Mr. Holmes

For the lead character of the film, see Sherlock Holmes. For other uses, see Holmes (surname).
Mr. Holmes

In this movie poster, Ian McKellen, playing a 93-year-old Sherlock Holmes, stands posed for the camera, left hand on hip, right hand braced on a walking stick. His clothing, although neat and elegant, is quite out of fashion. Though the year is 1947, he wears a late Edwardian suit, top hat, and a shirt with a stiff rounded collar.

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Bill Condon
Produced by
Screenplay by Jeffrey Hatcher
Based on
Starring
Music by Carter Burwell
Cinematography Tobias A. Schliessler
Edited by Virginia Katz
Production
company
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 8 February 2015 (2015-02-08) (Berlin premiere)
  • 19 June 2015 (2015-06-19) (United Kingdom)
  • 17 July 2015 (2015-07-17) (United States)
Running time
 104 minutes[1]
Country
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
Language English
Box office $29.4 million[2]

Mr. Holmes is a 2015 British–American crime drama mystery film, directed by Bill Condon, based on Mitch Cullin's 2005 novel A Slight Trick of the Mind, and featuring the character Sherlock Holmes. The film stars Ian McKellen as Sherlock Holmes, Laura Linney as his housekeeper Mrs. Munro and Milo Parker as her son Roger. Set primarily during his retirement, the film follows a 93-year-old Holmes who struggles to recall the details of his final case while his mind begins to deteriorate.

Principal photography began on 5 July 2014, in London. The film was screened out of competition at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival and had its premiere on 7 February 2015.[3][4]

The film was released in British cinemas on 19 June 2015,[5] and in the United States on 17 July 2015.

Plot

In 1947, the long-retired Sherlock Holmes, aged 93, lives in a remote Sussex farmhouse with his housekeeper, Mrs Munro, and her young son Roger. Having just returned from a trip to Hiroshima, he starts to use jelly made from the prickly ash plant he acquired there to improve his failing memory. Unhappy about his ex-partner Watson's fictionalisation of Holmes's last case, The Adventure of the Dove Grey Glove, he hopes to write his own account but has trouble recalling the events. As Holmes spends time with Roger, showing him how to take care of the bees in the farmhouse's apiary, he comes to appreciate Roger's curiosity and intelligence and develops a paternal liking for him.

Over time, Roger's prodding helps Holmes remember the case (shown in flashbacks) and why he retired from the detective business. About 30 years earlier, after the First World War had ended and Watson had left Baker Street, a man named Thomas Kelmot approached Holmes to find out why his wife Ann had changed so much after suffering two miscarriages. Holmes followed Ann around London and observed her taking certain actions - forging cheques in her husband's name and cashing them, reviewing the details of his will, buying poison, checking train schedules – which made it appear as if she were planning to murder Thomas and inherit his property. Holmes deduced her true intentions: to have gravestones made for herself and her miscarried children and then commit suicide with the poison. Confronting her, he claimed to understand her sense of loneliness and isolation and confessed he had those same feelings. Ann asked Holmes if they could share the burden of their loneliness together. Holmes urged her to return to her husband. She poured the poison on the ground, thanked Holmes, and departed. Holmes later learned that she had killed herself by stepping in front of an oncoming train; blaming himself for her death, he retired from the detective business.

A second series of flashbacks recounts Holmes's trip to Japan, where he met a supposed admirer named Tamiki Umezaki. Years ago, Umezaki's father had abandoned him and his mother while in England. In a letter, Umezaki's father wrote he was so impressed by the brilliant Sherlock Holmes that he resolved to stay in England forever. Holmes bluntly told Umezaki that his father simply wanted a new life for himself and that Holmes never met him. Umezaki was crushed.

In the present, Mrs Munro gradually becomes dissatisfied with caring for Holmes as his overall health deteriorates, especially after he becomes unconscious from an experiment with the prickly ash and requires more physical care. She accepts a job at a hotel in Portsmouth, planning to take Roger to work there as well. Roger has become dissatisfied with his uneducated mother and his family's working-class status, and tension develops between mother and son.

Holmes and Mrs Munro later discover Roger lying unconscious near the house, a victim of multiple stings, and he is rushed to a hospital. Distraught, Mrs Munro tries to burn down the apiary, blaming Holmes for caring only about himself and his bees. Holmes stops her, having realised that Roger had been stung by wasps; Roger found their nest and tried to drown them to protect the bees, but they swarmed on him instead. Holmes and Mrs Munro burn down the wasps' nest together, and Roger begins to recover. Acknowledging the value of personal connections with others, Holmes tells Mrs Munro that she and Roger will inherit the house and grounds after his death, encouraging her to stay in the home she knows rather than move away to take another unrewarding job.

Finally, Holmes writes a letter to Umezaki saying that his father was a brave, honourable man who chose to work secretly for the British Empire. As Roger begins to teach his mother how to care for the bees, Holmes emulates a tradition he saw being practiced in Hiroshima: creating a ring of stones to serve as a place where he can recall the loved ones he has lost over the years.

Cast

Production

On 5 September 2013 it was announced that Mitch Cullin's 2005 book A Slight Trick of the Mind would be adapted into a film, with Ian McKellen as a long-retired Sherlock Holmes. Bill Condon was set to direct Jeffrey Hatcher's adaptation of the novel. AI-Film was on board to finance and co-produce the film, Anne Carey was set to produce through her Archer Gray Productions, Iain Canning and Emile Sherman would produce through See-Saw Films, and BBC Films would also co-finance the film. FilmNation Entertainment was set to handle the international sales for the film.[6]

On 7 May 2014, Laura Linney and Hattie Morahan were added to the cast, with Linney set to play Mrs. Munro, the housekeeper to Holmes.[7] On 9 July Hiroyuki Sanada was added to the cast to play Matsuda Umezaki, a prickly ash plant enthusiast whom Holmes visits in Japan.[9] On 10 July, more cast were revealed, including Patrick Kennedy, Roger Allam, Phil Davis, Frances de la Tour, with Milo Parker to play Mrs. Munro's son.[8] On 22 August it was revealed that Nicholas Rowe, who portrayed Holmes in the 1985 film Young Sherlock Holmes, would have a cameo role in the film. He portrays Holmes in a sequence spoofing the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes films.[10] On 3 September 2014, Miramax acquired the United States distribution rights to the film.[11]

Filming

Principal photography began on 5 July 2014 in the United Kingdom.[12][13] On 9 July, McKellen tweeted a picture of himself as Sherlock Holmes in the film.[14] The film was set for a seven-week shoot on location in London and on the south coast of England.[8] The production also filmed at The Historic Dockyard Chatham which doubled as streets in Japan.[15]

Music

Carter Burwell composed the music for the film.[16] The soundtrack was released on 28 August 2015.

Release

The film was released in British cinemas on 19 June 2015, and in the United States on 17 July 2015 and had its premiere on 7 February 2015. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 10 November 2015.

Reception

Mr. Holmes has received positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 87%, based on 142 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Mr. Holmes focuses on the man behind the mysteries, and while it may lack Baker Street thrills, it more than compensates with tenderly wrought, well-acted drama".[17] On Metacritic the film has a score of 67 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[18] IGN awarded it a score of 7.7 out of 10, saying "Gentle, moving, diverting drama that's perfect Sunday afternoon fare".[19]

Accolades

Award Category Recipient Result
British Independent Film Awards Most Promising Newcomer Milo Parker Nominated
Indiana Film Journalists Association Awards[20] Best Film Pending
Best Supporting Actress Laura Linney Pending
Best Actor Ian McKellen Pending
San Francisco Film Critics Circle Best Actor Ian McKellen Nominated
Saturn Awards[21] Best Thriller Film Nominated
Best Performance by a Younger Actor Milo Parker Nominated
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Best Actor Ian McKellen Runner-up
Sydney Film Festival Audience Award Bill Condon Nominated

References

  1. ↑ "MR. HOLMES (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. 15 May 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  2. ↑ "Mr. Holmes (2015)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  3. ↑ "Jafar Panahi's New Film in Competition". berlinale.de. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  4. ↑ "Queen of the Desert". berlinale.de. Archived from the original on 30 January 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  5. ↑ Plumb, Ali (4 March 2015). "Teaser Trailer For Ian McKellen's Mr Holmes Lands". Empire. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  6. 1 2 Kemp, Stuart (5 September 2013). "Toronto: Ian McKellen to Play Retired Sherlock Holmes in Bill Condon's 'A Slight Trick of the Mind'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 McNary, Dave (7 May 2014). "Laura Linney Joins Ian McKellen in 'A Slight Trick of the Mind'". Variety. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Barraclough, Leo (10 July 2014). "First Image of Ian McKellen in Bill Condon's 'Mr. Holmes,' Further Cast Revealed". Variety. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  9. 1 2 Yamto, Jen (9 July 2014). "Hiroyuki Sanada Joins Sherlock Holmes Drama 'A Slight Trick of the Mind'". Deadline.com. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  10. ↑ Plumb, Ali (21 August 2014). "Exclusive: Nicholas Rowe To Cameo In Mr Holmes". Empire. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  11. ↑ Hall, Gina (3 September 2014). "Miramax Acquires Elderly Sherlock Tale 'Mr. Holmes,' Starring Ian McKellen and Laura Linney". TheWrap. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  12. ↑ "Principal photography began in UK 5 July 2014". mckellen.com.
  13. ↑ "ON THE SET FOR 7/07/14: OWEN WILSON & KRISTEN WIIG START RELATIVITY ARMORED CAR PROJECT, MEL GIBSON WRAPS ON BLOOD FATHER". studiosystemnews.com. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  14. ↑ Fletcher, Harry (9 July 2014). "See Ian McKellen as a 93-year-old Sherlock Holmes". Digital Spy. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  15. ↑ Kent Film Office. "Kent Film Office Mr. Holmes Article".
  16. ↑ "Carter Burwell to Score Bill Condon's 'Mr. Holmes'". Film Music Reporter. 14 July 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  17. ↑ "Mr. Holmes (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2015-08-23.
  18. ↑ "Mr. Holmes Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2015-07-22.
  19. ↑ "Mr. Holmes Review". IGN.
  20. ↑ The Indiana Film Journalists Association Begins Nominations Process for 2015 Awards
  21. ↑ "The 42nd Annual Saturn Awards nominations are announced for 2016!". Saturn Awards. February 24, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
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