Cheap The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (DVD) (Basil Rathbone) (Alfred L. Werker) Price

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Customer Reviews of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

What makes the film so memorable, aside from its successful recreation of the gaslight ambiance of London's Victorian Era, is the perfection of Basil Rathbone in his second go-round as the Great Detective. Rathbone even performs a song and dance (in disguise) in this adventure, and gets to keep company (platonically, of course) with the beautiful Ida Lupino.

Mary Gordon is on hand as Mrs. Hudson, a role she would reprise in all 12 of the Universal films to come, and Nigel Bruce, though not true to Conan Doyle's vision, is a delightful Dr. Watson. And few actors were better equipped to play Moriatry than the devilish George Zucco who would match wits with Holmes again (though not as the diabolical professor) in Universal's "Sherlock Holmes in Washington."

If "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" is not quite as impressive as the preceding "Hound," it is faster paced and generally more entertaining. A good show all-around.

Brian W. Fairbanks

Great transfer for good film
Most people either love or hate the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce series of Sherlock Holmes adventures. Critics always point out that the films bear little resemblance to Doyle's original stories, and this is true of the 12 "modernized" movies that Universal made between 1942-46. But the two 20th Century Fox movies (this one and Hound of the Baskervilles) are different. They were quality productions set during the Victorian era and, even when they altered characters or plots, remained true to the flavor of Doyle's creations. Best of all, Bruce's Watson was not the buffoon that he later became in the Universal pictures.

In my opinion, however, most objections are now irrelevant, thanks to the excellent and faithful adaptations that Britain's Granada television made with Jeremy Brett as Holmes. We can finally approach the Rathbone-Bruce films as typical Hollywood literary adaptations of their era, and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is grand entertainment. The atmospheric photography, the eye for period detail, and the charming performances are things that film lovers should not deprive themselves of simply because of the film's lack of faithfulness to Doyle's stories. (Critics should keep in mind that Doyle licensed out his characters to other writers -- and even incorporated their inventions into his own stories!) I won't give away the plot, but suffice it to say that Adventures is one of the best of the Rathbone-Bruce series. (I also like Fox's Hound and Universal's Scarlet Claw.)

MPI has really surprised me with the quality of this transfer. Up until now, they've specialized in documentaries and TV shows, so their work here is very promising. (They own distribution rights to Beckett, and I'd love to see them transfer that to DVD.) The UCLA restoration is great, though please note that a 65-year-old film that's been in the public domain for years is going to show signs of age. The transfer is uniformly good, with the foggy streets of London coming alive. I haven't experienced the pausing problem that other reviewers mentioned.

The extras are very good, the main one being Valley's commentary. He sounds a little stiff at times, but his information is interesting and he genuinely seems to love the film. It's well worth checking out. The picture gallery is less spectacular, since it's filmed and doesn't allow you to browse at will. The re-release trailers for some of the later Universal movies are fun; it's just a shame that they couldn't include the original trailer for Adventures. Maybe it doesn't exist any more....

Verdict: Highly recommended as an introduction to the Rathbone-Bruce series, especially if you can grab this one on sale.

a classic
As a child, my winter Saturday afternoons would not be complete without an old black-and-white murder mystery on TV. Sherlock Holmes, Charlie Chan, what a treasure trove to have them all coming back out on DVD, as clear as they were when the original audiences fell in love with them in the 30's and 40's. Bruce's Watson is overplayed for today's sophisticated audience, but like the memory of a loveable grandfather I find myself enjoying him all over again. Those too young to know, who are used to explosions and gore, find it difficult perhaps to understand this 'kinder, gentler' era of detective story. And Hollywood did take a lot of latitude with this series, especially when they 'updated' Holmes to the 40's. So this one (and Hound) - which remains in the original Victorian era - remains the best of them: a damsel in distress, a 'creepy' funeral dirge, a family curse, the jewels in the tower of London, Moriarity and his orchids, and Rathbone singing and dancing a music hall number. What more do you want for fifteen dollars?