Cheap Sherlock Holmes - The Hound of the Baskervilles (DVD) (Brian Mills) Price

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Customer Reviews of Sherlock Holmes - The Hound of the Baskervilles

Jeremy Brett Rules!
The Hound of the Baskervilles might just be my favorite Sherlock Holmes story. Jeremy Brett is the best Sherlock Holmes ever. Screw Basil Rathbone. In all the books Sherlock Holmes never used the phrase, "Elementary my dear Watson." He never fought any Nazis either. That's just plain dumb. I don't like it when people change stories when they adapt it to film. They just screw it all up. The Sherlock Holmes series with Jeremy Brett, is the most accurate that I've ever seen. That's why I give this dvd five stars.

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Great for family viewing - a fine version
Agreeably haunting rendition of Conan Doyle's classic, with Jeremy Brett the definitive Sherlock Holmes. I and my family find this a fine version. Some of the quibbles on this review page seem not to see the forest for the trees, i.e., that even if Jeremy Brett was ill while making this version, it is far and away the very best one made. This is also a fun tape to watch with your children. Mine find Sherlock Holmes' eccentric mannerisms and rushing about funny and intriguing, while the hound is agreeably scary without ever being too frightening. The total lack of expletives make for another reason why this is high-quality family viewing. Most of us discover Sherlock Holmes when we are young; these tapes, this series are great for that.

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This Hound Isn't Housebroken...
In all honesty, I think this is easily the saddest installment of the Brett Holmes films, with the possible exception of "The Master Blackmailer."

Obviously in poor health, Brett apparently had no energy or enthusiasm to devote to this, arguably the most famous Holmes story in the canon. Fortunately, Holmes is not present throughout the bulk of the story, giving Brett some measure of rest before he makes his presence known at Baskerville Hall.

While not quite an embarrassment, the balance of the film seems strangely lifeless. I think a good deal of this is from a poor use of soundtracking, with minimal music throughout, in combination with the obviously struggling Brett. Working through the initial scenes with none of the energy alvailable to him in the 1984-5 series, Brett tries and can therefore be forgiven, but it sets the tone for the lethargic production and magnifies the poorer elements.

There are also many truncated, condensed, or missing scenes (such as the famous assassination attempt, or the cab driver identifying the fare who had the black beard).

We are very lucky to have Edward Hardwicke following the example of David Burke, dispelling the comical versions of the Watson character we've all seen in the past. With the possible exception of Neil Duncan, who seems a bit young for the role of Dr. Mortimer, the supporting cast is top-notch.

Devotees of the series will certainly be a bit disappointed, as we are all used to the frenetic energy Brett displayed as Holmes in the earlier efforts. But for those not yet accquainted with the earlier work, this feature may serve as a good introduction to the Brett/Hardwicke interpretation of Homes/Watson.