Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of Baskervilles [DVD] [1988] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Thus, this version of Conan Doyle's spookiest tale stands out positively not only when compared to some of the other movie adaptations starring Jeremy Brett, which tend to over-emphasize a gothic atmosphere not present in the stories *those* movies are based on (particularly so, "The Last Vampyre" and "The Eligible Bachelor"), but also when compared to earlier versions of "The Hound of the Baskervilles." Indeed, stripped of those other productions' antics and occasionally not much better than B-movie-level special effects, the Jeremy Brett/Edward Hardwicke adaptation relies primarily on the superb acting skills of its stars and supporting cast and tells the story of the Baskerville family's apparent curse in a relatively straightforward manner, which truly manages to terrify where earlier versions were merely unintentionally funny. Largely true to Conan Doyle's original, this is also the only one of the movie-length adaptations that sees Dr. Watson performing an investigation of his own. (He embarks on similar, albeit generally less elaborate missions, in some of the series's shorter episodes, such as "The Solitary Cyclist.")

The tale's storyline itself is well known: Sir Charles Baskerville has been found dead, apparently killed by a mysterious, larger-than-life dog living in the moors surrounding his estate and occasionally heard howling at night; allegedly a hound from hell haunting the family since the days of their evil ancestor Sir Hugo Baskerville. When Sir Henry (Kristoffer Tabori), latest heir to the Baskerville title and fortune, arrives from the U.S., Holmes is hired to investigate the mystery surrounding the beast. And "[y]es, the setting is a worthy one. If the devil did desire to have a hand in the affairs of men ...," Holmes soon comments on the setting of the Baskerville estate. But asked by Dr. Watson whether he is inclined to place any belief into the supernatural explanation of the phenomenon, he proceeds to point out that the devil's agents may well be of flesh and blood, and that the only questions to be resolved in the matter are whether any crime has been committed at all, and if so, what that crime is and how it was committed. As (nearly) always, Holmes is of course proven right in the end.

Jeremy Brett was the only actor who ever managed to perfectly portray Sherlock Holmes's imperiousness, bitingly ironic sense of humor and apparently indestructible self-control without at the same time neglecting his genuine friendship towards Dr. Watson and the weaknesses hidden below a surface seemingly dominated by his overarching intellectual powers. And that dichotomy is clearly in evidence in this movie, where Brett, himself already afflicted by the illness which would eventually kill him, reaches new, intense and particularly great depths in Holmes's soul. If you want to see the best of Holmes, therefore get this production, the equally well-done Jeremy Brett adaptation of "The Sign of the Four" and the collections of the series's shorter episodes (particularly the first two cycles - "Adventures" and "Return" - are a "must"), enjoy and ... have a good hunt, because - come on Watson: the game's afoot!