The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939)

On his uncle's death Sir Henry Baskerville returns from abroad and opens up the ancestral hall on the desolate moors of Devonshire. Holmes uncovers a plot to have Sir Henry murdered by a terrible trained hound. First casting of Rathbone and Bruce as Holmes and Watson.

Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce became global icons playing Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson respectively in 14 black and white films released between 1939 and 1946. On March 29, 2011, MPI Home Video will release the definitive, high-definition SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION, a five-disc Blu-ray set containing all 14 films.

South African-born British actor Basil Rathbone was a star of such classics as "The Adventures of Robin Hood," "David Copperfield", and "Romeo and Juliet" before achieving screen immortality playing Arthur Conan Doyle's brilliant Holmes, beginning with "The Hound of the Baskervilles" and "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" in 1939. Those instant hits led to 12 more mind-bending mysteries over the next seven years, each also starring Nigel Bruce (Alfred Hitchcock's "Suspicion") as Holmes' loyal, if often befuddled, friend Dr. Watson.

While several of the Rathbone movies were based on Conan Doyle's original stories, others pitted Holmes against contemporary villains, including the Nazis. But Rathbone's personification of literature's most famous crime solver remained a constant source of wonder and delight throughout the series.

The 5-disc set includes these classics:
- The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939)
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939)
- Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942)
- Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1943)
- Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943)
- Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943)
- The Spider Woman (1944)
- The Scarlet Claw (1944)
- The Pearl of Death (1944)
- The House of Fear (1945)
- The Woman in Green (1945)
- Pursuit to Algiers (1945)
- Terror by Night (1945)
- Dressed to Kill (1946)

IMDB 7.7/10 (4,008 votes)

I am a huge fan of all the Rathbone/Bruce movies, but this is the best of them all. The atmosphere and lighting casts the perfect mood for the dark, creepy moor where strange goings on interest Holmes and Watson to help the young heir of Baskerville Hall. All the actors do an excellent job, and the movie, filmed some 60 years go does not seem dated. The writing, directing, acting, etc all stand up, even now, some years later. I also liked the 1959 Hammer Version of this story, but Peter Cushing is not the perfect Sherlock Holmes. Basil Rathbone is the definitive Holmes as Nigel Bruce is the perfect Dr. Watson. Watch this sometime soon and enjoy!!!

IMDB Reviewer