Reviews: the Sherlock Holmes series with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce
The very enjoyable Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes series is the most like the BBC’s Sherlock in intention and format: Rathbone’s Holmes was living in their modern period during World War II. And the writers picked over their favorite bits of Arthur Conan Doyle canon while adding a lot of plot (and morally conflicted but beautiful women) themselves. I do mean that-I think there is a required quota of mysterious women per film here. But the plots are quite fast-paced and engaging, often feature Holmes chasing after some jewel or diamond, and usually end with Holmes in some kind of mortal danger (often somebody holding him hostage with a gun).
Of course, the style feels antiquated now, in large part because of several factors: it’s in black and white, the writers and actors sacrifice depth for consistency, and it was made during World War II and serves as British propaganda during that war. (Well, not all of the films, but enough to be noticeable.) After seeing the pattern, I eagerly looked forward to the last two minutes of each film, where Holmes draws Watson close to survey their picturesque location and spout off something incredibly profound and usually wildly inappropriate to the content of the film preceding it. The end of Sherlock Holmes in Washington, for example, had me almost crying with laughter when Holmes looks up at the Washington monument, quoting Winston Churchill and discussing the wonders of democracy to the swelling of patriotic music in the background. Some of these episodes prompted my father, who is British, to actually say, “God save the Queen!” even though it would have been a king back then, and my mother and I diligently saluted each other (American-style) at the close of each episode.
Basil Rathbone is indeed a rather gentlemanly Holmes, which seems a bit odd, but with his sharp profile and intense concentration he very much fits that greyhound-on-the-trail description. He delivers most of his lines in the same tone of voice, almost bracingly. You get the impression of a man who has had to keep such a tight rein on his brilliance lest his friends send him away that it manifests as supreme patience and a willingness to calmly expect the wrong answer and educate the pupil (often in public or in front of the murderer). And whereas other takes on the character have Holmes being motivated by “the game,” Rathbone’s Holmes seems more motivated by helping his country during wartime. He does get to dress up in a fun costume in most episodes, though, and when he does, he changes his voice and demeanor completely. Once you watch him enough, I think you realize how funny his Holmes actually is; it’s just that his humor is usually lost on those around him, who are not very sharp.
And this is my main complaint about the series. Nigel Bruce’s Watson is very endearing, and his relationship with Holmes is almost like a senile but beloved grandfather puttering around his bright grandson, but the essence of Dr. John Watson is totally gone. At times it’s almost physically upsetting watching Watson be so incredibly gullible and unhelpful. It’s not that he’s stupid so much as exceedingly surface: he always takes the most glaringly obvious conclusion and runs with it until forcibly proved wrong. This Watson, far from being an asset to Holmes, is almost a total liability in solving their cases. Inspector Lestrade, while unquestionably Holmes’ friend, is not much better. Holmes usually solves things despite their efforts, not because of them. I feel rather sorry for Holmes at times, and I understand his attraction to Moriarty’s genius here; Holmes does truly love his friends, but it must be so lonely and tiring.
By the way, I found this site to be pretty useful when researching all of these.
[Mini-reviews of each film]
In other words, adapt away, Moffat and Gatiss and Thompson! I’d love to see more elements from this series adapted for Sherlock, I really would.
Back to my Sherlock Holmes Adaptations Masterlist: ( Taxi!)
Of course, the style feels antiquated now, in large part because of several factors: it’s in black and white, the writers and actors sacrifice depth for consistency, and it was made during World War II and serves as British propaganda during that war. (Well, not all of the films, but enough to be noticeable.) After seeing the pattern, I eagerly looked forward to the last two minutes of each film, where Holmes draws Watson close to survey their picturesque location and spout off something incredibly profound and usually wildly inappropriate to the content of the film preceding it. The end of Sherlock Holmes in Washington, for example, had me almost crying with laughter when Holmes looks up at the Washington monument, quoting Winston Churchill and discussing the wonders of democracy to the swelling of patriotic music in the background. Some of these episodes prompted my father, who is British, to actually say, “God save the Queen!” even though it would have been a king back then, and my mother and I diligently saluted each other (American-style) at the close of each episode.
Basil Rathbone is indeed a rather gentlemanly Holmes, which seems a bit odd, but with his sharp profile and intense concentration he very much fits that greyhound-on-the-trail description. He delivers most of his lines in the same tone of voice, almost bracingly. You get the impression of a man who has had to keep such a tight rein on his brilliance lest his friends send him away that it manifests as supreme patience and a willingness to calmly expect the wrong answer and educate the pupil (often in public or in front of the murderer). And whereas other takes on the character have Holmes being motivated by “the game,” Rathbone’s Holmes seems more motivated by helping his country during wartime. He does get to dress up in a fun costume in most episodes, though, and when he does, he changes his voice and demeanor completely. Once you watch him enough, I think you realize how funny his Holmes actually is; it’s just that his humor is usually lost on those around him, who are not very sharp.
And this is my main complaint about the series. Nigel Bruce’s Watson is very endearing, and his relationship with Holmes is almost like a senile but beloved grandfather puttering around his bright grandson, but the essence of Dr. John Watson is totally gone. At times it’s almost physically upsetting watching Watson be so incredibly gullible and unhelpful. It’s not that he’s stupid so much as exceedingly surface: he always takes the most glaringly obvious conclusion and runs with it until forcibly proved wrong. This Watson, far from being an asset to Holmes, is almost a total liability in solving their cases. Inspector Lestrade, while unquestionably Holmes’ friend, is not much better. Holmes usually solves things despite their efforts, not because of them. I feel rather sorry for Holmes at times, and I understand his attraction to Moriarty’s genius here; Holmes does truly love his friends, but it must be so lonely and tiring.
By the way, I found this site to be pretty useful when researching all of these.
[Mini-reviews of each film]
- The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939)-Unlike the other films, which are generally original stories with bits and pieces of the ACD text sprinkled in, this one is a pretty straight portrayal of the original novel (with a few additions like a strange séance and a few omissions like making Miss Stapleton less complex. I was sad they also omitted Dr. Mortimer’s creepy perving over Holmes’ skull). One bit I liked, though-before dispatching Watson with Henry Baskerville, Holmes tells Baskerville, “Guard him well,” clearly meaning Watson, who jokingly takes offense. However, I can’t help but think this was very sound advice for Holmes to give, considering Watson’s general ineptitude here. Warning: seriously, do not watch if you have a fear of dogs. There’s a rather prolonged dog attack that I found hard to watch.
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939)-Moriarty plays Holmes like a fiddle in this film, to which Sherlock’s Reichenbach episode owes a ton of inspiration (it’s always about the Crown Jewels with Moriarty, isn’t it?). Moriarty concocts two simultaneously running schemes to engage Holmes’ attention and is pretty successful. Holmes also dresses up as a garden party musician and is hysterical. I liked the heroine here, whom I found very compelling in her distress and feelings of being pursued by the strange oboe (?) player.
- Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942)-A sinister German radio voice takes over the airwaves each night to describe some horrible tragedy on British soil as it happens. The woman in this story is named Kitty (but not Reilly)! She gives a really out of place but patriotic speech in a seedy pub. Somehow it all has to do with thwarting a Nazi invasion.
- Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1943)-A take on “The Dancing Men.” There’s a bomb-maker in England, and Moriarty wants his plans for a super-weapon. This is a good one for the hurt/comfort lovers, as Moriarty captures Holmes and then decides to kill him first by locking him in a trunk, then by exsanguination (!!). Fortunately, Watson rescues him. I like Holmes dressing up as a slouching, scowling, belligerent dock worker-it reminds me of a scene in The Great Mouse Detective. :)
- Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943)-Americans! A black airline steward! Rathbone’s hair is weird in this one (perhaps he was trying to look American?), but the plot is complex and very clever, especially the endgame with the pass-the-matchbook game.
- Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943)-A curious take on “The Musgrave Ritual” with a very memorable chess game (one of those large-as-life ones with people as the pieces). Watson is serving as the resident doctor in this huge manor that is housing wounded soldiers (which is just such a fascinating idea), and his charges keep being murdered, so he enlists Holmes’ help. Holmes, though, is busy shooting holes in Mrs. Hudson’s wall-I know, I know! That’s one of my favorite scenes with Basil Rathbone in the entire series.
- Sherlock Holmes and the Spider Woman (1944)-The first part of this is a version of Reichenbach, except Holmes randomly faints and falls into a river, so it was a bit anticlimactic. After that, it’s action-packed, with a superbly clever female villain, a creepy hopping child, a take on “The Devil’s Foot,” and a part that is similar to “The Speckled Band,” except it’s with spiders instead of snakes. There’s a very thrilling conclusion with Holmes in mortal danger from an unwitting Watson and Lestrade in a shooting gallery (the goal is to shoot fake Hitler, Mussolini, and Hirohito through their hearts). (See this post for more of my thoughts on this film.)
- The Secret Claw (1944)-Our heroes are randomly in Quebec, where somebody keeps murdering people with a garden claw after terrifying them à la Hound of the Baskervilles. Watson is slightly more competent here, despite his frankly alarming tendency to fall into bogs, acting as a doctor and saving Holmes’ life. The conclusion of the case was pretty interesting and had similarities to the solution in A Study in Scarlet (or Pink, if you prefer). And at the end, Holmes gives a very pretty speech about Canada being the “linchpin” between the U.K. and America that I’m sure my Canadian boyfriend would appreciate.
- The Pearl of Death (1944)-A take on “The Six Napoleons” that starts off with Holmes being all suspicious of electric security devices because they’re so easy to fool, but then he accidentally helps a crime to be committed. Also Watson gets a chance to actually be a doctor here…right after an extended joke about how he “deduces” accidentally gluing a bit of newspaper to his arm. *headdesk* “The Creeper,” a very tall man similar to Sherlock’s Golem, makes an appearance.
- The House of Fear (1945)-In a take on “The Five Orange Pips,” members of a secret society staying at a mansion in Scotland keep being sent orange pips in the mail and then dying. Cue Holmes and Watson uncovering a very clever insurance scam. There’s a running joke about Watson falling asleep in crucial moments and then this line from Holmes to Watson: “These are the last two surviving members of the Good Comrades, Watson. Their safety depends on you.” *facepalm* My parents and I collectively groaned, “Those guys are doomed.” This film didn’t have propaganda at the end; instead, it had an absolutely adorable little moment about how much Holmes appreciates Watson, and you can totally see it in Holmes’ eyes that he loves his friend.
- The Woman in Green (1945)-Women keep dying with one of their fingers chopped off, and of course Moriarty is behind it all. This is the one with the famous scene where Moriarty comes to visit 221B and pauses on the staircase. Watson gets hypnotized, which is incredibly demeaning and painful to watch. There’s a take on “The Empty House”-but without Moran!! (WTF?!) and also a reference to Mycroft, but we don’t get to see him either. :(
- Pursuit to Algiers (1945)-Our boys are charged with safely transporting an incognito king across the waters from London to Algeria in the presence of several assassins, a.k.a. IT’S CRUISE SHIP TIME!! They’re joined by an American singer who is surprisingly not Irene Adler. This was one of my favorite episodes, clever and satisfying while really showing the love between Holmes and Watson as they share close quarters with their charge. Plus, Watson totally steals this show: he’s competent, he’s stoic in the face of danger, and he sings in such a lovely voice, too (with a Scottish accent, which hearkens back to John’s roots-remember Hamish?). I recommend this episode to anybody really needing some realistic John reactions to Sherlock fake-dying; I got all the Reichenbach feels from this episode in Watson’s confusion and numbness when he thinks Holmes might be dead. And Holmes explains that Watson’s honest face and poor acting skills would have given the game away, which I’m sure is Sherlock’s reasoning too. I’d love to see a Sherlock cruise ship episode.
- Terror By Night (1946)-I’m gonna go ahead and rename this one Terror by Train. A fancy jewel is on the train and people in the same compartment keep dying. In other words, MORAN! Moran is actually in this! He’s (the late) Moriarty’s righthand man, he knew Watson in India, he does mathematics as a hobby, and he also has a penchant for big, shiny jewels. I like this episode because it mostly takes place in a train carriage, and I have a thing for all my favorite guys being in one enclosed space. (Imagine Holmes, Watson, Lestrade, and Moran in one part of the train for eight-ish hours! No wonder people keep dying!) I found the plot had a bit too many loose ends, but I forgive it because of the train compartment thing. And this line, which basically sums up this entire series: “This fellow Holmes is always chasing after missing jewels or mysterious females.” ACCURATE.
- Dressed to Kill (1946)-Another ruthlessly clever female antagonist (I’m loving these!) has a plan to get a secret message hidden by a Dartmoor prisoner in three otherwise plain music boxes. There’s a lovely emphasis on music here that I believe Sherlock could show nicely. I can just imagine Sherlock running the scores through his head as the notes are shown to the audience onscreen. There’s also a reference to a character similar to Angelo and Holmes’ background with him (got him off on a murder charge by proving he was doing a lesser crime elsewhere). Also references to Irene Adler and “A Scandal in Bohemia”-“fire exposes our priorities” indeed-and Holmes and Watson are adorable with a little girl who’s been kind of traumatized.
In other words, adapt away, Moffat and Gatiss and Thompson! I’d love to see more elements from this series adapted for Sherlock, I really would.
Back to my Sherlock Holmes Adaptations Masterlist: ( Taxi!)