Growing up in the sixties we didn’t have access to things
taken for granted today. No video recorders, no DVDs, no streaming services and
for the most part no cable even. If we wanted to see something we watched it
when it was on. It also meant that there was plenty of classic films to be
found on select VHF stations, collections bought in packages that those
stations ran. It was on one of these stations that I was able to watch all of
the classic Universal horror films and the wonderful series of Sherlock Holmes
movies starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. But one night I was able to see
a different version of Holmes, a more recent one, and loved it as much as I did
those in the series. It featured Peter Cushing in the lead role and was titled
THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES.
The film opens in the past with the story of Hugo
Baskerville, an entitled rogue if there ever was one, and his demise due to the
famed hound from hell that roamed the moors seeking revenge against him. Time
has passed and we move forward to the present (in this case late 1800s, early
1900s). The new heir to Baskerville Hall is Sir Henry (Christopher Lee) and an
attack on his life has already been made. Holmes is hired to protect him but
instead send Watson (Andre Morell) to stay by his side while he finishes
business in London.
Watson obliges and does his best to protect Sir Henry but
mysterious things are afoul in the area. A convict has escaped from Dartmoor
Prison nearby and has yet to be captured. A woman is seen prowling the moors
and Sir Henry finds himself attracted to her. Lights are lit in the hall where
no one should be. And the baying of a hound is heard at night.
Clues mount up, Holmes arrives in more ways than one and the
mystery of the hound is sought out. It’s a story with plenty of those clues
giving hints as to what is going on but never quite revealed until the final
scene. In other words, a great mystery.
The movie succeeds in so many ways it’s difficult to
pinpoint just which should take credit. Produced by Hammer Films, the studio
already responsible for pairing Lee and Cushing in their versions of
Frankenstein and Dracula, made the smart move of pairing them here together
again. Director Terence Fisher does an amazing job of bringing the best out of
all his actors. The sets and locations are perfect. The story moves along at a
pace that holds your interest and never releases it. In short it is a near
perfect film and perhaps the best made revolving around Sherlock Holmes. So sad
to think of how wonderful it would have been to see Cushing star in more films
based on the character.
Twilight Time is releasing this one and as always they’ve
done a fantastic job. The quality of the transfer is wonderful to see. This
time around they also offer more extras than usual. Those include an isolated
music and effects track, audio commentary with film historians David Del Valle
and Steven Peros, audio commentary with film historians Paul Scrabo, Lee
Pfeiffer and Hank Reinke, ACTOR’S NOTEBOOK: CHRISTOPHER LEE, hound mask creator
Margaret Robinson on the film, Christopher Lee reading excerpts from the book
and the original theatrical trailer. Once again Twilight Time this is a limited
edition and restricted to just 3,000 copies. If you love Cushing, Lee, Holmes
or Hammer by all means jump on a copy of this right away. If you just love a
good movie it’s worth having as well.
Click here to order.
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