Der Hund von Baskerville (1937)
*** (out of 4)
Sherlock Holmes (Bruno Guttner) and Dr. Watson (Fritz Odemar) have to investigate the murder of Lord Baskerville and the fact that it might have been done by a large beast.
DER HUND VON BASKERVILLE is an early sound adaptation of the Arthur Conan Doyle novel and while it's certainly not as good as the Hollywood version that was made with Basil Rathbone, it's still quite good on its own terms and if you're a fan of the story then you'll want to check it out. Of course, it's place in history will always be due to the fact that a print of it was found in the bunker where Adolf Hitler killed himself.
The print I watched was in German without any English subtitles but if you're familiar with the story then it's not too hard to follow. What makes this version so good was the visual look of it. I was really impressed with how the film looked and I really enjoyed the darkness to it. The film was shot very dark but it looks beautiful as the B&W cinematography really jumps off the screen. Director Karel Lamac has no problem building up a nice atmosphere and this certainly helps.
Another plus is the fact that both Guttner and Odemar are so good in the roles. In my opinion no one will ever beat the Basil Rathbone- Nigel Bruce teaming but this duo were quite good as were the supporting players. The ending packs a nice punch and at just 75- minutes the film moves extremely well. Without subtitles I was obviously unable to follow the dialogue but the story itself pretty much follows the story as you'd expect.
*** (out of 4)
Sherlock Holmes (Bruno Guttner) and Dr. Watson (Fritz Odemar) have to investigate the murder of Lord Baskerville and the fact that it might have been done by a large beast.
DER HUND VON BASKERVILLE is an early sound adaptation of the Arthur Conan Doyle novel and while it's certainly not as good as the Hollywood version that was made with Basil Rathbone, it's still quite good on its own terms and if you're a fan of the story then you'll want to check it out. Of course, it's place in history will always be due to the fact that a print of it was found in the bunker where Adolf Hitler killed himself.
The print I watched was in German without any English subtitles but if you're familiar with the story then it's not too hard to follow. What makes this version so good was the visual look of it. I was really impressed with how the film looked and I really enjoyed the darkness to it. The film was shot very dark but it looks beautiful as the B&W cinematography really jumps off the screen. Director Karel Lamac has no problem building up a nice atmosphere and this certainly helps.
Another plus is the fact that both Guttner and Odemar are so good in the roles. In my opinion no one will ever beat the Basil Rathbone- Nigel Bruce teaming but this duo were quite good as were the supporting players. The ending packs a nice punch and at just 75- minutes the film moves extremely well. Without subtitles I was obviously unable to follow the dialogue but the story itself pretty much follows the story as you'd expect.