Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1943)

Director:

Roy William Neill

Writers:

Edward T. Lowe Jr. (screenplay) &
Scott Darling (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

12 February 1943 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

Starting in Switzerland, Sherlock Holmes rescues the inventor of a bomb-sight which the allies want to keep from the Nazis...

Plot Keywords:

Switzerland | Sherlock Holmes | Inventor | Nazi | Rescue

Cast

Basil Rathbone	...	Sherlock Holmes
Nigel Bruce	...	Doctor John H. Watson
Lionel Atwill	...	Professor James Moriarty
Kaaren Verne	...	Charlotte Eberli
William Post Jr.	...	Dr. Franz Tobel
Dennis Hoey	...	Inspector Beth Lestrade
Holmes Herbert	...	Sir Reginald Bailey
Mary Gordon	...	Mrs. Martha Hudson

Also Known As:

Secret Weapon (USA) (short title)
Sherlock Holmes Fights Back (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

UK:80 min | USA:68 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Sweden:15 | UK:PG (video rating) (1990) | UK:U (original rating) (cut) | USA:Approved (PCA #8660)

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

The lines that Holmes quotes at the end of the film are a condensed version of William Shakespeare's lines from Richard II. [Richard II, 2.1, 40-51]

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The bombing range is obviously not in England. Also there are too many explosions for the number of bombs dropped from the aircraft.

Quotes:

Sherlock Holmes: ...I must confess I shied at the thought of disemboweling a complete set of Charles Dickens.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

Soundtrack:

Sobre las Olas (Over the Waves)

Holmes fights WWII

Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) have been hired by the British government to protect a Swiss scientist Dr. Franz Tobel (William Post Jr.). He has a bomb that the British want to win the war. Unfortunately the evil Dr. Moriarty (Lionel Atwill) is working with the Nazis and will stop at nothing to get the doctor--and his invention.

Moving Sherlock Holmes to the 1940s sounded like a stupid idea but it does work for one reason--Basil Rathbone. Arguably he is the BEST Sherlock Holmes ever put on the screen. He plays the character so well (and accurately) that it doesn't matter what era he's solving crimes. As for Nigel Bruce as Watson...everybody has problems with it. He plays Watson as a bumbling old fool...that is NOT the Watson of the books. You seriously wonder why Holmes puts up with him. Still, he does grow on you (in a way). Then there's Atwill having a whale of a time playing Moriarty--the discussions and battle of wits between him and Holmes are just great! I've never liked Dennis Hoey as Inspector Lestrade--he's such an idiot. Makes Watson look like a genius. And Post Jr. is pretty good as Tobel (even though his accent amusingly keeps changing!).

This movie is done elaborately and runs only a little over an hour. Still, it does have it's slow spots and I never understood the secret code section.

Still, worth catching if just for Rathbone and Atwill.