The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Sidney Lanfield

Writers:

Ernest Pascal (screenplay)
Arthur Conan Doyle (novel)

Release Date:

31 March 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

Sherlock Holmes ,aided by Dr Watson, investigates mysterious deaths apparently caused by a family curse.

Plot Keywords:

Sherlock Holmes | Dr Watson | Curse | Victorian Era | Gothic

Cast

Richard Greene	...	Sir Henry Baskerville
Basil Rathbone	...	Sherlock Holmes
Wendy Barrie	...	Beryl Stapleton
Nigel Bruce	...	Dr. Watson
Lionel Atwill	...	James Mortimer, M.D.
John Carradine	...	Barryman
Barlowe Borland	...	Frankland
Beryl Mercer	...	Mrs. Jenifer Mortimer
Morton Lowry	...	John Stapleton
Ralph Forbes	...	Sir Hugo Baskerville
E.E. Clive	...	Cabby
Eily Malyon	...	Mrs. Barryman
Lionel Pape	...	Coroner
Nigel De Brulier	...	Convict (as Nigel de Brulier)
Mary Gordon	...	Mrs. Hudson

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

UK:PG | Norway:16 | USA:Approved (certificate #5037) | Finland:K-16

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

After being out of circulation for many years, partly because of the 1959 Hammer remake in Technicolor starring Peter Cushing, this film was restored and re-released to theaters in 1975 with great fanfare, to the point of having the national evening news do a story on it. The film was shown at its full 80-minute length, and newspaper and magazine articles commented on the fact that the line "Oh, Watson, the needle!", referring to Holmes' cocaine habit (and usually misquoted as "Quick, Watson, the needle!") was put back in after having been cut by the censors. As an added attraction, the studio added a rare sound film featurette which showed Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes books, talking about his creation.

Goofs:

Continuity: The position of Dr. Watson's left hand as he his writing his first, second and fourth letters back to Sherlock Holmes.

Quotes:

James Mortimer, M.D.: Mr. Holmes, you're the one man in all England who can help me... I am in mortal fear that Sir Henry's life will be snuffed out.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Magic Sword (#5.11)" (1992)

An excellent take on the classic Doyle story

This classic take on Arthur Conan Doyle's classic novel is a fantastic thriller. Although I prefer the Hammer Horror version, this one is a more than worthy second. The story will be familiar to most people that know anything about classic literature, and it features a family that have been cursed by a mythical hound, due to an ancestor's actions years earlier. After the death of his uncle, Sir Henry Baskerville moves into Baskerville Hall, which is located on the Moors in Dartford, and claims his family fortune. However, the hound may still be a large and Sir Henry's life may be at stake. Enter ace detective Sherlock Holmes. Hired by the doctor and friend of the family, Sherlock sends his assistant, Dr Watson, down to Dartmoor to investigate the goings on down there while he attends to some other business back in London. What follows is an exceptional exhibition of atmosphere, mystery and tension as the enigma of the hound of the Baskervilles unfolds in front of the audience's eyes!

The Moors serve as an excellent setting for a story like this. As the film is keen to profess, it's location is as rich in life as the story itself and that's what makes the Moors all important for the film's story. The Moors are also extremely atmospheric, with it's many pitfalls creating a foreboding atmosphere and the smoke that protrudes from it's many pores helping to make the horror elements more potent within the story. Sherlock Holmes is, of course, one of the best and most important characters ever written and Basil Rathbone portrays him excellently in this film. It's a great honour for an actor to be given the role of this magnitude, and Rathbone makes Doyle proud. The story is constantly intriguing thanks to the interesting characters, and also due to the fact that the story is very well paced. This makes the film a pleasure to view, as the audience is constantly kept on the edge of their seats for the duration, and that's the sort of reaction that you want when watching a mystery thriller.