Desquite en Argel

While this is contrived and silly at times, the best part of it, for me, was the fact that everyone knows what Holmes is up to and he still manages to come out on top. There are two plots at work here. One has to do with the transporting of stolen emeralds and the other the transporting of royalty. On numerous occasions, Holmes turns the tables on his adversaries. The dangers are everywhere and his head spins like an owls as he peers over his shoulder, through the fog, and through portholes. He sets up a wonderful ruse. The men who are out to squelch his efforts are really interesting: a mute thug who uses sign language, a wiry Peter Lorre type with a foreign accent, and a sort of Sydney Greenstreet wannabe. Watson becomes enamored with a pretty young singer who is carrying around secrets. He even belts out his own version of "Loch Lomond" and he proves to have quite a beautiful voice. Without giving anything away, Holmes keeps his cards close to his vest until the denouement. He suspects no one; he suspects everyone. I think this is a lesser effort, but still a lot of fun.

Flicking through the channels I came across this old friend and laid the zapper down. Some of the other Rathbone Holmes' are better old friends, but this'll do admirably.

When we finally leave the convoluted and circuitous (as Holmes himself admitted) opening scenes behind and get to the foggy ship where the action takes place we can relax - this is familiar territory! Holmes and Watson with the game afoot and surrounded by shady omniscient characters, a well bred damsel on the run and (for a change) a King to protect. Watson sings for the damsel, in a dangerously resonant baritone, Holmes plays with a cracker that weighs a gram too much, the Giant Rat of Sumatra is explained away...or is it?

After watching the Definitive DVD, I learn that Martin Kosleck and Leslie Vincent were gay and living together. Nothing terribly unusual of course, but whenever I watch these Holmes films the usually intrusive world of sex never enters my head, so I admit I was surprised. Rathbone apparently was disappointed that his close friend Martin was associating with someone so "talentless" - in the acting department though Basil!

How at the climax did the baddies know Watson had forgotten to take his pipe with him? This tremendous stab in the dark (!) enabled them to rough up Holmes so much that his hair was mussed.

Still great stuff.

Most Consider this the Weakest in the Basil Rathbone-Nigel Bruce Series and it Probably is, but that Does Not Mean it is Unwatchable or Worthless. By this, the 12th of the Teams Pairing, the Charm for Fans has Made Itself Undeniable and Unobtrusive Despite Some Silliness and Liberties that the Movies So Often Exhibited.

Mostly Taking Place on an Ocean Liner it is Claustrophobic and Confined and the Supporting Cast is Less than Memorable Playing Weak and Ill Defined Villains. The Film does have a Nice Twist at the End and there is Enough Going On that it just Keeps from Getting Tedious.

Sherlock Keeps Most of His Personal Stingers Directed to Watson at Bay. The Final Line of the Movie is a Tongue in Cheek, In-Joke that is Charming and in Good Spirits.

Since the wartime production (1945) of the Sherlock Holmes' adventure, "Pursuit to Algiers", many films have been made involving a seagoing setting. Mysteries set aboard a ship I suggest are notoriously easy to begin and difficult to consummate; this is because it is easy to introduce characters in a claustrophobic setting but notoriously more difficult to arrange for a series of logical events perpetrated by them that is varied, believable and possessed of a wide-enough scope of action. I find "Pursuit to Algiers" to be an unusually believable decently-filmed low-budget ship-based adventure and a tidy storyline without any need for apologies. The writers began the piece on land, in fact using a low-grade but intriguing series of clues--recognized by detective Sherlock Holmes as such--to lure him to an expositional meeting. At that meeting, the Prime Minister of a fictitious Balkan country, one whose king has been murdered (though this fact has not been made public), hires the famous consulting detective to safeguard the nation's young prince as he heads home from his school in England to his homeland for a now-vital coronation ceremony. Holmes accepts the commission; then he heads off in an airplane, planning to meet his friend Dr. Watson later, for several reasons. Watson has cause to believe he has been killed; but he eventually does meet his partner aboard the ship they had planned to sail on, after several neat plot twists and a display of unusual intelligence by Holmes; and from then on, the two are kept exceptionally busy trying to assess who the potential murderers are (who will be their deadly opponents). They are given a fairly large cast of suspects to choose from. Holmes then neatly thwarts the villains at every turn, until near the end he is knocked unconscious and the prince is kidnapped--exactly as Holmes had planned. Basil Rathbone is less effective than usual as Holmes and Nigel Bruce more useful as Watson than he was usually permitted to be; he sings beautifully, and acts as an effective comedic foil to his sharp-eyed and sharp-witted partner throughout. Among the larger than usual cast for a Holmesian adventure, Rosalind Ivan as a noisy matron is far better than thin, pretty Marjorie Riordan who sings better than she acts. Veteran heavies Martin Kosleck, John Abbott, Rex Evans and Gerald Hamer steal the film as clever but outwitted suspects or murderers; aboard such a small ship, the scenarists permit the suspects and even the villains to interact with and try to outthink Holmes quite directly, a rarity outside seagoing comedic tales (and, I find, the film's primary distinguishing feature). Frederick Worlock is affecting as the Prime Minister; the young men in the cast are all routine at best. This film was kept moving swiftly and ably by its producer-director, veteran Roy William Neill; the script was done as a screenplay by Leonard Lee adapted from elements of an Arthur Conan Doyle story. The feature's cinematography by Paul Ivano and art direction by John B. Goodman and Martin Obzina are above average; Vera West's costumes are done on an admirably high level throughout. Bernard Brown, for once, keeps a British film's voices and sounds perfectly intelligible. Some of the scenes aboard the ship are quite realistic; others are less successful, although Russell A. Gausman and Ralph Sylos try manfully to make every setting from a cafe to cramped staterooms believable. The seminal portions of this film I assert are the dialogue interactions of the characters which take place throughout; despite the dialogue sometimes being low-key, it is adult, convincing and serviceable from beginning to end. This is a very good second feature by my standards, if no more, on a par with The Woman in White, and quite tightly plotted.

The definitive movie Sherlock Holmes is Basil Rathbone; the definitive movie Dr. Watson is Nigel Bruce. Together, these two brilliant actors made fourteen Sherlock Holmes films between 1939 and 1946, most of them loosely based on stories by Arthur Conan Doyle; a few based on Doyle stories in name only. All are thrilling, exciting excursions into the realm of mystery and deductive reasoning, even the later low-budget ones.

The original pairing of the super sleuth with his bumbling if lovable assistant portrayed by Rathbone and Bruce was in "The Hound of the Baskervilles," where star billing went to Richard Greene as Sir Henry Baskerville. The popularity of Holmes and Watson showed the studio that the audience cared more for the two supporting players than for the somewhat stiff Greene. Next time in "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," Rathbone and Bruce deservedly received top billing.

During World War II with England in peril from the Luftwaffe, Holmes and Watson were utilized to booster the war spirit. Holmes could be heard at the end of the war-time films haranguing his fellow countrymen and their ally, the United States, about patriotism and gallantry. Winston Churchill was touted as the savior of his nation.

"Pursuit to Algiers," based on Doyle's "The Return of Sherlock Holmes," finds the crafty detective helping escort Nikolas (Leslie Vincent), heir of a foreign country and a target for conspirators, to assume his crown following the assassination of his predecessor. There are many clever scenes involving Dr. Watson unknowingly being used as a decoy to protect Nikolas. When Nikolas' supporters first contact Holmes surreptitiously, they employ a ruse involving a fish and chips cypher, beyond Watson's grasp. In the process Watson is propositioned by a hooker who calls the good doctor, Ducky, much to his chagrin. Holmes takes the high road by plane; Watson takes the low road by boat. There is much chicanery aboard the ship that takes up most of the movie. The ending may come as a surprise for many.

One of the high points of "Pursuit to Algiers" is Watson's story of "The Giant Rat of Sumatra." Entreated by his fellow passengers to tell about one of Sherlock Holmes' greatest adventures, Watson volunteers to entertain all with his giant rat fable. His use of inanimate objects on the table for purposes of illustration to make the exploits he relates more colorful is well worth the price of admission.

There are more songs than usual for a Sherlock Holmes outing. Such traditional Scottish airs as "Flow Gently Sweet Afton," sung by Marjorie Riordan as a girl from Brooklyn named Sheila Woodbury with something hidden in her sheet music satchel and "Loch Lomond," sung by Watson himself, not only serve as icing but are utilized to embellish the plot.

The twelfth in the Sherlock Holmes series and coming at the end of the war, "Pursuit to Algiers" is one of the most entertaining of the lot and there is no rousing speechifying by Holmes at the end. Those speeches were wonderful morale buildings at the time, but are a bit quaint for today's audiences.