The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978)

A Sherlock Holmes spoof about a family that has been haunted for years by the curse of a horrible hound.

Director:

Paul Morrissey

Writers:

Peter Cook (screenplay), Dudley Moore (screenplay)

Stars:

Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Denholm Elliott

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Cook	...	Sherlock Holmes
Dudley Moore	...	Doctor Watson / Mrs. Ada Holmes / Mr. Spiggot / Piano Player
Denholm Elliott	...	Stapleton
Joan Greenwood	...	Beryl Stapleton
Hugh Griffith	...	Frankland
Irene Handl	...	Mrs. Barrymore
Terry-Thomas	...	Dr. Mortimer
Max Wall	...	Arthur Barrymore
Kenneth Williams	...	Sir Henry Baskerville
Roy Kinnear	...	Selden the Axe Murderer
Dana Gillespie	...	Mary Frankland
Lucy Griffiths	...	Iris
Penelope Keith	...	Massage Receptionist
Jessie Matthews	...	Mrs. Tinsdale
Prunella Scales	...	Glynis

Storyline

A Sherlock Holmes spoof about a family that has been haunted for years by the curse of a horrible hound.

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Plot Keywords:

bestiality | bestiality joke | bestiality played for laughs | low brow | effeminate man | 

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Taglines:

Can Watson survive the threat of the dreaded twin peaks and still play the swingle in public?

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Horror | Mystery

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

November 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Hund von Baskerville

Filming Locations:

Bray Film Studios, Windsor, Berkshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Michael White Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dick Bush replaced John Wilcox as cinematographer. Wilcox became terminally ill during the production of the picture.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Nun: Monsieur le Doctor Watson, what is keeping Monsieur Holmes so long?
Doctor Watson: Oh, reassurez-vous yourselves sisters, your holy relic will be with you momentarily.
Nun: But we have been waiting almost one hour!
Doctor Watson: Mr. Holmes is a very busy man sister. Monsieur Holmes is an, erm, tres occupée sister.
Nun: But tomorrow is the festival of St Beryl, already thousands of blind cripples are flocking to the chapel hoping to kiss the relic. In the name of all the flocking blind cripples, I beseech you...

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Alternate Versions

The UK R2 DVD contains 2 versions of this film. The original 1978 theatrical print that runs 85 mins and a re-edited re-release print that runs 74m. The major differences are (a) in the theatrical print the opening credits are postioned after the scene with the 3 nuns and roll over various amusing shots of Holmes and Watson in their Baker Street study (Holmes is reading a book by Freud called Guilt without Sex). In the re-edited print, the credits are positioned over the pages of the book after the intro scene with Dudley Moore on the piano. These credits are much abbreviated compared to the theatrical print and run much shorter. (b) When Holmes is first seen in shadow playing the violin the re-edited version then cuts back to Watson with the nuns saying he is Budapest and Holmes appearing behind him. The theatrical print extends the footage of Holmes in shadow so he now gets up, turns a light on, turns off a gramophone player and spits out his coffee before meeting the nuns. (c) the scene in which Watson meets Dr Franklin is much abbreviated in the re-edited version. In this version the scene ends after a brief conversation between the two in front of Franklin's shack. The theatrical print continues on with the scene for several minutes as Watson enters the hut with Franklin, views various stuffed animals' heads, and they have a conversation about why Franklin hated the late Sir Charles - jealously over his mistress. Franklin's mistress then enters the hut, the conversation continues, and then Franklin gets insanely jealous and starts strangling his young mistress as Watson crawls out of the building. The longer theatrical cut makes more sense and is better than the shorter print.

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Connections

Version of Der Hund von Baskerville (1955)

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Soundtracks

Twelve String Ties
(uncredited)
Music by John Churston (pseudonym of H.M. Farrar)
De Wolfe Music Ltd

User Reviews

I incorrectly assumed that a comedy was supposed to be funny...

"The Hound of Baskervilles" is apparently a comedy. However, unlike a normal comedy, there are no laughs to be had...not even one. And, if I didn't know it was supposed to be a comedy, I just assumed the people making the film hated Arthur Conan Doyle and his fans and simply made the film to make them angry. And, for those folks who are NOT fans--the film won't satisfy either.

The problems with the film are many. First, the script is terrible and as I said already, there are no laughs. The humor is very, very broad and there never seem to be any punchlines. Second, the stars, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, are dreadful. In particular, Dudley Moore plays Dr. Watson as if he's brain damaged--and there's no subtlety whatsoever in his performance. I am not exaggerating when I say he plays the part as if he's a high school student in a comedy play about Sherlock Holmes. The film drones on and on and on and eventually, I was so bored and turned off by the film that I turned it off--something I very, very rarely do. I found it to be a painful and miserable experience watching the film. I would have enjoyed a nice comedy about Holmes....this one sure isn't it.