Under the sign of the four
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Under the sign of the four |
| Original title | The Sign of Four |
| Country of production | United Kingdom |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1983 |
| length | 97 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Desmond Davis |
| script | Charles Edward Pogue |
| production | Otto Plaschkes |
| music | Harry Rabinowitz |
| camera | Dennis C. Lewiston |
| cut | Timothy Gee |
| occupation | |
| |
The Sign of Four (Original title: The Sign of Four ) is a British crime drama from 1983, which on the novel The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle based. The protagonists Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson is played by Ian Richardson and David Healy .
action
After receiving a mysterious message, Major John Sholto collapses. He reveals to his sons that he has betrayed a former comrade Captain Morstan of a treasure and asks them to find and compensate his daughter.
A few days after Sholto's death, Miss Mary Morstan turns to Sherlock Holmes because she has received a diamond and an invitation to a meeting and does not know what to do with it. Holmes identifies the diamond as the long-lost Mughal and accompanies Miss Morstan to the meeting with Watson. It turns out that Thaddeus Sholto sent the diamond as the most valuable piece of the treasure to Miss Morstan in order to force his brother Bartholomew to divide the treasure. In the meantime, however, he is killed by one-legged Jonathan Small and his short helper Tonga with a poisoned blowpipe arrow.
While Inspector Layton quickly picks up Thaddeus as the perpetrator and arrests him, Holmes tries to find the one-legged man and his companion. After the two killed Thaddeus Sholto, who was released in the meantime, in search of the Mughal diamond and Holmes can barely save Miss Morstan, he finally finds the murderer at a fairground. Although he cannot get hold of them, Holmes can track down the escape boat of the fugitives with the help of street boys whom he uses as scouts. In the final chase on the Thames Tonga is shot by Watson, as he attacks Holmes and Small tells the story of the treasure. Inspector Layton confiscates the treasure as the property of the British Crown - but knows nothing of the Mughal diamond that Holmes is now handing over to Miss Morstan.
background
The plot is based on the second Sherlock Holmes novel The Sign of Four . In 1982 the film producer Sy Weintraub planned to produce a 6-part small series based on various Sherlock Holmes stories. In 1983, only In the Sign of the Four and The Hound of Baskerville were actually shot . It turned out that Granada Television was about to produce the series Sherlock Holmes, starring Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes. Weintraub sued Granada Television, but after a long legal battle reached an out-of-court settlement and only completed the films that had already been shot.
The film was first released on DVD in Germany in 2009.
reception
The lexicon of international film judges:
"In the equipment, detailed, predominantly from the local and time coloring, living Conan Doyle adaptation, which makes little capital from the charming confrontation of the astute, purposeful master detective with the mysterious Indian magic."
Awards
At the 1983 Mystfest , Desmond Davis won the Best Director award, while the film itself was nominated for Best Picture. In 1985 he was nominated for the category “Best Film” at the Fantasporto film festival , but lost to The Time of the Wolves .
Trivia
- David Healy was not available for the shooting of the second film, The Hound of Baskerville , because he was also in the musical Guys and Dolls and was therefore replaced by Donald Churchill .
- Thorley Walters , who played Major John Sholto, had played the role of Dr. in several other Sherlock Holmes films before this film. Watson, so around 1962 in Sherlock Holmes and the Collar of Death .
Web links
- The Sign of Four in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ian Richardson ( Memento of the original from September 29, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at www.sherlock-holmes.org.uk.
- ↑ Steven Doyle, David A. Crowder: Sherlock Holmes for Dummies. Wiley, New York 2010, ISBN 978-0-470-48444-9 , p. 282.
- ↑ In the sign of the four on zweiausendeins.de.
- ↑ List of nominated and awarded films at the Mystfest 1983 on whosdatedwho.com.
- ^ List of nominated and award-winning films at Fantastoporto 1985 on whosdatedwho.com.
- ^ "The Smiling Detective - Ian Richardson as Sherlock Holmes" on www.sherlock-holmes-movie-and-tv-guide.com.
