The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939 film)
The Hound of the Baskervilles | |
---|---|
Directed by | Sidney Lanfield |
Screenplay by | Ernest Pascal |
Based on | The Hound of the Baskervilles 1902 novel by Arthur Conan Doyle |
Produced by | Gene Markey Darryl F. Zanuck |
Starring | |
Cinematography | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The Hound of the Baskervilles is a 1939 American
Among the most-known cinematic adaptations of the novel,[3] the film co-stars Richard Greene as Henry Baskerville (who received top billing, as the studio was unsure of the potential of a film about Sherlock Holmes[3]) and Wendy Barrie as Beryl Stapleton.
The Hound of the Baskervilles is notable as the earliest known Sherlock Holmes film to be set in the Victorian period of the original stories. All known previous Holmes films, up to and including the 1930s British film series starring Arthur Wontner as Holmes, had been updated to a setting contemporaneous with the films' release.[4]
Plot
In 1889,
Watson and Sir Henry attend a seance held by Mrs. Mortimer. In a trance, she asks, "What happened that night on the moor, Sir Charles?". They are troubled by hound-like-howls. Watson meets a crippled peddler, limping on each of his legs, and receives a message to come see him. The peddler reveals himself to be Holmes, having been on the moor all the time making his own investigation. The hound kills a man on the moor whom Holmes and Watson fear is Sir Henry, but turns out to be the man Barryman was signalling to; Holmes explains that it was a convicted murderer, who escaped from
Stapleton kept a huge, half-starved, vicious dog trained to attack individual members of the Baskervilles after prolonged exposure to their scent. When the hound is finally sent to kill Sir Henry Baskerville, Holmes and Watson arrive to save him just in time, killing the hound. Stapleton traps Holmes down in the hound's underground kennel, and sends Watson on an errand to meet Holmes. Holmes cuts his way out of the kennel and returns to the hall and destroys the poison that Stapleton had just given to Sir Henry as a medication for his wounds. Holmes surmises that Stapleton is a Baskerville, who hopes to claim their vast fortune himself after removing all other members of the bloodline. Stapleton pulls a gun and flees. Holmes says ominously to Watson, "He won't get very far. I've posted constables along the roads and the only other way is across the Grimpen Mire." Holmes is praised for his work on the case, and he turns in.
Cast
- Richard Greene as Sir Henry Baskerville
- Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes
- Wendy Barrie as Beryl Stapleton
- Nigel Bruce as Dr John H. Watson
- Lionel Atwill as Dr James Mortimer
- John Carradine as Barryman, butler
- Morton Lowry as John (Jack) Stapleton
- Eily Malyon as Mrs Barryman
- Barlowe Borland as Frankland
- Beryl Mercer as Mrs Jenifer Mortimer
- Ralph Forbes as Sir Hugo Baskerville (in flashback sequence)
- E. E. Clive as Cabby in London
- Lionel Pape as Coroner
- Nigel De Brulier as Convict (as Nigel de Brulier)
- Mrs Hudson
- Ian Maclaren as Sir Charles
Production
There are several significant changes in plot details. Among them:
- Miss Stapleton is Stapleton's wife in the novel and is playing the part of his sister and is an unwilling participant in his crimes. In the film, she is Stapleton's stepsister, and is completely unaware of his criminal actions until Holmes reveals the truth. Miss Stapleton falls in love with Sir Henry and engages to marry him in the film. Her relationship with Sir Henry is left open ended in the novel.
- The film has a séance performed by Dr. Mortimer's wife. This scene never appeared in the original novel. Frankland's estranged daughter, Laura Lyons and Inspector Lestrade are omitted from the film.
- The butler was named Barrymore in the novel, but possibly because of the existence of the real-life John Barrymore of the Barrymore family theatrical dynasty, his name was changed to Barryman in the film.[5]
Reception
In a contemporary review, the
Awards and honors
American Film Institute recognition
- 2001 - AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills - Nominated
- 2003 - AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains:
- Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson - Nominated Heroes
- 2008 - AFI's 10 Top 10 - Nominated Mystery Film
References
- ^ "The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939)". AllMovie. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ISBN 1-903111-04-8.
- ^ a b The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) at Turner Classic Movies
- ISBN 978-0-8021-2789-1.
- ^ Miller p.60
- Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 6, no. 61. British Film Institute. 1939. p. 94.
Bibliography
- Miller, Ron. Mystery Classics on Film: The Adaptation of 65 Novels and Stories. McFarland, 2017.