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Amazon.co.uk Review
With 17 previous screen adaptations behind it, this 2002 BBC version of The Hound of the Baskervilles might have been inhibited by the sheer weight of expectation. But in this production--marking the centenary of Arthur Conan Doyle's novel--director David Attwood rings the changes subtly and strikingly, helped by Allan Cubitt's tautly argued script and Christopher Hall's vivid production: the viewer feels the "presence" of the moors as never before. Richard Roxburgh is a thoughtful, understated Sherlock Holmes--self-absorbed yet observant of life around him. There's nothing bumbling or ineffectual about Ian Hart's Dr Watson--a resourceful thinker who, often sceptical of Holmes, complements him in human awareness. Richard E Grant dons a plausibly sociopathic manner as Stapleton, and there's a touching portrayal of his put-upon sister from Neve McIntosh. John Nettles and Geraldine James contribute sterling character parts as Dr and Mrs Mortimer, and Matt Day is a suave, not too sophisticated Sir Henry Baskerville. It adds up to a convincing rethink of a hallowed tale.
On the DVD: The Hound of the Baskervilles on disc comes with a 16:9 picture that reproduces the sombre atmosphere of Baskerville Hall--shot at a variety of English locations--with real immediacy, and the Dolby Digital sound has 5.1 surround enhancement. Subtitles are in 11 languages, with 10 scene selections--framed in a stylishly- presented main menu. Special Features include a 12-minute making of documentary and interviews with the cast members, as well as a running commentary from Attwood and Hall. --Richard Whitehouse
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Superb dramatisation,
By
This review is from: Hound of the Baskervilles [DVD] (DVD)
I first saw this on Christmas Eve 2009 and thought it was brilliantly dramatised for television. By far the best Hound of the Baskervilles I have seen. I bought this dvd about a week or so after seeing it. I think Richard Roxburgh was a very good choice of actor to play Sherlock Holmes. Despite being Australian his English accent is very believable and is only outshone by his fantastic acting. The scenery in this adaptation is of a very high standard too. No cheap sets in this movie, which only adds to the believability of the film. I think Richard E Grant was a good casting for the role of Stapleton as he masters this very cunning and devious character. The choice of building for Baskerville Hall was superb and helps create a very chilling setting. Neve McIntosh was cleverly chosen too as the distraction for Dr Watson as she is absolutely stunning. To be honest she is another reason why I was gripped to this adaptation as Neve is a very attractive women. Aside from this I cannot recommend this film enough. My only reservation or criticism is the hound itself. Despite computer technology used to help create the hound I wasn't impressed to be honest. If you love this story buy this.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A most distressing case...,
By
This review is from: Hound of the Baskervilles [DVD] (DVD)
Oh dear...
It's easy to tell where this latest version of Conan Doyle's perennial classic goes wrong because so little goes right. There's little fault with the script, which does a decent job of retelling a by now overly familiar tale and even throws in an intriguingly gothic Christmas Eve party for good measure. Some of the supporting performances are fine - John Nettles and Richard E. Grant in particular. But the leads are so very wrong that they sap the life from the thing. Ian Hart's Watson is surly and obnoxious, all too easily offended and trapped in a deeply distrustful relationship with Holmes. Since Watson has to carry much of the drama, this keeps us at arm's length from involvement, especially since Matt Day is such a dull Baskerville. However, where Hart is a good actor giving a misjudged performance, Richard Roxburgh gives every indication of being a bad actor giving a bad performance. He may not quite be the worst Holmes in the way that he was definitely the worst Dracula (in Van Helsing), but he's certainly the dullest and blandest despite his overstated distance and eccentricities, while the attempt to make him more of an action hero simply ends up making him a very ordinary figure instead. With all displays of Holmes' deductive reasoning dropped (even the famous scene with Dr Mortimer's walking stick is gone), his disguises omitted (he just appears on the moor as if he were still dressed for Baker Street) and his drug use wildly overdone (rather than resorting to narcotics when bored, he even jacks up in a public toilet while working on the case in this version), he's such a blunt bull in a China shop here that rather than pay the cabby for information, he beats him up instead as if he were a 19th century Popeye Doyle. Although David Attwood's direction throws up the odd good bit of composition, the grotty lighting and perpetual green tint on the original TV broadcast version sap any signs of life before they can bloom. And the less said about the shoddily animated CGi hound the better - despite the impressively populated London street scenes, it's hard to believe that this is probably the biggest budgeted version since Rathbone and Bruce strode the Moor. The BBC have previously had good luck with the tale - both their Peter Cushing and Tom Baker versions, studio-bound though they were, were more involving in their cosy Sunday teatime way. Sadly, this attempt to bring a more modern aesthetic, while marginally better than the dreadful Peter Cook and Dudley Moore spoof, is nonetheless a very poor show indeed.
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A story I will never grow tired of....,
This review is from: Hound of the Baskervilles [DVD] (DVD)
I read the novel of HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES several years ago, after having seen at least three of the many filmed versions. Despite my being forewarned of the plot I still found it an atmospheric and enthralling read, a true testament to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's writing talents. It remains my favourite SHERLOCK HOLMES story (I've read every single one!) thanks to the clever blending of superstition and modern thinking (perhaps reflecting the times in which Conan Doyle wrote it) and I always welcome any new adaptation of this classic tale.Sadly, the time when the BBC produced quality television as a matter of course has long passed; They now treat such prestige productions as this as an 'event' that arrives annually, perhaps in the hope that we appreciate it enough to forgive the rubbish they feed us the rest of the year. This latest version of THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES is indeed such an event: A quality production dripping with atmosphere and successfully infusing the tale with new slants and suprises. There can be very few members of the public that have not, by now, seen at least one adaptation of this famous yarn so I have much admiration for a writer who successfully takes such familiar material and makes it worth me watching all over again. Credit to all involved, as that is exactly what's been done. The cast is uniformly excellent: Richard Roxburgh does on occasion seem to be supressing his Australian accent a little too much, but other than that makes a fine HOLMES. Both his performance and comments made by the actor on the DVD clearly demostrate that he understands the character, and the chance to see a younger, more energetic HOLMES is very refreshing. The same applies to Ian Hart as WATSON; He's a revelation in the role and carries his scenes with confidence. Nigel Bruce's bumbler to Rathbone's HOLMES is now a thing of the past, and Hart's assured performance stands along side my personal favourite WATSON, David Burke in the first Jeremy Brett series. Support from familiar names like John Nettles, Richard E. Grant and even Liza Tarbuck is very well delivered. The story is so familiar I won't bother recounting it - It's the detail that make this film so enjoyable. The "spectral hound" itself proves that, despite horrendous overuse in rubbish like THE MUMMY, computer generated images can be effective and convincing. The direction is confident, the music suitably menacing and both the sound and art design are engaging & convincing.
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