1939’s
THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES ($20) is certainly one of the most
enjoying and satisfying Sherlock Holmes adventures ever committed to
celluloid. This classic movie also marked the first appearance of Basil
Rathbone in the role of Sherlock Holmes, as well as Nigel Bruce as Holmes’
associate and biographer Dr. John Watson. Many consider Rathbone to be the
silver screen’s definitive Sherlock Holmes, and with his appearance in THE
HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES it is easy to see why. Not only does
Rathbone look the part, he perfectly embodies the intellect and deductive
reasoning of the world’s greatest consulting detective. Bruce, on the
other hand, may not be representative of the Dr. Watson of the Arthur
Conan Doyle stories (a bit too buffoonish for some tastes), but he
certainly offers the screen’s most endearing interpretation of the
character.
Based
upon the Conan Doyle story, the plot of THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES
focuses on a legendary curse that has befallen generation after generation
of the Baskerville clan. The mysterious death of Sir Charles is the latest
to be attributed to a supernatural hound, whose appearance has marked the
demise of Baskerville heirs for centuries. When Sir Henry (Richard Greene)
arrives from Canada to claim his inheritance, Baskerville family friend
Dr. Mortimer (Lionel Atwill) engages the services of Sherlock Holmes and
Dr. Watson to protect the young heir from whatever killed Sir Charles.
Filled with enough red herrings to throw the audience off the scent, THE
HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES will keep anyone unfamiliar with the Conan
Doyle story guessing, that is, until Holmes deduces the solution to the
mystery. The cast of THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES also features
Wendy Barrie, John Carradine, Barlowe Borland, Beryl Mercer, Morton Lowry
and Ralph Forbes.
MPI
Home Video has made THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES available on DVD
in a marvelous looking black and white transfer that frames the film in
its proper 1.37:1 full screen aspect ratio. This 20th Century Fox
production had been far better preserved than the later Universal Holmes
adventures and did not require the extensive restoration work that was
performed on those films. For the most part, the film elements appear to
be in terrific shape, with minor blemishes and an occasional flash serving
as a reminder that the movie is sixty-five years old. One will notice a
grain structure in places, but it is never excessive. The image itself
always appears sharp, somewhat glossy and very nicely defined. Blacks
appear inky, whites are crisp and the grayscale is very good. A minor
complaint would be that black on black objects sometimes look a little
indistinct. Digital compression artifacts are generally very well
contained.
The
Dolby Digital monaural soundtrack is in very good shape for its age. Most
traces of background hiss and surface noise have been cleaned up, although
I could detect an errant anomaly or two during the presentation. Fidelity
has its limitations, but the film’s music never comes across in a harsh
manner. Dialogue is always thoroughly intelligible, as the voices are very
well recorded for the period. No other language tracks are included on the
DVDs; however, English subtitles have been provided. Music underscores the
basic interactive menus, which allow one access to the standard scene
selection and set up features, as well as a few fine extras. Author David
Stuart Davies is on hand to provide an informative and entertaining
running audio commentary. A still gallery of publicity photos and poster
art, plus selected Holmes theatrical trailers completes the extras.
1939’s
THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES is indeed a treat for devotees of the
celebrated detective, not to mention Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce fans. MPI’s
DVD of this vintage film looks and sounds just marvelous, which should
leave movie buffs totally ecstatic! If you have been waiting since the
early days of DVD for THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES to make its
debut, then you’ll want to race out a pick up a copy of this disc.
Absolutely recommended.
1939’s
THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES ($20) is certainly one of the most
enjoying and satisfying Sherlock Holmes adventures ever committed to
celluloid. This classic movie also marked the first appearance of Basil
Rathbone in the role of Sherlock Holmes, as well as Nigel Bruce as Holmes’
associate and biographer Dr. John Watson. Many consider Rathbone to be the
silver screen’s definitive Sherlock Holmes, and with his appearance in THE
HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES it is easy to see why. Not only does
Rathbone look the part, he perfectly embodies the intellect and deductive
reasoning of the world’s greatest consulting detective. Bruce, on the
other hand, may not be representative of the Dr. Watson of the Arthur
Conan Doyle stories (a bit too buffoonish for some tastes), but he
certainly offers the screen’s most endearing interpretation of the
character.
Based
upon the Conan Doyle story, the plot of THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES
focuses on a legendary curse that has befallen generation after generation
of the Baskerville clan. The mysterious death of Sir Charles is the latest
to be attributed to a supernatural hound, whose appearance has marked the
demise of Baskerville heirs for centuries. When Sir Henry (Richard Greene)
arrives from Canada to claim his inheritance, Baskerville family friend
Dr. Mortimer (Lionel Atwill) engages the services of Sherlock Holmes and
Dr. Watson to protect the young heir from whatever killed Sir Charles.
Filled with enough red herrings to throw the audience off the scent, THE
HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES will keep anyone unfamiliar with the Conan
Doyle story guessing, that is, until Holmes deduces the solution to the
mystery. The cast of THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES also features
Wendy Barrie, John Carradine, Barlowe Borland, Beryl Mercer, Morton Lowry
and Ralph Forbes.
MPI
Home Video has made THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES available on DVD
in a marvelous looking black and white transfer that frames the film in
its proper 1.37:1 full screen aspect ratio. This 20th Century Fox
production had been far better preserved than the later Universal Holmes
adventures and did not require the extensive restoration work that was
performed on those films. For the most part, the film elements appear to
be in terrific shape, with minor blemishes and an occasional flash serving
as a reminder that the movie is sixty-five years old. One will notice a
grain structure in places, but it is never excessive. The image itself
always appears sharp, somewhat glossy and very nicely defined. Blacks
appear inky, whites are crisp and the grayscale is very good. A minor
complaint would be that black on black objects sometimes look a little
indistinct. Digital compression artifacts are generally very well
contained.
The
Dolby Digital monaural soundtrack is in very good shape for its age. Most
traces of background hiss and surface noise have been cleaned up, although
I could detect an errant anomaly or two during the presentation. Fidelity
has its limitations, but the film’s music never comes across in a harsh
manner. Dialogue is always thoroughly intelligible, as the voices are very
well recorded for the period. No other language tracks are included on the
DVDs; however, English subtitles have been provided. Music underscores the
basic interactive menus, which allow one access to the standard scene
selection and set up features, as well as a few fine extras. Author David
Stuart Davies is on hand to provide an informative and entertaining
running audio commentary. A still gallery of publicity photos and poster
art, plus selected Holmes theatrical trailers completes the extras.
1939’s
THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES is indeed a treat for devotees of the
celebrated detective, not to mention Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce fans. MPI’s
DVD of this vintage film looks and sounds just marvelous, which should
leave movie buffs totally ecstatic! If you have been waiting since the
early days of DVD for THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES to make its
debut, then you’ll want to race out a pick up a copy of this disc.
Absolutely recommended.