Hammer Studio dabbled in Sherlock Holmes movies a few times. Some of those were, I believe, made for TV movies starring venerated horror film icon Christopher Lee as the famous detective. This feature film, however, stars Peter Cushing as Holmes, with venerated horror film icon Christopher Lee appearing in a supporting role as Lord Baskerville and Andre Morrell (
Plague of the Zombies) as Watson. This was the first Holmes movie I ever saw, back when I was a kid and too young to remember many details other than the scene of the titular hound standing up on top of a rock. In my memory, the hound glowed as well, but in retrospect, I'm pretty sure I'm mixing this up with the banshee from the end of
Darby O'Gill and the Little People.
Anyway, glowing hound or not, this is an exceptionally enjoyable film. Cushing was and remains long after his death he ultimate "man of reason," and he's a perfect fit for Holmes. The character affords him a chance to blend the reason and deductive powers of his Van Helsing character with the "suffer no fools" dedication of his Frankenstein roles. He's completely believable as Holmes, even if he's a little more amicable than the literary Holmes tended to be. And as Watson, Morrell excels. I loved Morrell's turn as a Peter Cushing-esque man of reason in
Plague of the Zombies, and he could have easily been cast as a very effective Sherlock Holmes. He brings that same sense of competence and wit to the oft abused role of Watson, giving us a character who is nearly a match for Holmes and a welcome departure from Nigel Bruce's "absent minded professor" interpretation of Watson.
Filling out the principal cast is venerated horror film icon Christopher Lee as Baskerville himself, a decent man haunted by the degenerate nature of his forefathers and seemingly in danger of being murdered by someone with a vendetta -- possibly of supernatural origin -- against the Baskerville family. Although you keep waiting for him to kill someone or reveal himself as otherwise evil, venerated horror film icon Christopher Lee finally gets to play the good guy. He even has a romantic subplot that is one of the weirdest things I've ever seen, simply by virtue of it including venerated horror film icon Christopher Lee.
Perhaps the truest testament to Cushing's dedication to the role of Sherlock Holmes, however, is that we never doubt his mental of physical capabilities. The Holmes of the original stories as an accomplished fighter, and this Hammer production doesn't shy away from action scenes. However, even at his healthiest, as he is here, Peter Cushing weighed something like thirty-nine pounds. Yet never once do I doubt his ability to whup ass, fence, fire off various pistols, tackle people, or perform any other feat of physical fitness, so thoroughly dedicated and convincing is Cushing. Plus, no one interacted with props with the gusto Cushing always showed, and Holmes gives him an opportunity to pick up and scrutinize all sorts of objects. The man has a passion for magnifying glasses!
I don't know how the Holmes purists feel about this film, but I love it. It is by far my favorite of the few Sherlock Holmes movies I've seen so far, and I am confident that there are very few contenders from knocking it from the perch. It's wonderfully acted, beautifully designed, and smartly written and directed. A class act all the way around.
Hammer Studio dabbled in Sherlock Holmes movies a few times. Some of those were, I believe, made for TV movies starring venerated horror film icon Christopher Lee as the famous detective. This feature film, however, stars Peter Cushing as Holmes, with venerated horror film icon Christopher Lee appearing in a supporting role as Lord Baskerville and Andre Morrell (Plague of the Zombies) as Watson. This was the first Holmes movie I ever saw, back when I was a kid and too young to remember many details other than the scene of the titular hound standing up on top of a rock. In my memory, the hound glowed as well, but in retrospect, I'm pretty sure I'm mixing this up with the banshee from the end of Darby O'Gill and the Little People.
Yeah, it's one of my favourite Holmes films too.