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23 out of 25 people found the following comment useful :-
The Definitive Holmes and Watson., 24 March 2005

Author: rgaretho from United Kingdom

Although this version of the story differs from the original novel, there is much to recommend it for. The film is well paced and atmospheric but it's greatest strength is the excellent cast, particularly the three leads. It's nice to see Christopher Lee playing the romantic role as a change to his usual monsters and Peter Cushing is brilliant as Holmes, his performance being the definitive as he makes the character believable and interesting. This film also features the best ever casting of Dr Watson. Andre Morell moves away from the bumbling fool of other Holmes films and makes Watson intelligent, capable and even dashing. Morell's charismatic performance is all the more welcome as 'Hounds' is the story which puts Watson centre stage for most of the plot. It's a shame he never played the part again as he and Cushing make the perfect Holmes and Watson. If only Hammer had made a series of Holmes films.

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19 out of 20 people found the following comment useful :-
Hammer, Holmes, and the Hound, 16 October 2001
Author: BaronBl00d (baronbl00d@aol.com) from NC

Director Terence Fisher, actors Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, and Andre Morrell, and the Hammer production crew bring Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous story of the legendary hound of the Baskervilles into colour for the first time. In point of fact, this is the first Sherlock Holmes story filmed in glorious colour, and it does the story proud with its phospherescent glow on the dog, its swirling mists, and the natural tweed colours of Holmes and Watson. Though some argue that Cushing was miscast as Holmes, I argue most vehemently THAT he is perfectly cast as the great detective. His features cry out Doyle's character, and his obvious inner quest for perfection resonates strongly through the character as well. Cushing lends his class to the role and, in my opinion, gives us a fine Holmes, perhaps one of the screen's best. I always enjoy watching a Cushing performance as he was an actor that loved to play with props, and as Christopher Lee states in his autobiography, a man who could play with the prop and act to perfection, often making it look so very elementary. Watch his Holmes. Very few scenes go by where he isn't playing with something. Lee is good in his role, though the part is rather lacklustre. Andre Morrell is a fine Watson. He does not do the Nigel Bruce buffoon act, but rather he plays a man capable of having graduated from medical school. The rest of the cast is good with Francis DeWolff standing out as a doctor in love with himself and the sound of his voice and the ever affable Miles Malleson adding comic relief as a befuddled bishop. The story stays pretty close to the word according to Doyle. Fisher gives what you would expect: tight direction, lush cinematography, and loads of beautiful shots of the fog-ridden moors. The film has a clever prologue about the curse of the Baskervilles as an introduction, and it is wonderfully executed.

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11 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
Sherlock Holmes by Hammer, 16 August 2005

Author: Claudio Carvalho from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

When the noble Sir Henry Baskerville (Christopher Lee) inherits a property near a swamp, his friend Doctor Richard Mortimer (Francis De Wolff) hires Sherlock Holmes (Peter Cushing) and Doctor John H. Watson (André Morell) to investigate the curse that apparently killed all the members of his family.

I have not watched the other versions of "The Hound of the Baskervilles" to make any comparison, but this one produced by Hammer is a very good low budget movie. The cinematography creates a great atmosphere; the lines are very detailed and intelligent; and Peter Cushing, André Morell and Christopher Lee give magnificent and very convincing performances in their roles. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Cão dos Baskerville" ("The Hound of the Baskervilles")

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9 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Top notch Hammer Holmes, 14 August 2004

Author: oldskoolsi from Anywhere he darn well blazes

This is one of the best hammer films around and in my opinion the best Sherlock Holmes film ever. Cushing plays a more uptight Holmes than Rathbone, less tolerant of others and his constant movement suits the overall pace of the film. Morell's Watson is portrayed as less bumbling and more intelligent than Bruce's and since the middle part of the film revolves around him he is allowed to really shine. Lee, obviously relishing playing a romantic lead and not a monster, puts his all into the role. The support is good, especially the comedy bishop portrayed by Miles Malleson. Thankfully, the hound is rarely seen, but its howling add greatly to the tension. Typically Hammer change the original story, and anyone familiar with it will be surprised to see Dr Mortimer being portrayed as the prime suspect.

The style and direction of the film is very similar to other Hammer films made at around the same time, the film moves along at such a pace that you don't have time to think about logic and dialog. The start of the film would make a good film on its own. All in all a great film and its a shame there were no other Hammer Holmes films.

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9 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
`Mr Holmes, they were the footprints of a giant hound.', 19 February 2004
Author: ian-433 from Edinburgh, Scotland

The 1939 Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce production may be the definitive version, but Hammer's sole 1959 attempt at Sherlock Holmes remains the most atmospheric colour remake.

Peter Cushing and Andre Morrell make a more than passable Holmes and Watson double-act, and the rest of the cast are just right although Christopher Lee always seemed too stiff as a goodie.

Jack Asher's evocative photography is the real delight. No other version has captured so beautifully the muted greens, browns and golds of Dartmoor in England's myth-laden west country. What a shame that modern film stocks seem to have lost the softer warmth of Fifties Technicolor.

Hammer, as you might expect, played up the horror elements of the 'hound of hell' legend a bit too crudely. But David Oxley, as the Baskerville scion who brings about the curse, deserves his place in Hammer's gallery of depraved aristocrats. Accompanied by a crash of thunder in the prologue, director Terence Fisher captures him in long shot at the top of the stairs, possessed with fury as he tells his drunken fellow revellers that the servant girl they had intended to rape has fled. A hushed reaction shot of the others, before Fisher cuts back to a medium shot of Oxted. `I have her!' His face lights up with demonical inspiration. `We'll set the pack on her.!'

Maybe it does rather fall between two genres, but this hugely enjoyable Hammer yarn has left a footprint in each.

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8 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
"One of Hammer's finest hours and a strong contender as the best Holmes film.", 4 July 2005

Author: jamesraeburn2003 from Poole, Dorset

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Devonshire GP Dr Mortimer (FRANCIS DE WOLFE) consults Sherlock Holmes (PETER CUSHING) after his long term friend and patient Sir Charles Baskerville was found dead near his home on Dartmoor. Sir Charles suffered from a chronic heart condition for many years and when the body was discovered, there was a terrible look of fear on his face, which suggested that he was frightened to death. The circumstances lead Mortimer to believe that it was a ghostly hound, which according to legend is cursed to bring misery and misfortune upon the Baskerville family that brought about Sir Charles's death. The curse was started after Sir Hugo Baskerville (DAVID OXLEY), an evil ancestor of the family, murdered a farm girl on the moor and was then brutally attacked and killed by a huge hound. On the death of Sir Charles, the family fortune and Baskerville Hall go to the only living relative, the deceased's nephew Henry Baskerville (CHRISTOPHER LEE) who is arriving from South Africa the following day to claim his inheritance. Dr Mortimer is gravely concerned that the heir to the fortune may meet the same fate. This leaves Holmes and Dr Watson (ANDRE MORELL) with a taxing question. Is there really a curse upon the Baskervilles or has someone come up with a scheme in order to get the Baskerville fortune for themselves?

Hammer films made the first Frankenstein and Dracula films in colour and this admirable version of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective story was the first Sherlock Holmes movie filmed in colour. The film was intended to be the first in a series of Hammer-Sherlock Holmes pictures, but the lukewarm reception it got from cinema audiences at the time sadly meant that these plans were shelved. However, in the sixties, Cushing reprised his role in a popular BBC television series in which he remade THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES although that version is nowhere near as good as this one and he also turned up as the Baker Street sleuth again in THE MASKS OF DEATH (1986), a TV movie made by Tyburn. Meanwhile, Christopher Lee would later don the famous deerstalker in the 1962 production SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE DEADLY NECKLACE. But despite a good cast and director Terence Fisher at the helm, the picture proved to be a completely wasted opportunity due to poor production values and the fact that Lee's voice was dubbed by another actor didn't help matters either.

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES is now rightly regarded as one of Hammer's greatest movies. Peter Cushing is exemplary as Holmes, portraying the character as incredibly intelligent, resourceful and at the same time very arrogant when he needs to be. Although when he is arrogant he usually has good reason to be. His performance not only makes him the definitive screen Holmes, but it is another addition to his impressive portfolio of fine performances up there with Dr Van Helsing in Dracula (1958) and his many incarnations as Baron Frankenstein. Andre Morell is also on top form as Dr Watson who wisely chooses not to play the part as a bumbling muddle head, which so many actors have made the mistake of doing in the past. Christopher Lee is also excellent as Sir Henry Baskerville and he makes the best of what appears to be an undemanding role. Terence Fisher's direction is outstanding as he invests the proceedings with a genuine sense of evil and menace that has never been equaled in any other Sherlock Holmes film before or since. Fisher is most ably assisted by cameraman Jack Asher and composer James Bernard who turns in a wonderfully haunting and occasionally romantic score. Today, this picture is considered by some to be the best ever Sherlock Holmes film and it is certainly a strong contender for that title.

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5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Cushing and Lee...their the reason I watched this one., 8 March 2004

Author: Aaron1375 from Alabama

I would normally not even attempt to watch a Sherlock movie, but seeing as how Peter Cushing was Sherlock and Lee was in it too I decided to give this one a try. Suffice to say I was not disappointed as both were very good in their respective roles as was the fellow who played Watson. This one has Sherlock investigating a curse that kills the head of a family named the Baskervilles. The next target is Lee's character after he inherits his uncle's house after his untimely death. The movie moves at a very brisk pace and is a bit predictable, but still executed very well (though they never explained the doctors part in the movie). There is also a scene at the end I found rather amusing as Sherlock and a couple of others are standing on a hill and this person is sinking in quicksand. They don't really make much of a movie to save the person even though they clearly could. All in all though this one is a well acted move that was interesting to watch.

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7 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
A colourful, enjoyable version, 31 January 2004
Author: bob the moo from Birmingham, UK

Sherlock Holmes has the legend of the hound of the Baskervilles related to him but greets the story of the series of murders, starting with Sir Hugo Baskerville and continuing along the line, with derision. However when he is asked to offer protection to new heir to the manor, Sir Henry Baskerville, he agrees and he and Watson travel to the moors to protect him and uncover the mystery of the legendary hound.

To me, the only Holmes is Rathbone and the only Watson is Bruce. So I had an immediate problem with this film for that reason, although happily not one it took me long to overcome. The film plays the tradition horror angle against the more logical deduction of Holmes, starting with the legend and jumping to the setting of Baker Street. The later gory, unpleasant excesses of the Hammer films are happily lacking here and the film puts more emphasis on mood and mystery. The mood is pretty good and the plot is well delivered, although I will always prefer the early Holmes films more than this.

The use of logic and the mysterious air to the film work well and the end result is an enjoyable film. The cast is good, although the fact that Cushing and Morell both look a little like Rathbone and Bruce, which was a little bit off-putting at the start. However Cushing delivers a solid Holmes, he is sharp mentally and the only downside of his performance is that he doesn't prevent Holmes from stepping over the line between intellectual and overly superior. Morell plays Bruce very low-key. In a way this is for the best but I do actually enjoy the more comedic sidekick played by Bruce, and I missed that. Christopher Lee is a good presence and, watching it now, he adds more mystery to the film with his inclusion. The support cast are good including turns from Malleson and the ever-reliable Le Mesurier.

Overall, while I prefer the Rathbone/Bruce era, I did enjoy this film and felt it did a good job of telling a colourful and mysterious version of the story that mixes the logical aspects with the meatier horror of the hound.

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
"When you are poor no one wants to know you." Hammer studio's attempt at the classic Holmes mystery., 22 October 2005

Author: Paul Andrews (poolandrews@hotmail.com) from UK

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

The Hound of the Baskervilles starts in the mid 18th Century as Sir Hugo Baskerville (David Oxley) is enraged after a peasant girl escapes his lecherous clutches, Hugo chases after her & murders her but ends up with his throat torn out by a Hound from Hell that has been said to terrorise the Baskerville family ever since... The most recent Baskerville, Sir Charles, has also been found dead with a look of terror on his face although it has been officially put down as a heart condition, however Sir Charles best friend Dr. Richard Mortimer (Francis De Wolff) thinks other forces may be at work & asks the worlds foremost detective Sherlock Holmes (Peter Cushing) & his trusty assistant Dr. John Watson (Andre Morell) for help in discovering the true nature of Sir Charles death. The last of the Baskervilles Sir Henry (Christopher Lee) is set to inherit the entire Baskerville estate & fortune, after an attempt is made on his life Holmes is convinced that he is facing great evil & that Sir Henry is in grave danger. Sir Henry, Watson & Dr. Mortimer travel down to Devonshire where the town of Grimpen & Baskerville Hall are located, as Sir Henry introduces himself to the locals & Watson starts to investigate it seem almost everyone has a strong motive for murder...

This British made Holmes mystery was directed by Terence Fisher & produced by Hammer who are perhaps both better know for their Dracula & Frankenstein series of films & a fine adaptation it is too with plenty of Hammer horror overtones & aspects. Maybe this version is not for the purists though, the script by Peter Bryan based on the novel by Arthur Conan Doyle changes quite a few things in an attempt to add a bit of tension, a few dramatics & quicken the pace up considerably. The film opens with flashback to the Sir Hugo incident unlike every other version I've seen which opens with Sir Charles Death & subsequently Dr. Mortimer tells Holmes about the legend later. While Watson & Sir Henry travel to Baskerville Hall on their own Holmes absence is probably only a few minutes as he turns up almost immediately again unlike other versions where he virtually disappears for the majority of the film, I think the idea behind this was to have Holmes on screen as Hammer thought audiences wanted to see him rather than Watson. Sir Henry is no longer American, the relationship between him & Cecile Stapelton (Marla Landi) develops in a different way & is barely touched upon, there is a scene in a mine shaft in which someone tries to kill Holmes & the ending is slightly different to any version I've seen. None of this makes it a bad film, far from it in fact as I rather enjoyed seeing Hammer taking the basic story & trying to make a commercial film out of it that the paying punters would flock to. This version still retains the strong story elements that make this such a timeless & entertaining tale but tries to spruce things up a bit. Director Fisher presents the typical image of Holmes complete with deerstalker cap, cape & pipe, I'm not sure what happened to the Hound in this version as it only gets about 2 minutes worth of screen time right at the end. Technically The Hound of the Baskervilles is solid, this was the first Sherlock Holmes film to be filmed in colour & it looks a little garish at times, the sets are great & the Hammer horror influence shines through with fog enshrouded ruins, dark Gothic type castle interiors & creaky old mines & as a whole it's well made throughout. The acting is good with Hammer regulars Cushing & Lee always fun to watch with the rest of the experienced cast doing a good job. Not the best version of The Hound of the Baskervilles but by no means the worst & if your familiar with the story then this may throw a few surprises & those without the patience to sit through a 2 plus hour adaptation then this is the one to go for as it runs for less than 90 minutes & considerably condenses things yet still manages to retain the ingredients that make the story such a success. Definitely worth a watch for mystery & Hammer fans.

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4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Cushing was born to play Holmes, 12 May 2006

Author: Vampenguin from Canada

Ah, you can't go wrong with Hammer. On the back of the DVD, Newsweek proudly proclaims "The Best of the Sherlocks!", and I have to agree. This is the role that Peter Cushing was born to play, it's a shame he didn't play it as often as he did Van Helsing. His mannerisms, his delivery, even his looks, everything about him is perfect Holmes. The rest of the cast are pretty good too, don't get me wrong, but Cushing puts them to shame. Though he is rather ominous in some scenes, it's nice to see Christopher Lee opposite Cushing as a good guy for a change. I really liked the classic plot, full of surprises, great characters, humor and lots of chances for Cushing to shine. The atmosphere is great, foggy and dark like many Hammer films. Perfect for horror. All in all this is a really fun film, though it does have a few pretty cheesy moments. Good film overall though.

7.5/10

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