3 Classic Sherlock Holmes Films Of The Silver Screen - Vol. 1 - Sherlock Holmes And The Secret Weapon / Terror By Night / Dressed To Kill (DVD 2004)

Basil Rathbone has done much to generate a stereotypical image of the geat detective, but he pales into distinct insignificance aided by the poorly plotted tales. Yey the biggest crime to all sherlockians is Nigel Bruce's ridiculous portrayal of Dr Watson. He was no bumbling fool; he was a brave and honourable man who saw military service.

Jeremy Brett is the definitive Holmes, but these blck and white excursions do have a degree of whimsy, with their low budget productions and the trading on the name of the great Holmes. But there is more to Holmes than the puffing on a Peterson pipe and rubbishing your assistant.

Even Lestrade is portrayed as a simpleton and is given a cockney accent to underline this. Entertaining the three tales are, but to the avid Holmes scholar, there is many a quiet laugh in store.

Disbelief is suspended as a forever early middle-aged Holmes can be of use in a second world war escapade. He is a humourless clone of the great man and the Watson portrayal makes us wince. Stagey villains abound and the sets creak, but what the heck....sit and enjoy an excursion into B movie territory.
Holmes is the character most portrayed on film and radio and Rathbone is not the worst.....but he is far from the best.
If you want the best go to Jeremy Brett...but if you want the very best - go to Conan Doyle who tried to kill the fellow off....but we would not let him and so, like Dracula he lives on with ghastly interpretations and weak stories like the three represented here.
But for a rainy afternoon, fill your pipe and glass and enjoy this trio of tales that may just take your mind off the contemporary world.
The villains are recognizable, you know they will be defeated.... but at some stage you might just wish that Moriarty simply pulled the trigger instead of placing his enemy in a box for Lestrade and Watson to rescue.
The series is a curio but the director knows we would all like to live such a charmed life. Me, oh I liked them enough to buy them and watch, but I was more amused than entertained. My sympathies are with Watson, though clearly the Rathbone Holmes ought to show a little more appreciation for his chronicler and faithful friend.

Do give it a whirl if you want to see a couple of chaps defending the empire against the coming decline. The nostalgia of being allowed to smoke in public gives another dimension...these were the days when a pipe-smoker oozed character and reliability. If these chaps were wandering abroad today we might even lock them away. Elementary but fun.