Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and his assistant Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) are called in by Scotland Yard to help solve the most atrocious series of murders since Jack the Ripper. The victims are all women who are fiendishly mutilated, their forefingers severed and apparently taken by the perpetrator. Holmes comes to believe that the murders are incidental to a more sinister scheme, and what he discovers is a plot involving hypnotism and blackmail; behind it all is his chief nemesis, the diabolical Professor Moriarty (Henry Daniell).
For his part, Moriarty engages the beautiful Hillary Brooke as his "Woman in Green", though that's a moot point since the black and white film never references her choice of attire. Brooke is eerily malevolent as Lydia Marlowe, seducing unsuspecting victims to her apartment, then hypnotizing them into committing murder and blackmailing them for her silence. As effective as her performance was, it was difficult separating Brooke from her lighter role as Lou Costello's neighbor and would be girl friend on the "Abbott and Costello" show. Here she can make ice cubes with just one look.
Viewing Holmes and his arch enemy Moriarty spar verbally is always a treat, as they discuss their plans for each other. You don't doubt it when Holmes proclaims "We shall walk through the gates of eternity hand in hand".
Nigel Bruce's Watson offers up two great comedic scenes. The first is a quick visual, as Watson answers a phone call for help he's shown blowing the dust off his medical bag. Later, as he casually dismisses the effectiveness of hypnotism, he's caught with his pants down, well make that just one leg, as he's made the butt of a parlor gag in front of an audience.
In what could have been a cliffhanger ending, Holmes puts himself in harm's way, as the seductive Miss Marlowe hypnotizes him and Moriarty then takes over, eliciting a suicide note from the detective for failure to solve the murders. As he precariously balances on the ledge of a rooftop, Holmes' trust in his aide de camp is put to the test. With Watson's arrival, along with Inspector Gregson of The Yard (Matthew Boulton), the jig is up for Moriarty, whose escape attempt ends in his fall from a ledge and his own demise. Or does it? It looked like curtains for Lionel Atwill's Moriarty in "Sherlock Holmes and The Secret Weapon" under similar circumstances.
Sherlock Holmes fans should find this entry entertaining enough. This is only the sixth film I've seen in the series, and it appears to be one of the better ones. I'm finally getting better at keeping up with the dialog, as some of the films have a tinny sound quality that make understanding hard to follow. For novices interested in getting on board with the Holmes films, there's a neat ten movie package on five DVD's from Brentwood Home Video. As a plus, there's five bonus TV episodes from the series that starred Ronald Howard in the Holmes role.
For his part, Moriarty engages the beautiful Hillary Brooke as his "Woman in Green", though that's a moot point since the black and white film never references her choice of attire. Brooke is eerily malevolent as Lydia Marlowe, seducing unsuspecting victims to her apartment, then hypnotizing them into committing murder and blackmailing them for her silence. As effective as her performance was, it was difficult separating Brooke from her lighter role as Lou Costello's neighbor and would be girl friend on the "Abbott and Costello" show. Here she can make ice cubes with just one look.
Viewing Holmes and his arch enemy Moriarty spar verbally is always a treat, as they discuss their plans for each other. You don't doubt it when Holmes proclaims "We shall walk through the gates of eternity hand in hand".
Nigel Bruce's Watson offers up two great comedic scenes. The first is a quick visual, as Watson answers a phone call for help he's shown blowing the dust off his medical bag. Later, as he casually dismisses the effectiveness of hypnotism, he's caught with his pants down, well make that just one leg, as he's made the butt of a parlor gag in front of an audience.
In what could have been a cliffhanger ending, Holmes puts himself in harm's way, as the seductive Miss Marlowe hypnotizes him and Moriarty then takes over, eliciting a suicide note from the detective for failure to solve the murders. As he precariously balances on the ledge of a rooftop, Holmes' trust in his aide de camp is put to the test. With Watson's arrival, along with Inspector Gregson of The Yard (Matthew Boulton), the jig is up for Moriarty, whose escape attempt ends in his fall from a ledge and his own demise. Or does it? It looked like curtains for Lionel Atwill's Moriarty in "Sherlock Holmes and The Secret Weapon" under similar circumstances.
Sherlock Holmes fans should find this entry entertaining enough. This is only the sixth film I've seen in the series, and it appears to be one of the better ones. I'm finally getting better at keeping up with the dialog, as some of the films have a tinny sound quality that make understanding hard to follow. For novices interested in getting on board with the Holmes films, there's a neat ten movie package on five DVD's from Brentwood Home Video. As a plus, there's five bonus TV episodes from the series that starred Ronald Howard in the Holmes role.