Sherlock Holmes Faces Death

Sherlock Holmes Faces Death is the first film in the Universal Sherlock Holmes series (1942 -1946) to abandon the idea of Sherlock Holmes as a prototypical 007 spy-hunter, battling Nazi agents and keeping Britain safe from the Axis powers. The bizarre experiment which began, apparently without a shred of irony, with Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror was brutally maimed when Sherlock Holmes in Washington flopped. And so, the direction of the series changed (for the better) with the fourth outing, Sherlock Holmes Faces Death...to the point that it can almost be viewed as the starting point of a completely new Holmes series.

Here, the allusions to WWII are vague, at best. Gone are the overt references to the Nazis and the intrusive patriotic speeches...which merely impeded upon the proceedings in the previous films. Holmes is in his element here, solving a dense mystery by using deductive reasoning. The film is still modern, making use of such devices as automobiles, telephones, and electric lights. But this is all incidental. If we overlook the updating of the surface elements, the story itself is rather timeless. Telephones and automobiles were present in Conan Doyle's later Holmes stories, anyway...and the Gothic tone of this film (and several of those which followed) gives it an almost Victorian or Edwardian feel, despite being obviously set in the mid-20th Century. And most importantly, Holmes is back to the business he should never have abandoned.

Loosely based on The Musgrave Ritual, the film is entertaining and certainly of higher technical quality than its predecessors, despite the fact that the series was forever doomed to the ranks of the low budget B-picture. The camera work is evocative, with fluid motions and intriguing angles...which would become a staple of the Holmes series...and the direction is excellent, with Roy William Neill (who also began his role as Associate Producer with this film) really coming into his own as the driving force behind the franchise. Rathbone's Holmes (whose hair has, thankfully, undergone quite a transformation) is in better form here than in previous entries...detached and focused, he relies on reasoning, rather than chance, in order to solve the mystery that's presented to him. Nigel Bruce, as Watson, turns in his usual bumbling-yet-lovable performance. Dennis Hoey once again manages to out-bumble Watson as Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard...a canonical character who made his first Universal appearance in Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon, and would go on to appear in a total of six of the twelve films.

Overall, not the best film in the series, but a step in the right direction. Once the filmmakers got their proper footing, in regard to the series' new and improved direction, they produced much better work...peaking, many (myself included) would attest, in 1944 with The Scarlet Claw. Other subsequent Holmes titles, such as The Spider Woman and Terror By Night, also outshine, in my estimation, this fourth Universal venture. But this film marked the great change that heralded all the treasures to come...and as such, has amassed much favor among fans and critics alike. And rightly so.

Considering Universal Studios churned out no less than three Sherlock Holmes pictures in 1943, after resurrecting the series with 'Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942),' it's often easy to underestimate the creative talents behind the camera. Not being particularly in the mood for an overdose of WWII Allied propaganda, I conveniently skipped over 'Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1943)' and 'Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943)' until a later date, and was delighted to discover that 'Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943)' is perhaps, in my limited experience, the finest Holmes adaptation I've seen to date. Technically, the picture is not only competent, but surprisingly proficient, and Charles Van Enger's shadowy cinematography superbly captures the desired mood. In a break from Holmes' all-important war efforts, most of the film takes place in an ancient mansion, now serving as a convalescent home for shell-shocked combat soldiers. The film openly acknowledges its somewhat cliché scenario, that one of the home's trusted residents must be a murderer, and the directness with which the narratives progresses consistently keeps us interested.

'Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943)' was adapted, rather loosely, from Arthur Conan Doyle's short story, "The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual," which was first serialised in "The Strand Magazine" in 1893. Still in the midst of the Second World War, Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) has volunteered his services at Musgrave Hall, now a convalescent home, in Northumberland. Detective Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) is first summoned to the old house after Watson's assistant (Arthur Margetson) is unexpectedly attacked by an unknown assailant. By the time the detective arrives, however, the head of the house has been murdered and covered with autumn leaves. The fiancé of the murdered man's innocent sister (Hillary Brooke) is immediately suspected, and a cocky Insp. Lestrade (Dennis Hoey) wastes no time in placing him under arrest, after formulating an unashamedly inadequate solution. Holmes, meanwhile, begins to deduce that this mystery goes back considerably further than anticipated, perhaps stretching back to a centuries-old family ritual, whose meaning has been lost for generations. Can he solve the mystery before it claims its next victim?

Not surprisingly, Rathbone and Bruce are excellent in their signature roles, successfully avoiding the "going through the motions" performances that usually accompany such familiarity with a character. The supporting players are adequate, if not notable, though Dennis Hoey is very enjoyable as the smug and incompetent police detective Lestrade. The story has a few indirect references to combat, but Holmes' talents don't contribute anything to the war-effort; he's much more at home when he's tackling smaller and more cunning foes than the Nazis. Above all else, Van Enger's cinematography is the picture's major star, and, considering that the filmmakers must surely have been working with a restricted budget, the crisp black-and-white photography brilliantly evokes the mood of a considerably more expensive film. Director Roy William Neill delights in subtle storytelling tools that increase the film's creepiness, including the mansion's blustery, leaf-strewn entrance, a uncannily-clever black raven, a clock-tower that occasionally strikes thirteen at midnight, and a supposed dead body that reaches out a clammy hand to ensnare the cold-blooded murderer.

Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) investigate murders at Musgrave Manor, an estate being used as a convalescent home for soldiers suffering from combat fatigue during WW2. Fourth in Universal's marvelous Sherlock Holmes series is a highly enjoyable murder mystery within a gloomy old mansion. This one's just loaded with atmosphere. Great wind and lightning effects, nice use of shadows, and some cool sets. Good supporting cast includes lovely Hillary Brooke, Dennis Hoey, Halliwell Hobbes, and Milburn Stone of Gunsmoke fame, who at this point was a contract player at Universal. A very good entry in the series.

For those that know "The Musgrave Ritual," one of the better stories of the Holmes canon, this doesn't do too badly. It takes place in a convalescent home where Watson is helping veterans who suffer from a type of PTSD. The patients, sadly, provide some comic relief, and Watson's role is once again foolish and clutzy. However, once the bodies start showing up all over the place, under piles of leaves, in the rumble seats of cars, etc., Holmes must come to the rescue. There is a lot of lightning and thunder and dark and stormy night stuff going on. There is funeral service where the heroine is asked to recite the Musgrave ritual, an ancient set of cryptic statements that eventually become significant to the solving of the case. Holmes pull a few tricks from his bag of deceptions. Like the original, everyone ends up in a hidden cellar which holds a secret. It is a reasonably resonant offering in the Rathbone series and worth a watch. The atmosphere is worth the price of admission.

The opening world turning and the Universal anthem playing and then the foggy cut to Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as the great Sherlock Holmes and his trusty sidekick Watson staring at us telling us that yet another one of their adventures lies before us always sent shivers of joy down my spine and engendered the greatest anticipation when I was young. These films hold up remarkably well considering,well, everything. The stories are not always the best, the scripts sometimes make too many assumptions about what they feel the audience knows or should know. The acting is very decent but like the script and direction - very formulaic and predictable. But somehow all of it works and we have little screen gems to be viewed again and again. Director Roy William Neill does yet again a fine,workmanlike job in this tale of Dr. Watson working in a convalescent home when murder and the the Musgrave Ritual collide. Though based on the short story by Arthur Conan Doyle, the screenwriter takes several liberties here. Firstly, we are in the present time rather than Victorian England. After the first two films in the Rathbone-Bruce series, Universal(when they took the series over from Twentieth Century Fox) changed the venue for cost reasons. They also had Holmes as a fighter against Nazism and such. This sixth film in the series makes a dramatic departure from that and goes back to the mystery roots delved into in the first two films. Wisely done. The story here concerns a ritual and people dying when the clock chimes thirteen bells. The real heart of these films is the performances of Rathbone and Bruce. they are not great. There is no pathos. No great acting scenes. But each man imbues his character with warmth and solidity that breeds confidence in what they are doing. Rathbone seems so earnest at times yet always has a way with words and a clever phrase. Bruce embodies the almost cartoonish buffoon with a heart of gold and loyal to the core. Character actors of great ability surround them. Dennis Hoey is always fun as Inspector Lestrade and his wit fencing with Watson is great fun. This film also has a gem of a performance by Halliwell Hobbes as Brunton the butler. He is comic perfection in his scenes particularly in his drunken one. Look for Gunsmoke's Milburn Stone(Doc) as Capatain Vickery. Like all the later Holmes pictures by Universal during WWII - look for the heavy-handed(No argument here as it being a necessary one)message delivered between Holmes and Watson. This is good stuff.