The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

With the latest series of Sherlock having just aired on the BBC, I look back at one of the character's earlier editions with 1939's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes once again starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Watson. Having started the series towards the end with the enjoyable Pursuit to Algiers, this adventure was the second entry of a long series of films featuring the famous detective.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, as do a few other films from the series that followed, take place in the Victorian era that keeps in touch with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novels. However, regardless of being set in the late 19th century or during the 1940s, when another studio took control, the difference in terms of the characters is barely noticeable. In Pursuit to Algiers they use cars and here they use horse and carriage.

For fans of the Benedict Cumberbatch series, this story pits Holmes against his arch nemesis Moriarty who many will be familiar with. The story begins with Moriarty being acquitted from a murder trial and with Holmes left to continue his investigations until a seemingly unconnected murder happens. The premise is simple but enjoyable to watch as the story unfolds, however, the old-fashioned tone of the film may take some getting use to for newcomers. Unfortunately being one of the earlier films in the series, the quality of the picture and audio isn't quite up there with latter films which followed even when watching it on TV in HD.

Despite this, I can still recommend The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes purely down to its entertainment factor. Rathbone takes full control of the central role and it's not difficult to see why he would continue playing as Holmes for twelve more films. Equally good is Bruce as the bumbling yet enjoyable Watson who gets the last laugh thanks to a witty screenplay. Overall this is an entertaining edition to the series and it will be interesting to see how it all began with The Hound of the Baskervilles.