Of all the Hound renditions, this one is probably the most precise, and yet it still has to play with Conan-Doyle's wonderful plot. Most of the plot elements are in place, but they had to misuse characters such as Laura Lyons and create an abusive husband, an artist living in the area. Also, they couldn't resist the sappy ending, with Sir Henry and Beryl immediately joining hands. The other issue that I take with virtually every incarnation of this epic is he treatment of Watson. Remember, he is a wise enough soul to write the exploits of Holmes for publication. Once again, he's portrayed as a bit of a buffoon. Let's blame Nigel Bruce for that, one of the worst of the Watsons (though the one first thought of when we look back on our viewing). The two men who portrayed him in the Jeremy Brett episodes captured him so much better. The acting here is OK. Richardson does a pretty good job with the great sleuth. Henry is dull and uninteresting. Stapleton was surprisingly good. Someday, someone will trust the story--unfortunately, I may not live that long.

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.

The Hound Of The Baskervilles gets umpteenth remake for the BBC in 1983 with Ian Richardson as Sherlock Holmes and Donald Churchill as Dr. Watson. This Holmes story which was a full length novel is maybe the most popular one of them all. Given all the versions who could say different?

Denholm Elliott comes calling at Baker Street for Sherlock Holmes on behalf of young Henry Baskerville played by Nicholas Clay. Clay is over from America to claim his inheritance. He became an heir because the previous Baskerville was frightened to death by something evil. There is a legend about the Baskervilles having a devil hound to do their bidding.

No need to go into the story as every fan of the Baker Street sleuth knows it. Ian Richardson and maybe this is not his fault because he looks like him, but I swore I was watching Peter Cushing in the role. Richardson is an aesthete Holmes and Donald Churchill an avuncular Dr. Watson.

Clay captures everyone's attention playing three different parts this version is truly his.

And Holmes purists won't complain.