The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Alfred L. Werker

Writers:

Edwin Blum (screenplay) and
William A. Drake (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

1 SZEPTEMBER 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

The Struggle of Super-Minds in the Crime of the Century!

Plot:

The master sleuth hunts his archenemy, Professor Moriarty, who is planning the crime of the century.

Plot Keywords:

Tower Of London | Murder | Investigator | Robbery | Scotland Yard

Cast

Basil Rathbone	...	Sherlock Holmes
Nigel Bruce	...	Dr. Watson
Ida Lupino	...	Ann Brandon
Alan Marshal	...	Jerrold Hunter
Terry Kilburn	...	Billy
George Zucco	...	Professor Moriarty
Henry Stephenson	...	Sir Ronald Ramsgate
E.E. Clive	...	Inspector Bristol
Arthur Hohl	...	Bassick
May Beatty	...	Mrs. Jameson
Peter Willes	...	Lloyd Brandon
Mary Gordon	...	Mrs. Hudson
Holmes Herbert	...	Justice
George Regas	...	Mateo
Mary Forbes	...	Lady Conyngham

Also Known As:

Sherlock Holmes (UK)

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

UK:PG | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #5486)

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Lionel Atwill was originally cast as Prof. Moriarty, but was replaced before shooting by George Zucco.

Goofs:

Continuity: Holmes's pipe disappears from one shot to the next as he sees Sir Ronald Ramsgate out the door early in the film.

Quotes:

Sherlock Holmes: Whatever Watson has found out, you'll know inevitably. I have unbounded confidence in his lack of discretion.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Time Shift: A Study in Sherlock" (2007)

Soundtrack:

I Do Like To Be Beside the Seaside

Reasonable entry but a little too heavy feeling

In court for murder, Professor Moriarty is released seconds before Holmes arrives, too late, with vital evidence. Free again Moriarty vows to Holmes that his next crime will be so fiendish and amazing that Holmes's reputation will be finished. Moriarty sets about a fiendish plot involving the crown jewels and a series of mysteries to distract Holmes's mind.

I enjoy most of this series as they all seem to run to the same formula. Here the plot goes back to basics and adds more of the mystery and less of the comedy. The plot is an enjoyable battle of wits between the two great minds. The downside is that the side-mystery that Moriarty sets up takes up the majority of the time and the two don't cross swords as well as they do in a gentlemanly beginning. The mystery surrounding Miss Brandon works OK but not really great as you know the whole time who is behind it and why. The jump to the crown jewels is too easily made and is a bit of a letdown.

The comedy is less evident than usual but is still there. However it is overwhelmed by the more serious side. Bruce still does well but I was glad that he stood up to Holmes more than usual – telling him off for treating him like a child and such like. Rathbone is a good Holmes but his logic was off here and I wasn't as impressed by him as I usually am. Zucco is an interesting foil, but doesn't get enough time to work here. Lupino in an early role is interesting but a little too heavy and tads to overplay her tension a bit.

Overall this is an OK addition to the series. The plot is reasonable but focuses too much on the diversion than the central characters and the reduction in comedy makes it feel a lot heavier than usual.