To select just one representative Sherlock Holmes film from the hundred or so made since Sherlock Holmes Baffled is a virtual impossibility, especially as no one actor (including such famous talents as John Barrymore, Clive Brook and Raymond Massey) has yet managed to successfully transfer the true Holmesian character to the screen… But if one has to be singled out probably the best choice would be the 1939 version of "The Hound of the Baskervilles," the most famous of all Conan Doyle's long novels and the film that introduced Basil Rathbone in the part of Sherlock Holmes…

Although no less a critic than Graham Greene found Rathbone unacceptable, complaining of his good humor and general air of refreshing health, the tall, thin British born actor is still the man most people associate with the role… He played in 14 Holmes movies between 1939 and 1946, two "A" productions and twelve double features…

Set in the correct period, "The Hound of the Baskervilles" follows Conan Doyle closely including only one scene, a séance, not in the original story… Its opening sequence on a deserted moor with a man running in terror from the unseen beast and its climax with Holmes going out alone into the foggy night to track down the "Hell Hound" really catches the suspense and mystery of Conan Doyle's story…

The film is most impressive when it convincingly sketches in the streets and fashions of Edwardian London, a remarkable achievement when one considers that recreation of London and English settings has not been one of Hollywood's strongest points over the years…

The final curtain line makes it difficult to believe that the film was made in 1939 with all the restrictions and censorship of that period… References to Holmes' drug taking have rarely if ever been made in Holmes movies but in "The Hound of the Baskervilles" the great detective stalks out of the room calling to his ever faithful companion, "The needle, Watson, the needle."

Probably the best known of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound Of The Baskervilles gets the A treatment from 20th Century Fox and introduces the team of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Holmes and Watson. They would only go on to make one other Holmes feature for Fox before the series shifted to Universal and a considerable downgrading in production values.

The film is also a chance for Darryl F. Zanuck to exhibit Richard Greene who was being groomed at that time as a possible successor to Tyrone Power as the number one heartthrob on the lot. Power was Zanuck's personal favorite among the stars, but even with favorites you have to have someone to keep them in line. And Greene's British background was more in keeping with the locale of the story. Though I certainly could have seen Tyrone Power playing the young Baskerville heir.

It's not the Baskerville heir, but a doctor played by Lionel Atwill at the Baskerville estate who suspects foul play of sorts in the death of the elder Baskerville who was his patient. Though the man died of a heart attack, Atwill tells Rathbone that near the body were "the footprints of a gigantic hound" corresponding to a legendary killer dog that has stalked the Baskerville family for generations. Atwill hires Holmes to protect Greene who is coming over from Canada to claim the estate.

There is a curse of sorts on the Baskervilles, brought on by the rakish behavior of an ancestor played in flashback by Ralph Forbes. He is the first to meet his end in an unnatural manner on that family tree.

A fine cast supports Greene, Rathbone, and Bruce who in fact are billed in that order which leads me to suspect Tyrone Power might have been originally intended for the role. Besides Atwill we also have John Carradine as the Baskerville butler, Wendy Barrie as Greene's intended, Morton Lowry as a neighboring landowner, and Beryl Mercer who is Atwill's wife with a gift for clairvoyance.

There are never any supernatural solutions in a Sherlock Holmes mystery and when the culprit is revealed the motives are more involved with the present though they are grounded in how the legend came about.

This is the first and best of the Rathbone-Bruce Sherlock Holmes films. Would all of them had maintained this level of quality.

The book is truly great, compelling and terrifying all at once. This 1939 film adaptation stayed true to the spirit of the book, if not word from word, and on its own it is classy, chilling and atmospheric. The cinematography is superb, and the moor scenery makes up the suitably macabre atmosphere. Throw in some great acting, haunting music score and a truly terrifying hound you have a near perfect adaptation. What let it down for me though was the last five or so minutes, of course I loved the clever reference to Holmes's drug addiction (though people may think Holmes had taken up sewing),but the revelation of the culprit was too rushed for me.

However, apart from that, this is extremely good stuff. The script had a strong sense of intelligence, and the climatic scenes with the hound itself were suspenseful and chilling to say the least. The acting is of high calibre, while I personally think Jeremy Brett is the definitive Holmes, Basil Rathbone is absolutely superb here. He looks as though he is having a great time, making Holmes witty, dynamic and sophisticated, and that was a sheer delight to see. Nigel Bruce while not as good as Rathbone, makes a fine Dr Watson. Out of the stellar supporting cast, John Carradine and Morton Lowry stood out as Barryman and Stapleton, while Lionel Attwill's Dr Mortimer is also effective. Also as Sir Henry Baskerville, Richard Greene has the screen presence and charm to make himself memorable. All in all, almost perfect, nevertheless a classy and atmospheric adaptation of a great book. 9/10 Bethany Cox