The mysteries, "Incident at Victoria Falls" and "The Leading Lady" star Christopher Lee and Patrick Macnee. The documentary about the identity of Jack the Ripper and the unsolved ghastly murders is narrated by Peter Ustinov.
I love reading Sir Conan Doyle's Holmes stories. Full of many details and complicated plots, these stories are engaging. The movies themselves are OK. I think that Christopher Lee is outstanding as Holmes. (Many are more familiar with Lee's role as Saramun the The Lord of the Rings movies.) He's refined and characteristically aloof, while occaisionally showing cinsideration and thoughtfulness. Personally, I prefer Jeremy Brett and his hawkish countenance as Holmes.
Macnee is a quintessentially faithful Dr. Watson. The date of these productions is 1992 and the films have that late "80's " feel. Morgan Fairchild, playing in "The Leading Lady," causes the movie to lose some of it's British flavor. These were produced as a mini-series, and therefore lacks some of the tightness of a shorter film.
The documentary was interesting, if not a bit too graphic. I didn't realize how dreadful the murders had been. My youngest daughter watched the Holmes stories with me; the accounts of Jack the Ripper would have given her nightmares.
Would I recommend these movies. Well, it depends on what you are looking for. If you want acting/cinematographic excellence you'll be disappointe. If you want something mildly engaging to pass the time or unwind with, this is you film!
No comments:
Post a Comment