I am not sure where the title comes from. It seems to be rather generic and meaningless if you ask me. I could have come up with something better than that. I'm not sure why they didn't just name it Sherlock Holmes and the Musgrave Ritual since it is based on that particular Conan Doyle story anyway.
This film has Watson helping out with combat fatigued war veterans (post-WII) who are recovering in a spooky old manor. When one of the residents is attacked by a mysterious figure, Watson recruits Holmes to uncover the reasons. Bodies soon pile up and a deeper mystery is revealed to be lurking beneath the surface.
The atmosphere is pretty thick and the set design and photography are right on the button. This is what I like best about these old Sherlock Holmes movies. The howling wind, creepy old mansions, ominous clouds and rural settings give it a truly unique feel, though you can tell that is it merely filmed on the 'European Village' set on the Universal backlot.
The modern setting does detract from the overall quality of the film however. And even though the silly, patriotic WWII nonsense is pretty much gone, there is still a tacked-on speech at the end on how Britain is entering 'a new era' in which people will trust one another and look after their fellow man instead of pursuing wealth and unending greed.
Did that actually happen? I don't recall there being a time like that in Britain. I think that Holmes and Watson would turn in their graves if they knew how degraded and utterly without morals this place has become.
This film has Watson helping out with combat fatigued war veterans (post-WII) who are recovering in a spooky old manor. When one of the residents is attacked by a mysterious figure, Watson recruits Holmes to uncover the reasons. Bodies soon pile up and a deeper mystery is revealed to be lurking beneath the surface.
The atmosphere is pretty thick and the set design and photography are right on the button. This is what I like best about these old Sherlock Holmes movies. The howling wind, creepy old mansions, ominous clouds and rural settings give it a truly unique feel, though you can tell that is it merely filmed on the 'European Village' set on the Universal backlot.
The modern setting does detract from the overall quality of the film however. And even though the silly, patriotic WWII nonsense is pretty much gone, there is still a tacked-on speech at the end on how Britain is entering 'a new era' in which people will trust one another and look after their fellow man instead of pursuing wealth and unending greed.
Did that actually happen? I don't recall there being a time like that in Britain. I think that Holmes and Watson would turn in their graves if they knew how degraded and utterly without morals this place has become.