The Woman in Green (1945)

Sherlock Holmes investigates when young women around London turn up murdered, each with a finger severed off. 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 characters created by) (as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Stars:

Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Hillary Brooke

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Basil Rathbone	...	Holmes
Nigel Bruce	...	Watson
Hillary Brooke	...	Lydia
Henry Daniell	...	Moriarty (as Moriarity)
Paul Cavanagh	...	Fenwick
Matthew Boulton	...	Inspector Gregson
Eve Amber	...	Maude
Frederick Worlock	...	Onslow (as Frederic Worlock)
Coulter Irwin	...	Williams (as Tom Bryson)
Sally Shepherd	...	Crandon
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.

---

Plot Keywords:

sherlock holmes | professor moriarty | doctor watson | irish whiskey | body mutilation | 

---

Taglines:

From Her LIPS - Poison That Bred MURDER!

---

Genres:

Drama | Mystery

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 July 1945 (USA)

Also Known As:

Invitation to Death

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

Around 0:58:10, Holmes is pressured to take a tablet of "Cannabis japonica" (a fictional species of marijuana invented by the screenwriters), ostensibly to relax his mind and make it easier for him to be hypnotized.

---

Goofs

At the end of the film, a supposedly hynpnotised Holmes is walking on the terrace wall above the street. Although it is shown to be of a basically brick construction, his footsteps make a hollow sound, which leads to the conclusion that the wall is made of material other than brick or concrete. Similarly, the whole of the scene taking place on the terrace has an echoing sound, indicating that it's studio bound.

---

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.

---

Crazy Credits

In the cast list at the end, Professor Moriarty's name is misspelled as professor Moriarity.

---

Connections

Follows The Spider Woman (1943)

User Reviews

Watson, Not Holmes, Saves This Sub-Par Story

Thank heaven for "Dr. Watson." Sometimes I think if it wasn't for his humor, some of these Holmes movies would be too boring to give them a second look. However, I am a fan of the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce mysteries, even if a couple of them, such as this one, are a bit slow. Most are much better than this one.

Most of the Holmes movies have at least one interesting villainous character, here being the famous Dr. Moriarity (not played well by Henry Daniell) and "the woman in green" (played well by Hilary Brooke, but no hint of green or mention of that in this black-and-white film.)

This Sherlock Holmes' episode was just too monotonous with the only entertainment provided when Dr. Watson (Bruce) was mumbling and bumbling around, which included being hypnotized. Bruce really was an underrated star feature in these Holmes movies even though I enjoy Rathbone best as the great sleuth.