SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Freaktana A Major Disappointment

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Kinley This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Jordan Hageman Easily my favorite and easily the best Sherlock Holmes interpretation. I have seen many Sherlock Holmes shows, films, etc. but this is staggeringly accurate and spot on. I love this film and it is so faithful to the source material while introducing some interesting things. The acting of course is sensational with Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke as Holmes and Watson.I highly recommend this film and this canon of Sherlock Holmes to any fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's material. Other great films/series in the same universe and with Brett and Hardwicke would be The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Sign of Four, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, Masterpiece Mystery, The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.

TigerShark 90 There have been many film versions of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most popular detective story "The Hound of the Baskervilles." Among the most well known are the 1939 film with Basil Rathbone, the 1959 film with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, and the 1983 film with Ian Richardson. My first response to this Granada version after watching it on PBS over two nights was rather ho-hum, but I grew to love Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes and the Granada series. I soon decided to give it another viewing. After a second look, I now consider it to be a strong production.As with the original novel, Sherlock Holmes is absent a majority of the time (though never far from the narrative), making Brett's performance less prominent. When Holmes does return to the story in the last act, Brett shines. However, the major achievement of this adaptation is it's ability to maintain interest in the story despite Holme's absence. This is due to Edward Hardwicke's excellent performance as Dr. Watson, along with Kristoffer Tabori's likable performance as Sir Henry Baskerville. Other fine performances that help make it work are Neil Duncan as Dr. Mortimer, and James Faulkner as Stapleton.We don't see much of the Hound – it is shown sparingly, but it too often resembles a man in a rubber suit or a big dog with glowing paint on it. As an 80's British TV production lacking a big Hollywood budget, it is not going to have the special effects of Stan Winston. Ultimately, the Hound is never truly terrifying, even though the violence that is suggested can be disturbing.This feature film is rich in the visual atmosphere that fans come to expect from the Granada series. The producers paid close attention to detail to achieve the look and feel that Conan Doyle was trying to create. The meticulous sets, costumes, props, and location work capture the Victorian period. The music is evocative and works well with the content. The direction by Brian Mills is very competent and the film moves at a good pace. The dramatization by T.R. Bowen (who wrote many episodes for the Granada series) captures the multi-textured nature of the story and the subplots, supporting characters and setting. It really isn't about the Hound, but the way in which the perpetrator uses it as a local legend to frighten, to confuse, and to kill. It is engrossing from beginning to end without losing focus, which is a tribute given the story's complexity. My only serious quibble is that the climax is somewhat rushed.This adaptation might not be the best, but remains a very competent, meticulous adaptation. Those expecting suspense and horror that the original novel created will be let down, even though it is more faithful than any other version. Yet, it is enjoyable mainly from the strength of the original story, production values, and a quality cast led by the magnificent Jeremy Brett. The only Sherlock Holmes film from Granada that might surpass it, is "The Sign of Four."

agni0504 I think I was ten when I first read this novel. It was fascinating, brilliant and exciting,it became one of my favourites from Conan Doyle.I really liked the Granada version of it and the Granada Holmes series too.The studio fulfilled a hard task by remaining faithful to the original stories, and the result is:many-many fans of the series all over the world. But the success mostly depended on the wonderful cast. For me Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke were not playing Holmes and Watson, they simply identified themselves with the characters.They share a unique, noble friendship which you cannot find in today's movies.Though Holmes is sometimes rude and impatient with Watson, you can always sense this deep sympathy between them.Brett's Holmes is a cool, elegant and eccentric detective, master of some martial arts, who has all-embracing knowledge.He calls his method deduction: he examines everything thoroughly and completes the puzzle.It is really sad that Jeremy Brett died and the series had to be ended. I liked his Holmes very much. I read many interviews with him and these show a charming, friendly man with a great sense of humor (and he was handsome too!). Thank you very much, Granada Studios. And above all: thank you, Mr. Brett.

murdoch1111 "The Hound of the Baskervilles" is not my favorite Sherlock Holmes film: There are problems with the hound no matter how it is portrayed, and the violence in the film is disturbing. "The Hound" has perhaps suffered from overexposure; it is by all odds the most famous of the Sherlock Holmes tales. It lacks the substance of other full-length Holmes films, such as "The Sign of Four" and "The Master Blackmailer." And it lacks the horror of "The Last Vampire," which Conan Doyle wrote as a tribute to his friend Bram Stoker, the celebrated author of "Dracula."The acting in the Sherlock Holmes films is consistently good. For me as for many other people, Jeremy Brett was the quintessential Holmes. It is a pity he is no longer around to play the part, and an even greater pity that the Holmes films are being remade in what promises to be a greatly inferior version.