The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939)

Director: Alfred L. Werker                              Writers: Edwin Blum & William A. Drake
Film Score: Cyril J. Mockridge                       Cinematography: Leon Shamroy
Starring: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Ida Lupino and George Zucco

This is the second and final of the Rathbone-Bruce Sherlock Holmes films made at 20th Century Fox. It is also the last that would be set in the Victorian age rather than the modern World War II era in which Universal chose to set the rest of the series. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes was developed from the stage play by William Gillette and, despite a great supporting cast that includes George Zucco and Ida Lupino, the plot is just a bit too convoluted to be as enjoyable as it should be. The film begins with Zucco as Professor Moriarty on trial for murder. Through some technicality that angers the judge and the jury, he is acquitted. Rathbone comes in at the end with new evidence but is just too late. Though Zucco avoids punishment for his crime, he decides he must do away with Rathbone once and for all to avoid any future mishaps.

Zucco’s plan is where the story puts a little too much on the viewer’s plate. He actually has two plans, one that he is most intent on carrying out and the other that he has set up as a puzzle for Holmes, knowing Rathbone won’t be able to resist trying to figure out the later while paying short shrift to the major plan. The first part of the plan comes in the form of the great Henry Stephenson as the Constable of the Tower of London, where the crown jewels are kept. He has received a letter saying someone is going to steal the Star of Delhi, the largest emerald in the world. Knowing the jewels are heavily guarded Rathbone sends Nigel Bruce to do the babysitting. Far more interesting is Ida Lupino, who is worried about a family curse, similar to the one in The Hound of the Baskervilles, this time based on the receipt of a letter containing a drawing of a man wearing an albatross on his neck, which last time preceded the death of her father. This time it’s her brother who is at risk. Rathbone, of course, finds this little puzzle infinitely more interesting and proceeds apace.

While Zucco makes a terrific Moriarty, a lot of the plot surrounding him is rather odd: an Indian flute player in the background, his obsession with plants, and his rather heavy-handed dealings with his underlings all make him seem rather pedestrian rather than the super-nemesis of Doyle’s stories. Likewise, the part of the plot concerning Lupino is tedious with her fiancé, Alan Marshal, constantly ordering her away from Holmes and to ignore the drawing, all of which seems more suspicious than it should. The jewel heist is rather ingenious, but the plot line involving Ida Lupino’s brother is much less so, and one can see why the studio dropped the series after this film. Universal, probably with an eye to saving money more than anything else, purchased the rights set their films in the modern era. With World War II going on, Holmes was a perfect choice to foil Nazi plots to win the war and the series became tremendously popular. As a result, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is probably the low point in the series, but it still boasts some impressive performances from the lead actors and is worth viewing for that alone.