‘THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES’
Please feel free to comment on my review.
Basil Rathbone’s Sherlock and Nigel Bruce’s Dr. Watson vs. Moriarty
‘The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ is the second film to feature Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson. It also happens to be the last movie produced by 20th Century Fox. 😐
This was before Universal Pictures took over. ‘The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ happens to be based on a stage play by William Gillette called ‘Sherlock Holmes’, based on the Conan Doyle books.
However, little of the play’s original plot gets used for the film aside from the Holmes/Moriarty conflict. I can’t judge what’s different from the play in the film without having read or seen the play.
Released in 1939, six months after ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’, the second film takes place in 1894. The first two ‘Sherlock Holmes’ films featuring Basil Rathbone take place in the 19th century. 🙂
I’ll explain that more in my review for the third film. ‘The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ has our titular hero and his assistant Dr. Watson thwarting the menaces of arch-nemesis Professor Moriarty.
It was intriguing to see Professor Moriarty makes his first appearance in the ‘Sherlock Holmes’ film series with Basil Rathbone. Here, he’s played by George Zucco and is very good as the arch-nemesis.
It’s easy to see why producer Barry Letts and script editor Terrance Dicks got the inspired idea to have a Moriarty character in the Master pitted against the Doctor in ‘Doctor Who’ during the 1970s.
George Zucco’s Moriarty even sounds like Roger Delgado’s Master in the film. It was also nice to see how Basil Rathbone as Sherlock and George Zucco as Moriarty sparred off each other as opponents.
In the film, Moriarty targets a wealthy family and plots the theft of the Crown Jewels in London. Holmes and Watson hope to foil the Professor’s efforts, connecting the family and the Crown Jewels.
Basil Rathbone is very good as Sherlock Holmes. I wish we could have seen more of Basil’s Sherlock in 19th century times in these films since he wears the traditional Sherlock Holmes outfit pretty well.
There’s also a moment where Basil’s Sherlock disguises himself as a music-hall entertainer at a garden party. I’m afraid I could see through Sherlock’s disguise had even when my parents couldn’t.
Nigel Bruce is equally good as Dr. Watson in the film. It was amusing to see his bumbling antics in the film when interacting Basil’s Sherlock. He does well in reporting Moriarty’s whereabouts to Sherlock.
Watson is assigned the task by Holmes to protect the Crown Jewels in his place. Watson’s heart is in the right place, but he doesn’t check that Moriarty as a policeman is still inside the Tower of London.
Ida Lupino stars as Ann Brandon, the young woman of the Brandon family who reports her concerns about her brother’s well-being to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson once he’s threatened with death.
There’s Alan Marshall as Jerrold Hunter, Ann Brandon’s fiancé. He also happens to be a lawyer who may be a potential suspect since he tried to prevent Ann seeing Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. 😐
The film also features Terry Kilburn as Billy, a young boy working at Sherlock Holmes’ residence. Fun fact: in the original play’s first London production, a young Charlie Chaplin played Billy’s character. 😀
There’s also Henry Stephenson as Sir Ronald Ramsgate, E. E. Clive as Inspector Bristol, Arthur Hohl as Bassick, Mary Forbes as Lady Conyngham and Peter Willes as Lloyd Brandon, Ann Brandon’s brother.
Mary Gordon plays Mrs. Hudson, Sherlock Holmes’ landlady in the film. So far, Mrs. Hudson doesn’t have an active role in the Basil Rathbone ‘Sherlock Holmes’ films compared to future adaptations. 😐
I couldn’t help smile when I heard a character called Captain Mainwaring was in the film. Maybe he was the ancestor of Captain George Mainwaring in ‘Dad’s Army’. It would make sense, would it not?
The film’s climax was dramatic when Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty confronted each other at the Tower of London. The movie ends with Watson saying “Elementary, my dear Holmes, elementary.” 🙂
‘The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ is a good instalment in the Basil Rathbone ‘Sherlock Holmes’ film series. I enjoyed watching it and it was good to see the Holmes/Moriarty confrontation in this. 🙂
The DVD special features are as follows. There’s a DVD audio commentary by ‘Sherlock Holmes’ expert Richard Valley. There’s the ‘Restoring Sherlock Holmes’ featurette, production notes by Richard Valley and a photo gallery.
‘The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ rating – 8/10
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