The Hound of the Baskervilles (German: Der Hund von Baskerville) is a 1929 Germansilentmystery film directed by Richard Oswald and is an adaptation of the 1902 Sherlock Holmes novel The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle. The film stars Carlyle Blackwell as Sherlock Holmes and George Seroff as Dr. Watson, with Betty Bird, Alexander Murski, and Livio Pavanelli in supporting roles. It tells the story of Holmes (Blackwell) investigating the mysterious death of Sir Charles Baskerville, believed to be caused by a supernatural hound haunting the Baskerville family. This was the last Sherlock Holmes adaptation of the silent film era.[1]
The Hound of the Baskervilles featured an unusually international cast, including American actor Carlyle Blackwell, German actor Fritz Rasp, British actress Alma Taylor, Russian actor Alexander Murski, and Italian actor Livio Pavanelli.[2]
The Hound of the Baskervilles premiered on 8 August 1929 to generally positive reviews, with praise for Blackwell's portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, although some criticized its uneven pacing. Despite being a silent film released during the transition to sound cinema, it performed moderately well at the box-office.
In 2009, a tape of the film, along with other lost films from the silent cinema era, was discovered in the basement of a church in Sosnowiec, Poland.[3] A decade later, in 2019, Flicker Alley released a digitally restored version of the film on DVD and Blu-ray, along with the 1914 version of the story.
Plot
The film opens with the sudden and mysterious death of Sir Charles Baskerville. His body is discovered near his family’s ancestral home on the desolate moors of Devonshire, with a look of terror frozen on his face. Near his body, large paw prints are found, leading many to believe that the legendary Baskerville curse—the ghostly hound that haunts the family—has struck again. The curse is said to stem from a brutal crime committed by an ancestor of the Baskerville family, and the hound has been believed to torment the family for generations.
With Sir Charles dead, his heir, Sir Henry Baskerville, returns from Canada to claim his inheritance. Concerned for Sir Henry’s safety, the family’s friend, Dr. James Mortimer, approaches Sherlock Holmes for help. Dr. Mortimer recounts the legend of the hound and expresses fear that Sir Henry might be the next victim. Holmes, intrigued but skeptical about the supernatural element, agrees to take the case.
Holmes decides to send Dr. Watson to accompany Sir Henry to Baskerville Hall while he remains in London to continue his investigation in secret. Watson’s role is to observe and report back to Holmes, while also keeping Sir Henry safe. Upon arriving at Baskerville Hall, Watson notes the gloomy atmosphere of the moors and the imposing estate. He quickly realizes that there is more to the case than the legend of the hound.
During his stay, Watson encounters several suspicious characters. The family servants, Mr. and Mrs. Barrymore, act strangely, particularly at night. Watson notices the Barrymores signaling someone on the moors using a lantern, which raises his suspicions. Meanwhile, Watson meets the local naturalist Stapleton, a seemingly friendly man who lives nearby with his sister, Beryl Stapleton. Beryl, in a moment of fear, secretly warns Sir Henry to leave the moors, implying that he is in grave danger.
As Watson continues his investigation, eerie events unfold. The terrifying howls of what seem to be a large beast are heard at night across the moors, adding to the belief that the Baskerville curse is real. Watson tries to piece together the mystery, but without Holmes by his side, he feels uncertain about the strange occurrences.
Holmes, who has secretly been conducting his own investigation, eventually arrives in Devonshire. He reveals to Watson that the mysterious figure on the moors is Selden, an escaped convict who has been hiding with the help of the Barrymores, who are related to him. However, this discovery is only part of the larger mystery.
Holmes uncovers the truth: the legendary hound is not supernatural but a flesh-and-blood dog trained by Stapleton. It turns out that Stapleton is a distant relative of the Baskerville family, and his goal is to eliminate Sir Henry and claim the family estate for himself. Stapleton has been using the legend of the hound to cover up his murderous plan, taking advantage of the family’s fear of the curse.
In the film’s climax, Holmes, Watson, and Sir Henry confront the hound on the moors. The massive dog, trained to be vicious and appear terrifying, attacks Sir Henry. Holmes and Watson manage to kill the hound before it can fatally wound Sir Henry. In a desperate attempt to escape, Stapleton flees across the Grimpen Mire, a dangerous and treacherous bog. Pursued by Holmes and Watson, Stapleton becomes trapped in the mire and sinks to his death.
With the mystery solved, the curse of the Baskerville hound is exposed as a fabrication created by Stapleton’s greed and cunning. Sir Henry is saved, and peace is restored to Baskerville Hall. Holmes and Watson return to London, having put an end to the dark legacy of the Baskerville family.
Richard Oswald had previously adapted Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles for the 1914 German serial Der Hund von Baskerville. However, the 1929 film was not a remake of that serial but a direct adaptation of Doyle's original novel.[1]
The British-based American actor Carlyle Blackwell was cast as Sherlock Holmes, selected for the role because he was considered "suitably Britannic."[4]
Despite the high production values, the film was a commercial failure. Critic Troy Howarth noted that the film was "a commercial disaster," effectively ending German cinema's interest in Sherlock Holmes until 1936, when another version of The Hound of the Baskervilles was produced.[2]
Related Research Articles
The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third of the four crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in The Strand Magazine from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set largely in Dartmoor, Devon, in England's West Country and follows Holmes and Watson investigating the legend of a fearsome, diabolical hound of supernatural origin. This was the first appearance of Holmes since his apparent death in "The Final Problem", and the success of The Hound of the Baskervilles led to the character's eventual revival.
The Hound of the Baskervilles is a 1981 Soviet television film adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's 1902 novel The Hound of the Baskervilles. It was the third instalment in the TV series about adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson.
The Hound of the Baskervilles is a 1959 British gothic mystery film directed by Terence Fisher and produced by Hammer Film Productions. It is based on the 1902 novel of the same title by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It stars Peter Cushing as Sherlock Holmes, Sir Christopher Lee as Sir Henry Baskerville and André Morell as Doctor Watson. It is the first film adaptation of the novel to be filmed in colour.
The Hound of the Baskervilles is a 1939 American gothic mystery film based on the 1902 Sherlock Holmes novel of the same name by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Directed by Sidney Lanfield, the film stars Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. John Watson. Released by 20th Century Fox, it is the first of fourteen Sherlock Holmes films produced between 1939 and 1946 starring Rathbone and Bruce.
The Hound of the Baskervilles is a 2002 television adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 1902 novel of the same name.
The Hound of the Baskervilles is a 1978 British comedy film spoofing the 1902 novel The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It starred Peter Cook as Sherlock Holmes and Dudley Moore as Dr. Watson. A number of other well-known British comedy actors appeared in the film including Terry-Thomas, Kenneth Williams and Denholm Elliott.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson is a series of Soviet television films portraying Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional English detective, starting in 1979. They were directed by Igor Maslennikov.
Silver Blaze is a 1937 British, black-and-white crime and mystery film, based loosely on Arthur Conan Doyle's 1892 short story "The Adventure of Silver Blaze". It was directed by Thomas Bentley, and was produced by Twickenham Film Studios Productions. It stars Arthur Wontner as Sherlock Holmes, and Ian Fleming as Dr. Watson. In the United States, the film was released in 1941 by Astor Pictures, where it was also known as Murder at the Baskervilles, retitled by distributors to capitalize on the success of the Basil Rathbone Holmes film, The Hound of the Baskervilles.
The Hound of the Baskervilles is a 1937 German mystery film directed by Carl Lamac and starring Peter Voss, Fritz Odemar and Fritz Rasp. It is an adaptation of the 1902 Sherlock Holmes story The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle. It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Potsdam and on location at the neo-Gothic Moyland Castle. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Wilhelm Depenau and Karl Vollbrecht.
The Hound of the Baskervilles is a 1983 British made-for-television mystery thriller film directed by Douglas Hickox, starring Ian Richardson as Sherlock Holmes and Donald Churchill as Dr. John H. Watson. It is based on Arthur Conan Doyle's 1902 novel The Hound of the Baskervilles.
The Hound of the Baskervilles is a Canadian television film directed by Rodney Gibbons and starring Matt Frewer and Kenneth Welsh. The film is based on Arthur Conan Doyle's 1902 Sherlock Holmes novel of the same name.
The Hound of the Baskervilles is a 1932 British mystery film directed by Gareth Gundrey and starring John Stuart, Robert Rendel and Frederick Lloyd. It is based on the 1902 novel The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, in which Sherlock Holmes is called in to investigate a suspicious death on Dartmoor. It was made by Gainsborough Pictures. The screenplay was written by Edgar Wallace.
The Hound of the Baskervilles is a 1921 British silent mystery film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Eille Norwood, Catina Campbell and Rex McDougall. It is based on the 1902 Sherlock Holmes novel The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle. It was made by Stoll Pictures, Britain's largest film company at the time. It was the first British film adaptation of the famous novel.
The Hound of the Baskervilles is a 1972 American made-for-television mystery film directed by Barry Crane and starring Stewart Granger as Sherlock Holmes and Bernard Fox as Doctor Watson. The movie is based on Arthur Conan Doyle's 1902 Sherlock Holmes novel The Hound of the Baskervilles.
The Hound of the Baskervilles is a 1982 British television serial made by the BBC. It was produced by Barry Letts, directed by Peter Duguid, and starred Tom Baker as Sherlock Holmes and Terence Rigby as Doctor Watson. The adaptation aired as a four-part serial. The serial is based on Arthur Conan Doyle's 1902 Sherlock Holmes novel The Hound of the Baskervilles. The music score was composed and conducted by Carl Davis.
"The Hounds of Baskerville" is the second episode of the second series of the BBC crime drama series Sherlock, which follows the modern-day adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and was first broadcast by BBC One on 8 January 2012. It was written by co-creator Mark Gatiss, who also portrays Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's brother in the series, and was directed by Paul McGuigan. The episode is a contemporary adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles, one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous works.
From 1921 to 1923, Stoll Pictures produced three series of silent black-and-white films based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. Forty-five short films and two feature-length films were produced featuring Eille Norwood in the role of Holmes and Hubert Willis cast as Dr. Watson with the exception of the final film, The Sign of Four, where Willis was replaced with Arthur Cullin. Consequently, Norwood holds the record for most appearances as Sherlock Holmes in film.
Der Hund von Baskerville is a 1914 German silent film adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's 1902 novel The Hound of the Baskervilles, the first film adaptation of the work. According to the website silentera.com, the film was considered lost, but has been rediscovered; the Russian Gosfilmofond film archive possesses a print, while the Filmmuseum München has a 35mm positive print.
Sherlock Holmes and the Baskerville Curse is a 1983 Australian animated television film directed by Eddie Graham. It is an adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novel The Hound of the Baskervilles (1901-1902), the third of his novels featuring Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson.
The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third of four Sherlock Holmes novels written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
1 2 Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era. Baltimore: Midnight Marquee Press. p.340. ISBN978-1-936168-68-2.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
