VidMate
Free YouTube video & music downloader
ACTOR
Ian RichardsonDonald ChurchillDenholm ElliottGlynis Barber
DIRECTOR
Douglas Hickox
SYNOPSICS
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1983) is a English movie. Douglas Hickox has directed this movie. Ian Richardson,Donald Churchill,Denholm Elliott,Glynis Barber are the starring of this movie. It was released in 1983. The Hound of the Baskervilles (1983) is considered one of the best Crime,Horror,Mystery,Thriller movie in India and around the world.
Sherlock Holmes comes to the aid of his friend Henry Baskerville, who is under a family curse and menaced by a demonic dog that prowls the bogs near his estate and murders people.
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1983) Reviews
One of the better adaptations
Prior to the 1988 adaptation from Granada Television, I would say that this was the best adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles. It stays close to the source for the most part...but most of the changes it makes are needless ones, which is somewhat puzzling. Why omit Arthur Frankland? Why introduce Lyons, when he clearly has little function in the story? Some of the changes do actually work, however...including the bit with the gypsy. And in total, this Hound is entertaining and certainly has its moments. Ian Richardson is a fine Holmes, even if he seems a bit too good-natured. Perhaps this was a throwback to the old Basil Rathbone Holmes persona...and it works in this context. Richardson is hardly the moody Holmes of Arthur Conan Doyle...but definitely fun to watch. Unfortunately, Donald Churchill is not one of the great screen Watsons. He is a definite step down from his immediate predecessor, David Healy, who portrayed the good Doctor opposite Richardson in The Sign of Four. As the films were produced in the same year, by the same producer, one must wonder why Healy did not reprise the role for Hound. Instead, we are presented with a rather too blustery Watson, almost reminiscent of Nigel Bruce, though not nearly as appealing. Churchill looks the part, but not much else. Ron Lacey is a treat to watch, as always...this time, playing it straighter than usual in his role as Inspector Lestrade, whose participation is greatly enhanced in this adaptation, for he appeared in the novel merely as a minor supporting character, showing up toward the end. Here, he is on the scene quite early, though behaving in an uncharacteristically antagonistic fashion. Ron Lacey would, of course, show up in another Holmes adventure before too long...appearing as both Thaddeus and Bartholomew Sholto in the 1986 Granada adaptation of The Sign of Four. All things considered, this is a good adaptation. It is simply not the best. That honor goes to Granada's production. Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes was the very essence of the literary character and very little of the novel was changed for the sake of that particular adaptation. This production runs a distant second...though prior to Granada's Hound, this one was easily the best of the bunch. It may, in fact, simply be a matter of individual taste. Neither film can be considered bad, by any stretch of the imagination. The preference, I suppose, depends solely on what one may be looking for in a Hound adaptation. I suggest seeing both this and the 1988 Granada production, and making up your own mind.
Very good version with excellent production values
Having seen the Rathbone, Cushing and Brett versions, I settled down to watch this expecting a run-of-the-mill, made for TV "quickie" which would be instantly forgettable and just "yet another" rendition of a tale all too frequently told. I was very pleasantly surprised to find a very good production with excellent direction, ensuring that it whisks along at an excellent pace and that the viewer's attention never flags. Some parts of Richardson's portrayal of Holmes do not gel, (especially the ludicrous 'gypsey' scenes), but, overall, I think he does a first rate job and, in my view, exceeds the value of the performances by Rathbone and Cushing, which, while very good in their own day, are now hopelessly dated, (to the point of caricature in the case of Rathbone and virtually ALL of the supporting players in the 1939 version!)Good supporting roles also from Martin Shaw as Baskerville and David Churchill as an entirely credible Watson, avoiding the buffoonery of the Rathbone version but also not the "over-compensation" of the Hardwick portrayal in the Brett version. This latter version, (as with the complete ITV series starring Brett, (which must rate as THE "definitive" version of the Holmes stories on screen, (whether large or small)), must probably maintain its status as the "best" version I have seen to date, BUT the Richardson one is only just behind and, as already said, in terms of overall pace and energy probably exceeds it! A pity we did not see Richardson don the deer stalker more often!
Not bad, but...
I've seen a few versions of probably Holmes' most famous case, and this one holds up pretty well. Firstly, Ian Richardson as Holmes: he is a different Holmes to Conan Doyle's cold, aloof deduction machine. This Holmes is a lively, happy Holmes and I can't really get on with this portrayal. Richardson is a fine actor but I much prefer Jeremy Brett, Peter Cushing and Basil Rathbone. Next up we have Donald Churchill as Doctor Watson giving possibly the worst performance of all the Watson's. It's certainly the worst performance in the film. Churchill gives a stumbling, mumbling, bumbling performance, in the Nigel Bruce vein but with none of the charm. Bruce and David Burke were far better Watson's. Martin Shaw, TV's Ray Doyle from The Professionals turns up as American Sir Henry Baskerville and he turns in an average performance, mainly due to the fact his whole voice was dubbed (by Eric Roberts, Julia's brother). No idea why this was done. Maybe Shaw's accent wasn't up to scratch but it certainly detracts from his performance. Trusty Brit stalwarts Denholm Eliot (miscast as Dr Mortimer- Mortimer was in his 30's in the novel), Brian Blessed shouting and hollering as Geoffrey Lyons (a character only mentioned by name in the book) and Ronald Lacey as Lestrade all provide good support. Nicholas Clay does a nice turn as the devious Stapleton but Glynis Barber as Beryl Stapleton is appalling. She seems to come from the quivering lip school of acting. The production in this version is particularly good. Impressive photography of the brooding moor and Baskerville Hall plus Douglas Hickox's confident direction are big plus points. Forget the dodgy sets of Baker Street at the beginning and some obvious studio sets of the moor towards the end. Bit of a cop out ending with Sir Henry and Beryl which is different to the book. All in all a pretty good attempt at a classic, not the best but certainly not the worst.
"You seem to me a mighty suspicious fellow..." Fantastic murder mystery with horror overtones.
The Hound of the Baskervilles starts on a dark cold night, Sir Charles Baskerville (David Langton) is standing outside his huge manor house overlooking the Devonshire moors. He hears what sounds like howling over the ominous claps of thunder, he retreats into his gazebo but is attacked by a ferocious Hound. Sir Charles servants Mr (Edward Judd) & Mrs Barrymore (Eleanor Bron) hear his terrified screams & discover his dead body soon after. Dr. Mortimer (Denholm Elliott) discusses a manuscript dated from 1742 with Sherlock Holmes (Ian Richardson) which talks about a Hound of hell which curses the Baskerville family. Mortimer convinces Holmes to talk to Henry Baskerville (Martin Shaw), Sir Carles nephew & heir who is arriving from America, & give him some advice. Holmes agrees but worrying incidents being to happen, Henry receives a threatening letter & an attempt is made on his life by a mysterious man with a black beard who calls himself Sherlock Holmes. Henry plans to investigate & find out whats going on & decides to travel to the manor house. Holmes is busy on another case for at least a week so he sends Dr. Watson (Donald Churchill) to monitor the situation & keep him informed by post. When they arrive they discover that Inspector Lestrade (Ronald Lacey) from Scotland Yard is heading a manhunt for an escaped convict named Selden (Peter Rutherford) dubbed the 'Notting Hill murderer'. They also run into various other locals who all seem to have had a grudge against the Baskerville family, maybe in fact it wasn't a Hound of hell that killed Sir Charles but something or someone a lot more real... This made for T.V. adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's famous novel was directed by Douglas Hickox & is a fantastic murder mystery that I enjoyed immensely on many levels. There are two things I must say at this point, firstly I will openly admit I've never read the literary source, & secondly I've never seen any other filmed adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles. I don't have a clue how closely Charles Edward Pogue's script follows the novel & to be honest I don't really care as I thought this was a cracking film in it's own right. Very few people die, the Hound is used sparingly & it's quite long but I couldn't take my eyes off it. It has strong characters even if Watson does come off as a bit of a goofish idiot on too many occasions, a great story which I was 'cold' to as it were & a real ability to draw me into the Sherlock Holmes world of mystery & intrigue. It's consistently interesting as there is barely a scene which goes by without some sort of clue or a potential suspect incriminating themselves & there were a few surprises as well that I didn't see coming but obviously I can't mention them & spoil it. Oh, & no I didn't guess the eventual outcome either which obviously helped. Another aspect of The Hound of the Baskervilles which surprised me was the production values which belie their T.V. budget limitations & origins. This particular Holmes was shot on location in Devon at Knightshayes Court, a splendid location it is too, the interior of the manor & the exterior moor shots give the film a wonderful look & feel. Some of the nighttime fog enshrouded marsh shots obviously take place in a studio but this gives these scenes another different type of atmosphere as things can be controlled more easily, director Hickox films these scenes with a blue hue throughout. I also thought technically The Hound of the Baskervilles is top notch as well, photography, costumes, editing, direction, the orchestral music score & the acting by the strong British cast which includes Glynis Barber, Brian Blessed, Connie Booth & Eric Richard is, as you would expect, solid throughout. I'm not sure how this version compares to any other, but as a stand alone murder mystery that was a first time watch for me I throughly enjoyed it. The one downside is that for me it has no repeat value as now I know the outcome that's it, it's not a surprise anymore is it? If you can watch it on T.V. for free or rent it, I don't think it's worth a purchase for the reason I've stated, then I highly recommend this version of The Hound of the Baskervilles.
Lightweight and shallow
This film obviously takes its casting from the portrayals of Holmes and Watson by Rathbone and Bruce, rather than from the book. Richardson is smarmy, jovial and cheery, with none of Rathbone's cold precision and sharpness. Churchill is more idiotic as Watson than even Nigel Bruce could manage. An insipid and clueless Inspector LeStrade is added for no other reason, apparently, than the writer's feeling that a Holmes story needed him. The sets looked good. Some of the additional characters are quite well done (with the exception of the butler and his wife, who sleepwalk through their lines.) This film pales next to almost any of the other film adaptations of Hound. The best is the Rathbone/Bruce version. The Hammer films version gives us Peter Cushing as an excellent Holmes surrounded by those lovely Hammer sets. The 1988 Jeremy Brett TV film suffers from being filmed on a TV budget, but gives us what is probably the most faithful rendition of Holmes and Watson, with Watson coming off as Holmes' strong right hand, rather than as a buffoon. Watch any and/or all of these, but only watch this version if you have run out of other versions to watch.