. Canadian release through Ambassador: 1 February 1979. U.K. release: 20 March 1980. Australian release through Filmways. Sydney opening at Cinema City. 124 minutes. SYNOPSIS: Although warned off by the police, Sherlock Holmes accepts a commission to investigate the Jack the Ripper murders.NOTES: A Study in Terror (1965, see below) was directed by James Hill from an original screenplay by Derek and Donald Ford. John Neville starred as Holmes; Donald Houston was Dr Watson; Anthony Quayle, Dr Murray; Barbara Windsor, Annie Chapman; Kay Walsh. Cathie Eddowes; Edina Ronay, Mary Kelly; Norma Foster, Liz Stride; Cecil Parker, the prime minister. Frank Finlay plays Inspector Lestrade in both movies. This movie won a swag of the first Canadian Academy Awards (given in 1980) including Best Actor (Plummer), Best Supporting Actress (Bujold), Best Director, Best Film Editing, and Best Music Score. It was also nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Sound. Screenwriter John Hopkins received the 1980 Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture. COMMENT: This elaborately expensive, highly engrossing re-make of A Study in Terror (1965) emerges as the more engaging of the two, thanks not only to its vastly superior budget and staggeringly impressive sets, but to its polished performances, particularly Christopher Plummer's man-of-action yet quietly introspective Holmes and James Mason's intelligently supportive Watson. I'm surprised the script was not nominated for any awards. After all not even charismatic players like Plummer and Bujold, nor a director as inventively skilful as Bob Clark can turn dross into gold.

A serial killer is on the loose in the Whitechapel area of London. Leaders of the community come to Sherlock Holmes (Christopher Plummer) and his assistant Dr. Watson (James Mason) for help. Psychic Robert Lees (Donald Sutherland) tells them about his visions of Jack the Ripper. Commissioner Sir Charles Warren puts up roadblocks. Holmes discovers that Sir Charles is a Freemason and referenced in a message from the Ripper about Juwes. Holmes tracks down Mary Kelly. She tells him about a baby and is then kidnapped. This leads to the disturbed Annie Crook (Geneviève Bujold). Inspector Foxborough (David Hemmings) seems to be helpful. Holmes confronts Prime Minister Lord Salisbury (John Gielgud) about the conspiracy.Holmes and Watson are colleagues and sincere investigators. This Watson is not a bumbling fool. The production value is pretty good considering the cost. The actors are all very high quality. Christopher Plummer is a very effective Holmes. It's a lot of foggy murders but not a lot of action. The plot was reused for the movie "From Hell". It's a pretty good crime investigation.

You don't see this movie too much anymore which is a shame. Christopher Plummer and James Mason do a very credible job as Holmes and Watson in this atmospheric Jack the Ripper thriller.Victorian era London is perfectly represented, and you also get to see Donald Sutherland in a small but important role as a psychic. Hints of a Masonic conspiracy wrap around the edges of this story, and it ultimately comes out that the Ripper cover up goes up to the highest levels of the English government.I first saw this movie in its first theater run in 1979, and it's something I'd definitely like to own on DVD for posterity.

When vicious murders begin occurring in the equivalent of London's red light district, who do concerned citizens turn to? Why Sherlock Holmes, of course! While the fictional detective wasn't actually around during London's gaslight era when these foggily lit murders took place, it makes fictional sense that eventually somebody would pit the notoriously named Jack the Ripper against London's most well loved detective prior to Miss Marple. If it couldn't be Basil Rathbone, then some other famous British thespian had to take over. In this case, it is Christopher Plummer, as far away from the Edelweiss of "The Sound of Music's" Salzburg as he could get.Plummer gives (in this reviewer's opinion), his best performance as the pipe smoking and argyle cap wearing detective. While I agree he is one of Britain's greatest gifts to the theatre and cinema, I often took pause with his slow moving speech and frequent stalls in reciting his lines. That is totally missing here, and he gives a relaxed and often humorous performance that isn't as hyper as Rathbone's but just as riveting. Just as outstanding is James Mason, taking over Nigel Bruce's role as Dr. Watson. While slightly bumbling, he isn't as eccentric as Bruce was, and as a result, is taken more seriously. In a nod to Mary Gordon (Mrs. Hudson in the Rathbone/Bruce films), the brief appearance of Holmes' landlady is hysterically amusing because of the bit actresses' resemblance to the wonderful Ms. Gordon.As the storyline unfolds, it is obvious that the writers are developing something more sinister than just the whims of a madman killing prostitutes. It is almost devilish in its innuendos as clues are dropped that give enough information to the viewers to guess what is going on, yet keep them intrigued as well. In smaller roles, Donald Sutherland, Anthony Quayle and Frank Finlay shine, while brief appearances by "Webster's" Susan Clark (whatever happened to her????) and Genevieve Bujold are extremely haunting.Why this film was overlooked at awards time is beyond me, especially for Plummer, Mason and its moody photography. Everything about this film is exquisite and with recent, more youthful looks at Holmes and Watson, this entry in the popular series is worth re-discovering.