A Study in Terror (1966)

I must confess to being somewhat of a fan of this film. On paper it sounds insane, Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson tracking down and facing Whitechapel's most notorious killer, Jack the Ripper. Lots of good points, the atmosphere of the time is really well created, the film has a suitably murky, bleak feel to it, great costumes, at times it feels like a Hammer Horror production. John Neville is excellent as Holmes, physically and vocally he reminds me of the great Basil Rathbone, which is very much a good thing. Barbara Windsor is a delight, at times I did feel like Sid was ready to pop out with a joke, regardless, she lit up the screen. Robert Morley, however, an actor I adore, but he was totally miscast as Mycroft, intelligent yes, quick yes, just lacking the imposing nature the character demands. The chronology is a bit muddled, but efforts are made to get some of the facts in. I wonder would it have been better to invent characters? not sure.The Blu ray is well worth getting as the film looks glorious. It's an odd mix, but one I like. Watch it, just don't take it too seriously. I'm a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes, but also have an interest in Whitechapel, the first half of me is satisfied, the latter leaves me scratching my head, 8/10

Am a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes and get a lot of enjoyment out of Arthur Conan Doyle's stories. Also love Basil Rathbone's and especially Jeremy Brett's interpretations to death. So would naturally see any Sherlock Holmes adaptation that comes my way, regardless of its reception.Furthermore, interest in seeing early films based on Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories and wanting to see as many adaptations of any Sherlock Holmes stories as possible sparked my interest in seeing 'A Study in Terror', especially one with such a great idea. There have been a lot of comparisons with 'Murder By Decree', won't compare them other than saying that to me they are good in their own way and personally rank them the same.There are better Sherlock Holmes-related films/adaptations certainly than 'A Study in Terror', the best of the Jeremy Brett adaptations and films of Basil Rathone fit under this category. It's also not among the very worst, although one of the lesser ones overall, being much better than any of the Matt Frewer films (particularly 'The Sign of Four') and also much better than the abominable Peter Cook 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'.'A Study in Terror' generally is a good interesting film. Perhaps at times the script could have been more imaginative. Will admit also to not being that surprised by the identity of the killer, am another person who guessed it correctly prematurely.Most problematic was the music, which just didn't fit and like it belonged somewhere else. Otherwise, there is not much actually to fault 'A Study in Terror' from personal opinion. It is very inaccurate historically, but on its own terms it entertains and shocks effectively. Although modest in budget, the settings and period detail are beautifully realised and have a lot of handsome evocative atmosphere. Very nicely shot too. Generally the script is assured and intelligent, with some nice dark humour, and the story has genuine dread and dark suspense. The deaths are gruesome but not gratuitously so, anybody who knows of Jack the Ripper will know that his murders were among the most horrific and haven't-seen-anything-like-it in history.John Neville is a worthy and charismatic Holmes, if not one of the best as the character, while Donald Houston achieves a good balance of amusing and dignified without being buffoonish or dull. Frank Finlay, John Fraser and especially Robert Morley (with a couple of the best lines) are the supporting cast standouts.Overall, good and interesting. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Prostitutes are being savagely killed in the Whitechapel area of London, Holmes (John Neville) is on the trail of Jack the Ripper. Following the clues he narrows down his suspects, among them, a police surgeon, a missing heir and a disfigured prostitute. On the face of it combining literatures greatest detective. Sherlock Holmes and the most infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper into one movie is a great idea. Of course if you're a stickler for Doyle's canon, you might not agree, I'm somewhere in the middle. The film itself manages to keep the viewer guessing right until the end, it also benefits from a very strong cast, including Anthony Quayle as the police surgeon, Dr Murray, Frank Finlay as Lestrade, both of these also starred in the other and frankly much better Holmes/Ripper movie, Murder by Decree, even Judi Dench turns up in a minor role, as does Babs Windsor as a lady on the evening, typecast again eh?. If I have a problem with the film its Neville, he's not bad, he sort of looks the part, but he's quite lacking in charisma.

This is a wonderful, entertaining film, with one great cast (Donald Houston makes a superb Watson) and a nice plot although a bit Holmes-centered, which will please some people even more anyway, victorian-like dialogues being quite exceptional. The density of the story is acceptable, even if it lacks some psychological details. One thing, though, has been somewhat of a let down - the overdubbed sounds and music. This is one movie that could benefit enormously from sound revamping, original soundtrack included. It would certainly rank quite higher in movie History if that were to be done (Can it?). All things considered, it is nevertheless a must, not just for Sherlock Holmes or ripper fans, but for anyone who is looking for a good movie, in general.