HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES - Terence Fisher
While it won't stand up as a sterling example of Sherlock Holmes on screen this one was good amusement.
In the interests of glossing over what they consider the 'dull' parts of Doyle's manuscript Hammer cheerfully modify a good portion of it. Thus we have episodes like Holmes saving Henry Baskerville from a tarantula attack and Watson plunging into the Grimpen mire. Lots more where that came from.
Peter Cushing although a dead ringer for Homes in his looks doesn't quite play it as well as I'd have liked him to. His Holmes is rather bluff and gung-ho even when curled up on a couch in his dressing gown, and often pointlessly rude. He also seems to have been tainted by leftovers of his Van Helsing dialog when at one point he pleads with the Bishop, "Can't you see I fight evil as you do?" (WHAT Bishop, I hear you say. Aha, that's one of the many surprises that Hammer's version of the story pulls on you).
Chrisopher Lee makes a fine Henry Baskerville, although his statesque proportions and baritone make one think that he'd have made a fine Holmes as well.
Fisher directs efficiently and there are some fine looking shots even if the backdrops look too prop-like.
So long as you're not a Doyle purist, this is a fun ride, with some hilarious detours from the original story.
While it won't stand up as a sterling example of Sherlock Holmes on screen this one was good amusement.
In the interests of glossing over what they consider the 'dull' parts of Doyle's manuscript Hammer cheerfully modify a good portion of it. Thus we have episodes like Holmes saving Henry Baskerville from a tarantula attack and Watson plunging into the Grimpen mire. Lots more where that came from.
Peter Cushing although a dead ringer for Homes in his looks doesn't quite play it as well as I'd have liked him to. His Holmes is rather bluff and gung-ho even when curled up on a couch in his dressing gown, and often pointlessly rude. He also seems to have been tainted by leftovers of his Van Helsing dialog when at one point he pleads with the Bishop, "Can't you see I fight evil as you do?" (WHAT Bishop, I hear you say. Aha, that's one of the many surprises that Hammer's version of the story pulls on you).
Chrisopher Lee makes a fine Henry Baskerville, although his statesque proportions and baritone make one think that he'd have made a fine Holmes as well.
Fisher directs efficiently and there are some fine looking shots even if the backdrops look too prop-like.
So long as you're not a Doyle purist, this is a fun ride, with some hilarious detours from the original story.