Murder by Decree Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.0

Murder by Decree Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 28, 2020

Bob Clark's "Murder by Decree" (1979) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailer for the film; archival audio commentary by Bob Clark; and exclusive new audio commentary by film critics Howard S. Berger and Steve Mitchell. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

How much of what is revealed in Bob Clark’s film is true? According to Spanish writer and handwriting expert Jose Luis Abad, not much. A couple of years ago, Abad published a fascinating book titled Jack the Ripper: The Most Intelligent Murderer in History and in it he argued that there is sufficient evidence now to conclude that the man who committed the murders in Whitechapel was in fact the same man who was in charge with their investigation, Inspector Abberline, whose handwriting apparently matches that in the Jack the Ripper's diary (the controversial diary was discovered in a house in Liverpool in 1992). But does it actually matter since Clark’s film puts Jack the Ripper on a collision course with Sherlock Holmes? Now this is a question that is very easy to answer after one has seen Clark’s film, and the answer is a very definitive no. How so? Because Clark’s film is essentially a Victorian fairy tale for adults and as such it takes its atmosphere far more seriously than its facts.

Okay, now let’s look at this film from a slightly different angle. Forget about Jack the Ripper for a moment and focus on Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Now ponder the following question: What other films are there where Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson look so perfect together and fit in the period environment where they are supposed to impress as well as they do in Clark’s film? A Study in Terror is a decent film and John Neville and Donald Houston are rather entertaining together, but they are not a match for Christopher Plummer and James Mason. Nicol Williamson and Robert Duvall in The Seven-Per-Cent Solution? Sorry, not even close. Robert Stephens and Colin Blakely in The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes? Too exotic to be taken seriously. Vasiliy Livanov and Vitali Solomin in the Soviet mini-series? Yes, this is a formidable couple, but hearing the great detective speaking Russian is rather distracting. Michael Caine and Ben Kingsley in Without a Clue? The former is great, but there is too much comedy in this film that hurts his image. So, could Clark’s film be the best film about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson?

The Victorian London that emerges in Clark’s film is the perfect playground for iconic characters like Jack the Ripper, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. During the day it looks cultured and safe, but at night, after the fog comes down, it evolves into a lawless jungle where shadows can kill. Sherlock Holmes is hired to solve a series of gruesome murders but he needs the help of a psychic (Donald Sutherland) to describe his nemesis to him and then point him in the right direction. Inspector Foxborough (David Hemmings) is also tracking down the killer but is on a mission to expose something bigger and far more dangerous that could bring down the monarchy.

The film plays with some quite wild possibilities but at the end manages to produce an entirely coherent and actually plausible deconstruction of a timeless puzzle. On top of this, Clark and cinematographer Reginald H. Morris infuse it with a truly special atmosphere that makes viewing it an unforgettable experience.

*Murder by Decree was released theatrically in 1979. During the same year, Warner Bros. also released theatrically Nicholas Meyer’s Time After Time in which H.G. Wells pursues Jack the Ripper in the twentieth century after he manages to escape with his newly-built time machine. (In the United States, Time After Time is already out on Blu-ray courtesy of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment).

Murder by Decree Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.84:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Murder by Decree arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

I am not impressed with the technical presentation. The Blu-ray release is sourced from a very old master with a wide range of limitations that would have been problematic even for a DVD release. For example, the master struggles with variations of noise that can make a lot of the darkest footage look quite weak. Predictably, delineation isn't optimal and from time to time some wider panoramic shots actually begin to look like upscaled material (see screencapture #11). Well-lit footage routinely appears flat as well (see screencapture #13). Definition is far from convincing, but the unique cinematography actually hides rather well a lot that is quite problematic. The color scheme is pretty good, but a fresh and properly graded master will produce plenty of meaningful improvements. Image stability is good. So, the current master may not be a total disaster, but it is quite easy to see that the film does not have the solid organic appearance it needs so that it looks as impressive as it can and should on Blu-ray. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Murder by Decree Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I expected to hear a much more dynamic audio track. This film has one seriously moody score with dynamic effects, but on my system the audio track did not seem capable of opening up some of the most dramatic sequences as I wanted. My gut-feeling is that if it is remastered and optimized the audio can be quite a bit more effective.

Murder by Decree Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Murder by Decree. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, 480/60i).

• Audio Commentary One - in this archival audio commentary, director Bob Clark discusses in great detail how Murder by Decree was conceived and shot, the film's atmosphere, the contributions of different cast members and technicians, etc.

• Audio Commentary Two - in this new audio commentary, film critics Howard S. Berger and Steve Mitchell discuss the stylistic identity of Murder by Decree, its characters and their relationships, the critical reception of the film, etc.

• Additional Trailers - additional trailers for the following titles from Kino Lorber's catalog:
  
  1. The Silent Partner
  2. Ordeal by Innocence
  3. The Great Train Robbery
  4. The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes

Murder by Decree Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The initial information that was supplied for this Blu-ray release indicated that it would be sourced from a recent remaster that was prepared by StudioCanal. Well, it is actually sourced from an old master, with a wide range of limitations. To be honest, I still think that it is worth picking up because the technical presentation is slightly better than what you would get from the old DVD release that Lionsgate Films produced a decade ago, but as far as I am concerned the film does not have the solid organic appearance it needs to look impressive in high-definition. There are two commentaries on the release that are very nice, but it is still a missed opportunity. If you really need to have a copy of this film in your collection, plan to get the release whenever you can find it heavily discounted.