Sherlock Holmes a Washington

I've seen Sherlock Holmes In Washington a couple of times and although not the best of the series, I found it enjoyable.

During the Second World War, Holmes and Dr Watson head to Washington to investigate a missing document on a microfilm which is hidden in a matchbox. After getting the clues, they retrieve it at the end and head back to London.

As always, Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce play Holmes and Watson brilliantly and are joined in this one by George Zucco (The Flying Serpent, House of Frankenstein), Marjorie Lord, Holmes Herbert (The Pearl of Death, Ghost of Frankenstein) and Henry Daniell.

Though not the best of the Rathbone/Bruce movies, Sherlock Holmes in Washington is certainly worth a look. Enjoyable.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5.

Once again Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce deliver the goods in "Sherlock Holmes in Washington." I like this film from 1943.... A great cast that includes Henry Daniell, George Zucco and some other fine actors of note......

If I have any gripe at all about the series of 'Holmes' films that Rathbone and Bruce made is, they are all between 60 to 75 minutes long.... To me, that means rather short... I'd prefer longer scripts and films that run at least 80 to 90 minutes long.... For the 1940s, that is a normal run......

I love these old-time co-stars like "Henry Daniell, George Zucco, Lionel Atwill & Dennis Hoey." All them guys were pluses for the series of 'Holmes' films produced from 1939 to 1946...... Good quality there...

MR.BILL

It seems to me that which ever Sherlock Holmes {Rathbone} film I watch there is always comments on the site stating it's one of the weaker in the series !!, it really just goes to show how we are all different as regards our love of the series because to me this entry is far from being weak. It has a very tidy plot that takes our delightful duo to America and contains one of my favourite sequences as we watch a (critical to the plot) book of matches go from person to person at a social gathering. Holmes gets to act up as an eccentric art collector and Watson does what he does best, comedy relief. The ending perhaps could of packed a bigger punch for me personally, but all in all it's yer above average detective drama acted out with the usual style from the regulars, 7/10.

Third in the Universal series of Sherlock Holmes films is another strong one with a WWII plot. A British secret agent carrying important documents is kidnapped en route to Washington, D.C. The British government turns to Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) to find the agent and the documents. Together with Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce), Holmes journeys to America to investigate.

Rathbone and Bruce are terrific, as usual. This is the last entry in the series where Rathbone sports that silly hairstyle. George Zucco and Henry Daniell are great villains, which should surprise no one. They both played Holmes' nemesis Prof. Moriarty in other films. Holmes Herbert, Thurston Hall, Gavin Muir, and Edmund Macdonald are among the fine actors in the wonderful supporting cast. Marjorie Lord provides the pretty. Strong direction from Roy William Neill.

It's a very entertaining movie. No backhanded compliments here. No "best of the propaganda Holmes films" or "thankfully not as much flag-waving as the previous two films" or any of that stuff. Unlike some other reviewers I don't respond to patriotism (especially during WWII) like the Wicked Witch responds to water. After this entry, Holmes would return to murder mysteries although still taking place in the (then) present day rather than the Victorian era, much to the consternation of Holmes purists. I have my thoughts on that but I'll just quote John Archer, the actor who played Lt. Pete Merriam in this film: "Those Sherlock Holmes fans -- by God, they are rabid. They want everything to be just the way it was."

I'm a big fan of Universal's Sherlock Holmes series, and Sherlock Holmes in Washington is definitely one of the better entries. The best Sherlock Holmes films tend to be the ones with a horror element (such as The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Scarlet Claw), but even though this one offers nothing in the way of horror; it still manages to present an excellent mystery for Holmes to unravel. He has been sent to Washington on the trail of some stolen microfilm containing important government information. This mystery is set apart from the rest of the series because of the fact that it is set in Washington DC, as opposed to Holmes' native London. The film is conscious of it's surroundings as it spends a lot of time talking about the difference in convention between Britain and America, which is shown best in a sequence involving the hilarious Doctor Watson. As usual with Holmes films, this one features two great performances from the leads; Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, and it's obvious that these two have worked together on many occasions, as their chemistry is flawless. The mystery itself is well plotted and plays out in a way that is both exciting and full of tension. The film's standout moment is draped in irony, and takes place during a dinner party in which the guests take it in turns to handle the microfilm. On the whole, if you like Holmes films; you'll like this one!