Les aventures de Sherlock Holmes

... played live whenever you happen to be around.

This is the second of two Fox films made for the series with Basil Rathbone as Holmes. The film starts with a jury acquitting Dr. Moriarty (George Zucco) of murder. Right after that, in bursts Holmes and Watson with evidence that proves Moriarty was guilty, but the judge says it is too late. And believe me the judge is not happy about it. As Moriarty shares a cab with Holmes as they leave the courthouse, they both provoke and prod each other verbally. Moriarty says that he intends to break Holmes by pulling off the crime of the century right under his nose. Then he says, with Holmes' reputation ruined, he can retire in peace.

In the following days Holmes gets two requests for help. One is for the crown, helping guard a rare emerald that is to be added to the crown jewels. The other is from a young wealthy woman (Ida Lupino as Ann Brandon) who has received a drawing indicating her brother will be murdered and even gives the date. Ann is not being hysterical, as her father received exactly the same kind of note right before he was murdered when she was a child. This double duty requires Holmes to practically be in two places at once. Is Moriarty up to something? Of course he is! But as to what, watch and find out.

Zucco makes a very good Moriarty. After returning home after his acquittal he goes into his greenhouse to admire his plants and notices one of them is dead. He chastises his manservant for having "murdered" a plant by not watering it properly. Later, when his manservant is shaving him, he practically dares him to kill him with the bare blade. He's evil, he's edgy, and he prevents his role from descending into camp.

There are a couple of odd things I had questions about. At one point, Holmes and Moriarty are having it out in a gun battle and Holmes runs up the stairs of a building. Moriarty chases Holmes. With the police on the way. Up the stairs of a building where there is no exit. Did Moriarty get confused and think this is the twentieth century where a helicopter can arrive with his minions and help him make his escape? Also, the bit with the death threat to the Brandon family. Did Moriarty have something to do with the murder of Ann Brandon's father years ago, or did he just know about it and duplicate the elements? This is never explained.

Nigel Bruce gets some good lines in as Dr. Watson. At one point he is lying in the street helping Holmes reenact a crime. A passerby asks him if he should get a doctor. Watson replies "I'm a doctor, what's the matter with you?".

Some national critics rated this the best of the old Sherlock Holmes films. I don't agree with that, but it's a good one. It's also a film I didn't fully appreciate the first time. On the second look, thanks no doubt to the wonderful "restoration" job on the DVD, it brought the cinematography to the forefront and made the whole story more attractive, too.

There are some wonderful scenes with light and shadows and foggy London streets. Story-wise, it's okay nothing that memorable except we see a very young and innocent-looking Ida Lupino playing a nice British girl. Holmes (Basil Rathbone) is his usual deductive self and Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) elicits a few laughs along the way, not as many as he did in future films but more than he did in his first Holmes film, "The Hound Of The Baskervilles."

There weren't as many suspects in this SH adventure as in most of them, but that was fine with me. It was more a battle of wits between the good detective and his nemesis, "Dr. Moriarity" (George Zucco), which is better than having a dozen suspects.

This entry in the Sherlock Holmes series is one of the best and it sees the great Basil Rathbone reprise his role as the eloquent sleuth, Sherlock Holmes, once again. This film sees the world's greatest detective face off against his arch nemesis, Professor Moriarty, who plans to not only commit the world's greatest crime, but do it right under the nose of our protagonist. Like most detective dramas, this one keeps itself alive by offering the audience a constant sense of intrigue and ensuring that we follow the mystery along with Sherlock Holmes. The film also benefits from it's central character, who is always a delight to have on screen before you. Holmes is brought to life with a confidant and assured persona, and you always get the impression that he knows exactly what he's doing. His mannerisms are also a treat, and the way that Holmes uses his spare time to do things such as play violin to houseflies, is absurdly funny and helps to build the character into the eccentric and intelligent man that he is.

While a few people, such as Peter Cushing for example, have played Sherlock Holmes; it will always be Basil Rathbone that will be best remembered for it. His persona blends exquisitely with that of the central character, and it makes for a great piece of casting. His mannerisms and personality are great throughout, and Basil Rathbone was clearly born for this role. The rest of the casting is good too, with Nigel Bruce in the role of Watson making the best of it, and also cult favourite George Zucco, who brings class and sophistication to the role of Holmes' arch enemy Professor Moriarty. The story itself is strong, and the two mysteries that run through it combine well together and both threads are interesting enough to keep the audience entertained throughout. It's a shame that films like this aren't made any more as they make for a great slice of entertainment, as we watch a mystery unravel before our eyes. Still, a lot were made in the 30's and 40's and I plan to track them all down!

The follow-up to the the very successful The Hound of the Baskervilles,is even better than its predecessor.Basil Rathbone gives a marvelous performance as the super-sleuth.His performance in disguise as a singer at a party is fantastic.He was totally unrecognizable.Nigel Bruce was as always good as Holmes 's sidekick Dr.Watson.But what elevates this entry in the Holmes-series was the portrayal of George Zucco's Dr.Moriarty,Holmes's nemesis. Moriarty's plot to break his enemy was rather clever.I enjoyed seeing Rathbone really getting in to the persona of Holmes in this one.The movie's short running-time was perhaps my only disappointment.

The only other in-period Rathbone Holmes film, this is brim full of atmosphere and high production values, never mind about how good the acting and direction was too. The many long scenes were taken leisurely which enabled me to get a real feel for Victorian London with all the fog outside the Fox set windows. Sadly the one aspect slightly lacking was the story but only through the comparison to Hound, overall Adventures is easily the best of the rest and the best Holmes-Moriarty duel on film.

Rathbone and Zucco souped up the mental jousting and added something more to the legend, it really was a pity Zucco couldn't do the other two Moriarty outings at Universal. Although Atwill and Daniell were both excellent as well - maybe the part couldn't fail as Holmes' foil! Ida Lupino played her melodramatic part well, she could have smiled at least once though! Nigel Bruce as faithful Watson was perfect as usual, at one point even to lying down and rolling over in the gutter for his ... master.

All in all, a notch down from Hound but in quality a long drop down from this to the Universals, much as I love them too.