The Dying Detective

IMDb lists 48 titles in this British series, made between 1920 and 1923. I suppose that output makes consistent quality difficult, and of the three I have seen this is definitely the worst. But, it's still a lot of fun. It reminds me of Yo-Yo Ma's comment about his cello, made in the time of Bach: it is a link with a beloved past. To think that Sir Arthur probably saw this movie--the rumor is he approved of Eille Norwood for the role--and that the stories were still being written when this series was made: well, that's neat.

So, I can be kind with my criticism and enjoy it for its own sake. But, I sure hope The Hound of the Baskervilles turns up some day.

Literal version of one of the lesser Holmes stories does not translate well to the silent screen. Although this team made a couple of dozen short Holmes movies in the early 1920s, they fail to demonstrate any real grasp of the character -- far too cerebral, alas, for so few words, and so not very good.

Dying Detective, The (1921)

** (out of 4)

Sherlock Holmes (Eille Norwood) knows that a man has killed a former partner but he can't prove it unless he finds a dying detective who knows what really happened. Norwood would play Holmes in over thirty films and he's quite good in the role bring an intelligent looking character but that's about the only good thing here. The story is somewhat hard to follow and again, Holmes isn't given much to do.

Devil's Foot, The (1921)

*** (out of 4)

Sherlock Holmes (Eille Norwood) is on vacation when he stumbles into a house and discovers two bodies. Both have been dead for hours but there aren't any visible signs of violence and soon other bodies start to pile up. Here's one I actually enjoyed since we get to see Holmes investigating the murders. As with the other film, Norwood turns in a good performance and the mystery works nice as well.

Man with the Twisted Lip, The (1921)

*** (out of 4)

Sherlock Holmes (Eille Norwood) begins an investigation into a dead man but clues make him think there might not be a body at all. Once again the mystery here is pretty good and Norwood delivers another good performance.