The Hound of the Baskervilles (TV 1988)

When latest heir to the Baskerville estate seems to be threatened by a family curse, only the master detective, Sherlock Holmes, can find out the truth.

Director:

Brian Mills

Writers:

Arthur Conan Doyle (novel), John Hawkesworth (developed for television by),

Stars:

Jeremy Brett, Edward Hardwicke, Raymond Adamson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeremy Brett	...	Sherlock Holmes
Edward Hardwicke	...	Dr. John Watson
Raymond Adamson	...	Sir Charles Baskerville
Alastair Duncan	...	Dr. Mortimer (as Neil Duncan)
Ronald Pickup	...	Barrymore
Rosemary McHale	...	Mrs. Barrymore
Kristoffer Tabori	...	Sir Henry Baskerville
Edward Romfourt	...	Purser
James Faulkner	...	Stapleton
Philip Dettmer	...	Pageboy
Stephen Tomlin	...	Perkins
Fiona Gillies	...	Beryl Stapleton
Bernard Horsfall	...	Frankland
Don McKillop	...	Vicar of Grimpen (as Donald McKillop)
William Ilkley	...	Selden

Storyline

Sir Charles Baskerville dies on the moor under mysterious circumstances and rumors abound about a demonic hound. When the American heir arrives to take charge, a family friend calls in Holmes and Watson to get to the heart of the mystery.

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Plot Keywords:

sherlock holmes | moor | hound | detective | legend | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Mystery

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 December 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

A sátán kutyája

Filming Locations:

Brimham Rocks, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Granada Television, WGBH

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the Railway scene the "GWR" No.5 is actually former Lambton Collieries No.5, an 0-6-2 Tank Loco Built by Robert Stephenson & Co. Ltd at Darlington (Works No.3377 of 1909). The Lambton Hetton & Joicey Colliery system was part of the large colliery systems in the North East of England, a system so large it even ran its own passenger service.

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Goofs

This adaptation makes the usual error of giving Watson a Webley Mk VI .455 service revolver. Though it has the "look" of a 19th century revolver, it was not fielded by the British Army until 1915, almost thirty years after the story is set.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Dr. John Watson: Finished.
[stretching]
Dr. John Watson: Aah!
[picks up and studies walking stick]
Sherlock Holmes: [with his back to Watson] What do you make of it, Watson?
Dr. John Watson: What? Huh,I believe you've got eyes in the back of your head, Holmes.
Sherlock Holmes: Well, I have a well-polished coffee pot in front of me.

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Connections

Version of Sherlock Holmes: L'ultimo dei Baskerville - Seconda puntata (1968)

User Reviews

Very enjoyable

Firstly, my opinion towards this endeavour is quite biased by the fact that I love Jeremy Brett's portrayal of Holmes in the Granada series. He - and the whole production - made for me the ideal shift in medium between literature and television. I love the books as books, and I love the small screen version as television. I think Conan Doyle's message in Hound has been carried faithfully forward in this production, or at least as much as is possible when going to television from literature.

Yes, the production is slow at times: so is the book. And therein lies this story's particular charm; it is to be savoured, like a fine cigar with cognac, not to be devoured like a Big Mac meal. Both have their own unique charm, and are to be appreciated in their own unique way. Hound is to be savoured, to be meditated upon, its taste becomes rich and appreciated only after examination. And it is in this vein that it must be appreciated. It is, admittedly, difficult to appreciate this sort of production in our society, but at least this production brings us back to a time when the viewer must interact and work along with the production to appreciate it fully. Which is not unlike the book itself; and it is an ingenious accomplishment to take not only the raw content of the book and film it, but to take the very underlying unspoken mystique of the book, and capture that on celluloid as well.

On these counts, this production succeeds magnificiently. I encourage everyone to watch this, but not just to watch, but involve yourself in it. Beyond the genius of the film mentioned above, Holmes and Watson are depicted magnificiently, and the sets are quite good; dismal, bleak and unappealing in the country, and (what I imagine is) Victorian England come alive again in the scenes from London.