Sherlock Holmes - The Hound of the Baskervilles
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List Price: $14.98
Our Price: $10.88
Your Save: $ 4.10 ( 27% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Mpi Home Video
Starring: Jeremy Brett, Edward Hardwicke, Raymond Adamson, Donald Bisset, Philip Dettmer
Directed By: Brian Mills
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: DVD
Brand: MPI
EAN: 9780788604614
Format: Closed-captioned
ISBN: 0788604619
Label: Mpi Home Video
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Mpi Home Video
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2003-01-28
Running Time: 105
Studio: Mpi Home Video
Theatrical Release Date: 1988-12-08
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: 'Hound' is a bit of a dog
Comment: I bought the whole Granada series and watched several other episodes before this. Of course, everyone is familar with Rathbone's version of this story. While I haven't seen it for many years, I do remember the eerie setting and Basil's tight portryal of Holmes (nevermind Bruce's Watson).
So I had high hopes for this, but I was quite disappointed. Just watch "The Blue Carbuncle" or "The Reheaded League", or even "The Solitary Cyclist" and see what Jeremy Brett can do. Some of the early episodes of this series are actually better than the Doyle stories. Brett fought hard to make the producers stick close to Doyle's stories, and where he was sucessful, we have simply the best Holmes possible. It is doubtful that anyone will ever eclipse Brett at his best. I also much prefer Burke's Watson to Hardwicke's. Although Hardwicke is not bad, I feel that he is always slightly upstaging Brett. With Burke, however, the two are perfectly matched. In fact, I feel that Burke is as good as Watson as Brett is as Holmes.
But back to the Baskervilles. I was pleasantly surprised by the locations, and by Baskerville hall itself. I can just say that at almost every key scene, unfortunately, the direction is just wrong. When Watson is hiding in the hut from the Man on the Tor, although we know what's about to happen, the directors absolutely RUIN the scene by showing Holmes strolling up the path and smiling, and just having a nice day. This guts any tension that was building, and though Holmes calls Watson out, as in the book, the whole reunion is needlessly and stupidly ruined.
My other main gripe is when the hound finally appears. There is little build up here as well, and when they all finally see the mutt, they just blast it to hell. What happened to all of the horror and terror? Who's afraid of a stinking Rottweiler with Glowing Green Goop on it? In the book, everyone is so keyed-up that when it finally appears, Lestrade hits the dirt like a whimpering coward. I saw the Rathbone movie many times before I read the story, but Doyle handles this most important scene with great skill. They could have easily brought this through in the TV production, but they didn't.
Is it worth watching? Sure, although I don't know if I'll view it again. I probably will, and maybe it will grow on me. But this should have been the best of the series, and while it's certainly not the worst (the truly hideous 'Bachelor' mess gets that award) it could have easily been more than it is.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Gothic Horror...
Comment: Grenada Television's 1988 adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic Sherlock Holmes tale "The Hound of the Baskervilles" is an atmospheric and extremely effective thriller. Jeremy Brett, already suffering from the illness that would take his life a few years later, is superb as the famous sleuth. He is very ably assisted by Edward Hardwicke as the stalwart Dr. Watson.
As the movie opens, a elderly gentleman standing outside a mansion and apparently awaiting an appointment at dusk, takes fright at the approach of some sort of four-legged beast and runs off. The scene switches to Baker Street, where Holmes and Watson examine a walking stick left by an earlier visitor. The owner soon arrives in the person of Dr. Mortimer, a young physician who wishes to consult Holmes. The legend of a spectral and murderous hound that haunts the Baskerville family of Dartmoor is soon front and center as the indirect cause of death of the gentlemen seen in the opening, whom we learn is Sir Charles Baskerville. Dr. Mortimer, as executor of Sir Charles' will, needs guidance as to the safety of Sir Henry Baskerville, the last of the line, just arriving in London from America.
Holmes takes the case, and sends Watson to Dartmoor with Dr. Mortimer to report on the neighborhood while Holmes pursues his own investigations in London. Watson will have the opportunity to do some sleuthing of his own, including determining the identity of a mysterious man living on the Great Grimpen Mire, who seems to figure in the case.
The movie follows the novel fairly closely in its essentials. The investigations by Watson and Holmes confirm that Sir Henry is indeed at risk. The dimensions of the threat, whether human or some otherworldy Gothic horror, is left less than clear to the viewer until the climactic scene, in which Holmes and Watson must finally confront the hound to save Sir Henry's life.
The production is up to Grenada's usual high standards for period costumes, customs, and locations. "The Hound of the Baskervilles" has been a perennial favorite for adaption to the screen, but this production manages to provide both a fresh look and good suspense. A well-chosen cast helps carry the action. Neil Duncan is especially good as the helpful Dr. Mortimer. Kristoffer Tabori is entirely cedible as Sir Henry, new to his status as the master of Baskerville Hall and feeling his way through local expectations.
Grenada Television's "The Hound of the Baskervilles" is very highly recommended to fans of Sherlock Holmes as an entertaining adaptation of a classic Sherlock Holmes story.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Brett is magnificent
Comment: For many years I insisted that Basil Rathbone was the one, true Holmes. However, after watching Brett's performances over and over, there can be little doubt that Brett IS/WAS Holmes! He nailed the mannerisms, the quirks, the arrogance, the quick insights, and those over-the-top nuances of Sherlock Holmes...what fun and how perfect! While many drawings and portraits seem to favor the profile of Rathbone, Brett captured the very essence of who Sherlock Holmes was meant to be. The Brett performances are magnificient, as are his co-stars...Hardwicke as Watson and Charles Gray as Mycroft. It would be hard to have a better trio playing those same roles as well as those three gentlemen did. The future Holmes will forever be judged by Brett's Holmes...not Rathbone's. Jeremy Brett was the BEST! Watch all of the Granada Holmes series, they are excellent.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Hound of a Production! (Never Mind the Negative Reviewers)
Comment: First off: though my general comments will be focused on this, Granada's "Hound of the Baskervilles" starring Jeremy Brett, much of what I say might well go for most British programming I have viewed (comedies and dramas.)
I find the dismissals of this production as inferior- lacking in suspense,drama, entertainment value, quality writing, and even quality acting- to be stupefying, and indicative of the lack of taste and quality within most American entertainment, and the lack of brain power and decent attention span amongst those who watch it. It really is appalling that people, presumably ADULTS, cannot get over the slightly sedate pacing; this is not a high-suspense, gory thriller,neither is it an Alfred Hitchcock film! Considering that we're talking about an approximately two-hour TV film, I think the suspense is done well enough, after all the main point of the thing isn't load on as much excess suspense ( and possibly violence) as possible, there is a good and naturally suspenseful story to be told here, and for my money director Brian Mills does it well enough. The writing ( dialog, and general atmosphere and nuance, the latter being particularly lost on modern US entertainment)is first rate, as always with this series ( I also love that the original opening sequence of Holmes and Watson sharing deductions over Dr. Mortimer's walking stick is in place here.) As for those claiming the acting is poor, and/or inferior to a previous, or subsequent version they have seen: not only is Jeremy Brett here (the only screen Holmes worth your time), but you have Edward Hardwicke's Watson, Neil Duncan highly stable as Dr. Mortimer, a wonderfully "American" Kristopher Tabori (American in a British sort of way of course), as Sir Henry Baskerville, and of course Ronald Pickup as Barrymore, the Baskerville estate butler who, along with his wife (played by Rosemary McHale), has something to hide. Now, I hate to hear, or see, ANYONE denounce Ronald Pickup as an actor. I have seen him in BBC's "Chronicles of Narnia" series, an episode of Inspector Morse, and this (plus more), and he is very much a favored British actor of mine. Here, he makes Barrymore a noble, good-hearted, highly likable character, which, for me, balances out well with McHale's emotional portrayal of Mrs. Barrymore. Also to look for is James Faulkner's turn as the murderous Stapleton. All in all great, highly entertaining film.
In sum, the thespian talent, writing, lighting, drama, suspense (however subtle it might be),character development, and excitement where necessary are all first rate. All of these elements, as you might imagine, come together to make a viewing of the film a first-rate film, even lacking as it is in in-your-face style suspense (which by the way I don't mind; I think there is suitable suspense anyway.) Of course, delightful as the packaging of the film is, the DVD can't be said to be much, though it is of a standard quality level (picture and sound are fine), and the bonus that is there (some sketches from original publication of the novel) is good. So, all in all, highly entertaining, well-made, worth-your-time-and money (if you have an taste at all) film, nice, if minimal DVD, what's not to like about this anyway? 5/5; those purchasers and film and television lovers with any taste whatsoever would do well to ignore the negative reviews, and pick up this show. After all, with and open mind, anything can happen...
Customer Rating:
Summary: Jeremy Brett Shines While the Production Is a Bit Dull
Comment: For awhile I was meaning to see Jeremy Brett's interpretation of Sherlock Holmes, so several days ago I rented 'The Hound of the Baskervilles', which is an episode from 'The Return of Sherlock Holmes' TV series made by Granada Television. It was made in 1988, so I was expecting the production values to be on par with the 'Poirot' series from 1989 starring David Suchet as another ingenious sleuth, but this incarnation of the master of detectives hasn't aged very well.
Jeremy Brett is excellent as Holmes, generally held by many as the ultimate interpreter of the famous private eye, who stayed in character the entire time, never for a moment letting the audience forget who he is. Edward Hardwicke does an admirable job as Holmes' loyal assistant Dr. Watson, but his performance is a bit wooden at times.
The story itself is quite intriguing, involving a seemingly cursed estate out in the English countryside, in which generations of wealthy family members all succumb to the horrible fate of a legendary demon hound, also known as the hound of the Baskervilles. After a brief introduction to Sir Charles Baskervilles who is the current resident of the Baskervilles estate, the story skips ahead to Holmes and Dr. Watson who are greeted by the representative to the last living Baskervilles heir who hails from America, and he asks for their assistance regarding the infamous family curse. Holmes and Dr. Watson quickly realize that there is more to this story than meets the eye, so they decide to take the case and solve the mystery of the Hound of the Baskervilles. Dr. Watson is sent out ahead of Holmes to do some preliminary investigations in the small village in which the mystery is taking place, and from there the plot thickens.
Overall, the film feels a little incomplete. The special effects are nearly dreadful considering that this was made in the late 80s, a time in which movie effects had come quite far, so this aspect brought the movie down a bit in terms of credibility. Also the production values appeared to be skimpy, which hurt the story's atmosphere somewhat. Fortunately the acting was this film's saving grace, for the most part.
Story wise I felt that not enough time was spent on the various characters to explain their motivations, which made the ending rather anti-climactic. Having not read the book, I cannot say how well the story works in this regard, but perhaps this tale was better suited for the written medium and not the cinematic one since some of the plot devices weren't adapted that well.
Given the aforementioned reasons, I'd recommend skipping this incarnation of Holmes unless one is a die hard fan, but I am nevertheless impressed by Jeremy Brett so I will definitely seek out the rest of this series to see how the other episodes hold up.
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Editorial Reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: 'Hound' is a bit of a dog
Comment: I bought the whole Granada series and watched several other episodes before this. Of course, everyone is familar with Rathbone's version of this story. While I haven't seen it for many years, I do remember the eerie setting and Basil's tight portryal of Holmes (nevermind Bruce's Watson).
So I had high hopes for this, but I was quite disappointed. Just watch "The Blue Carbuncle" or "The Reheaded League", or even "The Solitary Cyclist" and see what Jeremy Brett can do. Some of the early episodes of this series are actually better than the Doyle stories. Brett fought hard to make the producers stick close to Doyle's stories, and where he was sucessful, we have simply the best Holmes possible. It is doubtful that anyone will ever eclipse Brett at his best. I also much prefer Burke's Watson to Hardwicke's. Although Hardwicke is not bad, I feel that he is always slightly upstaging Brett. With Burke, however, the two are perfectly matched. In fact, I feel that Burke is as good as Watson as Brett is as Holmes.
But back to the Baskervilles. I was pleasantly surprised by the locations, and by Baskerville hall itself. I can just say that at almost every key scene, unfortunately, the direction is just wrong. When Watson is hiding in the hut from the Man on the Tor, although we know what's about to happen, the directors absolutely RUIN the scene by showing Holmes strolling up the path and smiling, and just having a nice day. This guts any tension that was building, and though Holmes calls Watson out, as in the book, the whole reunion is needlessly and stupidly ruined.
My other main gripe is when the hound finally appears. There is little build up here as well, and when they all finally see the mutt, they just blast it to hell. What happened to all of the horror and terror? Who's afraid of a stinking Rottweiler with Glowing Green Goop on it? In the book, everyone is so keyed-up that when it finally appears, Lestrade hits the dirt like a whimpering coward. I saw the Rathbone movie many times before I read the story, but Doyle handles this most important scene with great skill. They could have easily brought this through in the TV production, but they didn't.
Is it worth watching? Sure, although I don't know if I'll view it again. I probably will, and maybe it will grow on me. But this should have been the best of the series, and while it's certainly not the worst (the truly hideous 'Bachelor' mess gets that award) it could have easily been more than it is.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Gothic Horror...
Comment: Grenada Television's 1988 adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic Sherlock Holmes tale "The Hound of the Baskervilles" is an atmospheric and extremely effective thriller. Jeremy Brett, already suffering from the illness that would take his life a few years later, is superb as the famous sleuth. He is very ably assisted by Edward Hardwicke as the stalwart Dr. Watson.
As the movie opens, a elderly gentleman standing outside a mansion and apparently awaiting an appointment at dusk, takes fright at the approach of some sort of four-legged beast and runs off. The scene switches to Baker Street, where Holmes and Watson examine a walking stick left by an earlier visitor. The owner soon arrives in the person of Dr. Mortimer, a young physician who wishes to consult Holmes. The legend of a spectral and murderous hound that haunts the Baskerville family of Dartmoor is soon front and center as the indirect cause of death of the gentlemen seen in the opening, whom we learn is Sir Charles Baskerville. Dr. Mortimer, as executor of Sir Charles' will, needs guidance as to the safety of Sir Henry Baskerville, the last of the line, just arriving in London from America.
Holmes takes the case, and sends Watson to Dartmoor with Dr. Mortimer to report on the neighborhood while Holmes pursues his own investigations in London. Watson will have the opportunity to do some sleuthing of his own, including determining the identity of a mysterious man living on the Great Grimpen Mire, who seems to figure in the case.
The movie follows the novel fairly closely in its essentials. The investigations by Watson and Holmes confirm that Sir Henry is indeed at risk. The dimensions of the threat, whether human or some otherworldy Gothic horror, is left less than clear to the viewer until the climactic scene, in which Holmes and Watson must finally confront the hound to save Sir Henry's life.
The production is up to Grenada's usual high standards for period costumes, customs, and locations. "The Hound of the Baskervilles" has been a perennial favorite for adaption to the screen, but this production manages to provide both a fresh look and good suspense. A well-chosen cast helps carry the action. Neil Duncan is especially good as the helpful Dr. Mortimer. Kristoffer Tabori is entirely cedible as Sir Henry, new to his status as the master of Baskerville Hall and feeling his way through local expectations.
Grenada Television's "The Hound of the Baskervilles" is very highly recommended to fans of Sherlock Holmes as an entertaining adaptation of a classic Sherlock Holmes story.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Brett is magnificent
Comment: For many years I insisted that Basil Rathbone was the one, true Holmes. However, after watching Brett's performances over and over, there can be little doubt that Brett IS/WAS Holmes! He nailed the mannerisms, the quirks, the arrogance, the quick insights, and those over-the-top nuances of Sherlock Holmes...what fun and how perfect! While many drawings and portraits seem to favor the profile of Rathbone, Brett captured the very essence of who Sherlock Holmes was meant to be. The Brett performances are magnificient, as are his co-stars...Hardwicke as Watson and Charles Gray as Mycroft. It would be hard to have a better trio playing those same roles as well as those three gentlemen did. The future Holmes will forever be judged by Brett's Holmes...not Rathbone's. Jeremy Brett was the BEST! Watch all of the Granada Holmes series, they are excellent.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Hound of a Production! (Never Mind the Negative Reviewers)
Comment: First off: though my general comments will be focused on this, Granada's "Hound of the Baskervilles" starring Jeremy Brett, much of what I say might well go for most British programming I have viewed (comedies and dramas.)
I find the dismissals of this production as inferior- lacking in suspense,drama, entertainment value, quality writing, and even quality acting- to be stupefying, and indicative of the lack of taste and quality within most American entertainment, and the lack of brain power and decent attention span amongst those who watch it. It really is appalling that people, presumably ADULTS, cannot get over the slightly sedate pacing; this is not a high-suspense, gory thriller,neither is it an Alfred Hitchcock film! Considering that we're talking about an approximately two-hour TV film, I think the suspense is done well enough, after all the main point of the thing isn't load on as much excess suspense ( and possibly violence) as possible, there is a good and naturally suspenseful story to be told here, and for my money director Brian Mills does it well enough. The writing ( dialog, and general atmosphere and nuance, the latter being particularly lost on modern US entertainment)is first rate, as always with this series ( I also love that the original opening sequence of Holmes and Watson sharing deductions over Dr. Mortimer's walking stick is in place here.) As for those claiming the acting is poor, and/or inferior to a previous, or subsequent version they have seen: not only is Jeremy Brett here (the only screen Holmes worth your time), but you have Edward Hardwicke's Watson, Neil Duncan highly stable as Dr. Mortimer, a wonderfully "American" Kristopher Tabori (American in a British sort of way of course), as Sir Henry Baskerville, and of course Ronald Pickup as Barrymore, the Baskerville estate butler who, along with his wife (played by Rosemary McHale), has something to hide. Now, I hate to hear, or see, ANYONE denounce Ronald Pickup as an actor. I have seen him in BBC's "Chronicles of Narnia" series, an episode of Inspector Morse, and this (plus more), and he is very much a favored British actor of mine. Here, he makes Barrymore a noble, good-hearted, highly likable character, which, for me, balances out well with McHale's emotional portrayal of Mrs. Barrymore. Also to look for is James Faulkner's turn as the murderous Stapleton. All in all great, highly entertaining film.
In sum, the thespian talent, writing, lighting, drama, suspense (however subtle it might be),character development, and excitement where necessary are all first rate. All of these elements, as you might imagine, come together to make a viewing of the film a first-rate film, even lacking as it is in in-your-face style suspense (which by the way I don't mind; I think there is suitable suspense anyway.) Of course, delightful as the packaging of the film is, the DVD can't be said to be much, though it is of a standard quality level (picture and sound are fine), and the bonus that is there (some sketches from original publication of the novel) is good. So, all in all, highly entertaining, well-made, worth-your-time-and money (if you have an taste at all) film, nice, if minimal DVD, what's not to like about this anyway? 5/5; those purchasers and film and television lovers with any taste whatsoever would do well to ignore the negative reviews, and pick up this show. After all, with and open mind, anything can happen...
Customer Rating:
Summary: Jeremy Brett Shines While the Production Is a Bit Dull
Comment: For awhile I was meaning to see Jeremy Brett's interpretation of Sherlock Holmes, so several days ago I rented 'The Hound of the Baskervilles', which is an episode from 'The Return of Sherlock Holmes' TV series made by Granada Television. It was made in 1988, so I was expecting the production values to be on par with the 'Poirot' series from 1989 starring David Suchet as another ingenious sleuth, but this incarnation of the master of detectives hasn't aged very well.
Jeremy Brett is excellent as Holmes, generally held by many as the ultimate interpreter of the famous private eye, who stayed in character the entire time, never for a moment letting the audience forget who he is. Edward Hardwicke does an admirable job as Holmes' loyal assistant Dr. Watson, but his performance is a bit wooden at times.
The story itself is quite intriguing, involving a seemingly cursed estate out in the English countryside, in which generations of wealthy family members all succumb to the horrible fate of a legendary demon hound, also known as the hound of the Baskervilles. After a brief introduction to Sir Charles Baskervilles who is the current resident of the Baskervilles estate, the story skips ahead to Holmes and Dr. Watson who are greeted by the representative to the last living Baskervilles heir who hails from America, and he asks for their assistance regarding the infamous family curse. Holmes and Dr. Watson quickly realize that there is more to this story than meets the eye, so they decide to take the case and solve the mystery of the Hound of the Baskervilles. Dr. Watson is sent out ahead of Holmes to do some preliminary investigations in the small village in which the mystery is taking place, and from there the plot thickens.
Overall, the film feels a little incomplete. The special effects are nearly dreadful considering that this was made in the late 80s, a time in which movie effects had come quite far, so this aspect brought the movie down a bit in terms of credibility. Also the production values appeared to be skimpy, which hurt the story's atmosphere somewhat. Fortunately the acting was this film's saving grace, for the most part.
Story wise I felt that not enough time was spent on the various characters to explain their motivations, which made the ending rather anti-climactic. Having not read the book, I cannot say how well the story works in this regard, but perhaps this tale was better suited for the written medium and not the cinematic one since some of the plot devices weren't adapted that well.
Given the aforementioned reasons, I'd recommend skipping this incarnation of Holmes unless one is a die hard fan, but I am nevertheless impressed by Jeremy Brett so I will definitely seek out the rest of this series to see how the other episodes hold up.
The baskerville family is cursed. Sir charles baskerville is found dead. Sir henry baskerville arrives from america & finds a death threat waiting for him at his hotel. An escaped killer roams the moors .. Another case for the brilliant sherlock holmes & his assistant dr watson. Studio: Mpi Home Video Release Date: 01/28/2003 Starring: Jeremy Brett Run time: 120 minutes Rating: Nr
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