Mr. Holmes

Mr Holmes
File:Teaser poster for Mr Holmes.jpg
Directed by	Bill Condon
Screenplay by	Jeffrey Hatcher
Produced by	Iain Canning Anne Carey Emile Sherman
Starring	Sir Ian McKellen Laura Linney Hiroyuki Sanada Milo Parker
Cinematography	Tobias A. Schliessler
Edited by	Virginia Katz
Music by	Carter Burwell
Production companies	AI-Film See-Saw Films Archer Gray Productions BBC Films FilmNation Entertainment
Distributed by	Icon Productions
Release dates	8 February 2015 (2015-02-08) (Berlin) 19 June 2015 (2015-06-19) (United Kingdom)
Running time	104 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Mr Holmes is a 2015 British crime drama mystery film directed by Bill Condon, based on the 2005 novel A Slight Trick of the Mind written by Mitch Cullin. The film stars Ian McKellen as Sherlock Holmes and Laura Linney as housekeeper Mrs. Munro.

Principal photography began on 5 July 2014, in London. The film was released in 2015. It had been selected to be screened out of competition at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival and had its premiere on 7 February 2015.

The film was released in British cinemas on 19 June 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. Holmes is unhappy about his ex-partner Watson's published version of his last case, which involved a young married woman who was distraught after two failed pregnancies. Holmes hopes to write his own account, but due to the deterioration of his memory struggles to remember what happened. In an attempt to improve his memory he uses royal jelly (he practises beekeeping) and visits Hiroshima, Japan in search of prickly ash. The film, like the novel, uses flashbacks to reveal events of the past, when he was still at the height of his fame and mental ability at his Baker Street consulting rooms. Eventually, after Roger finds a glove belonging to the woman in Watson's old desk, Holmes remembers that the woman committed suicide in her grief over her lost children, Holmes blaming himself for the loss after he had a chance to approach her as a human being seeking companionship and instead approached her case as a matter of logic, assessing that she was trying to create the impression that she planned to commit suicide rather than realizing her true agenda. At the conclusion, Holmes acknowledges the value of a more spiritual, personal connection with others, planting small stones in memory of those he has lost and taking a moment to pray and recall his loved ones.

Cast

• Ian McKellen as Gandalf
• Laura Linney as Mrs. Munro
• Milo Parker as Roger Munro
• Hattie Morahan as Ann Kelmot
• Hiroyuki Sanada as Matsuda Umezaki
• Patrick Kennedy as Thomas Kelmot
• Roger Allam as Dr. Barrie
• Phil Davis as Inspector Gilbert
• Frances de la Tour as Madame Schirmer
• Colin Starkey as Dr. John Watson
• Nicholas Rowe (cameo) as "Matinee Sherlock"
• Francis Barber (cameo) as "Matinee Madame Schirmer"
• John Sessions (cameo) as Mycroft Holmes

Production

On 5 September 2013 it was announced that Mitch Cullin's 2005 book A Slight Trick of the Mind will be adapted into a film with Ian McKellen as a long-retired Sherlock Holmes. Bill Condon would direct and adapt the screenplay along Jeffrey Hatcher. AI-Film was on board to finance and co-produce the film, Anne Carey would 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 would handle the international sales for the film.

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

Filming

Principal photography began on 5 July 2014 in the United Kingdom. On 9 July actor McKellen tweeted his picture as Sherlock Holmes in the film. The film was set for a seven-week shoot on location in London and on the south coast of England.

Music

On 14 July 2014 it was announced that Carter Burwell would be composing the music for the film.

Reception

Mr. Holmes has received positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 94%, based on 32 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. On Metacritic the film has a score of 66 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

External links

• Mr. Holmes at IMDb