Title: MURDER BY DECREE (1979)
The amazing thing about Sherlock Holmes, is not that he has been characterized in more than 238 film and tv productions, but the fact that there are so many different interpretations of the character. A different time, a different place, a different actor, a different studio, and a seemingly different world. It's astonishing that so much can do with a character that has already so much written about him. There aren't many gaps in his history (outside the 3 years he was believed dead). So where is the allure to changing things about him again? To start with, one must find a cast to fill the world of the great detective, his trusty side-kick, the fallible members of the Scotland Yark and the various dark dealers that surround them. Christopher Plummer heads the cast as the brilliant Sherlock Holmes, and is equaled by the fun trend-bucking James Mason as John Watson. The cast is filled out by such luminaries as Donald Sutherland, Sir John Gielgud.
Murder by Decree, decides to take things in a different light, under more nuanced changes. Here, for instance, Christopher Plummer embodies his take on Holmes than more humanity ever before conceived. This isn't to say that Sherlock Holmes isn't personable, but that often his brilliance is in direct conflict with his ability to navigate most normal social situations. Which is to say, because of the way he using his brain, he doesn't realize he's coming off as an ass to a lot of people, because they should simply know better, or get smarter if they have an issue with it. In this instance though, Plummer is able to walk the line between a brilliant mind who happens to care a great deal with people, and someone on the verge of being annoyed with anyone around them. Through this though we are given my favorite sequence of the film. Decree features one of the best mash-up ideas in all of Sherlock Holmes lore. Holmes being the brilliant detective of Victorian London, is tasked with the job of solving the murders of Jack The Ripper. He is met with obstacles at every turn. From the local law enforcement, the government, as well as various shadowy figures. Far into the story, as he nears the end of things, he is forced to visit a patient in a mental hospital on the outside of town, with information that can tip the scales of the case. The patient is more than they seem, and as she breaks down her story, in drugged addled pauses, Holmes finds himself overcome with paternal grief. To that point that he physically lashes out at the doctors and guards who come into the room to question his actions. As tears fill his eyes, we begin to witness, a Sherlock Holmes who is taking a very serious stake in a case. Not for fame, or money, or pride, but do to the overpowering need to do this person justice, who, through no harm of their own, has been destroyed by events well beyond their control. This emboldens the audience for the remainder of the film, cheering on their hero, to break through all adversity. It's a testament to both the work of Christopher Plummer and the director. The director himself starts out as a head-scratcher, though that is the definition of Bob Clark's career. The director of the beloved A Christmas Story, the genre-defining Porky's, and the beginnings of the modern slasher in Black Christmas, Clark is always the least likely choice. Here again though, he bucks the walls put up around him, to make a rousing adventure that not only blends various genre's, but stands as one of the finest Sherlock Holmes adventure's not penned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
**** out of *****
Showing posts with label Sherlock Holmes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sherlock Holmes. Show all posts
Friday, March 11, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Action Monday: SHERLOCK HOMES (2009)
Title: SHERLOCK HOLMES (2009)
The greatest thing about Sherlock Holmes as a character, is there are almost and infinite amount of way to adapt him to the big screen. There are, in the official Sir Arthur Conan Doyle canon, 4 novels, and 54 short stories. Not to mention the various novels that other authors have taken the liberty to write, featuring Holmes as the lead or side character. Interesting fact concerning the canon stories, is that all but 4 stories are narrated by Dr. Watson. Of the other 4, Holmes himself narrates 2, while the remaining 2 are strangely written in the 3rd person. IMDB states that there have been 238 productions to feature Sherlock Holmes, covering TV, Feature Films, and Shorts. All this is to say, there are numerous variations on the theme that is Sherlock Holmes, and he is sure not to go anywhere, anytime soon.
All this leads to Guy Ritchie's take on the immortal Detective Holmes. First off is this, it's really really fun. The last thing I would ever call the latest variation of the great detective is boring. There have been numerous people to take issue with the film since it isn't a classical take on Holmes, isn't directly taken from any of Doyle's stories, and that Robert Downey Jr. is plain odd. Most of these comment are thankfully unfounded, and based on some rather harsh opinions. At least 3 films spring to mind that house wonderful Sherlock Holmes adventures, though none of them are direct adaptations. "Murder by Decree", "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution" and "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes." They all do the character justice, just as does Downey's version. Personally I was more so impressed by the fact that Guy Ritchie had finally found the perfect outlet for his creative juices.
The story of the film is simple enough. Sherlock Holmes must solve a case that has everyone else totally baffled, both his reputation and the very lives of others teeter on the brink. What the movie does to shake off the cob-webs of all previous interpretations of Holmes is to release itself of some of the more singular images. Ritchie decided early on that the phrase, "Elemetary, my dear Watson", would not be included, nor would Holme's defining Deerstalker. Neither of which are missed in the least. He also went out of his way to have a stronger Dr. Watson, in the form of Jude Law, second only to the actively engaging take on the character by Robert Duvall. Luckily Law is British and has no need to fake a horrendous accent. His Watson is very much the do-er, often standing up to Downey's Holmes, even if it is to much avail. It is readily apparent that Holmes needs Watson, though his very pride would never allow himself to admit it. The adventure at hand is one of the few takes on the character to put him at odds with a changing world. At the outset it feels as if there is going to be a strong supernatural bent to the film, along the lines of "The Hound of the Baskervilles", but as the film moves along, it reveals itself to be rather grounded. It's the technology in the film that is making the most strides to confound Holmes to some degree, though he is quick to ascertain the meaning behind each foil. One imagines that in between his cases, before or during his cocaine binges, he does an awful lot of reading.....of everything, at all times. Though it is just a tad over 2 hours, it moves along at a break-neck speed. Mostly this is due to the film being a string of various set-pieces, one larger, than the last. Which is the strength and downfall of this Holmes. It is a blockbuster film. It's made to be accessible to all audiences of most ages, and their respective attention span. True there are many moments where there is more than a slight spark of intelligence written into the dialogue, that does not pertain to name-calling, or flatulent dogs (only once), but that's, as one could dubb it "Holmes-speak". He must rattle off an explanation of the unfounded, not only because the audience may be lot without it, but it is in the very core of his being. The best of which, honestly feels as if it's saying to the audience, "really, you couldn't have put that together yourself."
Sherlock Holmes is one of the greatest characters ever, because he gets to be an arrogant SOB, and while many may find him annoying, they simply have to groan and shake their heads, because 90% of the time (believably less if your name is Mycroft) he's right.
Guy Ritchie does leave the movie open for the inevitable sequel, but does so in the best fashion possible, by peppering moments of Moriarty, throughout the proceedings. Audiences will clamor inevitably to theaters to see that film. The more learned readers hoping to forage into familiar ground, with one of the few literary characters, who will always survive, as long as people are curious enough to ask "Whodunit and how did they do it?" If they are patient enough they will hear the reply, "Now that you're sitting comfortably, I shall begin...."
*** 1/2 out of *****
The greatest thing about Sherlock Holmes as a character, is there are almost and infinite amount of way to adapt him to the big screen. There are, in the official Sir Arthur Conan Doyle canon, 4 novels, and 54 short stories. Not to mention the various novels that other authors have taken the liberty to write, featuring Holmes as the lead or side character. Interesting fact concerning the canon stories, is that all but 4 stories are narrated by Dr. Watson. Of the other 4, Holmes himself narrates 2, while the remaining 2 are strangely written in the 3rd person. IMDB states that there have been 238 productions to feature Sherlock Holmes, covering TV, Feature Films, and Shorts. All this is to say, there are numerous variations on the theme that is Sherlock Holmes, and he is sure not to go anywhere, anytime soon.
All this leads to Guy Ritchie's take on the immortal Detective Holmes. First off is this, it's really really fun. The last thing I would ever call the latest variation of the great detective is boring. There have been numerous people to take issue with the film since it isn't a classical take on Holmes, isn't directly taken from any of Doyle's stories, and that Robert Downey Jr. is plain odd. Most of these comment are thankfully unfounded, and based on some rather harsh opinions. At least 3 films spring to mind that house wonderful Sherlock Holmes adventures, though none of them are direct adaptations. "Murder by Decree", "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution" and "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes." They all do the character justice, just as does Downey's version. Personally I was more so impressed by the fact that Guy Ritchie had finally found the perfect outlet for his creative juices.
The story of the film is simple enough. Sherlock Holmes must solve a case that has everyone else totally baffled, both his reputation and the very lives of others teeter on the brink. What the movie does to shake off the cob-webs of all previous interpretations of Holmes is to release itself of some of the more singular images. Ritchie decided early on that the phrase, "Elemetary, my dear Watson", would not be included, nor would Holme's defining Deerstalker. Neither of which are missed in the least. He also went out of his way to have a stronger Dr. Watson, in the form of Jude Law, second only to the actively engaging take on the character by Robert Duvall. Luckily Law is British and has no need to fake a horrendous accent. His Watson is very much the do-er, often standing up to Downey's Holmes, even if it is to much avail. It is readily apparent that Holmes needs Watson, though his very pride would never allow himself to admit it. The adventure at hand is one of the few takes on the character to put him at odds with a changing world. At the outset it feels as if there is going to be a strong supernatural bent to the film, along the lines of "The Hound of the Baskervilles", but as the film moves along, it reveals itself to be rather grounded. It's the technology in the film that is making the most strides to confound Holmes to some degree, though he is quick to ascertain the meaning behind each foil. One imagines that in between his cases, before or during his cocaine binges, he does an awful lot of reading.....of everything, at all times. Though it is just a tad over 2 hours, it moves along at a break-neck speed. Mostly this is due to the film being a string of various set-pieces, one larger, than the last. Which is the strength and downfall of this Holmes. It is a blockbuster film. It's made to be accessible to all audiences of most ages, and their respective attention span. True there are many moments where there is more than a slight spark of intelligence written into the dialogue, that does not pertain to name-calling, or flatulent dogs (only once), but that's, as one could dubb it "Holmes-speak". He must rattle off an explanation of the unfounded, not only because the audience may be lot without it, but it is in the very core of his being. The best of which, honestly feels as if it's saying to the audience, "really, you couldn't have put that together yourself."
Sherlock Holmes is one of the greatest characters ever, because he gets to be an arrogant SOB, and while many may find him annoying, they simply have to groan and shake their heads, because 90% of the time (believably less if your name is Mycroft) he's right.
Guy Ritchie does leave the movie open for the inevitable sequel, but does so in the best fashion possible, by peppering moments of Moriarty, throughout the proceedings. Audiences will clamor inevitably to theaters to see that film. The more learned readers hoping to forage into familiar ground, with one of the few literary characters, who will always survive, as long as people are curious enough to ask "Whodunit and how did they do it?" If they are patient enough they will hear the reply, "Now that you're sitting comfortably, I shall begin...."
*** 1/2 out of *****
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