The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959)

Director:

Terence Fisher

Writers:

Arthur Conan Doyle (novel)
Peter Bryan (screenplay)

Release Date:

3 July 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Sherlock Holmes' Most Terrifying Adventure! [UK]

Plot:

When a nobleman is threatened by a family curse on his newly inherited estate, detective Sherlock Holmes is hired to investigate.

Plot Keywords:

Curse | Sherlock Holmes | Detective | Hound | Family Curse

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Peter Cushing	...	Sherlock Holmes
André Morell	...	Doctor John Watson (as Andre Morell)
Christopher Lee	...	Sir Henry
Marla Landi	...	Cecile Stapleton
David Oxley	...	Sir Hugo Baskerville
Francis De Wolff	...	Doctor Richard Mortimer (as Francis de Wolff)
Miles Malleson	...	Bishop Frankland
Ewen Solon	...	Stapleton
John Le Mesurier	...	Barrymore
Helen Goss	...	Mrs. Barrymore
Sam Kydd	...	Perkins
Michael Hawkins	...	Lord Caphill
Judi Moyens	...	Servant Girl
Michael Mulcaster	...	Selden - the Convict
David Birks	...	Servant

Runtime:

87 min | Canada:64 min (Ontario)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Canada:PG | Norway:16 | USA:Approved (PCA #19213) | Finland:K-16 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) (1988) | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England, UK

Company:

Hammer Film Productions

Trivia:

For his role as Sherlock Holmes he of course had to have a pipe but as Peter Cushing was either a non-smoker or didn't like the taste of the pipe, he kept a glass of milk always to hand to remove the taste.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In their discussion regarding the source of the tarantula used to attack Sir Henry, Watson asks Holmes how he knew the spider had not secreted itself with Sir Henry's luggage from South Africa and instead came from the collection of a local and eminent entomologist, Bishop Frankland. In classic form, Holmes says, "Elementary, my dear Watson, tarantulas are not from South Africa." He is wrong, as tarantulas, such as the baboon spider, are native to South Africa. A bit earlier in the film, Bishop Frankland asks if the tarantula in question had originated from one of the village. Here the expert was mistaken as tarantulas are not native to the countryside or villages of England. (To be fair, the good clergyman may have been trying to avoid admitting that a tarantula loaned to him by the London Zoo had gone missing.)

Quotes:

[introducing himself]
Bishop Basil Frankland: Bishop of the Upper Isles... for what they're worth.

Movie Connections:

Version of The Hound of the Baskervilles (2000) (TV)

A well done mystery thriller from Hammer studios

After their success with The Horror of Dracula, Terence Fisher, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee would come together again to great success with this fine entry into the Hammer series. I have to confess to never having read the original novel or ever seeing another Hound of the Baskervilles film, so this tale of mystery is completely new to me. Peter Cushing stars as the eccentric Sherlock Holmes; one of the most famous detectives ever written. He is called in when the lord of the Baskerville family is found dead on the moors, in a way that appears to be reminiscent of the way the former lord of the family was found dead. This ties in with a mythical curse on the family, which tells of a vengeful ghost known as the hound of hell. The film starts as it means to go on; with an atmospheric and mysterious telling of how the curse on the family came about and from the beginning until the end; this is a macabre, but not violent, tension filled tale of terror that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Peter Cushing has had the pleasure of playing many of literature's finest characters - Baron Frankenstein and Van Helsing among others, and he brings just the right amount of eccentricity, panache and arrogance to this one; Sherlock Holmes. In fact, this is arguably his best performance ever as this role fits him like a glove. He is given excellent support by André Morell (Plague of the Zombies), who brings class to the role of Dr Watson; Sherlock Holmes' friend and fellow investigator. The fantastic Christopher Lee tops off the cast excellently, and as usual approaches his role with the great charm and charisma that horror fans have come to expect from him. Lee wasn't as big a star when this film was released as he went on to be, but I wouldn't be surprised to find that this was one of the roles (along with Count Dracula, obviously) that won him the acclaim that allowed him to go on to become the first billed star for many of Hammer's later films. Terence Fisher deserves much of the praise for the fact that this film turned out well; his rural sets and macabre atmosphere help turn this tale into a fascinating ride and he executes all the sequences wonderfully, so that the finished product is an exciting and invigorating piece of film. Well done, I say.