The Woman in Green (1945)

Sherlock Holmes investigates when young women around London turn up murdered, each with a finger severed. Scotland Yard suspects a madman, but Holmes believes the killings to be part of a diabolical plot.

Director:

Roy William Neill

Writers:

Bertram Millhauser (original screenplay), Arthur Conan Doyle (based on the story "The Adventures of the Empty House" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Stars:

Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Hillary Brooke

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Basil Rathbone	...	Sherlock Holmes
Nigel Bruce	...	Dr. Watson
Hillary Brooke	...	Lydia Marlow
Henry Daniell	...	Professor Moriarty
Paul Cavanagh	...	Sir. George Fenwick
Matthew Boulton	...	Inspector Gregson
Eve Amber	...	Maude Fenwick
Frederick Worlock	...	Onslow (as Frederic Worlock)
Coulter Irwin	...	Williams (as Tom Bryson)
Sally Shepherd	...	Crando
Mary Gordon	...	Mrs. Hudson

Storyline

Holmes and Watson investigate a series of bizarre and apparently unconnected murders, and the death of a possible suspect. The trail leads to a society of hypnotists and a mysterious, glamorous woman. The fiendish Dr James Moriarty, though reported hanged in Montevideo, is suspected of being involved.

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Plot Keywords:

irish whiskey | body mutilation | professor moriarty character | sherlock holmes character | dr. john watson character | 

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Taglines:

Temptress of Pleasure - or Mistress of Murder?

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 July 1945 (USA)

Also Known As:

Invitation to Murder

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

68 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although "The Woman in Green" is credited as an original story, dialogue is lifted from Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Final Problem," and the situation involving the sniper firing at Holmes' silhouette is taken from the next story in the original canon, "The Empty House."

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Goofs

The bust of "Julius Caesar" which Holmes sets up as a target decoy for his would-be assassin is actually a bust of Julius Caesar's nephew and ultimate successor Augustus.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Inspector Gregson: [voiceover] I won't forget that morning, not if I live to be a hundred. I counted the men as they marched out of the Yard. They'd hardly slept for weeks. We at the CID had slept even less, for the nightmare that kept us awake was all the same nightmare. That's why we weren't surprised when the Commissioner asked us up to the conference room for a bit of a talk. He'd talk to us plenty, we knew that. But it didn't help any to know what was ahead of us.

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Crazy Credits

After The End was screened the message "You're not giving - just lending - when you buy war savings stamps and bonds - on sale here.

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Alternate Versions

Also available in computer-colorized version.

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Connections

Referenced in The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes (1985)

User Reviews

Strange Crimes & Worthy Adversaries For Holmes

"The Woman in Green" is one of the numerous Sherlock Holmes movies with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce appearing as Holmes and Watson. While routine in some respects, this one features a series of bizarre crimes and some worthy adversaries for the great detective.

Holmes must solve a series of murders that each involve the same set of weird details, but that seem unrelated in other respects. The plot this time is somewhat different from most Holmes stories, in that the audience knows the identity of the villains early in the film, but it takes a while before we know why or exactly how they committed the murders. After Holmes figures it all out, he must still try to catch the criminals, and there is an interesting final sequence in which Holmes himself is in great danger.

Rathbone and Bruce always make a good team even with the most routine stories, and this one is bizarre enough to hold attention in its own right. It also features a good pair of adversaries for Holmes. Professor Moriarty is in this one, portrayed by Henry Daniell. The notorious Moriarty is very difficult to do justice to on film, but Daniell works very well, with his icy personality and suave demeanor. Hillary Brooke is also pretty good as his attractive and dangerous accomplice.

Though not one of the greatest Holmes films, "The Woman in Green" has most of the features that Holmes fans look for, and it should not disappoint them.