Le Chien des Baskerville

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.

When the noble Sir Henry Baskerville (Christopher Lee) inherits a property near a swamp, his friend Doctor Richard Mortimer (Francis De Wolff) hires Sherlock Holmes (Peter Cushing) and Doctor John H. Watson (André Morell) to investigate the curse that apparently killed all the members of his family.

I have not watched the other versions of "The Hound of the Baskervilles" to make any comparison, but this one produced by Hammer is a very good low budget movie. The cinematography creates a great atmosphere; the lines are very detailed and intelligent; and Peter Cushing, André Morell and Christopher Lee give magnificent and very convincing performances in their roles. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Cão dos Baskerville" ("The Hound of the Baskervilles")

Ah, you can't go wrong with Hammer. On the back of the DVD, Newsweek proudly proclaims "The Best of the Sherlocks!", and I have to agree. This is the role that Peter Cushing was born to play, it's a shame he didn't play it as often as he did Van Helsing. His mannerisms, his delivery, even his looks, everything about him is perfect Holmes. The rest of the cast are pretty good too, don't get me wrong, but Cushing puts them to shame. Though he is rather ominous in some scenes, it's nice to see Christopher Lee opposite Cushing as a good guy for a change. I really liked the classic plot, full of surprises, great characters, humor and lots of chances for Cushing to shine. The atmosphere is great, foggy and dark like many Hammer films. Perfect for horror. All in all this is a really fun film, though it does have a few pretty cheesy moments. Good film overall though.

7.5/10

This excellent 1959 Hammer picture starring Peter Cushing as Sherlock Holmes and Christopher Lee as Sir Henry Baskerville was in my opinion one of the best Hammer films they did. I found the film to be very nicely done with a generally spooky setting in the moors. I also found it to keep my attention a lot better than that of other Hammer films such as The Mummy. The acting from Lee and Cushing is of course superb as is the performance of Andre Morell as Dr. Watson. Overall, I would say that this is the best Sherlock Holmes film made to date.

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.