UHD Review Murder by Decree UHD Review (1 Viewer)

[Matt Hough]

Bob Clark’s Murder by Decree brings a first-rate tale of Victorian England murder and mayhem into the world of Sherlock Holmes in a crackerjack movie that mines the best of its real and fictional worlds.



Murder by Decree (1979)



Released: 09 Feb 1979
Rated: PG
Runtime: 124 min




Director: Bob Clark
Genre: Mystery, Thriller



Cast: Christopher Plummer, James Mason, David Hemmings, Susan Clark
Writer(s): Arthur Conan Doyle (characters), John Hopkins (screenplay), Elwyn Jones (author), Stephen Knight (book), John Lloyd (author)



Plot: Sherlock Holmes investigates the murders commited by Jack the Ripper and discovers a conspiracy to protect the killer.



IMDB rating: 6.9
MetaScore: N/A





Disc Information



Studio: Studio Canal...

Continue reading...

 

[Bartman]

This has been visually troublesome on home video. Many preferred the DVD over first gen Blu-rays. I rented the DVD from Netflix & it looked good. I purchased the KL Blu-ray in a sale & while resolution improved, the picture was too bright (my Blu-ray case has a Turn Brightness Down 50% sticker, pretty dramatic) & had a strange look. A comparison of the old & new KL Blu-ray picture quality would have been appreciated. Cheers!

 

[John Maher_289910]

Wow, what a great review. I may have to revisit, because this is not my memory of the film, at all. Although I remember really liking Mason, I though Plummer was awful as Holmes. He brought nothing to the role, as I recall. Also, the script was stretched out beyond any reasonable interest in the thing. As I recall it, there were at least 2 possible endings that didn't end the film. However, I haven't seen it since it was originally in theaters, so I might love it, now.

 

[Keith Cobby]

One of the few DVDs I own that I haven't upgraded to blu ray (probably because of the indifferent reviews). I like the film and watched it recently but 'Captain' Plummer isn't a great Holmes for me!

 

[Richard Kaufman]

A marvelous film ... certainly the greatest Holmes and Watson of the modern era.

 

[Wayne Klein]

Glad to to hear this is an improvement.

 

[Bartman]

What does 'fresh' 4K scan mean? Why wasn't HDR used? (no improvement over SDR, cost?). Is anyone sure this 4K scan was not done in 2020 (hint no HDR) & used for the previous StudioCanal & KL Blu-ray releases?
We need a comparison of the Blu-rays picture quality?

 

[Henry Kujawa]

I saw this movie in a theatre when it came out. I was quite impressed, though it was a bit too gloomy for my tastes. For the longest time, it seems the only "traditional" versions of Holmes to be found were done on TV; theatrical movies keep doing "different" takes on the character. I get tired of those. Between the 2 Holmes / Jack The Ripper films, I've come to prefer A STUDY IN TERROR. Funny that both feature Frank Finlay as Lestrade (and they can't be in the same continuity).

I had AWFUL TV prints of both films for 40 years. Among other things, STUDY was missing 11 minutes! DECREE, only 2. I love almost the entire cast in STUDY... except Holmes & Watson, who almost seems like charicatures of themselves. Plummer is nice in DECREE, however, I find he was playing a very-different Holmes in the 1976 SILVER BLAZE on Canadian TV. And I like THAT version way better! It seems a shame that nobody has yet bnothered to put that out on disc, and it would make so much sense to have it included as an extra with DECREE.

I read about the questionable releases a year ago. My CBS-TV copy of DECREE had (according to my notes when I last watched it) "fullscreen, fuzzy, streaks, ghosts, recurring white dot" The 2020 Kino BR has "recurring white dot ". Can it be both were from the same print? It seems the new 2025 UHD/BR combo has a "brand new scan". I wonder if they've fixed that odd glitch? Myself, I've had problems with certain films being TOO DARK on Blu-Ray. I did not feel there was any problem with the 2020 BR being "too bright". But, that's me.

With money being as tight as it is right now (I'm currently between home care assignments-- a situation that has, maddeningly, gone on far longer than I ever expected), so there's no way I could even consider "upgrading" this film, especially when my "wanted" list of other items is so huge. I'm happy with the one I have. I did find (apparently) the cover of the new version. Let's see if I can post all 3.

 

[Robert Saccone]

Thanks for the review! Mine is still sealed up but I will be on the lookout for UHD problems. I didn’t have any issues with brightness from the last KL Blu Ray.

 

[Bartman]

As we've a couple of comments about brightness I checked the Blu-ray case & the sticker says 'Reduce Brightness to 50%' not BY, on my LG B8 OLED. I may have over zealous quoting from memory. I wonder if the 'white dot' problem is the 'strange look' I alluded to? We desperately need a visual comparison of these Blu-rays!

 

[Robert Saccone]

This isn’t an A-list film so first Iwas thrilled to have it on DVD, then Blu Ray and now ecstatic to have a 4K with whatever warts it has (with the exception of playback issues). Now if I could get a 4K of the Wickes Jack the Ripper mini-series that would be fantastic.

 

[Bartman]

This isn’t an A-list film so first Iwas thrilled to have it on DVD, then Blu Ray and now ecstatic to have a 4K with whatever warts it has (with the exception of playback issues). Now if I could get a 4K of the Wickes Jack the Ripper mini-series that would be fantastic.

Please compare the picture quality of the two regular Blu-rays & give us your thoughts!

 

[David_B_K]

I saw this movie in a theatre when it came out. I was quite impressed, though it was a bit too gloomy for my tastes. For the longest time, it seems the only "traditional" versions of Holmes to be found were done on TV; theatrical movies keep doing "different" takes on the character. I get tired of those. Between the 2 Holmes / Jack The Ripper films, I've come to prefer A STUDY IN TERROR. Funny that both feature Frank Finlay as Lestrade (and they can't be in the same continuity).

I had AWFUL TV prints of both films for 40 years. Among other things, STUDY was missing 11 minutes! DECREE, only 2. I love almost the entire cast in STUDY... except Holmes & Watson, who almost seems like charicatures of themselves. Plummer is nice in DECREE, however, I find he was playing a very-different Holmes in the 1976 SILVER BLAZE on Canadian TV. And I like THAT version way better! It seems a shame that nobody has yet bnothered to put that out on disc, and it would make so much sense to have it included as an extra with DECREE.

I read about the questionable releases a year ago. My CBS-TV copy of DECREE had (according to my notes when I last watched it) "fullscreen, fuzzy, streaks, ghosts, recurring white dot" The 2020 Kino BR has "recurring white dot ". Can it be both were from the same print? It seems the new 2025 UHD/BR combo has a "brand new scan". I wonder if they've fixed that odd glitch? Myself, I've had problems with certain films being TOO DARK on Blu-Ray. I did not feel there was any problem with the 2020 BR being "too bright". But, that's me.

With money being as tight as it is right now (I'm currently between home care assignments-- a situation that has, maddeningly, gone on far longer than I ever expected), so there's no way I could even consider "upgrading" this film, especially when my "wanted" list of other items is so huge. I'm happy with the one I have. I did find (apparently) the cover of the new version. Let's see if I can post all 3.

I also saw this theatrically when it came out. Not only did Frank Finlay repeat his Lestrade from A Study in Terror, but Anthony Quayle is also in both films. An interesting thing about Murder by Decree is that it showed up on HBO while it was still playing in theaters (or very shortly thereafter) which was unusual in 1979.

What I liked about Murder by Decree was the the grimness and atmosphere. There really were some thrills and chills in that version. The ripper's victims looked like real disease-ridden prostitutes, and the music and sound effects gave a sense of horror to the story. In A Study in Terror, the victims looked more like 60's babes, which is fun in its own way. I quite liked John Neville as Holmes in Study. He seemed very Victorian and had the proper cold and clinical personality. Donald Houston was a bit silly as Watson, but he was probably grappling with memories of Nigel Bruce in the role. I remember reading that for Murder by Decree that director Bob Clark was interested in the Ripper story and simply used Holmes as the vehicle for solving the murders. He also said he wanted a kinder/gentler Holmes which influenced Plummer in his portrayal.

I notice one of your photos is from the Canadian TV production of Silver Blaze with Plummer as Holmes and Thorley Walters as Watson. That was a good adaptation of the story.

 

[Sultanofcinema]

A marvelous film ... certainly the greatest Holmes and Watson of the modern era.

One of the best, saw it opening night with my then girlfriend and theater was empty, which always lead me to believe we are in for something great. Just watched the new 4K and very satisfied with sharpness and sound quality. Outstanding score also. PS folks, I had no issues with the disc having problems around chapter 7 mark. Ran flawlessly.

 

[Robert Saccone]

This isn’t an A-list film so first Iwas thrilled to have it on DVD, then Blu Ray and now ecstatic to have a 4K with whatever warts it has (with the exception of playback issues). Now if I could get a 4K of the Wickes Jack the Ripper mini-series that would be fantastic.

The two Blu Rays I have are the one that came with the UHD and the previous KL. I will sample them
Once I get through the UHD version.

 

[Robert Saccone]

I took a look at some scenes in the UHD vs the Blu Ray that came with it vs the original Kino Blu Ray release on my Oppo 203. The bit rate of the UHD is ~ 90 mb / sec while both Blu Rays are ~ 40 mb / sec. From what I saw the UHD had better detail and color rendering than either Blu Ray. However it is clear that the Blu Ray included with the UHD is different than the original KL Blu Ray. The chapter structure between the two is different and the older KL Blu Ray doesn't include the 5.1 mix only the 2.0 mix. But more importantly it also doesn't have the detail that the Blu Ray included with the UHD has. The colors on the original KL Blu Ray are also not as rich as the one included with the UHD. It is also a bit brighter than the Blu Ray included with the UHD but not dramatically so in that I felt I needed to adjust the brightness on my TV. I felt the newer Blu Ray was very satisfactory and I wouldn't have an issue with it if I didn't have the UHD. However after comparing the two Blu Rays I don't think I would watch the original ever again. Also all 3 had visible grain but I felt that the grain in the original Blu Ray was more distracting and took away from the clarity of the picture.

Hope this helps.

 

[Bartman]

I'm sorry mess everyone around but I rewatched the original KL Blu-ray last night & believe my original statement about brightness to be correct. On my LG B8 OLED in a dark room, in ISF-Dark mode with no additional processing I tried adjusting contrast, black level or brightness to get a natural picture. Only adjusting brightness from 50 to 25 did the trick. A good scene to verify improvement is when Watson is eating supper, approx 23 minutes in. Of course, your TV & viewing conditions may vary from mine. This is a very difficult picture to get right. Almost impossible to watch in daylight. HTH.

 

[Henry Kujawa]

My votes for terrific Holmes & Watson of the modern era...

Plummer / Walters -- SILVER BLAZE
Plummer / Mason -- MURDER BY DECREE
Baker / Rigby -- HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (1982 / BBC)
(neither actor seems right for the role; but, their performances are SO good they overcome what should be serious mis-casting!)
Richardson / Healy -- THE SIGN OF FOUR (1983)
Richardson / Churchill -- HOUND (1983 / Healy was the better Watson)
Cushing / Mills -- THE MASKS OF DEATH (1983)
Brett / Burke -- Granada
Brett / Hardwicke -- Granada

Nobody since those last 2 has really impressed me! Which is a long time. It's no wonder they tend to be considered "definitive".


Mind you... as time goes on, my list of favorite EARLIER Holmes & Watsons keeps growing! By all means, check out the 1929 HOUND...