The Hound of the Baskervilles
Directed by Sidney Lanfield
Written by Ernest Pascal from the story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
1939/USA
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
First viewing/Netflix rental
[box] James Mortimer, M.D.: Mr. Holmes, we’ve admired you in the past as does every Englishman. Your record as our greatest detective is known throughout the world. But this – seeing how you work – knowing that there is in England such a man as you gives us all a sense of safety and security. God bless you, Mr. Holmes![/box]
Basil Rathbone is Sherlock Holmes.
The story adheres fairly closely to Conan Doyle’s original. A doctor (Lionel Atwill) seeks the great detective’s assistance because he fears that the owner of a gloomy English estate has been murdered by a phantom hound which, legend has it, curses the family. His heir seems ready to meet the same fate. Holmes is secretly watching in the wings for much of this one with Watson (Nigel Bruce) taking a more prominent role than usual. With John Carradine as the butler.
1939 was also notable for the first of the fourteen Sherlock Holmes mysteries in which Rathbone and Bruce were paired. This is short in time but fairly lavish on the production values. The resemblance of the two leads to the illustrations of the original stories is uncanny.
Video promo
The casting director on this film certainly knew what he was doing when he cast Rathbone as Holmes. I have read most of the Holmes books and the physical resemblance is uncanny. But I also think it was rather a death knell for Rathbone’s career since he was typecast and stuck playing the part; and as is usual with most series, the latter films were not very strong. The only problem I have with this film and all the Holmes films is that Watson is portrayed as a dithering bumbler although not as much in this first film. That was not the case in the books even though he wasn’t the sharpest pencil in the box, he didn’t bluster and dither. With that said, I like this film a lot probably because it is one of my favorites written by Conan Doyle.
Yes, poor Rathbone was kind of limited to this and Universal horror late in his career. He made such a great villain in the early 30’s!