O Cão dos Baskervilles

After reading Doyle's book to my kids -- the quintessential Sherlock Holmes novel -- I promised to get the movie so we could all watch it. I was a fan as a kid of Basil Rathbone's Holmes' series for Universal, and I tried to find that version on video. The VHS is out of print and surprisingly, it is not on DVD. So I bought the DVD of the Hammer version with Peter Cushing, Andre Morrel and Christopher Lee without having seen it before. I enjoyed the film, so did my kids and we would recommend this version. Cushing surprised me as Holmes -- he enjoys himself from start to finish. He is clever in a self-satisfied and almost playful way, not as intense as Rathbone. He's simply terrific to watch. Too bad Hammer didn't continue with Holmes because this could have become his signature role. Morrel also is a better Watson than Nigel Bruce for all the reasons stated by others. Christopher Lee seems a bit out of place here, but nonetheless he's so young in this film -- he looks like Nicholas Cage! -- that it is nice to see him a different role. The movie itself is uneven and the departures from the Doyle story struck me as odd. But if you one of those who believes Rathbone is the preeminent Holmes, I would encourage you to see this film. You may change your mind.

The initial version of HOUND, released in 1939, was the first to introduce Sir Basil Rathbone as the immortal detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, eventually resulting in the actor being the most identified in the role. Twenty years on, his contemporary, Peter Cushing took a stab at it as well, and the results are equally as gratifying.

It's interesting to note as well that Andre Morell's interpretation of Dr. John Watson, Holmes' steadfast companion and confidante, paints a more capable and robust picture of the cultured sidekick than the cloud of befuddlement that always seemed to surround Nigel Bruce in his performance.

Like Old Faithful, Hammer vet Terence Fisher directs HOUND as more of a stunning crime thriller with horror elements than an out-and-out costume romp, much like the others that the studio became famous (or infamous) for. Allegedly the start of a planned series, the idea was scrapped when Holmes didn't catch on with latter audiences, who were more drawn to Hammer's "Monster" movies with werewolves and vampires.

The best treat of all in this case, though, besides seeing British character vets in action like Morrell, John Le Mesurier (Barrymore, the manservant), Francis De Wolff (Doctor Mortimer) and a hysterical turn by Miles Malleson as Bishop Frankland, (worthy of Barry Fitzgerald), is seeing Cushing and Christopher Lee as Sir Henry Baskerville sharing scenes together, no matter how briefly, in a non-"Dracula"-inspired context.

If you love old-school mysteries, and Hammer films especially, be sure to add this one to your "Must-Rent" list.

The 1939 Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce production may be the definitive version, but Hammer's sole 1959 attempt at Sherlock Holmes remains the most atmospheric colour remake.

Peter Cushing and Andre Morrell make a more than passable Holmes and Watson double-act, and the rest of the cast are just right although Christopher Lee always seemed too stiff as a goodie.

Jack Asher's evocative photography is the real delight. No other version has captured so beautifully the muted greens, browns and golds of Dartmoor in England's myth-laden west country. What a shame that modern film stocks seem to have lost the softer warmth of Fifties Technicolor.

Hammer, as you might expect, played up the horror elements of the 'hound of hell' legend a bit too crudely. But David Oxley, as the Baskerville scion who brings about the curse, deserves his place in Hammer's gallery of depraved aristocrats. Accompanied by a crash of thunder in the prologue, director Terence Fisher captures him in long shot at the top of the stairs, possessed with fury as he tells his drunken fellow revellers that the servant girl they had intended to rape has fled. A hushed reaction shot of the others, before Fisher cuts back to a medium shot of Oxted. `I have her!' His face lights up with demonical inspiration. `We'll set the pack on her.!'

Maybe it does rather fall between two genres, but this hugely enjoyable Hammer yarn has left a footprint in each.

Shortly after their brilliant adaptations of the classic tales of Frankenstein and Dracula, the glorious British Hammer Studios decided to have their take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's immortal detective Sherlock Holmes with "The Hound of the Baskervilles" (1959). This turned out to be a splendid idea, as the Hammer formula works magnificently with Doyle's work. Hammer once again teams up Horror's greatest duo, Peter Cushing (as Sherlock Holmes) and Christopher Lee (as Sir Henry Baskerville) in what is another one of many memorable collaborations of the two British Horror deities. In addition, the film features André Morell (who would also star in several other Hammer productions including "The Plague of the Zombies" of 1966) as Doctor Watson. Hammer's trademark eerie Gothic atmosphere with foggy grounds, dark forests etc. fits the "Baskervilles" story like a glove. It has been a while since I've last seen the classic adaptations with Basil Rathbone, and I do not wish to discuss which version of this particular tale is 'better', but I can say that this Hammer version is a truly great gem for every admirer of classic Mystery and Gothic cinema.

The film begins truly creepy, with a prologue set in the early 18th century, when Sir Hugo Baskreville, a cruel nobleman who likes to play sadistic games with peasants, gets what he had coming when he makes the encounter of a mysterious beast. From then on, the wild, dog-like creature is known and feared as the 'Hound of The Baskervilles'; according to a curse, this hound is supposed to return and kill any Bakerville who dares to enter the moorlands where Sir Hugo found his end... In the 1880s, the great detective Sherlock Holmes is told about the sudden and mysterious death of Sir Charles Baskerville, a descendant of Sir Hugo. Holmes and Doctor Watson travel to the Baskerville estate, in order to investigate and to meet the new owner, Sir Henry Baskerville, who does not believe in what he considers to be 'old wive's tales'... at first...

The film does change the plot of Doyle's classic novel in some details, mainly by adding Horror elements that underline the Hammer-typical creepiness and Gothic atmosphere. Cushing simply is the perfect choice to play Sherlock Holmes. This brilliant actor was fantastic in any role he played, of course, but that of the most famous detective in fiction is one of those that he is particularly predestined for. André Morell is great as Dr. Watson and Christopher Lee is, as always, magnificent in his role. Cushing and Lee truly were the ultimate duo in Horror cinema, and this is yet another fantastic collaboration of these two great men. It is easy to see why Christopher Lee and the late Peter Cushing were best friends in real-life, when watching their ingenious work in any of the films and they did together. Directed by Hammer's Nr. 1 director, Terence Fisher, "The Hound of the Baskervilles" is another great example for Hammer's glorious style of eerie yet beautiful settings, haunting atmosphere and suspenseful storytelling. The settings and photography are wonderful as in most classic Hammer tales, and the entire film is greatly crafted. Many years ago, this was one of the first Hammer films that I saw as a kid, and, after many re-viewings, I still immensely enjoy watching it as an adult. This great little gem only ranks slightly below the brilliant "Dracula" and "Frankenstein" adaptations, and definitely is a must-see for all Hammer fans. Highly recommended!

Hammer Studio's greatest stars in top form prove to this day that old-fashioned, relatively cheap yet eerie good films can look and work when quality pros are at work. Conan Doyle did not focus here on detective intrigue, but on a gloomy atmosphere, since the surroundings of the Baskerville estate over which the family curse prevailed favored a Gothic mood. The sequences with the tarantula thrown up on Sir Henry Baskerville (suffering from arachnophobia), Sherlock's visit to an abandoned mine collapsing through the efforts of some undetermined criminal, exemplify the fine pumping up of suspenseful strain. There are also some lightweight scenes - for example, with the participation of a good-natured bishop whose distraction almost costs the young aristocrat his life. Hitchcockian "Hammers", which included the director Terence Fisher, hardly used to claim the laurels of major artists, being more modestly content with the title of artisans. Be that as it may, the studio's default experience with the horror genre in its classical form enriched the Holmesian cult. One can't help comparing it to other (at this point about two and a half dozen!) attempts to adapt the famous story. The 1939 version was quite good by the way.