The Hound Of The Baskervilles

Starring: Basil Rathbone, Richard Greene Director: Sidney Lanfield Original UK Premiere: 1939 Dvd Release: 10th May, 2004 Number Of Discs: 1 Format: Black & White, PAL, Region 2 Encoding

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The Hound of the Baskervilles is a crime novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, originally serialised in the Strand Magazine in 1901 & 1902, which is set largely on Dartmoor. At the time of researching the novel, Conan Doyle was a General Practitioner in Plymouth & thus was able to explore the moor & accurately capture its mood & feel. In the novel, the detective Sherlock Holmes & his assistant Dr Watson are called to investigate a curse which is alleged to be on the house of the Baskervilles. The marsh around Fox Tor, Fox Tor Mires, was almost the inspiration for the books Grimpen Mire. Baskerville Hall may be either Hayford Hall or Brook Manor, which are both near Buckfastleigh. It is thought that Conan Doyle, who once lived in Birmingham, may have borrowed the name from Birmingham printer John Baskerville. The ideas of journalist & writer Bertram Fletcher Robinson were important in the inception of the book, although the extent of his contributions are unknown. Conan Doyle chose to bring back Sherlock Holmes for the story after previously becoming tired of the character.

To me this film has always been the one to watch. It may not be as true to the novel as say Jeremy Bretts tv film, But to me Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes makes up for this. Also the fact that the film is in black & white adds more darkness to the moor. It still has the main plot to that of Conan Doyles book. The end of this film really has some good bits. For one Basil Rathbone getting locked in where the hound had been kept. Something that wasnt in the book. But to me a much better ending. And the way the hound it self runs after Sir Henry & jumps on him will have you fooling off your set. At the end of the day your like it or not. If you want something more like the book buy Jeremy Bretts one. But to me this is still a very good watcher & all down to Basil Rathbone as Holmes. And when you think its over 60 years old it still looks good.

Basil Rathbone was an English actor. He was born Philip St. John Basil Rathbone in Johannesburg, South Africa, a son of Edgar Philip Rathbone & Anna Barbara George. His younger sister & brother were Beatrice Rathbone & John Rathbone. Rathbone was married to actress Marion Foreman & writer Ouida Bergere. He & Foreman had one son, Rodion Rathbone & he & Bergere had one adopted daughter, Cynthia Rathbone. He died of a heart attack at his home in New York City. He is interred in the Ferncliff Cemetery, Hartsdale, New York. During the 1920s, Rathbone appeared in Shakespearean roles on the British stage. He was in a few silent movies & played detective Philo Vance in the 1929 movie The Bishop Murder Case. Rathbone became famous for playing suave villains in many swashbucklers of the 1930s, including David Copperfield, Anna Karenina, The Last Days of Pompeii, Captain Blood, A Tale of Two Cities, The Adventures of Robin Hood & The Mark of Zorro. He was most notable for his starring roles in fifteen Sherlock Holmes movies. Posters Of Basil Rathbone

Editors Choice: Terror By Night, The Adventures Of Ichabod And Mr Toad, Dressed To Kill, Sherlock Holmes And The House Of Fear, Sherlock Holmes And The Spiderwoman, The Pearl Of Death, The Scarlet Claw, Sherlock Holmes And The Secret Weapon, View DVDology

Sidney Lanfield was a film director known for directing comedy films & later television programs. The one-time musicians first directing job was for the Fox Film Corporation in 1930; he went on to direct a number of films for 20th Century Fox. In 1941, he directed the Fred Astaire film Youll Never Get Rich for Columbia Pictures, then moved to Paramount Pictures. There Lanfield worked on a number of film comedies. He is probably best remembered for directing actor Bob Hope in a number of films including My Favorite Blonde, Lets Face It, Where Theres Life & The Lemon Drop Kid. Lanfields most profitable film, however, was the first teaming of Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce as Holmes & Watson in 1939s The Hound of the Baskervilles. In the early 1950s the reputedly strict taskmaster-director moved to television where his vaudville & comic background in films were put to use in television comedies including McHales Navy & The Addams Family. Lanfield was married to film actress Shirley Mason from 1927 until his death in 1972. Posters Of Wagon Train

Editors Choice: Youll Never Get Rich, The Hound Of The Baskervilles, Wagon Train, View DVDology

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