The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939)

Director:

Alfred L. Werker

Writers:

William Gillette (play)
Edwin Blum (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

1 September 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller | Mystery

Tagline:

The Struggle of Super-Minds in the Crime of the Century!

Plot:

The master sleuth hunts his archenemy, Professor Moriarty, who is planning the crime of the century.

Plot Keywords:

Super Villain | Good Versus Evil | Detective | Sequel | Impersonation

Cast

Basil Rathbone	...	Sherlock Holmes
Nigel Bruce	...	Dr. Watson
Ida Lupino	...	Ann Brandon
George Zucco	...	Professor Moriarty
Alan Marshal	...	Jerrold Hunter
Terry Kilburn	...	Billy
Henry Stephenson	...	Sir Ronald Ramsgate
E.E. Clive	...	Inspector Bristol
Arthur Hohl	...	Bassick
May Beatty	...	Brandon Housekeeper [Script name: Mrs. Jameson]
Peter Willes	...	Lloyd Brandon
Mary Gordon	...	Mrs. Hudson
Holmes Herbert	...	Justice
Mary Forbes	...	Lady Conyngham
Frank Dawson	...	Dawes

Also Known As:

Sherlock Holmes (UK)

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

UK:PG | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #5486)

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Lionel Atwill was originally cast as Prof. Moriarty, but was replaced before shooting by George Zucco.

Goofs:

Continuity: Holmes's pipe disappears from one shot to the next as he sees Sir Ronald Ramsgate out the door early in the film.

Quotes:

Sherlock Holmes: Very effective, Watson!
Doctor John H. Watson: Elementary, my dear Holmes, elementary.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Angel: Release (#4.14)" (2003)

DVD Improved The Atmosphere, Story

This was a little slow-moving compared to most of the Basil Some national critics rated this the best of the old Sherlock Holmes films. I don't agree with that, but it's a good one. It's also a film I didn't fully appreciate the first time. On the second look, thanks no doubt to the wonderful "restoration" job on the DVD, it brought the cinematography to the forefront and made the whole story more attractive, too.

There are some wonderful scenes with light and shadows and foggy London streets. Story-wise, it's okay nothing that memorable except we see a very young and innocent-looking Ida Lupino playing a nice British girl. Holmes (Basil Rathbone) is usual deductive self and Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) elicits a few laughs along the way, not as many as he did in future films but more than he did in his first Holmes film, "The Hound Of The Baskervilles."

There weren't as many suspects in this SH adventure as in most of them, but that was fine with me. It was more a battle of wits between the good detective and his nemesis, "Dr. Moriarity" (George Zucco), which is better than having a dozen suspects.