Small part for Matthew..wearing a moustache!

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #61612 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-03-24
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 102 minutes

Special Features
14:9
DVD 9
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital English
Dolby Digital

Synopsis
The two-part drama MURDER ROOMS is based on the real-life relationship between Arthur Conan Doyle (Robin Laing) and his university tutor, forensic pathologist Dr. Joseph Bell (Ian Richardson). Set in Edinburgh in 1878, this BBC production follows the pair as they become involved in a hunt for a serial killer, a journey which reveals the seedy underbelly of Victorian society and inspires Doyle to create the most memorable detective of all time: Sherlock Holmes.

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Customer Reviews

behind the great detective
This is the story of a young medical student called Arthur Conan Doyle - Doyle became famous as the creator of one of the most famous fictional detectives of all time - Sherlock Holmes.

Doyle (Robin Lang) sneaks into the Stand Magazine to escape the uproar that followed the "death" of the character Sherlock Holmes at the Reichenbach Falls. As he sits in the Editor's office he starts to tell the story of the influences on his life that led to the creation of Holmes.

The film is pertains to how Doyle met the man who would be the inspiration for Holmes and how he influenced Doyle's future.

Doyle first meets Dr Joseph Bell (the late Ian Richardson) when he is beating a corpse with a cane to see what reaction the corpse would have if it suffered injury after death. After the initial shock Doyle becomes Bell's assistant, in his research and in his investigations.

However, this is a dramatisation and not the true story of Doyle and Bell. For example, Doyle never attended university with Thomas Neill Cream - called only Thomas Neill in the film (an alias he had used in real life); Doyle attended Edinburgh University 1876-1881 - Thomas Neill Cream attended McGill University (Montreal, Canada) and then studied medicine at St Thomas's Hospital Medical School, London in 1876.

The story also includes the struggle of woman who wished to be doctors.

Richardson is sublime as Bell, it is a shame that he only appeared as Sherlock Holmes twice Sherlock Holmes - The Hound of Baskervilles & Sign of Four [ 1983 ]) as he has the brusque manner you expect of Holmes down pat.

It is a great yarn and a well made film, which lead to a short lived TV series - only 4 other episodes were made before it was cancelled (it may have been something to do with it being shoved in a late evening spot on BBC2).

WONDERFUL!!!!!
All I have to say about this movie can be encapsulated in one word.....wonderful!!!!!!
Buy it now.....and then buy the other four in the series when they are released. Also, if they can find an actor who can hold off the ghost of the late and very much missed Jeremy Brett (Alan Rickman perhaps), I would love to see the producers get their teeth into some proper Holmes stories.
Marvellous stuff!!!!!

fantastic adaptation of mysterious origin
At last a detailed account of one of the worlds greatest ever crime writers. Great hints of simple but intense deduction, wonderfully portrayed by Ian Richardson as Dr Joseph Bell. The Strand magazine would be honoured!