When the picture opened with that great, spooky, fog enshrouded scene, it immediately brought to mind the 1941 film "The Wolf Man". As I was thinking about that, who should appear out of the darkness but a man who rather resembled a wolf man who we later find out is an escapee from Nottingham Prison. I had a pretty good chuckle over that one.Watching these old Rathbone/Bruce team-ups well out of chronological order, I never gave a thought to the idea that the Dr. Watson character was anything more than a somewhat bumbling sidekick. In this first film of the franchise however, still at Fox studios, Nigel Bruce's Watson is considerably more reserved and professional in his manner with the legendary detective. It was an interesting take on the character, though the comedic approach seemed to work as well in the later stories to relieve some of the tension of Holmes' cases.With a minimal number of characters, the mystery behind the murder on the moor, (say, that would have been a cool title, too) is given away a bit too handily and the viewer winds up knowing who it is even before Holmes, though it will take his logical explanation in the final scene to explain Stapleton's (Morton Lowry) motive. The build up to the finale is made more intriguing with the presence of Lionel Atwill's Dr. Mortimer, a dabbler in the occult, and his wife (Beryl Mercer) who has the psychic abilities of a medium and actually conducts a séance in the story.Without ever mentioning it, the strange rock formations on the moor where some of the action takes place have a strong resemblance to Stonehenge, and just the name 'Great Grimpen Mire' heralds a formidably dangerous mystery about to unfold. Indeed, the picture treads ominously close to a horror story whenever Dr. Frankland (Barlowe Borland) expounds on his theories about John Stapleton, who has no reservation about claiming the man is a body snatcher.

The Hound of Baskerville s (1939): Dir: Sidney Lanfield / Cast: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Richard Greene, Wendy Barrie, Lionel Atwill: Haunting detective story about ancestry. Holmes is called to investigate attacks by apparent hounds on an estate. To protect the estate's last heir he goes undercover while partner Watson acts as an overseer. Directed by Sidney Lanfield with lighting that captures the eerie tone as ominous shadows creep about the moors. Basil Rathbone plays off the humorous intellect of Holmes who at first laughs off the report as folklore but he secretly oversees the situation from afar while donning disguises to get in closer. He proves to be an inspector of great intellect when the mystery pieces together. Nigel Bruce plays the loyal and dedicated Watson who is sent on ahead as protection while periodically reporting to Holmes. Richard Greene plays Sir Henry heir of the estate whom is the target for protection. As the film opens he tells of the curse and the hound that targets his namesake. Wendy Barrie is fun as Henry's fiancée but the relationship is too fast and corny. This relationship is predictable and without challenge while the plot is entertaining thanks to Rathbone's confidence and insight. Lionel Atwill plays the consultant who first approaches Holmes and Watson with regards to the case. The result is an entertaining suspense caper. Score: 8 / 10

The first Sherlock Holmes movie starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce is one of the most impressive things ever put on screen. It turns out that this was also the first Sherlock Holmes movie set in the Victorian era, as previous cinematic adaptations - even a series starring Arthur Wontner made a few years before this one - had updated the setting to later eras.The moors are as much of a character as any of the people (or the hound). The eerie, foggy environs are the perfect place for a mystery. I understand that the Sherlock Holmes books helped revolutionize criminology, due to Holmes's methods of solving the cases. I haven't read any of the books, although I've seen "Young Sherlock Holmes" and the recent movies starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. There's no doubt that "The Hound of the Baskervilles" has held up very well over the years. I hope to see the rest of the Rathbone-Bruce series.So how about regaling us with the violin?

I'm a huge Holmes fan, having read all the stories decades ago, seen this movie, watched the Jeremey Brett series multiple times and listened to every radio episode available, whether part of the canon or pastiche. It's been years since i watched this version, and i looked forward to it when I saw it available on youtube. Unfotunately, I was quite disappointed.I'm actually in favor of dramatizations being changed somewhat from their literary sources, but in this case I can't think of a single change that was neutral, much less an improvement. The change of the Barrymores to Barryman was silly - the most famous story from probably the English speaking world's most famous character is already locked in our minds. To change a character's name - for any reason - just serves to take us out of the suspension of disbelief. The role of the Barrymores to Selden is a fundamental part of the story - minimizing it took away from the drama.Apparently, Hollywood didn't think audiences could deal with Beryl Stapleton having any part whatsoever in the plot, so she's no longer the wife. And Sir Henry asking her to marry him after we've seen them meet just once again follows an unfortunate Hollywood convention and destroys the suspension of disbelief.And of course how it was that Stapleton lived in the district all his life and no one knew he was related to the Baskervilles is one of those jarring puzzles that Hollywood would typically drop on people just before the film ended and the lights went on. It works until they get outside and start thinking about it.Nigel Bruce certainly wasn't the bumbling clown he later played in this series, but he's no Watson if you've read the stories. As likable as he was in this role, he was never asked to play Watson and he never did. Bruce was more Jimmie Chan than Dr Watson.At least this was better than the later Hammer version, which went even further re-writing the story. It was a failure at the box office, with good reason.