Rating: 
Summary: Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Review: Adapted from a stage play based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's works, "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" stands on its own as classic entertainment for detective fans of all ages, and may well represent the peak of the vintage 14-film series from the 1930's and 40's featuring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.
As the legendary sleuth, Basil Rathbone further illustrates his mastery of the role with a dominating performance, which even includes a vaudeville song & dance turn in disguise. Nigel Bruce offers ample support as the ever-loyal Dr. Watson, who doesn't appear as the bumbling sidekick he would later become in the series. Ida Lupino portrays Holmes' latest client, Ann Brandon, while George Zucco appears as this film's devious Professor Moriarty.
Set authentically in the Victorian era, the story begins with Moriarty managing to elude justice (in the form of a hangman's noose) once again on a legal technicality, despite Holmes' best efforts. Afterwards, two separate plots (one of murder, one of theft) are soon rapidly afoot, but only Holmes realizes that Moriarty is somehow manipulating these diabolical events from behind the scenes.
Amidst the sinister fog of London's nights, Holmes is subsequently pushed to his limits attempting to keep his lovely client out of harm's way from a ruthless assassin, while trying to locate Moriarty in time in order to thwart his arch-nemesis' greatest scheme yet.
Lovingly restored by UCLA, this film is greatly entertaining and highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Holmes and Watson are Wonderful
Review: Arguably the best of the series, although for sheer mystery and general creepiness I am partial to the Scarlet Claw.
Ida Lupino is a lovely damsel in distress and George Zucco makes a diabolical Moriarty.
With the issue of this DVD along with the Hound of the Baskervilles, I have the entire Rathbone/Bruce series and enjoy escaping to another time and place.
I have one question- in the final scene, the movie freezes and lurches forward. Is this my copy or part of the reconstructed film?
Rating:
Summary: a classic
Review: As a child, my winter Saturday afternoons would not be complete without an old black-and-white murder mystery on TV. Sherlock Holmes, Charlie Chan, what a treasure trove to have them all coming back out on DVD, as clear as they were when the original audiences fell in love with them in the 30's and 40's. Bruce's Watson is overplayed for today's sophisticated audience, but like the memory of a loveable grandfather I find myself enjoying him all over again. Those too young to know, who are used to explosions and gore, find it difficult perhaps to understand this 'kinder, gentler' era of detective story. And Hollywood did take a lot of latitude with this series, especially when they 'updated' Holmes to the 40's. So this one (and Hound) - which remains in the original Victorian era - remains the best of them: a damsel in distress, a 'creepy' funeral dirge, a family curse, the jewels in the tower of London, Moriarity and his orchids, and Rathbone singing and dancing a music hall number. What more do you want for fifteen dollars?
Rating: 
Summary: Sherlock Holmes Never Looked Better on DVD
Review: Fans of the Basil Rathbone-Nigel Bruce "Sherlock Holmes" series have a particular fondness for this 1939 Fox release -- the last period adventure before Holmes and Dr. Watson re-emerged in a World War II setting at Universal Studios. Fox's high production values make this particular Holmes caper a standout, with classic performances from Rathbone, Bruce and George Zucco (as Professor Moriarty). Thanks to an excellent 35mm print from the UCLA Film and Television Archive, the newly remastered DVD is a definite keeper for devotees of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Rating:
Summary: The Sherlock Holmes MPI Series
Review: For those that want the ultimate copies of the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce films, buy the MPI Series.
The picture and sound is perfect!
The only glitch I found, is that there are a few errors in the sub-titles. i.e stuffed out instead of snuffed out.
These are much better than the KEY series that were the best before this offering.
Get Volumes I & II and The Adventures of Sherlock & The Hound of The Baskervilles
You will be more than pleased.
Rating:
Summary: Great discovery
Review: I grew up with this version of Sherlock Holmes - every Sunday afternoon I was glued to the TV as the masterful Mr Holmes solved yet another mystery. OK, for Sherlock Holmes purists, the Basil Rathbone version of Sherlock may be loathsome, but I found them to be wonderful film noir. This movie, like Hound of the Baskervilles is set in the original Victorian time period, unlike the later Rathbone version movies. Growing up seeing Holmes take on the Nazis, I guess gave me a comofortable vision of Holmes that Baskervilles and this movie lacks - I guess I'm not all that interested in Vicotrian England setting, so for me Baskervilles and this movie were someone disappointing. Nevertheless, the fact that it was Rathbone and Bruce made up for that short comming. I love Bruce's Dr. Watson. Bungling - perhaps, but still never more loyal a servent could Holmes hope to have.
For me, a must to add to my collection of wonderful Sunday Afternoon Mysteries memories.
Rating:
Summary: The Diabolical Professor Moriarty
Review: I was rather surprised by how much I enjoyed this adventure of Sherlock Holmes. What I could not get over was how much Basil Rathbone reminded me of Jarod in The Pretender. This is the second of the beloved Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce collaborations. Being new to the Sherlock Holmes movies, this was my first and I must say it will not be my last. The misty streets, horse drawn carriages and complete atmosphere of this movie makes it a perfect period suspense drama. In this movie, the diabolical Professor Moriarty has an evil plan to steal the "Star of Delhi" and he tries to distract Holmes in a wicked game of symbolism and deception. He knows how to play with Holmes mind and almost succeeds. Holmes is of course rather nonchalant about the entire affair and would rather protect the beautiful young heiress (Ida Lupino) who is in certain danger and is constantly running to Holmes begging for protection and answers to the mind games Professor Moriarty is also playing with her. So what does the "Star of Delhi" have to do with the inexplicable strangulation murders besetting the Brandon family? This taxes even the most formidable powers of Sherlock Holmes. A Collectable Classic.
Rating: 
Summary: I Couldn't give it Half a star, so I gave it 1
Review: I would have only given this movie half a star if I could, and that is because I can use the DVD case for my other CDs.
The movie is so irritatingly silly, that I couldn't bring myself to see it again.
Now, I should tell you that, I am a Sherlock Holmes fan and have read all of the stories and have all of the box collections by Jeremy Brett, and that is why when I chanced upon this one I didn't hesitate to buy it.
What a mistake I made.
The movie does its best to portray a man that is as far as possible from Sherlock Holmes, and yet they call him Sherlock Holmes!
From the very first moment that you meat "Holmes" when he is "trying to find the correct note with his violin that would irritate the flies", which is simply against the very simple fact that "Sherlock Holmes never knows anything or does anything, which is not directly connected with his line of work", to the moment that he fails at every step to clearly see the thing that is really going on (this by the way could be related to the incredibly dull plot of the story, but it does little to improve the character of the great detective), we see a figure which is anyone but Sherlock Holmes.
The above description would suffice to realize how Watson may be presented. Yes the local buffoon.
All this is simply against every intellectually interesting point that attracts the reader to Sherlock Holmes.
And at the end, to magnify that which is already a disaster, the plot of the story takes away the only possible surprising feature of the story, (which is one of the intriguing aspects of Doyle's genius in creating each of Holmes' stories), when they reveal to us plainly, what the one, Professor Moriarty, is planning to do, in his own words. In sum, I wonder if this movie even deserves the half star that I had considered for it, because not only the movie was a complete disaster, it inflicted upon a unique figure in the history of literature such a stain that takes away the shine of even that half star.
Rating:
Summary: Elementary
Review: Many actors have tried, but none has surpassed Basil Rathbone's embodiment of Sherlock Holmes. The razor-sharp profile, hawk nose and cocaine eyes seem torn straight from the pages of Arthur Conan Doyle. This is, undeniably, one of the great pairings of actor and character in film history. Odd to think, then, that the first Holmes film with Rathbone and his faithful Dr. Watson, Nigel Bruce, gave neither man starring credit. That honor on "The Hound of the Baskervilles" went to the romantic leading man, Richard Greene. The lapse in logic was quickly corrected, with Rathbone and Bruce going on to top-bill 13 famed Holmes movies from 1939-46. The UCLA Film and TV Archive has rescued the films from public domain hell, in a restoration that aims to return them to 35mm theatrical condition using original elements and acetate copies. The results as seen on MPI's DVDs are indeed impressive, with shadows and light elegant and edgy. Wear is within reason, and the audio suffices. Film historians' commentaries have been added to some of the feature films, explaining, for instance, just how the 19th century detectives ended up battling Nazis in WWII. The MPI collection -- whose titles are available separately and in sets -- started rolling out in the fall. The series concludes at the beginning, with "Baskervilles" and "Adventures," both made by Fox before Universal took over and "modernized" the Doyle stories. The Uni films have their moments -- "Woman in Green," for example, is grand and grisly entertainment -- but there's no topping these initial releases, set in Victorian times. "Adventures," the second Fox film, immortalized the line "Elementary, my dear Watson" -- catchy, but never from Doyle's pen. The film is based on a play by William Gillette, with two overlapping original but true-to-the-canon mysteries. The movie opens with one of the series' best moments as Holmes and his nemesis Professor Moriarty (George Zucco) exchange pleasantries and mortal threats as they share a carriage ride. Ida Lupino melts hearts in her last ingenue role. Holmes magazine editor Richard Valley does a decent job on the commentary but spends far too much time telling the life stories of all involved, even the bit players. You can just hear Holmes yelling, Get on with it, man!
Rating:
Summary: Holmes and Watson are Timeless
Review: Many feel this is the best of the series although for creepy atmosphere and unusual plot, I might vote for The Scarlet Claw.
George Zucco is the perfect Moriarty, Ida Lupino is a lovely damsel in distress and Holmes and Watson are never fresher.
I bought the entire newly issued series and most are the perfect escape into another age.
Toward the last scene, my DVD pauses and jumps.
Is that just my copy?
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