The Hound of the Baskervilles is set in Victorian England & starts at a coroners inquest as various witnesses give evidence on the death of Sir Charles Baskerville (Peter Roberts), the final conclusion is that Sir Charles died of heart failure & thus natural causes, case closed. Closed that is except for Sir Charles best friend Dr. James Mortimer (John Nettles) who visits London to try & enlist the help of Sherlock Holmes (Richard Roxburgh) & his assistant Dr. Watson (Ian Hart). Mortimer explains to Holmes that he feels Sir Charles death was no accident & is connected to an ancient legend about a hound from hell that terrorises the Baskerville family, he also says that the last heir to the Baskerville estate & money, Sir Henry Baskerville (Matt Day), is arriving from Canada to claim his inheritance & that he fears for his safety. No sooner has Sir Henry arrived he receives a threatening letter & is shadowed by someone. Holmes accepts the case & sends Watson to accompany Sir Henry to Baskerville Hall. Once there the mystery deepens with strange acting servants Mr. & Mrs. Barrymore (Ron Cook & Liza Tarbuck), the escaped murderer Selden (Paul Kynman) loose on the moors & the constant blood chilling howling that echos across the moors at night...
Directed by David Attwood this was produced for British Christmas TV back in '02 by the BBC, The Hound of the Baskervilles must surely be one of the most adapted novels ever as this is the sixth one I've seen this year! The script by Allan Cubitt is based on the novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, which I have not read so I cannot compare the two, retains all the elements that have made this timeless story such a success over the decades various filmmakers have adapted it. The missing boot, the legend, the painting, Holmes disappearing for a large chunk of it, the Grimpen mire & the escaped murderer on the moors although the opening introduction to Dr. Mortimer with the cane providing clues to his identity was strangely omitted. All the necessary character's & red herrings are here as well but there were things about this version of the novel that I wasn't sure about. I didn't like Holmes that much in this, call me old fashioned but I want to see him solve the mystery through brainpower & be a role model everyone aspires to, I don't want to see him beat someone & almost strangle them to obtain information, I don't want to see him burst into sporadic bouts of manic laughter, I don't want to see him being rude or mean & I definitely don't want to see him shooting up with cocaine in a public toilet. There is no happy ending for anyone either as it features wife beating which ends up with another unexpected victim. The relationship between Holmes & Watson is also slightly different, they don't seem quite as friendly towards each other as usual. Because this was made as a one off Christmas special someone obviously thought it would be a good idea to set it during the festive period & on Christmas Day which seems like an afterthought & totally unnecessary.
Director Attwood has made one of the finest looking Hound of the Baskervilles adaptations, shot in England by the BBC who know how to make great period drama (I should know I've sat through enough of 'em!), trust me this looks marvellous throughout & the CGI hound looks fabulous & very ferocious, the best one I've seen. It's also a much darker told tale than usual with an unfamiliar Holmes, an autopsy scene, a bitten off ear, some blood & gore plus a shot of a beaten woman hanging from a ceiling. I'm just not sure I like it's dark, seedy & violent undercurrent.
Technically the film has strong production values throughout as one would expect from the BBC, the only slight problem I have with it is that it was shot on video rather than film. The locations are great, the effects are good & it's very well made. The acting is strong although Roxburgh as Holmes didn't do much for me, I'd have preferred Richard E. Grant to swap roles with him. Hart as Watson plays it totally straight, no bumbling sidekick routine here. The Britsh supporting cast are great.
The Hound of the Baskervilles is an often told tale & maybe all the other versions I have seen clouds my judgement on this but there was something about it that didn't sit right with me. The way Holmes is depicted & the darker elements perhaps got in the way of what is still a brilliant murder mystery, I don't quite know. Still, it's definitely worth a watch & is something just that bit different from the adaptations I have seen thus far which, in a way, is a good thing I suppose.
Directed by David Attwood this was produced for British Christmas TV back in '02 by the BBC, The Hound of the Baskervilles must surely be one of the most adapted novels ever as this is the sixth one I've seen this year! The script by Allan Cubitt is based on the novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, which I have not read so I cannot compare the two, retains all the elements that have made this timeless story such a success over the decades various filmmakers have adapted it. The missing boot, the legend, the painting, Holmes disappearing for a large chunk of it, the Grimpen mire & the escaped murderer on the moors although the opening introduction to Dr. Mortimer with the cane providing clues to his identity was strangely omitted. All the necessary character's & red herrings are here as well but there were things about this version of the novel that I wasn't sure about. I didn't like Holmes that much in this, call me old fashioned but I want to see him solve the mystery through brainpower & be a role model everyone aspires to, I don't want to see him beat someone & almost strangle them to obtain information, I don't want to see him burst into sporadic bouts of manic laughter, I don't want to see him being rude or mean & I definitely don't want to see him shooting up with cocaine in a public toilet. There is no happy ending for anyone either as it features wife beating which ends up with another unexpected victim. The relationship between Holmes & Watson is also slightly different, they don't seem quite as friendly towards each other as usual. Because this was made as a one off Christmas special someone obviously thought it would be a good idea to set it during the festive period & on Christmas Day which seems like an afterthought & totally unnecessary.
Director Attwood has made one of the finest looking Hound of the Baskervilles adaptations, shot in England by the BBC who know how to make great period drama (I should know I've sat through enough of 'em!), trust me this looks marvellous throughout & the CGI hound looks fabulous & very ferocious, the best one I've seen. It's also a much darker told tale than usual with an unfamiliar Holmes, an autopsy scene, a bitten off ear, some blood & gore plus a shot of a beaten woman hanging from a ceiling. I'm just not sure I like it's dark, seedy & violent undercurrent.
Technically the film has strong production values throughout as one would expect from the BBC, the only slight problem I have with it is that it was shot on video rather than film. The locations are great, the effects are good & it's very well made. The acting is strong although Roxburgh as Holmes didn't do much for me, I'd have preferred Richard E. Grant to swap roles with him. Hart as Watson plays it totally straight, no bumbling sidekick routine here. The Britsh supporting cast are great.
The Hound of the Baskervilles is an often told tale & maybe all the other versions I have seen clouds my judgement on this but there was something about it that didn't sit right with me. The way Holmes is depicted & the darker elements perhaps got in the way of what is still a brilliant murder mystery, I don't quite know. Still, it's definitely worth a watch & is something just that bit different from the adaptations I have seen thus far which, in a way, is a good thing I suppose.