Universal Pictures achieved great
success with their Sherlock Holmes franchise; the combination of Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle’s wonderful stories brought to life via the
character actor supreme, Basil Rathbone (and the chemistry he shared
with costar Nigel Bruce) was too much to ignore at the box office. After
the first Sherlock Holmes adaptation, THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES in
1939, Rathbone and Bruce returned to the roles no less than 14 times.
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE HOUSE OF FEAR is based on the Arthur Conan Doyle
story, The Adventure of Five Orange Pips. In addition to Rathbone
and Bruce, SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE HOUSE OF FEAR features an ensemble
cast of top-notch British thespians, including character actor Aubrey
Mather, who delivered prominent performances in the genre classics, THE
UNDYING MONSTER (1942), HEAVEN CAN WAIT (1943), and THE LODGER (1944).
British player Dennis Hoey appeared in several notable motion pictures,
including SHE WOLF OF LONDON (1946), FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN
(1943), and PHANTOM SHIP (1935). In the Universal Sherlock Holmes
productions, Hoey played the re-occurring comedic character of Inspector
Lestrade. Paul Cavanaugh enjoyed B movie status in such popular features
as SON OF DR. JECKYLL (1950), BRIDE OF THE GORILLA (1951), and HOUSE OF
WAX (1953). Holmes Herbert starred in INVISIBLE AGENT (1940), GHOST OF
FRANKENSTEIN (1940), and THE MUMMY’S CURSE (1944). Harry Cording’s
genre resume includes CAPTAIN BLOOD (1935), EACH DAWN I DIE (1941), and
THE GREEN HORNET STRIKES AGAIN (1943). David Clyde, another British
thespian, can be seen in and BULLDOG DRUMMOND’s PERIL (1938), DEATH OF
A CHAMPION (1939), and EAGLE SQUANDRON (1942). The only other American
actor in the cast is Gavin Muir, known for his roles in DANGEROUSLY THEY
LIVE (1941), NIGHTMARE (1942), and ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE
INVISIBLE MAN (1951). MPI Media Group have teamed with the UCLA Film and
Television Archive to present these classic Sherlock Holmes mysteries
remastered on DVD for the first time ever.
In Scotland, an elite gentlemen’s club
known as The Good Comrades enjoy each others company while
sharing quality food, alcohol, and tobacco (in true British fashion).
One evening at one of their dinner meetings, the maid delivers a
hand-written death threat (accompanied by seeds from an orange) to one
of the senior members of The Good Comrades. Later, when the
gentleman leaves the premises, his car ends up going off the road and he
plummets to his doom. So begins the first in a series of murders, each
one delivered by a message of impending doom together with the pits of
an orange. This prompts Inspector Lestrade to invite Sherlock Holmes and
Dr. Watson to come to Scottland to unravel the mystery. They investigate
the crimes scenes, interrogate the survivors, collect clues, and
generally involve themselves in the baffling shenanigans of SHERLOCK
HOLMES AND THE HOUSE OF FEAR.
By the time SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE
HOUSE OF FEAR was shot, director Roy William Neill and the cast and crew
were at the top of their game. The chemistry of Basil Rathbone, Nigel
Bruce, and Dennis Hoey dominate the film, though the supporting British
cast gets tops marks also. SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE HOUSE OF FEAR also
benefits from atmospheric cinematography and gothic imagery. Universal
fans will recognize several sets from SON OF FRANKENSTEIN and others
which really contributes to the studio’s patented gothic approach. The
plot follows AND THEN THERE WERE NONE quite faithfully until the
resolution which comes completely out of nowhere. I guarantee, unless
you have read the original story, you will never guess the mystery of
this movie. Even a die hard mystery fan like myself never saw this one
coming, and neither will you. SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE HOUSE OF FEAR
offers a bit more humor than usual, but it is necessary in crafting the
characters’ personalities.
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE HOUSE OF FEAR
was originally projected in cinemas at the full frame 1.33.1 ratio (this
was before widescreen existed). The folks at the UCLA Film and
Television Archive worked a miracle here restoring this negative; as it
looks just as impressive as anything put out by Universal, Fox, or any
other majors. This B&W print is clear as day, with a perfect balance
of black & whites hues. Outside of some scratches and film grain,
the image is sharp and crisp. You can really make out the details on
this transfer like never before, and bask in the glory of the
atmospheric patented Universal set design and production values. The
sound track is Dolby Digital Mono 2.0. The soundtrack has been cleaned
up, too. There is nary any background noise or hiss to report. The
dialog is rich and crisp with all the various British and European
accents coming through nicely. The sound track reinforces the gothic
visuals with an aggressive sound effects package consisting of thunder,
rainstorms, swirling winds, breaking glass, footsteps, etc. These sound
effects are prominent in the mix and never over shadow the dialog or
music. Hans Salter’s ominous score plays an important role in the
film, and it integrates perfectly with the other audio elements.
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE HOUSE OF FEAR is
an excellent addition to the franchise, and a must-see for mystery fans
in general. MPI Media Group has scored a major coupe here, and they are
scheduled to make all these remastered classic movies available either
singly or in box sets. The restoration work performed here by the UCLA
Film and Television Archive is nothing short of phenomenal. Let’s hope
this partnership between these two organizations keeps going to release
other classic fare on DVD.
SHERLOCK
HOLMES AND THE HOUSE OF FEAR is available from DVDEmpire.com
SHERLOCK
HOLMES COLLECTION VOLUME 1 is available from DVDEmpire.com
SHERLOCK
HOLMES COLLECTION VOLUME 2 is available from DVDEmpire.com
SHERLOCK
HOLMES COLLECTION VOLUME 3 is available from DVDEmpire.com
