Tonight I watched another of the old black & white Sherlock Holmes movies from the 30s.  This was the latest movie in the set – filmed in 1938, and it shows.  Sherlock Holmes is again played by Arthur Wontner and he has really got a handle on the character by the time of this movie.  His every scene sparkles, his mannerisms are spot on, his dialogue is superb.

The movie was originally known as Silver Blaze but was retitled Murder At The Baskervilles when it was apparent that Hound of the Baskervilles from rival companies was doing so well.

For the most part, this movie follows the novel of Silver Blaze fairly faithfully.  The story is about a racehorse that disappears on the night the stable hand is murdered.  The clues are a plate of curry, a quiet dog, and three lame sheep.

Certain liberties are taken with the setting.  The story is set some twenty years after The Hound of the Baskervilles and Holmes is invited to return to the Baskervilles for a vacation.  The stable wherein the horse resides is a nearby property, and Holmes gets involved when all fingers point at the young man who’s going to marry Baskerville’s daughter.

Another liberty that’s taken with the story is the inclusion of Professor Moriarty.  His involvement is largely superficial, but he’s there to provide sufficient interest for Holmes to keep mentioning him and also to provide a decent chase sequence and a finale in which Dr Watson’s life is threatened.  The reason for the inclusion of Moriarty in a standalone movie like this is actually quite essential.  The story of Silver Blaze ends with Holmes discovering that the murderer was actually killed by the horse – so there’s no big “unmask the bad-guy” ending.  That’s fine for a short story or an episode of a TV series, but a movie needs to have a solid ending.  This is provided here by Morarty’s comeuppance.

With the exception of the pronunciation of LeStrade (as Less-traid), the movie stands up very well with a gradually rolling story that builds up to quite a fast-paced ending.

Wontner is excellent as Sherlock Holmes (who even wears the deerstalker for once), although he still bears an uncanny resemblance to Frank Muir when he’s talking.  Dr Watson is played by the curiously named Ian Fleming (not that one, I feel assured!) who doesn’t really look the part but, given that he isn’t given an inordinate amount to do, that doesn’t really matter.

The majority of the outdoor environments were achieved by painted backdrops and sets, but given the quality of the picture from 1938, it’s not so obvious to be distracting.  The painted backdrops and soundstage sets are actually quite marvellous, particularly given the era in which this was filmed.

The transfer to DVD is variable, with the audio suffering more than the picture.  There don’t appear to be any drop-outs, although some scenes do end rather too suddenly – as though the editing process wasn’t as smooth as it could have been.