The Sherlock Holmes Complete Collection (Blu-Ray)

 

 

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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 "The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection," which collects all the excellent Sherlock movies (although the ones not cased on Arthur Conan Doyle's stories aren't quite as solid).

It opens with "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," which introduces us to the main characters. 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 dastardly crime ever -- by distracting him with a bizarre threat to a young woman. 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.

And after that, Holmes and his pal Watson (Nigel Bruce) solve all sorts of mysteries -- a string of bloody murders in a Canadian village, the theft of music-boxes, a stolen diamond on a train, the Hound of the Baskervilles on a lonely estate, World War II spies and kidnappings, a cursed pearl, the suicides of gamblers, castle murders, and a bizarre serial killing where the fingers are being removed.

Some of these Holmes movies are based on Doyle stories, and some aren't. Unsurprisingly, the ones that are based on Doyle stories ("Hound of the Baskervilles") tend to be a bit stronger than the ones that aren't ("Dressed to Kill"), and it's a little weird to see Holmes and Watson doing their patriotic duty in... World War II? Okay, whatever.

But even the least of these stories are enjoyable mysteries, usually with some convenient crimes for Holmes to solve, whether it's a straightforward mystery or a Agatha-Christie-style whodunnit. The sometimes gruesome crimes are softened with some fun comedy like Holmes as a gaucho, or Watson getting drunk.

The settings are colourful and varied -- misty forests and moors, trains, castles -- and the stories are fast-paced and energetic, even when there's been a murder or theft. But the filmmakers didn't cut out the creepier moments as well, such as the grimpen mire of "Hound of the Baskervilles," or the Musgrave ritual story.

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 shows a warm side when confronted with a victim. He even fits Doyle's descriptions of Holmes -- tall, skinny, big nose. Nigel Bruce does a good enough job, but the portrayal of Watson is seriously flawed. He's basically literate comic relief.

"The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection" has a few weak links, but even the weakest is entertaining and suspenseful, with excellent acting by Rathbone and Bruce. Definitely worth getting.

XXXXX

"Sherlock Holmes, the immortal character of fiction created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle [1859 to 1930], is ageless, invincible, and timeless.
In solving significant problems of the present day he remains--as ever--the supreme master of deductive reasoning."

The above printed introduction is found the in the first couple of movies in this fully restored collection of fourteen classic black and white movies (released in 2006) starring Basil Rathbone as the great detective with his loveable sidekick Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce). All movies were preserved by the UCLA film and television archive. They are presented on five discs with three movies per disc (except for the fifth disc that contains two movies).

The movies are presented in the order in which they were originally released. There titles are as follows:

(1) The Hound of the Baskervilles (a personal favorite)
(2) The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (a personal favorite)
(3) Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (I liked this least)
(4) Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon
(5) Sherlock Holmes in Washington
(6) Sherlock Holmes Faces Death
(7) The Spider Woman
(8) The Scarlet Claw (a personal favorite)
(9) The Pearl of Death
(10) The House of Fear (a personal favorite)
(11) The Woman in Green
(12) Pursuit to Algiers
(13) Terror by Night
(14) Dressed to Kill (a personal favorite)

All the movies were released between 1939 and 1946. The advantage of having these movies presented in order is that the viewer can see how the series evolved over time.

For example, the printed introduction mentioned above was phased out early. Another good example is that many movies had a printed war bonds advertisement at their end that stated the following:

"You're not giving--just lending--when you buy war saving stamps and bonds--on sale here."

These ads were gradually phased out.

The total length for each movie is between 60 and 75 minutes with the exception of the first two movies which both last about 80 minutes.

All movies have between 12 and 13 scenes each with three exceptions. Two movies have 11 scenes while one has 14.

All movies (with two exceptions) are either "based on a story" or "based on the characters" or "adapted from a story" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. For those who have read the actual stories, it is more accurate to say "loosely based" or "loosely adapted." If you want to see movies based accurately on Doyle's stories, I recommend seeing those movies with Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes.

An invaluable aspect of this collection is that six of the movies have interesting and informative commentaries. I certainly learned a lot from them (as I'm sure any serious Sherlockian will).

The fifth disc has "Additional Bonus Material." Included here are five photo galleries where the camera pans over still pictures of scenes from each movie (with accompanying background music). Each gallery is 2 ' minutes in length. As well, there are six original theatrical trailers (not restored) that together have a total time of 7 minutes. Finally, there is some very old footage of "novelist and spiritualist" Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that lasts just over 1 minute.

All of this bonus material, though brief, is extremely interesting.

Perhaps the best reason for obtaining this particular collection is that these movies have been fully restored (except for the first two). At the beginning of disc 1, there is a 5-minute excellent "Introduction" by the "Preservation Officer of the UCLA Film and TV Archive." He tells us, among other technical aspects, how these movies were saved just in time before disintegrating into oblivion. (In fact, the last two movies in this collection have no end credits because, I suspect, they could not be saved.)

I can attest to this wonderful restoration. I've viewed some of these movies on VHS. They were horrible. As well, I've viewed some of these movies on earlier DVD. While certainly better than VHS, there was always something wrong with the picture or audio. However, with this collection, all movies are just as good as when they were first released (perhaps even better!!).

These movies are also sold separately. However, if you want to obtain the entire collection through separate purchases, it will cost you more money.

Finally, there are some that give this collection one star because, of all things, bad packaging!! To condemn a valuable piece of film history on this basis is ludicrous.

In conclusion, this is wonderful collection of restored Sherlock Holmes movies that we can now finally be viewed as they were when they were first released. I leave you with another quotation by the super sleuth:

"The truth is only arrived at by the painstaking process of eliminating the untrue."

(1939 to 1946; 16 hr, 15 min; 14 movies; black and white; English subtitles; full screen; 5 discs)

<<Stephen Pletko, London, Ontario, Canada>>

XXXXX

If you remember the old Sherlock Holmes films with fondness, you're sure to enjoy this DVD set. It contains all 14 films made by Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, nicely restored, with an introduction, four commentaries, trailers, and still photos. I like all of the films, but my favorites are the gothic thrillers dealing with legends and superstitions in rural settings: "The Hound of the Baskervilles" (set in the original Victorian period), "The Scarlet Claw," and "The House of Fear." Here Holmes is at the top of his game, single-handedly solving crimes with his brilliant powers of deduction. His comic sidekick, the always-foggy Dr. Watson, is the perfect balance to Holmes' arrogance and severity. Watson is charmingly dim, unfailingly loyal to Holmes, and even, once in a while, manages to be helpful. Blustering, helpless Police Inspector Lestrade pops up occasionally and is always fun.

The least engaging films for me are those in which Holmes battles spies during WWll: "The Secret Weapon," "The Voice of Terror," and "Sherlock Holmes in Washington." I think Holmes is more effective in intimate settings dealing with one protagonist and one villain. The most dastardly villain of all, of course, is evil Professor Moriarity, who is in three of the films, played by three different actors. There are half a dozen others who appear in almost all of the films, rotating from small to important parts, and t's fun to spot them.

Rathbone and Bruce are such a pleasant pair, providing puzzle-solving panache and sweet comedy relief. The dialogue is always sharp, the costumes elegant, and the films short (at just over an hour long), which keeps the action brisk. This collection is indeed a feast for Holmes fans.

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