Terror by Night (1946)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Roy William Neill

Writers:

Arthur Conan Doyle (characters)
Frank Gruber (screenplay)

Release Date:

1 February 1946 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

One Way Ticket to DEATH..!

Plot:

When the fabled Star of Rhodesia diamond is stolen on a London to Edinburgh train and the son of its owner murdered, Holmes must discover which of his suspicious fellow passengers is responsible.

Plot Keywords:

Diamond | Train | Inspector | Theft | Sherlock Holmes

US TV Schedule:

Thur. July 23

4:15 AM

TCM

Cast

Basil Rathbone	...	Sherlock Holmes
Nigel Bruce	...	Dr. John H. Watson
Alan Mowbray	...	Major Duncan-Bleek
Dennis Hoey	...	Inspector Lestrade
Renee Godfrey	...	Ms Vedder - Escorting Mother's Coffin
Frederick Worlock	...	Prof. William Kilbane (as Frederic Worlock)
Mary Forbes	...	Lady Margaret Carstairs
Skelton Knaggs	...	Moran's Accomplice-killer
Billy Bevan	...	Passenger Car Attendant Taking Tickets
Geoffrey Steele	...	Roland - Lady Carstairs's son

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:U (video rating) (1992) | USA:Approved (PCA #11349)

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

One of several titles in the Sherlock Holmes series whose original copyrights were apparently not renewed and have thereby fallen into public domain; as a result, seriously inferior copies are presently being offered by a number of VHS and DVD dealers who do not have access to original studio masters.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Early in the movie the discovery of the Star of Rhodesia is shown. The diamond picked out of the mud looks perfectly clear, with sharp edges. However, raw diamonds have rough round edges and appear quite ordinary, with only a hint of regular crystal form.

Quotes:

Sherlock Holmes: The young lady is taking her mother to Scotland for burial.
Inspector Lestrade: In a coffin?
Sherlock Holmes: That is the customary method, I believe.

Movie Connections:

Follows The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939)

Vastly underrated entry in the classic Sherlock Holmes series

You gotta love the classic Sherlock Holmes films - and I certainly do! To be honest, I wasn't expecting all that much out of Terror by Night - it's not often mentioned alongside the best of the series, and I'm not really sure what the reason for that is. Set aboard a speeding train, Terror by Night breathes a claustrophobic atmosphere throughout and does everything that you could possibly want one of these classic pictures to do. The last film in the Sherlock Holmes series, Dressed to Kill, was sub-par (but certainly not bad!) so it's good to see that the entries in the series leading up to that lapse didn't go the same way. The cast outdo themselves as usual, with Basil Rathbone providing the central role as only he can. Nigel Bruce joins him in support as the inept but lovable Dr Watson, and their chemistry is superb as usual. Perhaps not quite as great as some of the earlier films; but then again, they had done this twelve times already by this point. Finally, Dennis Hoey in the role of Scotland Yard inspector Lestrade makes up the cast. His presence really is underrated in the series, and he helps to give the film all-important extra comic dimension.

A few of the Holmes films made during World War Two annoyed me because of the rampant and often ham-fisted propaganda themes, so maybe one of the reason why this film appealed to me so much is that it stays away from any such themes. What we have instead is a streamlined and simple plot, which allows for more of what we tuned in for; namely, Holmes solving a mystery. The great detective has been hired to guard a lady carrying a rare diamond, The Star of Rhodesia, aboard a train bound for Edinburgh. I won't give anything else away, but I will say that while a few of the plot twists become apparent before they happen; most of them don't, and Terror by Night represents a solid hour of mystery. The classic style that makes the other films such a joy is here too; and because of the fact that this film (or any others in the series) never makes a direct bid for greatness, it is easy to enjoy and ignore any flaws that may ensue. This film isn't often mentioned when talking about the best Sherlock Holmes films - and it is topped by certain entries in the series. However, Terror by Night is a more than solid entry and you'll do well not to skip it!