User reviews

It's an excellent film of the splendid Sherlock Holmes Basil Rathbone series including two first-range nasties : one man , Henry Daniell as Doctor Moriarty and one woman, Hillary Brooke as an illusionist with malignant aims.

In the flick appears the usual of the Arthur Conan Doyle's novels : Mycroft (Sherlock's brother), Dr.Moriarty, Mistress Hudson , and of course Doctor Watson.

The film has a creepy atmosphere , it's in black and white with lights and shades that originate an eerie setting.

Set design is of first rate , the movie is very atmospheric ,the dark and gloomy slums of London are very well designed.

Basil Rathbone's interpretation is magnificent, he's the best Sherlock Holmes in the cinema , likeness to Peter Cushing and Jeremy Brett in television.

Basil Rathbone as Holmes plays in a clever, broody and impetuous manner.

Nigel Bruce plays as Watson with humor, goofy and joy , he's the perfect counterpoint to Holmes.

Rating : Better than average , 7/10 . Well worth watching .

"The Woman in Green" (1945) as directed by Roy William Neill is an unusually intelligent and satisfying thriller. Reliable Bertram Millhauser wrote the original screenplay, adding elements from several of Arthur Conan Dyle's stories including "The Empty House" to an interesting but rather gruesome mystery. The plot-line involves murders of young woman from whom a finger has been surgically removed after they have died. Enter Sherlock Holmes, asked to help by Inspector Gregson, who along with his Scotland Yard colleagues is being pressed by their Boss to get results on this series of disturbing killings. Gregson takes the murders of vulnerable young women hard, adding to the seriousness of their number and frequency. Sherlock Holmes, the world's first consulting detective, is moved also and suspect his old nemesis in the matter--except that the man has been reportedly executed in Montevideo. The solution to the case end by involving Holmes with one of the suspects who turns out to have been a victim, the man's daughter, a lethal mastermind, threats against Holmes's companion Dr. Watson's life, and a sinister climax that finds Holmes walking a tightrope between life and death as his friends hasten to rescue him. Director Niell has made few errors here, and makes clever use of shots from several stories high to set up an effective climactic scene As Holmes, Basil Rathbone is unusually heroic and effective throughout. Nigel Bruce is given a rather peripheral role with low-grade comedic bits that he does flawlessly. Henry Daniell is his thoroughly professional self as the mastermind, especially when he invades Holmes's Baker Street apartments for a eerie discussion with his chief adversary. Paul Cavanagh and Hilary Brooke are each given varying moods to play and do them very well indeed. Others in the case have smaller parts and vary in their effectiveness. I find two errors in the handling of a logical storyline. One comes when Maude Fenwick, daughter of a victimized father, is given no reaction to the discovery that he is involved in the series of murders; the other is the static nature of he shots in a nightclub-restaurant that might have been handled by panning with Holmes and the Inspector. Apart from these cavils, I suggest that this is an entertaining trip into mystery, mayhem and mesmerism. One worth more than one study as it is perhaps one of the best of the Rathbone-Bruce Sherlock Holmes series of adventures.

Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) once again faces off with his nemesis Professor Moriarty (Henry Daniell), as well as a beautiful hypnotist (Hillary Brooke), in this entertaining entry in Universal's Sherlock Holmes series. Henry Daniell was probably my favorite Moriarty from the series. He wasn't hammy at all. The guy just oozed intellectual evil. Rathbone and Nigel Bruce are excellent as Holmes & Watson, as usual. Purists balk at Bruce's Watson but I think he's lots of fun and immensely likable. Hillary Brooke has one of her better roles here. Some good direction from Roy William Neill. This is one of the Universal Holmes films now in public domain so make sure you watch a good copy.

"The Woman in Green" is one of the numerous Sherlock Holmes movies with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce appearing as Holmes and Watson. While routine in some respects, this one features a series of bizarre crimes and some worthy adversaries for the great detective.

Holmes must solve a series of murders that each involve the same set of weird details, but that seem unrelated in other respects. The plot this time is somewhat different from most Holmes stories, in that the audience knows the identity of the villains early in the film, but it takes a while before we know why or exactly how they committed the murders. After Holmes figures it all out, he must still try to catch the criminals, and there is an interesting final sequence in which Holmes himself is in great danger.

Rathbone and Bruce always make a good team even with the most routine stories, and this one is bizarre enough to hold attention in its own right. It also features a good pair of adversaries for Holmes. Professor Moriarty is in this one, portrayed by Henry Daniell. The notorious Moriarty is very difficult to do justice to on film, but Daniell works very well, with his icy personality and suave demeanor. Hillary Brooke is also pretty good as his attractive and dangerous accomplice.

Though not one of the greatest Holmes films, "The Woman in Green" has most of the features that Holmes fans look for, and it should not disappoint them.

Sherlock Holmes matches wits with THE WOMAN IN GREEN, a nefarious female who may possibly be involved in a string of ghastly London murders.

Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce return once again to the roles for which they were most famous -- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's celebrated detective Sherlock Holmes and his trusty companion Dr. Watson. Although the film is short on excitement and could definitely use a more satisfying climax, Rathbone & Bruce are never boring, perfectly portraying Holmes' superior intelligence and Watson's amiable bumbling.

One of the most enjoyable aspect of the Holmes films is the occasional vivid characterization provided by very fine supporting players. One of the very best was Henry Daniell, whose silky voice and air of sinister sophistication could be so valuable in a mystery drama. He had previously appeared in the series twice, but this was the first time he would play the Napoleon of Crime -- Professor Moriarty. Daniell's scenes with Rathbone approach something very special; unfortunately the script does not let them go quite over the top.

In the title role, lovely Hillary Brooke never loses her icy cool. Her best moment comes as she calmly utilizes her hypnotic prowess over Holmes. Also adding to the fun are Paul Cavanagh as a desperate knight, Sally Shepherd playing a baleful maid & Frederick Worlock portraying a mesmeric expert.

Dear Mary Gordon returns as Mrs. Hudson. Matthew Boulton plays a sturdy but uninteresting Inspector Gregson. And that's an unbilled Percival Vivian enlivening his brief unbilled role as Moriarty's mad little doctor.

This film, which included elements of Conan Doyle's 'The Final Problem' and 'The Empty House,' followed THE HOUSE OF FEAR (1945) and preceded PURSUIT TO ALGIERS (1945).

There is a vile murderer lose in London, not since the terror of Jack The Ripper has London been subjected to such gruesome doings. The killers trademark is that he severs the forefingers of his victims, the police are baffled. Enter Holmes and Watson, called into action once again, but even the intrepid Holmes is baffled. There is more to the case than meets the eye, and could there be on old adversary behind the murders?.

The Woman in Green is the eleventh of the fourteen Sherlock Holmes film's starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson, and the eighth of the eleven directed by Roy William Neill. Partly based around Arthur Conan Doyle's-The Adventure of the Empty House, The Woman In Green {ambigious title in context of the films content} continues the dark path trodden in the previous film, House of Fear (1945). As Holmes ruefully observes another female victim on the slab in the mortuary he muses "fiend that did this," and then promises to crack the case. It's Holmes obsession with the case, and the macabre nature of the story that carries the audience thru it's very chatty first half. That the darkness lifts at the midpoint is no bad thing due to the introduction of a rather well known foe from Holmes' past. However one has to wonder, as good as the "twist" is, if the film would have been better off staying in darker territory? You see the second half eases in tone as Watson slips into, what is admittedly always great fun, comedy mode and the babe of the piece {a smashing Hillary Brooke} becomes focal along with he who shall not be named. It works of course, this is Holmes trying to crack a devilish case, one that will encompass a new form of trickery in the pantheon of villainy. And then there is some fabulous shots used by Neill, one particular sequence involving swirling water and a white flower is very memorable. While the ending, in true Holmes, Watson and villain style, does its job all told. It's just one can't help feeling that this should have been far better than it eventually turned out to be. Still a fine series entry mind, and arguably the last time a Rathbone film had that delicious dark undercurrent to it. 7/10

Thank heaven for "Dr. Watson." Sometimes I think if it wasn't for his humor, some of these Holmes movies would be too boring to give them a second look. However, I am a fan of the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce mysteries, even if a couple of them, such as this one, are a bit slow. Most are much better than this one.

Most of the Holmes movies have at least one interesting villainous character, here being the famous Dr. Moriarity (not played well by Henry Daniell) and "the woman in green" (played well by Hilary Brooke, but no hint of green or mention of that in this black-and-white film.)

This Sherlock Holmes' episode was just too monotonous with the only entertainment provided when Dr. Watson (Bruce) was mumbling and bumbling around, which included being hypnotized. Bruce really was an underrated star feature in these Holmes movies even though I enjoy Rathbone best as the great sleuth.

Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) step in to help Scotland Yard when a series of murders hits London. They're all women and their right forefingers are missing! It seems an evil, beautiful woman named Lydia (Hillary Brooke) and Prof. Moriarty (Henry Daniell) have something to do with it...

Very good entry in the series. It's well-done with some very inventive direction (for this series) from Roy William Neill--especially during the hypnotism scenes. Rathbone is good as always; Brooke is very beautiful and just great and Daniell seems rather subdued. Bruce once again plays Watson as a buffoon--but I blame the screenwriters more than him. And we don't have the annoying Inspector Lestrade in this one.

Worth catching.

I'm a big fan of the Basil Rathbone/Sherlock Holmes series. This review is of the restored black and white 35 mm version issued in 2003. Having watched all of the Holmes films on TV or videotape, with bad prints and lousy sound, this restored version is the one to see. The restoration is perfect and shows the visual beauty of the film which is without question.

Basil Rathbone immortalized Sherlock Holmes in 14 films. The Woman in Green was the 11th in the series. There is a hint of tiredness in Rathbone's portrayal in this one. The story is interesting and involves severed fingers, the sinister Professor Moriarty and the mysterious Woman in Green. Henry Daniell is a good Professor Moriarty and Hillary Brooke as The Woman in Green is mysterious and seductive. As always, Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as bumbling Dr.Watson are fun to watch.

At 68 minutes the film is short. As with all Holmes films, we wish for more. By all means see it.

Four women have been murdered around London. The police suspect a Jack The Ripper-type killer but Sherlock Holmes has other ideas. Sir George Fenwick becomes the prime suspect when a highly incriminating piece of evidence is found in his possession. However, when Sir George is murdered the plot thickens.

The eleventh (of, ultimately, 14) films in the Basil Rathbone-starring Sherlock Holmes series that ran from 1939 to 1946. Adapted from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Empty House", "The Woman in Green" is an interesting and entertaining Sherlock Holmes drama. Like many of the Basil Rathbone films it is more a thriller than a mystery-drama so unfortunately the clever deductions take a back seat to action and tension.

Also on the negative side is the portrayal of Dr Watson, played by Nigel Bruce. Not Nigel Bruce's fault - he's doing as directed - but the fault of the screenwriter and director. Maybe I'm spoiled by the Martin Freeman version in the recent Sherlock series but Watson being played as an ignorant buffoon just doesn't work for me.

Overall, entertaining enough.

Watson is the best part of this story. Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and professor Moriarty (Henry Daniell) go at it again, but it is the humor of Watson that makes it all worthwhile.

Of course, Moriarty has a beautiful accomplice in Lydia Marlowe (Hillary Brooke), who uses her wiles to try and trap Holmes, if that were possible.

Watson (Nigel Bruce) seems to have all the best lines as he is hypnotized and sent on a wild goose chase. He just never seems to have a clue about what is going on. Holmes is not Holmes without him, and he knows it.

Always entertaining and enjoyable, the Sherlock Holmes series in the '40s is an interesting watch. The films "The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes" and "The Hound of the Baskervilles" were set in Victorian times, but the series of films is set in modern London, with the series used mostly as a World War II propaganda tool. Some of the stories are derived from the Conan Doyle stories and others aren't.

Rathbone is perhaps the definitive Holmes, competing with the wonderful Jeremy Brett and, in a different way, Benedict Cumberbatch. All three capture the basic coldness and analytical mind of the character and his abruptness. Rathbone probably resembles the Holmes we had in our minds while reading the stories.

The problem with the Rathbone series is Nigel Bruce as Watson and the way the relationship is written in the scripts. Watson in the '40s series is a bumbling fool whom Holmes occasionally mocks, though usually at the end of the film, Holmes' attitude toward him is softer.

In the stories, Holmes views Watson as the voice of the common man and values him as a friend and someone who can observe a situation on a different level. He's not a moron. In the "Mystery" series starring Jeremy Brett, and in the Cumberbatch series, Watson is young, good- looking, savvy and there is be much more of a friendship.

What Bruce brought to the role is the audience's awareness of Watson, which wasn't as prevalent before he played the role. He makes it an important one.

In "Sherlock Holmes and the Woman in Green," Holmes is battling his nemesis, Professor Moriarity (Henry Daniell) as he does in much of the series.

In this film, men are being hypnotized into believing they killed a woman and cut off a finger. This is then used to blackmail them. The daughter of one of the men asks Holmes for help, and this leads him to an attractive woman - apparently in green, but it's hard to tell because the film is black and white - who lures the men to her apartment and hypnotizes them.

The earlier films such as "Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror" were pure propaganda, but I didn't find them any less entertaining, and as Holmes is a real classic character, he fits well into the WW II era, as Cumberbatch does today, texting with his cell phone and using computers.

This series from the '40s is good, with a great Sherlock Holmes.

After ten films together, the chemistry between Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce translates into a convincing on-screen friendship as the iconic Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson; the genuine affection between the two partners in crime-solving is palpably evident in their eleventh outing, "The Woman in Green." Watson is evidently touched when Holmes openly admits he let a villain escape in order to save his dear friend's life. Despite his blustering, Watson provides valuable advice and support to Holmes in this film, and, despite his grumbling at being used, the good doctor is more than comic relief. In Betram Millhauser's original screenplay, a string of young women are murdered throughout London, and each victim has had a finger surgically removed. Holmes and Watson are brought in by Inspector Gregson of Scotland Yard to aid the investigation.

Producer-director Roy William Neill and his irreplaceable leading men have returned, and Neill has also brought back several other welcome figures from previous Holmes films in the Universal series. Veteran supporting players from other Holmes mysteries include Hilary Brooke, Henry Daniell, Paul Cavanaugh, Sally Shepherd, and Mary Gordon as the good, the bad, and the suspicious, in no particular order. Cinematographer Virgil Green, who lensed two prior Holmes films, provides crisp black and white images that especially flatter both Brooke and Rathbone, while his murky shadows that shroud London's back streets and the Victorian halls of 221B Baker Street add an aura of atmospheric mystery.

Unfortunately, despite the excellent cinematography, fine assured direction, and seasoned members of the Sherlock Holmes stock company, "The Woman in Green" is a notch down from the prior three efforts in the Universal films. The script utilizes a tired plot device that not only creaks, but also fails to convince. Although fans of the series will relish the interplay between Watson and Holmes and the old friends among the cast, viewers will likely groan at some overly familiar scenes and easily guess both Holmes's and the villain's transparent ploys. Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce are always welcome and a delight to watch, but some adventures do not match their talents, and this entry is among them.

Matthew Boulton is less of a buffoon than usual as the man from Scotland Yard as befits the sombreness of this particular case for Sherlock Holmes. The calibre of the casting that throughout marked this series is evident in the fact that Moriarty was successively played by top ghouls George Zucco, Lionel Atwill and now Henry Daniell, the latter unfazed by the fact he'd already been killed on both his previous appearances.

Sally Shepherd makes a formidable henchwoman, in the title role Hillary Brooke provides the dastardly professor with an elegant partner in crime; while there's a memorable scene in which a sceptical Watson is tricked under hypnosis by Frederick Worlock into making a fool of himself in public.

A vast majority of the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes films make for very entertaining stuff. The Woman in Green is not one of the best of them, Hound of the Baskervilles, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Scarlet Claw, Pearl of Death and The Spider Woman are better, but it is certainly better than the war-time entries. The story can have a tendency to stutter and start up again and takes a little too much time to get going, Watson's mocking of hypnotism scene was pretty embarrassing and fell flat and the new Inspector is an unfunny wimp, even Lestrade at his most idiotic is more tolerable. The Woman in Green is beautifully filmed though, with some nice spooky shadows and lighting and atmospheric scenery. The eeriness of the music for mainly mesmerising the victims genuinely gives a sense of uneasiness, while the dialogue is intelligent and sometimes funny and the ending is appropriately chilling and with the right amount of thrills. The direction is always solid and comes across particularly effectively in the hypnotism scenes. The acting is fine. Basil Rathbone is great as always, he has lost a little of his freshness but he is still commanding as Holmes and doesn't change any opinion of him being the best of the film incarnations of Holmes(in general for the character only Jeremy Brett is slightly superior). Nigel Bruce is amusing, though occasionally a little too blustery and bumbling, and has some of the film's most memorable moments with the sole exception of the mocking hypnotism scene. Hillary Brooke is visually entrancing and also gives a very good performance, not quite Gale Sondergaard but an effective female foil. Henry Daniell is excellent as Moriaty, George Zucco and Lionel Atwill may be a little more threatening in comparison to Daniell's more contained and soft-spoken approach, but Daniell is appropriately icy and suave in a subdued way. Overall, a good and mostly well-done film but not one of the best of the Rathbone Holmes films. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Roy William Neil directed Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce as Sherlock Holmes & Doctor Watson. This time, a grisly series of murders of women where they had a finger cut off after death have been occurring, and Holmes is determined to solve them. The trail leads to the title character(though no reference to green is made, and as it's a Black & White film...) Also involved is Professor Moriarty, now played by Henry Daniell, taking over from Lionel Atwill, despite dying in "The Secret Weapon"(Huh?) Good cast of course, but film is dull, and lazily written, with Moriarty's involvement and ultimate fate absurd and uninspired. At least this was his last appearance!