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The Hound of the Baskervilles is a 1939 American gothic mystery film[1] based on the 1902 Sherlock Holmes novel of the same name by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Directed by Sidney Lanfield, the film stars Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. John Watson. Released by 20th Century Fox,[2] it is the first of fourteen Sherlock Holmes films produced between 1939 and 1946 starring Rathbone and Bruce.

The Hound of the Baskervilles
Theatrical release poster
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	Richard Greene Basil Rathbone Wendy Barrie Nigel Bruce
Cinematography	Peverell Marley
Edited by	Robert Simpson
Music by	David Buttolph Charles Maxwell Cyril J. Mockridge David Raksin
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date	March 31, 1939 (1939-03-31)
Running time	80 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

It is among the most well-known cinematic adaptations of the novel, and is often regarded as one of the best.[3] It 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

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John H. Watson receive a visit from Dr. James Mortimer, who wishes to consult them before the arrival of Sir Henry Baskerville, the last of the Baskervilles, heir to the Baskerville estate in Devonshire.

Dr Mortimer is anxious about letting Sir Henry go to Baskerville Hall, owing to a supposed family curse. He tells Holmes and Watson the legend of the Hound of the Baskervilles, a demonic dog that first killed Sir Hugo Baskerville several hundred years ago (seen in flashback) and is believed to kill all Baskervilles in the region of Devonshire.

Holmes dismisses it as a fairy-tale, but Mortimer narrates the events of the recent death of his best friend, Sir Charles Baskerville, Sir Henry's uncle. Although he was found dead in his garden without any trace of physical damage, Sir Charles's face was distorted as if he died in utter terror, from heart failure. He alone had noticed footprints at some distance from the body when it was found; they were the paw marks of a gigantic hound.

Holmes decides to send Watson to Baskerville Hall along with Sir Henry, claiming that he is too busy to accompany them himself. Sir Henry quickly develops a romantic interest in Beryl Stapleton, the step-sister of his neighbour Jack Stapleton, a local naturalist. Meanwhile, a homicidal maniac named Selden, escaped from Dartmoor Prison, lurks on the moor.

Holmes eventually makes an appearance, having been hiding in the vicinity for some time making his own investigation. 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?". The only reply is a lone howl, possibly from a hound. After some clever deception by Holmes, he surmises that the true criminal is Stapleton, a long-lost cousin of the Baskervilles, who hopes to claim their vast fortune himself after removing all other members of the bloodline.

Stapleton kept a huge, half-starved, vicious dog trained to attack individual members of the Baskervilles after prolonged exposure to their scent. However, when the hound is finally sent to kill Sir Henry Baskerville, Holmes and Watson arrive to save him just in time. They kill the hound. Stapleton then traps Holmes down in the hound's underground kennel, and sends Watson into the moor to meet Holmes. Holmes cuts his way out of the kennel and returns to the house and destroys the poison that Stapleton had just given to the wounded Baskerville. Stapleton pulls a gun and flees. Holmes says ominously, "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)
• Mary Gordon as Mrs Hudson
• Ian Maclaren as Sir Charles

Reception

In a contemporary review, the Monthly Film Bulletin described the film as an "excellent film version of the novel." noting that the film's elements "sustain the suspense until the exciting climax," and that "the atmosphere is extremely well contrived". Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce were praised for their roles, while "only Wendy Barrie seems lifeless as Beryl in a cast which is uniformly good."[5]

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

External links

• The Hound of the Baskervilles at IMDb
• The Hound of the Baskervilles at AllMovie
• The Hound of the Baskervilles at the TCM Movie Database
• The Hound of the Baskervilles at the American Film Institute Catalog

На других языках

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[de] Der Hund von Baskerville (1939)

Der Hund von Baskerville ist eine US-amerikanische Verfilmung des gleichnamigen Romans von Sir Arthur Conan Doyle aus dem Jahr 1939. Der enorme Erfolg führte dazu, dass 20th Century Fox noch im selben Jahr den Film Die Abenteuer des Sherlock Holmes produzierte, erneut mit Basil Rathbone und Nigel Bruce als Holmes und Watson.

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- [en] The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939 film)

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[ru] Собака Баскервилей (фильм, 1939)

«Собака Баскервилей» (англ. The Hound of the Baskervilles) — американский художественный фильм 1939 года режиссёра Сидни Лэнфилда, первый из серии фильмов посвященных приключениям Шерлока Холмса и доктора Ватсона с участием Бэзила Рэтбоуна и Найджела Брюса.

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