Sherlock Holmes and the Masks of Death (TV 1984)
"The Masks of Death" (original title)

Sherlock Holmes has retired. But when MacDonald asks him to take on another case, he says yes. There has been some mysterious murders, and there are no visible causes for the deaths. At the... See full summary »

Director:

Roy Ward Baker

Writers:

Anthony Hinds (story), Arthur Conan Doyle (characters),

Stars:

Peter Cushing, John Mills, Anne Baxter

Cast

Cast overview:
Peter Cushing	...	Sherlock Holmes
John Mills	...	Doctor Watson
Anne Baxter	...	Irene Adler
Ray Milland	...	Home Secretary
Anton Diffring	...	Graf Udo Von Felseck
Gordon Jackson	...	Alec MacDonald
Susan Penhaligon	...	Miss Derwent
Marcus Gilbert	...	Anton Von Felseck
Jenny Laird	...	Mrs. Hudson
Russell Hunter	...	Alfred Coombs
James Cossins	...	Frederick Baines
Eric Dodson	...	Lord Claremont
Georgina Coombs	...	Lady Claremont
James Head	...	Chauffeur
Dominic Murphy	...	Boot Boy

Storyline

Sherlock Holmes has retired. But when MacDonald asks him to take on another case, he says yes. There has been some mysterious murders, and there are no visible causes for the deaths. At the same time Holmes gets this case, Graf Udo Von Felseck gives him another case: find a young and missing prince to prevent war between Germany and England. But Von Felseck is not as honest as he seems...

---

Plot Keywords:

murder | death | sherlock holmes | kidnapping | detective | 

---

Genres:

Crime | Horror | Thriller | Mystery

---

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 December 1984 (UK)

Also Known As:

Sherlock Holmes and the Masks of Death

Filming Locations:

Twickenham Studios, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tyburn Film Productions Limited

Technical Specs

Runtime:

72 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Peter Cushing had only played Sherlock Holmes in one prior feature, Hammer's The Hound of the Baskervilles. He also essayed the rôle in 16 episodes during the 1968 BBC television season of Sherlock Holmes. He first worked with John Mills in The End of the Affair.

---

Quotes

Sherlock Holmes: You are my only friend, Watson. You have such a grand gift of silence.

User Reviews

An aging Holmes is still up to the job

A now retired Holmes (Peter Cushing) is called on one last time to assist Scotland Yard with a strange case, that they can shed no light on. Three bodies have been found, one in the Thames and two others in Whitechapel, all bearing a hideous look of fear on their faces, but all showing no signs of cause of death. Holmes is intrigued enough to take the case and with Watson (John Mills) in tow he sets out to solve it. However before he can, he is called on by the Home Secretary (Ray Milland) and a stranger who wants to keep his identity to himself, their plea is for assistance in the case of a missing German envoy, his disappearance, they claim could cause the outbreak of War between England and Germany. The stranger is Graf Udo Von Felseck (Anton Diffring) a German diplomat close to the Kaiser, Holmes impresses Von Felseck as he deduces both his name and his political affiliation. Holmes takes the case and soon finds himself mixed up with a plot to kill millions, he also gets involved with "That Woman" again, one Irene Adler.(Anne Baxter) Pretty decent TV movie from Tyburn films, with a good intricate plot and a fantastic cast, Cushing even this late in his career shows he still had the mental and physical agility to take on the role.