In 1939 20th Century Fox released The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, a worthy second entry in the series featuring Basil Rathbone as the fictional detective.
Professor Moriarty is found innocent of murder, despite evidence uncovered by Holmes. After the trial, the vengeful criminal mastermind confronts the detective and threatens to destroy him. He will do so by committing the “crime of the century,” one that will leave Holmes publicly disgraced.
Soon after, a young mining heiress, Ann Brandon (Ida Lupino), comes to Holmes, fearing that she and her brother are in great danger after receiving an enigmatic letter, identical to one sent her father shortly before his murder ten years before in Peru. Holmes promises to investigate.
Ann leaves and Sir Ronald Ramsgate, the curator at the Tower of London, arrives at Baker Street. He has received a letter stating that a valuable emerald coming to London will be stolen and asks for Holmes's help in protecting its arrival. Being foremost concerned with Ann's safety, Holmes reluctantly agrees to do so, sensing that Moriarty is behind both letters.
After Ann’s brother is murdered, the distraught young woman tells Holmes that she is being stalked by a mysterious man, playing an eerie tune on a wooden flute. It is the same Peruvian funeral dirge heard before her father’s death. She has also received a second letter indicating that she will die the next night -- the same night that the emerald will be arriving.
Holmes is now in a quandary. His first obligation is to protect Ann, but realizes that he must also prevent Moriarty from carrying out the other half of his plan, which, unbeknownst to Holmes, involves not the theft of the emerald, but the Crown Jewels. Events move quickly and the plot is resolved in a climatic showdown at the Tower of London.
The weaknesses in the movie are minor. The two story plot line is sometimes convoluted and illogical. Ann’s fiancée, Jerrold Hunter, who is an obvious red herring, is more hindrance than help to the plot and his suspicious behaviors are never fully explained.
Nor is the connection between the Peruvian killer, Mateo, and the Brandon family made clear, although it is suggestive that there must be one. It cannot be passed off as coincidence that the Brandons had once lived in Peru.
The acting in the movie is first rate. Basil Rathbone’s authoritative voice and precise diction adds gravitas to the role. He creates a Holmes who can be courteous and caring or brusque and arrogant, traits found in the original Doyle stories.
Nigel Bruce as Watson is also good. Some Holmes fans do not accept the genial actor because of the sometimes buffoonish, slow-witted persona that he brought to the role. This is sometimes true in the later Holmes films, but in Adventures he is more restrained. Bruce provides comic relief, but he is not a clown.
The two major supporting actors give worthy efforts. George Zucco could always be relied upon to create a oily and cunning villain when needed to. Twenty-two year old Ida Lupino received a boost to her career from this movie. Her strong performance would soon lead to starring roles in other films.
The film has a nice pace, containing a balance of tense and lighthearted scenes. Among the former, is Ann being chased through a park; among the latter is Watson demonstrating that his method of killing a fly is more effective than Holmes’s.
The sets are well done, creating a Victorian London of foggy cobblestone streets, gas lamps, and hansom cabs. The Tower of London set is appropriately dark and gloomy.
The script is another asset, with memorable lines, such as during the confrontation at the beginning of the movie when Holmes remarks to his enemy: “You’ve a magnificent brain, Moriarty. I admire it. I’d like to present it pickled in alcohol to the London medical society.” The script is also the origin of the famous line often falsely attributed to the original Doyle stories: "Elementary, my dear Watson."
Despite the popularity of Adventures and its predecessor, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Fox strangely dropped its plans to make more Holmes films. Then in 1942 Universal announced that it would feature Rathbone and Bruce in a new series of Holmes tales. Updated to modern times, the first three movies would feature the duo battling the Nazis.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Professor Moriarty is found innocent of murder, despite evidence uncovered by Holmes. After the trial, the vengeful criminal mastermind confronts the detective and threatens to destroy him. He will do so by committing the “crime of the century,” one that will leave Holmes publicly disgraced.
Soon after, a young mining heiress, Ann Brandon (Ida Lupino), comes to Holmes, fearing that she and her brother are in great danger after receiving an enigmatic letter, identical to one sent her father shortly before his murder ten years before in Peru. Holmes promises to investigate.
Ann leaves and Sir Ronald Ramsgate, the curator at the Tower of London, arrives at Baker Street. He has received a letter stating that a valuable emerald coming to London will be stolen and asks for Holmes's help in protecting its arrival. Being foremost concerned with Ann's safety, Holmes reluctantly agrees to do so, sensing that Moriarty is behind both letters.
After Ann’s brother is murdered, the distraught young woman tells Holmes that she is being stalked by a mysterious man, playing an eerie tune on a wooden flute. It is the same Peruvian funeral dirge heard before her father’s death. She has also received a second letter indicating that she will die the next night -- the same night that the emerald will be arriving.
Holmes is now in a quandary. His first obligation is to protect Ann, but realizes that he must also prevent Moriarty from carrying out the other half of his plan, which, unbeknownst to Holmes, involves not the theft of the emerald, but the Crown Jewels. Events move quickly and the plot is resolved in a climatic showdown at the Tower of London.
Flaws in The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes
The weaknesses in the movie are minor. The two story plot line is sometimes convoluted and illogical. Ann’s fiancée, Jerrold Hunter, who is an obvious red herring, is more hindrance than help to the plot and his suspicious behaviors are never fully explained.
Nor is the connection between the Peruvian killer, Mateo, and the Brandon family made clear, although it is suggestive that there must be one. It cannot be passed off as coincidence that the Brandons had once lived in Peru.
Why the Movie is Worth Watching
The acting in the movie is first rate. Basil Rathbone’s authoritative voice and precise diction adds gravitas to the role. He creates a Holmes who can be courteous and caring or brusque and arrogant, traits found in the original Doyle stories.
Nigel Bruce as Watson is also good. Some Holmes fans do not accept the genial actor because of the sometimes buffoonish, slow-witted persona that he brought to the role. This is sometimes true in the later Holmes films, but in Adventures he is more restrained. Bruce provides comic relief, but he is not a clown.
The two major supporting actors give worthy efforts. George Zucco could always be relied upon to create a oily and cunning villain when needed to. Twenty-two year old Ida Lupino received a boost to her career from this movie. Her strong performance would soon lead to starring roles in other films.
The film has a nice pace, containing a balance of tense and lighthearted scenes. Among the former, is Ann being chased through a park; among the latter is Watson demonstrating that his method of killing a fly is more effective than Holmes’s.
The sets are well done, creating a Victorian London of foggy cobblestone streets, gas lamps, and hansom cabs. The Tower of London set is appropriately dark and gloomy.
The script is another asset, with memorable lines, such as during the confrontation at the beginning of the movie when Holmes remarks to his enemy: “You’ve a magnificent brain, Moriarty. I admire it. I’d like to present it pickled in alcohol to the London medical society.” The script is also the origin of the famous line often falsely attributed to the original Doyle stories: "Elementary, my dear Watson."
The Sherlock Holmes Movies Continue
Despite the popularity of Adventures and its predecessor, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Fox strangely dropped its plans to make more Holmes films. Then in 1942 Universal announced that it would feature Rathbone and Bruce in a new series of Holmes tales. Updated to modern times, the first three movies would feature the duo battling the Nazis.
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