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Holmes and Watson are on the trail to find a necklace that once belonged to Cleopatra. Holmes must unravel the mystery which brings him face to face with his arch rival Moriarty...
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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
Lee makes a very good Holmes in this little-seen German made B/W thriller. Walters is also good as Watson, in fact, the two of them together are among the best pairing of the famous detective duo. However, there are two "fatal" downsides to this otherwise welcome release; one is that they appear to have been dubbed by two other actors. -Aargh ! . Apparently, no one originally bothered to have Lee and Walters brought in to do their own voices. Also, the picture unfortunately looks cropped, and very much like a Scope production. Too bad. But still, it's such a rare film that no fan of the two stars (and director Fisher) will want to pass up this chance of finally seeing it.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Horror maestro Christopher Lee played Mycroft Holmes and Sir Henry Baskerville, but was hardly ever seen as the great Sherlock. But he was in "Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace," a solid enough mystery with some very nice acting, beautiful sets... and really wretched dub work.
An informant of Sherlock Holms (Lee) totters up to his doorstep, and dies after gasping a cryptic message. Holmes and Watson (Thorley Walters) follow his message to the pub where Professor Moriarty (Hans Söhnker) is staying, and overhear Moriarty plotting a murder and a theft -- of an astounding necklace found in the tomb of Cleopatra.
They rush to a country estate to save the paranoid lord-of-the-manor, only to arrive too late -- the necklace is gone, and the man himself is dead. Now Holmes must infiltrate Moriarty's home to steal back the necklace, and get it to the auction before Moriarty can steal it back.
"Deadly Necklace" is definitely a mixed bag, as a Sherlock Holmes movie goes -- we have the basics of a Holmes movie, and some of them are really amazing. But often, it feels like Terence Fisher is directing on autopilot, leaving it to Christopher Lee to keep the movie afloat.
There are some wonderfully quick-moving subplots, such as the question of who shot the guy in the castle, buried clothes, and bloody footprints. Alas, many other parts of the movie are either plodding or confusing, which can be fatal to a mystery story. The park-bench scene with Moriarty and Holmes is a perfect example -- it feels like it was crammed in to take up some extra time. It really has nothing to do with the plot, and could have been cut without any effect.
Lee is a simply magnificent Holmes, and perhaps the best "one off" Holmes I've ever seen. He comes across as intelligent without having to work at it, and still tough enough to kick through an oak door. Thorley Walters makes a likably bumbly Watson, and provides a good thought-bouncer for Lee, but Söhnker makes a very hammy Moriarty. Not an ounce of menace, and the scene where he runs from Holmes is unintentionally funny.
And what about the infamous dubbing? Well, it's really bad. Lee's rich baritone is covered by someone who sounds like he's doing a Christopher Lee impersonation, sometimes sounding American (and when undercover, swishy). Even stranger, there's a hollow echo effect whenever anyone speaks. It sounds like the dubbing was done in a giant bathroom. As the final indignity, they tack on a fluffy jazz soundtrack that doesn't match the setting.
There are some deep, intense flaws in "Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace," but even with a dubbed voice Christopher Lee carries the film with rare style. Watch for his performance, if no other reason.
An informant of Sherlock Holms (Lee) totters up to his doorstep, and dies after gasping a cryptic message. Holmes and Watson (Thorley Walters) follow his message to the pub where Professor Moriarty (Hans Söhnker) is staying, and overhear Moriarty plotting a murder and a theft -- of an astounding necklace found in the tomb of Cleopatra.
They rush to a country estate to save the paranoid lord-of-the-manor, only to arrive too late -- the necklace is gone, and the man himself is dead. Now Holmes must infiltrate Moriarty's home to steal back the necklace, and get it to the auction before Moriarty can steal it back.
"Deadly Necklace" is definitely a mixed bag, as a Sherlock Holmes movie goes -- we have the basics of a Holmes movie, and some of them are really amazing. But often, it feels like Terence Fisher is directing on autopilot, leaving it to Christopher Lee to keep the movie afloat.
There are some wonderfully quick-moving subplots, such as the question of who shot the guy in the castle, buried clothes, and bloody footprints. Alas, many other parts of the movie are either plodding or confusing, which can be fatal to a mystery story. The park-bench scene with Moriarty and Holmes is a perfect example -- it feels like it was crammed in to take up some extra time. It really has nothing to do with the plot, and could have been cut without any effect.
Lee is a simply magnificent Holmes, and perhaps the best "one off" Holmes I've ever seen. He comes across as intelligent without having to work at it, and still tough enough to kick through an oak door. Thorley Walters makes a likably bumbly Watson, and provides a good thought-bouncer for Lee, but Söhnker makes a very hammy Moriarty. Not an ounce of menace, and the scene where he runs from Holmes is unintentionally funny.
And what about the infamous dubbing? Well, it's really bad. Lee's rich baritone is covered by someone who sounds like he's doing a Christopher Lee impersonation, sometimes sounding American (and when undercover, swishy). Even stranger, there's a hollow echo effect whenever anyone speaks. It sounds like the dubbing was done in a giant bathroom. As the final indignity, they tack on a fluffy jazz soundtrack that doesn't match the setting.
There are some deep, intense flaws in "Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace," but even with a dubbed voice Christopher Lee carries the film with rare style. Watch for his performance, if no other reason.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
A real oddity. This was made by horror maestro Terence Fisher (Dracula, Curse of Frankenstein, Brides of Dracula, Hound of the Baskervilles) in Germany, with the actors speaking English - and then being dubbed into English again by other actors. Bizarre.
Christopher Lee is surprisingly good as Holmes, and it really makes me wish he'd been given a better opportunity to play the character at that stage in his career. The atmosphere is reminiscent of the detective movies of the 1930s - the Charlie Chans, the Holmeses with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce etc.
As a work of art, this is very patchy, but for fans of its star or its director, it's worth a look.
Christopher Lee is surprisingly good as Holmes, and it really makes me wish he'd been given a better opportunity to play the character at that stage in his career. The atmosphere is reminiscent of the detective movies of the 1930s - the Charlie Chans, the Holmeses with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce etc.
As a work of art, this is very patchy, but for fans of its star or its director, it's worth a look.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Don't waste your money
I am a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes and have enjoyed watching numerous actors play him so when I saw that Christopher Lee had given him a go, I decided to buy this film - how I wish... Read more
Published 7 days ago by alimarcam
Call Me Crazy
First of all it has the feel of one of the German Edgar Wallace films. I am familiar with those so when I watched this, there was no shock. Read more
Published 1 month ago by D. Payne
strange roll for christopher lee
a good watch if your into old films or sherlock holmes, funny roll for christopher lee but he played a good part, so many have played sherlock and i have them all,and in all... Read more
Published 9 months ago by penny
French version ?
I am a little disappointed because there is no French sountrack. In fact, there was no mention of languages in the product description. This is a lack for me.
Published 15 months ago
I SO WANTED TO LIKE IT!
As a life-long Sherlock Holmes fan and a life-long Christopher Lee fan, I so wanted to like this film. But I was unable to like it for the reasons the other reviews have stated. Read more
Published on 20 Nov 2009 by Philip J. Roberts
Should not have bothered
I bought this with interest in seeing what Christopher Lee would do with his take on the caracter of Holmes;I need not have bothered! Read more
Published on 23 Aug 2009 by Mr. Colin J. Todd
We got our money back!
I have given this 1 star because there is no provision for giving none.
This dubbed - and badly dubbed at that. Read more
This dubbed - and badly dubbed at that. Read more
Published on 30 Jun 2002 by "susanp26"
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