The Musgrave Ritual

One of two surviving shorts from 1912 (the other is The Copper Beeches) in which Georges Treville plays Conan Doyle's famous detective Sherlock Holmes. It's a pretty dry affair, and Holmes does very little actual detecting, with most of the running time taken up with an explanation of how the crime in question was committed.

An early Sherlock Holmes case, this was directed by the actor playing Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous sleuth; as actor, Treville appeared a number of times in the role and, indeed, I acquired THE COPPER BEECHES from the same year soon after watching this! Curiously enough, Holmes' sidekick Dr. Watson is completely omitted here: consequently, the film feels odd – since this would basically constitute watching a Lone Ranger film without the benefit of Tonto's presence or, worse, a comedy with Laurel but no Hardy! The hero, too, is portrayed in his most recognizable i.e. pedantic fashion; being over a century old, then, the film elicits little more than historical interest today – at least, the subterranean location where the Musgrave treasure is barely hidden away from human eye is depicted via an attractively-painted set. The mystery, as seen in the movie, is not really worth Holmes' intuitive detection but, as I said, there are certain concessions the viewer has to make in order to extract a modicum of pleasure from the experience! Thankfully, the print quality is impressive for a 100-year old film.

Sherlock Holmes had been appearing in the cinema for a dozen years when Georges Tréville made a series of two-reelers for Eclair, a French film company. If you think it odd that a French company was making Sherlock Holmes movies, well, there had been a Danish Holmes picture three years earlier.

Although the other Tréville Holmes movie I have seen, THE COPPER BEECHES did not impress me, since Holmes is too cerebral a character for the silent screen, this is very watchable. The actor fits the lanky image of Holmes and his restrained movements contrast nicely with the stagier performances of the other actors. In addition, the heart of the story is very melodramatic, just made for the screen, and the photography, particularly the outdoor sequences, is very nicely composed.

Although this is not a film to recommend to anyone who is not both a Holmes and a silent film buff, those who are both should find it moderately entertaining.