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Cast

Richard Greene
as Sir Henry Baskerville

Basil Rathbone
as Sherlock Holmes

Wendy Barrie
as Beryl Stapleton

Nigel Bruce
as Dr. Watson

Lionel Atwill
as James Mortimer, M.D.

John Carradine
as Barryman

Barlowe Borland
as Frankland

Beryl Mercer
as Mrs. Jenifer Mortimer

Morton Lowry
as John Stapleton

Ralph Forbes
as Sir Hugo Baskerville

E.E. Clive
as Cabby

Eily Malyon
as Mrs. Barryman

Nigel De Brulier
as Convict

Mary Gordon
as Mrs. Hudson

Peter Willes
as Roderick

Ivan Simpson
as Shepherd

Ian Maclaren
as Sir Charles

John Burton
as Bruce

Denis Green
as Jon

Evan Thomas
as Edwin

Lionel Pape
as Coroner

Harry Cording

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Critic Reviews for The Hound of the Baskervilles

Audience Reviews for The Hound of the Baskervilles

• Dec 29, 2011

  Those were the days. When a film franchise could churn out 14 movies in just 7 years. I'm not one for quality over quantity, but with the talent on show here you can easily appreciate the fine workmanship. Hound of the Baskervilles sees Rathbone and Bruce as Holmes and Watson. What I really like about this movie, is that it doesn't bog us down with origins. It assumes we know these characters, which of course, we all do. This allows for a well paced 80 minutes, and a story that kicks off straight away. Holmes is asked to help protect a young man who is coming to inherit Baskerville manor. It's situated on the moors, which are beautifully recreated here. Each rock seems to tell its own horror story. The fog that continuously sweeps over the moors is dark and ominous. Lanfield allows visuals to create the suspense instead of intrusive musical cues. Two scenes stood out for me, when a gun is pointed from a carriage, and as Watson watched his door slowly open. These days, each of these would be laced with faster cuts and loud screeching violins. No such misfortune here. The performances are also strong. Rathbone is more of a supporting character here, which actually works. It emphasises Holmes attempts at being overlooked, He is more of a background detective that still pulls the strings. Bruce is a wonderful Watson, that comes off as Holmes' equal, even if he doesn't have quite the logistical thinking of Holmes. They are supported why a wonderful cast, that do their best to make themselves both suspicious and innocent. Each one seems to have a specific secret, but until the last moments we are unaware of any real motive. The final moments are most exciting, with some exceptional dog training making for a really tense fight. When such an old film even has great make-up, it's clear that we have a real gem on our hands. A classic story told with restraint and style.
  Luke B Super Reviewer
• Apr 30, 2011

  If I'd have seen this adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's signature (or perhaps most famous) tale of the world's second greatest detective before seeing Hammer's adaptation with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee I think I would've liked it a lot more. Don't get me wrong, this version isn't bad. It's got a lot of the fun interaction between Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce that Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson requires. The set design (namely the moors) was also superb. I just happened to like how the Hammer version was more creepy and ominous. That version also kept me on my toes because I was expecting (as always) for Christopher Lee to be bad news. But then again when watching that version, I had zero familiarity with the story. This one's not bad and worth the watch even if the ending is absolutely abrupt.
  Michael G Super Reviewer
• Jan 31, 2011

  Whilst this iconic film of the Arthur Conan Doyle classic story takes many liberties with the plot, it remains the outstanding screen rendition. All of the cast are truly excellent in what would have been a great ensemble piece but for Basil Rathbone's benchmark performance which sets the standard for all future Sherlock Holmes actors. The Eerie and atmospheric "Moor" with its treacherous Grimpen Mire are also stars of the show, again showing the way for subsequent versions, and the black and white cinamatography adds significantly to the sureal feeling of it all as mist, moor and mire all coalasce into a single ghostly apparition. Despite my familiarity with the tale and this movie in particular, I never get bored of seeing it.
  The S Super Reviewer
• Nov 07, 2007

  My favorite of the Basil Rathbone Sherlock series. It's clever, dark and kinda scary too.
  a z Super Reviewer

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