When a nobleman is threatened by a family curse on his newly inherited estate, detective Sherlock Holmes is hired to investigate.
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Reviews
CinemaSerf
7
By CinemaSerf
André Morrell takes a more serious approach to his characterisation of "Dr. Watson" than Nigel Bruce did in his series of "Sherlock Holmes" stories with Basil Rathbone, and coupled with Peter Cushing as the fastidious super-sleuth, manages to create quite a solid drama here that mixes the scientific with the superstitious entertainingly. The detecting duo are recruited by the suspicious "Dr. Mortimer" (Francis De Wolff) following the death of the wealthy "Sir Charles Baskerville". His heir has arrived from South Africa and his new neighbour has fears for his safety. "Sir Henry" (Christopher Lee) heads to his remote Dartmoor estate where the creepy mire, dense fog, escaped convicts and lamps flashing in the distance create quite a menacing scene for the new owner of this near £1 million property. Though Lee's character proves largely peripheral, he does enough and the rest of the supporting cast - especially Miles Malleson's sherry-swilling bishop and John Le Mesurier as the butler - work well together, as does the James Bernard score, in augmenting the more traditional Hammer, slightly Gothic, look of the film. That all successfully frames a quickly paced investigation that allows Cushing and Morell to work complimentarily together as they begin to suspect that something is most definitely afoot - or is that a-paw? It's enjoyable, this film, though I wonder if it might have worked better in black and white?
