IMDb > The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939)

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   3,270 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 8% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Sidney Lanfield
Writers:
Ernest Pascal (screenplay)
Arthur Conan Doyle (novel)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Hound of the Baskervilles on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
31 March 1939 (USA) more
Genre:
Crime | Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller more
Plot:
Sherlock Holmes ,aided by Dr Watson, investigates mysterious deaths apparently caused by a family curse. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
NewsDesk:
(4 articles)
Prime Stage Theatre Presents Our Town, 10/17 - 10/25
 (From BroadwayWorld.com. 25 October 2009, 3:00 AM, PDT)
Prime Stage Theatre Presents Our Town, 10/17 - 10/25
 (From BroadwayWorld.com. 17 October 2009, 3:00 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Excellent debut for Rathbone as Holmes in a faithful and involving adaptation more (51 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Richard Greene ... Sir Henry Baskerville
Basil Rathbone ... Sherlock Holmes
Wendy Barrie ... Beryl Stapleton
Nigel Bruce ... Dr. Watson
Lionel Atwill ... James Mortimer, M.D.
John Carradine ... Barryman
Barlowe Borland ... Frankland
Beryl Mercer ... Mrs. Jenifer Mortimer
Morton Lowry ... John Stapleton
Ralph Forbes ... Sir Hugo Baskerville
E.E. Clive ... Cabby
Eily Malyon ... Mrs. Barryman
Lionel Pape ... Coroner
Nigel De Brulier ... Convict (as Nigel de Brulier)
Mary Gordon ... Mrs. Hudson
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
80 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)
Certification:
UK:PG | Norway:16 | USA:Approved (certificate #5037) | Finland:K-16
Company:
Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The first Sherlock Holmes film of Basil Rathbone. more
Goofs:
Continuity: The position of Dr. Watson's left hand as he his writing his first, second and fourth letters back to Sherlock Holmes. more
Quotes:
Sherlock Holmes: The only way to nab our man is to catch him in the act - catch him so that there's no escape, no alibi. And that means gambling with Sir Henry's life.
Dr. Watson: [horrified] But ...
Sherlock Holmes: Gambling to save his life. But we've got to take that chance.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in "The New Scooby-Doo Movies: The Secret of Shark Island (#1.8)" (1972) more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
Excellent debut for Rathbone as Holmes in a faithful and involving adaptation, 8 December 2008
Author: AdnanZ

Familiarity with "The Hound of the Baskervilles" is always going to be an issue when it comes to the countless adaptations of it. It is probably the best-loved and best-known of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories (and one of his longest and best-developed tales). It helps that it's a story that is quite hard not to love, and one which never gets boring no matter how many times you read or watch it.

This 1939 film, the first film featuring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson, is a particularly concise and tight adaptation that runs for only 80 minutes but still delivers all the essential aspects of the story, fine photography and atmosphere, tight direction, and superb performances from just about everyone involved. There remains the question of how someone as seemingly foolish as Bruce's Watson became a doctor, but you come to accept such things and appreciate his performance for what it is.

It's not quite the best version of the tale nor the best of the Rathbone films, but there is a great deal to enjoy here. My favorite adaptation is the glorious 1959 Hammer version with Peter Cushing and Andre Morell as Holmes and Watson. It was the first Sherlock Holmes film filmed in color, and while it is a liberal adaptation to say the least it is gloriously entertaining and has a superb script. If only Hammer had done a full Sherlock Holmes series, it could have matched the Rathbone series in both length and quality, perhaps it might have surpassed it.

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