The Sign of Four (1983 film)
Encyclopedia
The Sign of Four is a British television film directed by Desmond Davis
and starring Ian Richardson
and David Healy
. The movie is based on Arthur Conan Doyle
's second Sherlock Holmes
story.
partnered with English producer Otto Plaschkes
to make six television films of Sherlock Holmes stories. Charles Edward Pogue
was enlisted to pen the screenplays but only The Sign of the Four and The Hound of the Baskervilles
were ultimately filmed as Granada Television
's Sherlock Holmes series premiered in 1984.
In an interview with Scarlet Street
, Ian Richardson explained:
features the murder of Thaddeus Sholto.
Desmond Davis
Desmond Davis is a British film and television director.-Early career:After serving a long apprenticeship as a clapper boy in the 1940s, with Britain's Army Film Unit, Davis eventually worked his way up to focus puller and camera operator in low-budget British films of the 1950s...
and starring Ian Richardson
Ian Richardson
Ian William Richardson CBE was a Scottish actor best known for his portrayal of the Machiavellian Tory politician Francis Urquhart in the BBC's House of Cards trilogy. He was also a leading Shakespearean stage actor....
and David Healy
David Healy (actor)
David Healy was an American-born actor who starred in many British and American television shows. His credits include voices for the Supermarionation series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, Joe 90 and The Secret Service, as well as parts in UFO, The Troubleshooters, Randall and Hopkirk , Space...
. The movie is based on Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
's second Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
story.
Production
In 1982, American producer Sy WeintraubSy Weintraub
Sy Weintraub was a movie and television producer best known for his series of Tarzan films and television episodes between 1959 and 1968. Weintraub broke with the Johnny Weissmuller formula of portraying Tarzan as a pidgin-speaking noble savage who lives in a treehouse with Jane and Boy...
partnered with English producer Otto Plaschkes
Otto Plaschkes
Otto Plaschkes was a British-Jewish film producer.-Early life:Plaschkes was born in Vienna. His father, a butcher, was from Bratislava and his mother from Budapest...
to make six television films of Sherlock Holmes stories. Charles Edward Pogue
Charles Edward Pogue
Charles Edward Pogue is a film and television writer who has worked in the sci-fi/fantasy, horror, and thriller genres, and he has also scripted several Sherlock Holmes adaptations...
was enlisted to pen the screenplays but only The Sign of the Four and The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1983 film)
The Hound of the Baskervilles is a British television film directed by Douglas Hickox and starring Ian Richardson as Sherlock Holmes and Donald Churchill as Dr. John H. Watson...
were ultimately filmed as Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
's Sherlock Holmes series premiered in 1984.
In an interview with Scarlet Street
Scarlet Street (magazine)
Scarlet Street was an American film magazine that primarily specialized in the genres of horror, mystery and film noir. Its initial concentration was on Sherlock Holmes and related film and television productions, but later its subject matter expanded to include a variety of other genres.The title...
, Ian Richardson explained:
Differences from novel
Unlike the source novel, the movieFilm
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
features the murder of Thaddeus Sholto.
Cast
- Ian RichardsonIan RichardsonIan William Richardson CBE was a Scottish actor best known for his portrayal of the Machiavellian Tory politician Francis Urquhart in the BBC's House of Cards trilogy. He was also a leading Shakespearean stage actor....
as Sherlock HolmesSherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve... - David HealyDavid Healy (actor)David Healy was an American-born actor who starred in many British and American television shows. His credits include voices for the Supermarionation series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, Joe 90 and The Secret Service, as well as parts in UFO, The Troubleshooters, Randall and Hopkirk , Space...
as Dr. John H. Watson - Thorley WaltersThorley WaltersThorley Walters was an English character actor.He is probably best remembered for his comedy film roles such as in Two-Way Stretch and Carlton-Browne of the FO...
as Major John Sholto - Cherie LunghiCherie LunghiCherie M. Lunghi is an English film, television and theatre actress. She is probably best known for her role as Guinevere in the 1981 film Excalibur, as football manageress Gabriella Benson in the 1990s television series The Manageress and for starring in a series of adverts for Kenco coffee. She...
as Mary Morstan - Joe MeliaJoe Melia-Films:* Too Many Crooks * Follow a Star * The Intelligence Men * Four in the Morning * Modesty Blaise * Oh! What a Lovely War * Antony and Cleopatra * Sweeney!...
as Jonathan Small - Clive MerrisonClive MerrisonClive Merrison is a Welsh actor of film, television, stage and radio. He trained at Rose Bruford College.- Television :...
as Bartholomew Sholto - Richard HefferRichard HefferRichard Heffer is a British actor, best known for his roles on television in the 1970s and 1980s, when he became a very familiar face....
as Thaddeus Sholto - Terence RigbyTerence RigbyTerence Christopher Rigby was an English actor with a number of film and television credits to his name. In the 1970s he was well-known as police dog-handler PC Snow in the long-running series Softly, Softly: Taskforce...
as Inspector Layton - Michael O'Hagan as Mordecai Smith