Without A Clue
As a twist on the conventional tale of Sherlock Holmes, it's Dr. Watson (Ben Kingsley) who is the super sleuth. But as his hopes for an important appointment would be damaged by admitting this, he invents the character of Sherlock Holmes. Unfortunately as Holmes' fame spread he needed a real person to appear as the super sleuth. So he employed an out of work actor Reginald...
Plot Outline
As a twist on the conventional tale of Sherlock Holmes, it's Dr. Watson (Ben Kingsley) who is the super sleuth. But as his hopes for an important appointment would be damaged by admitting this, he invents the character of Sherlock Holmes. Unfortunately as Holmes' fame spread he needed a real person to appear as the super sleuth. So he employed an out of work actor Reginald Kincaid (Michael Caine), who is a drunkard, a womaniser and a coward.
When arch enemy Moriarty (Paul Freeman) threatens the financial basis of Her Majesty's currency, the Royal Mint needs Sherlock Holmes. The plates to the £5 note have been stolen, the man in charge of the printing is abducted, and it seems even his lovely daughter (Lysette Anthony) is not safe.
All goes well until Sherlock Holmes is forced to solve the crime without the real genius of Dr. Watson by his side. Will he triumph when he is left 'Without a Clue'?
Review
I have to agree with Raymond on this one. It's a lovely little comedy that is surprisingly under rated. A host of stalwart talents lend their support to the main actors, and everyone seems to be having a great time.
Gregor Fisher (Rab C. Nesbit) and the late, great Peter Cook, and many more pop up in cameo roles. It's also a nice surprise to see Jeffrey Jones turn up with a very convincing English accent as Inspector Lestrade. Amongst many other roles, you may best recall this American actor as Charles Dietz from Beetlejuice.
Ben Kingsley displays a very sure comedic touch and provides Dr. Watson with just the right amount of pompous genius and barely concealed rage at having to deal with his hopeless creation. He has some terrific lines and makes every one count.
Michael Caine once again shows why he is such a master of the film art. He switches effortlessly between broad slapstick, great one-liners, sight gags, action pieces, and yet can also turn in moments of pathos and sadness at the drop of a hat. Truly brilliant.
The twists and turns of the story are enough to be credible as a Sherlock Holmes mystery yet daft enough to hang the comedy on, and even to allow an trip away from London to the Lake District.
Video
As you will see from my comments posted after Raymond's review I was initially confused as to the aspect ratio of this movie. There's no doubt that an anamorphic DVD is best, but in this case the letterboxed transfer is simply excellent. As you would expect, look hard and you'll detect some lack of detail but there's a distinct lack of lines and edge enhancement that have been seen on lesser letterboxed titles.
Colours seem deliberately muted in keeping with the feel of a period piece, but they can become a bit washed out in places, especially the outdoor scenes in the Lake District.
Audio
There are some moments that would benefit from a full Dolby 5.1 treatment, especially the crowd scenes and the final action set piece. Otherwise, the Dolby Stereo soundtrack is fine and the catchy music and dialog is very clear.
Extras
Nada, rien, zilch, nuffink. The lower half of the main menu has a short extract from the film running in a loop, but that's as exciting as it gets. The fifteen chapter stops are adequate for a film of this length, but the identifying stills are needlessly small.
Overall
Carlton's Silver Collection looked reasonable value for money when first released, but falling prices make these look very overpriced now. If it wasn't for the letterbox transfer and the fact I like this movie so much, I doubt if I'd have been tempted. I certainly haven't been by the rest of the series that are full frame 4:3, and there's some good titles amongst them that I'd be quite happy to have.
As to the film itself, there's enough slapstick in it to please the children, and most of the more grown up references will go straight over their heads. However, there's one moment of more realistic violence that is out of step with the rest of the film so you might want to watch it first to assess suitability for younger viewers.
In short, a little gem of a movie to have on your shelf, and a great one for cheering yourself up with on a rainy day. As I write this it's hissing down outside after a long period of lovely weather, so I might as well stick it on and have a laugh all over again.
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