GREAT OLD FLICK
Added 8/27/2009
Great copy of a classic old movie! No one can top Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce in playing Holmes and Watson. It was a great copy and the seller shipped quick
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"My conjecture is that he'll be murdered." -- Sherlock Holmes
Added 8/18/2009
"If I believed all the legends about this place, I wouldn't live here. I wouldn't have the courage." -- Dr. Mortimer
The affection classic film fans have for Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson is so strong it seems near sacrilegious to even consider any others in these two roles. The portrayal of Sir Conan Doyle's famous detective on film dates all the way back to the silent era, John Barrymore having a stab at the author's timeless creation. But everything clicked with Rathbone and Bruce in the hearts of filmgoers and from this film forward, they were Holmes and Watson to the public. The Universal "B" series which followed the second topflight film from Fox, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, was great fun even in updated settings, and fans couldn't get enough. This first film is quite special, however, capturing the real flavor of Holmes and Watson in their own time, with a quality production. Eerie moors and a howling which might be ghostly in origin add to the allure of mystery, a dash of romance thrown in for good measure.
The moors of Dartmoor in Devonshire in 1889 are quite perilous if your name is Baskerville. Charles has already met with an "accidental" death, but Dr. Mortimer (Lionel Atwill) knows better, and travels to London to seek out the help of Sherlock Holmes. Holmes has been reading the papers and is already worried for Sir Henry Baskerville's life, as he makes his way from Canada to claim his birthright. The great detective sends Watson in his stead to protect young Henry (Richard Greene) from the wild howl on the moors, which might have a very earthly cause. Holmes is busy as well, but I cannot ruin the fun for the first time viewer of this fabulous classic. An atmosphere of mystery and perhaps the supernatural mingle with the workings of Sherlock Holmes as he ferrets out the more tangible danger.
In the meantime, young Henry has become quite smitten with his beautiful neighbor, Beryl (Wendy Barrie), and just about everyone seems a bit suspect in regards to the legend of the hounds, who have reportedly caused the death of all the prior Baskerville owners. The romance is blended quite nicely with the story, Barrie quite a lovely distraction as Holmes and Watson do everything in their power to save Sir Henry from a savage death. A great cast and class A production values enhance this fun story of a mansion on the moors prone to untimely death. Ernest Pascal's screenplay of Doyle's story is both solid and fairly faithful, and Sidney Lanfield's direction keeps the viewer guessing right up till the end. Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce will forever hold a special place in the hearts' of classic film fans. If you are familiar with the fine "B" series but have never gone back to see where it all began, I urge you to do so. An excellent and very fun film to watch time and again.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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About seventy years after it was produced, still fresh and involving
Added 7/27/2009
Moody, efficient, and very satisfying adaptation of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle classic. The print of the film was wonderfully restored, allowing viewers to just sit back and get immersed in the action with no bad splices, sound dropouts, or other technical distractions. "Hound of the Baskervilles" is the first of the 14 "Sherlock Holmes" films made by Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, and the first of two set in the original late 19th-century time period of the original stories (films three through fourteen magically move the action to the World World II era, with varying degrees of success). Fun fact about the story on which this film is based: "Hound" was written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in response to the public's clamoring for new Sherlock Holmes stories despite the fact that Sir Arthur had killed the character off years before. Interestingly, "Hound" didn't undo the death of Holmes, merely present a "previously untold" adventure of Holmes and Watson set sometime before Mr. Holmes demise. The author would more formally undo that supposed death in a subsequent story, however.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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You Can't Beat These Restoration Prints!
Added 5/22/2009
These UCLA Restoration DVDs on the Sherlock Holmes movies are fantastic - all of them! These, with the black-and-white covers - are the ones to buy, nothing else.
As for the story, despite the famous title - perhaps the most famous of all the Sherlock Holmes stories - I found the movie to be just an average Holmes tale. It was entertaining and well-done but nothing spectacular. I am certain not knocking this film. I love these old Basil Rathbone-Nigel Bruce movies. An "average" Holmes film with these two guys still gets an 4-star rating!
This was the first pairing of the above-mentioned two actors and Bruce, as "Dr. Watson," was not the bumbling, buffoon as he was in subsequent episodes. However, I prefer Watson in that role because he added a lot of humor and entertainment. In this movie, Watson is pictured as fairly intelligent, for a change!
I enjoyed the lighting in this story. It made for some superb cinematography. The stark black-and-white shots inside the Baskerville mansion were great, as were the many facial closeups in this movie. The gray of the moors outside were in stark contrast to the indoor shots.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Like the others...I think it is the Best of the Rathbone series.....Just need to know if someone else has the same problem with the DVD I do....it looks as if the DVD is more like a Film that has a framing problem.
Can anyone let me know?
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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GREAT OLD FLICK
Added 8/27/2009
Great copy of a classic old movie! No one can top Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce in playing Holmes and Watson. It was a great copy and the seller shipped quick
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
"My conjecture is that he'll be murdered." -- Sherlock Holmes
Added 8/18/2009
"If I believed all the legends about this place, I wouldn't live here. I wouldn't have the courage." -- Dr. Mortimer
The affection classic film fans have for Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson is so strong it seems near sacrilegious to even consider any others in these two roles. The portrayal of Sir Conan Doyle's famous detective on film dates all the way back to the silent era, John Barrymore having a stab at the author's timeless creation. But everything clicked with Rathbone and Bruce in the hearts of filmgoers and from this film forward, they were Holmes and Watson to the public. The Universal "B" series which followed the second topflight film from Fox, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, was great fun even in updated settings, and fans couldn't get enough. This first film is quite special, however, capturing the real flavor of Holmes and Watson in their own time, with a quality production. Eerie moors and a howling which might be ghostly in origin add to the allure of mystery, a dash of romance thrown in for good measure.
The moors of Dartmoor in Devonshire in 1889 are quite perilous if your name is Baskerville. Charles has already met with an "accidental" death, but Dr. Mortimer (Lionel Atwill) knows better, and travels to London to seek out the help of Sherlock Holmes. Holmes has been reading the papers and is already worried for Sir Henry Baskerville's life, as he makes his way from Canada to claim his birthright. The great detective sends Watson in his stead to protect young Henry (Richard Greene) from the wild howl on the moors, which might have a very earthly cause. Holmes is busy as well, but I cannot ruin the fun for the first time viewer of this fabulous classic. An atmosphere of mystery and perhaps the supernatural mingle with the workings of Sherlock Holmes as he ferrets out the more tangible danger.
In the meantime, young Henry has become quite smitten with his beautiful neighbor, Beryl (Wendy Barrie), and just about everyone seems a bit suspect in regards to the legend of the hounds, who have reportedly caused the death of all the prior Baskerville owners. The romance is blended quite nicely with the story, Barrie quite a lovely distraction as Holmes and Watson do everything in their power to save Sir Henry from a savage death. A great cast and class A production values enhance this fun story of a mansion on the moors prone to untimely death. Ernest Pascal's screenplay of Doyle's story is both solid and fairly faithful, and Sidney Lanfield's direction keeps the viewer guessing right up till the end. Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce will forever hold a special place in the hearts' of classic film fans. If you are familiar with the fine "B" series but have never gone back to see where it all began, I urge you to do so. An excellent and very fun film to watch time and again.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
About seventy years after it was produced, still fresh and involving
Added 7/27/2009
Moody, efficient, and very satisfying adaptation of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle classic. The print of the film was wonderfully restored, allowing viewers to just sit back and get immersed in the action with no bad splices, sound dropouts, or other technical distractions. "Hound of the Baskervilles" is the first of the 14 "Sherlock Holmes" films made by Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, and the first of two set in the original late 19th-century time period of the original stories (films three through fourteen magically move the action to the World World II era, with varying degrees of success). Fun fact about the story on which this film is based: "Hound" was written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in response to the public's clamoring for new Sherlock Holmes stories despite the fact that Sir Arthur had killed the character off years before. Interestingly, "Hound" didn't undo the death of Holmes, merely present a "previously untold" adventure of Holmes and Watson set sometime before Mr. Holmes demise. The author would more formally undo that supposed death in a subsequent story, however.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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