Sherlock Holmes Adv of

There have been only two long-running Sherlock Holmes actors who were really memorable: Jeremy Brett, and Basil Rathbone. And Rathbone is showcased at his best in one of the early stories about the legendary detective, "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," an atmospheric and twisting murder mystery.The one downside: Nigel Bruce's goofy Watson.

Sherlock Holmes (Rathbone) arrives at the courthouse a minute too late, and angrily watches his nemesis Professor Moriarty (George Zucco) go free because of a lack of evidence. Sick of Holmes' investigations, Moriarty decides to utterly ruin Holmes with the most notorious and memorable crime in English history -- by distracting him with a bizarre threat to a young woman.

Specifically, a wealthy young lady arrives at his office, distraught because of a threatening picture that she got in the mail -- and in short order, her brother is murdered, even as her lawyer/suitor tries to convince her not to depend on the detective. Holmes becomes wrapped up in the potential murder, as the stressed-out police try to get him to pay attention to a threat to the Crown Jewels. Will he realize what's truly going on in time, or will Moriarty pull off the crime of the century?

"The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" was one of the movies that cemented Basil Rathbone as THE Sherlock Holmes, at least until Jeremy Brett entered the scene. It's also one of the better movies that was spun up in the 1930s and 1940s -- a brilliant double-whammy of intertwined cases, deaths and bizarre happenings. And a brilliantly weird Moriarty to boot ("You've murdered a FLOWER!").

Though the whole movie takes place in London, the director cultivated a misty murky atmosphere, in which a corner could hold a murderer and people are never what they seem. And the stories are fast-paced and energetic, even when there's been a murder or theft, and there are still moments of eerie weirdness woven in -- such as the haunting presence stalking the young woman, and Holmes' elusive presence as he tries to keep her safe.

Rathbone's Holmes is the cerebral side of the Great Detective: cool and slightly languid, as if he's always lying back to ponder the mystery, but he also loosens up in disguise long enough to sing about how "I do like to be beside the seaside." He even fits Doyle's descriptions of Holmes -- tall, skinny, big nose. Nigel Bruce does a good enough job, although he's way too comic reliefy -- we don't need Watson to act like an idiot to make Holmes look like a genius.

"The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" is a thoroughly entertaining, brilliantly plotted little mystery, and Basil Rathbone's onscreen Sherlock is utterly superb. Give this classic a watch.

Most people either love or hate the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce series of Sherlock Holmes adventures. Critics always point out that the films bear little resemblance to Doyle's original stories, and this is true of the 12 "modernized" movies that Universal made between 1942-46. But the two 20th Century Fox movies (this one and Hound of the Baskervilles) are different. They were quality productions set during the Victorian era and, even when they altered characters or plots, remained true to the flavor of Doyle's creations. Best of all, Bruce's Watson was not the buffoon that he later became in the Universal pictures.

In my opinion, however, most objections are now irrelevant, thanks to the excellent and faithful adaptations that Britain's Granada television made with Jeremy Brett as Holmes. We can finally approach the Rathbone-Bruce films as typical Hollywood literary adaptations of their era, and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is grand entertainment. The atmospheric photography, the eye for period detail, and the charming performances are things that film lovers should not deprive themselves of simply because of the film's lack of faithfulness to Doyle's stories. (Critics should keep in mind that Doyle licensed out his characters to other writers -- and even incorporated their inventions into his own stories!) I won't give away the plot, but suffice it to say that Adventures is one of the best of the Rathbone-Bruce series. (I also like Fox's Hound and Universal's Scarlet Claw.)

MPI has really surprised me with the quality of this transfer. Up until now, they've specialized in documentaries and TV shows, so their work here is very promising. (They own distribution rights to Beckett, and I'd love to see them transfer that to DVD.) The UCLA restoration is great, though please note that a 65-year-old film that's been in the public domain for years is going to show signs of age. The transfer is uniformly good, with the foggy streets of London coming alive. I haven't experienced the pausing problem that other reviewers mentioned.

The extras are very good, the main one being Valley's commentary. He sounds a little stiff at times, but his information is interesting and he genuinely seems to love the film. It's well worth checking out. The picture gallery is less spectacular, since it's filmed and doesn't allow you to browse at will. The re-release trailers for some of the later Universal movies are fun; it's just a shame that they couldn't include the original trailer for Adventures. Maybe it doesn't exist any more....

Verdict: Highly recommended as an introduction to the Rathbone-Bruce series, especially if you can grab this one on sale.

As a child, my winter Saturday afternoons would not be complete without an old black-and-white murder mystery on TV. Sherlock Holmes, Charlie Chan, what a treasure trove to have them all coming back out on DVD, as clear as they were when the original audiences fell in love with them in the 30's and 40's. Bruce's Watson is overplayed for today's sophisticated audience, but like the memory of a loveable grandfather I find myself enjoying him all over again. Those too young to know, who are used to explosions and gore, find it difficult perhaps to understand this 'kinder, gentler' era of detective story. And Hollywood did take a lot of latitude with this series, especially when they 'updated' Holmes to the 40's. So this one (and Hound) - which remains in the original Victorian era - remains the best of them: a damsel in distress, a 'creepy' funeral dirge, a family curse, the jewels in the tower of London, Moriarity and his orchids, and Rathbone singing and dancing a music hall number. What more do you want for fifteen dollars?