[.ca] Sherlock Holmes: V2 Collection

fantastic restoration:
Could argue there are better things in more desperate need of this attention, but who cares? Rathbone and Bruce are great rainy day stuff. I purchased the British DVDs of 'Sherlock Holmes faces death' and 'The Scarlet Claw' and the transfers/original prints were disgraceful. I had little hope for these 4 disc sets, imagine my joy at discovering from the reviews here that they might be watchable. Well having purchased them i can say that they are more than watchable, they are pristine! The films themselves: 'Spider Woman' is often thought of as one of the better Holme's adventures, and indeed the opening 10 minutes is electric, imaginatively filmed and gleefully ridiculous. When Holmes theorizes the killer is a woman his reason is that the victims of these 'filthy pyjama suicides' (one wonders if they soiled themselves before hitting the ground) 'were driven to kill themselves' Watson responds 'Driven? That certainly sounds like a woman.' Unfortunately they can't keep up the lunatic energy of the opening reels, the film runs aground not on the oft cited excessive Watson buffoonery but on the biplay of Holmes and the Spider Woman herself. This supposed sparring is obviously supposed to be amusing (he knows she's the fiend, she knows he knows that and that in the opening encounter it is Sherlock Holmes beneath that idiotic disguise), but the endless stilted talk between them where they drop not so subtle unnecessary clues and hints is really very tedious and smug. One scene fine, but there are many, all showcasing the ironing board acting skills of Gale Sondergaard (my memory of other films was that she was better than this, oh well). At the close Holmes implores Watson to remind him of this case whenever he gets too 'cocksure and arrogant', but of course the good Doctor never does despite ample oppurtunity in the remainder of the series. The weakest film of the 4. Holmes in this incarnation is supposed to be nonsense, but it really is better if you play it straight as a piece of excitement, not weak parody. 'House of Fear' i remembered as being quite dull, but in actual fact it delivers the goods that the Spider Woman failed to. The house is dark and old, everything creaks (everything), the local Scotsmen recalcitrant, moving scenery accidentally moves backwards, crashing winds and the Conan Doyle plot. And less 'Watson the fool' flab irrelevant to the story (though of course there is some). Good afternoon fun. 'Pearl of Death' is really quite bizarre despite the Conan Doyle grounding. Not only do we have yet another pale Moriarty immitation we have a deranged, deformed giant of a serial killer acting as his assassin known as the 'Oxton Creeper' played by the unfortunate Rondo Hatton (if you've read the Medved book 'The Golden Turkey awards' you'll know what i'm talking about'). Holmes is certifiable, his egotistical actions incontestably resulting in a handful of deaths. A pearl is stolen, backs are broken, china smashed and there is a wonderful finale in which Holmes corners the chief villain armed with a revolver only to get so involved in gloating and ranting that his adversary manages to wrest the gun from him. This irresistably brings to mind a line he spoke in the adventure 'Sherlock Holmes faces death' where he sneered 'I find these egomaniacs are always more chatty when they feel they have the upper hand'. Quite. And finally the best of the set 'The Scarlet Claw'. Many on this page have written already about this wonderfully shadowy and vigorous second feature so i shall just comment on the ending and Holme's traditional ( at least in the earlier films in the series) closing speech, and yes, once again they are the words of Winston Churchil, only this time they are not relevant, doomladen and fatuous like the other soundbites used previously, just fatuous alone (i guess they had run out of applicable propaganda). 'Canada, whose relations of friendly intimacy with the United States on one hand and unswerving fidelity to the Motherland on the other is the link between these two great branches of the human family tree.' As the sound fades out and the stirring music begins to swell am i mistaken in observing that Rathbone visably utters an obscenity? Great value this collection but i prefer Volume 1. The mixture of brilliant camera work and high camp propaganda in 'Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror' and the old fashioned delight that is 'Faces Death' means i would buy that first in retrospect (despite the abysmal 'sherlock Holmes in Washington'). The forthcoming Volume 3 is the weakest set of 4, but make no mistake i'll be buying it, just too much fun to miss. Even if the romps had become decidedly lacklustre towards the end of the cycle. Newcomers perhaps would be well advised to purchase Volume 2 and watch 'the Scarlet Claw' as their introduction, but i'm guessing there aren't really that many non afficionados reading this page. Am i right?

The best versions yet!:
These digitally remastered versions of Sherlock Holmes are the best ever! All are very clear to see and hear! It allows you to really concentrate on the movie instead of all the imperfections that were in the old original copies, i.e. scratches and lines, etc. contained in the original tapes that are now aged and delaplidated. These new versions are a really good way to immerse yourself in the mystery itself, and actually a joy to watch!

The Sherlock Holmes Collection Vol.2:
I have been waitng the release of these films on DVD with great anticipation. The wait is over and I can say that all the movies have been restored to provide sharp crisp video and audio content. Anyone who have seen these movies only on late, late night television or old cheap video will be delighted with these DVDS. The standouts of this set have to be "The Scarlet Claw" & "The Spider Woman", the latter I had never seen. The set comes with a booklet providing insight into each movie and the actors involved. All in all an excellent purchase for any fan of the Rathbone/Bruce movies!

Holmes collection Vol. 2:
Much better than expected. Well worth the $$.

Almost all that they claim:
This resurrected series is a delight to see and the restoration by the folks at UCLA is superb. The viewer will not be disappointed with the restored audio and video quality. It brings back those wonderful "late late show" memories to see Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce sleuthing around London again solving murders and making fools out of Scotland Yard - especially in the original crisp, clear black and white that most of us have never seen. However, I was disappointed to discover that the "Bonus Materials" are only on "The Scarlet Claw" disc of the Volume Two Collection. The packaging and marketing would lead one to believe that each film in the series is accompanied by an audio commentary by David Stuart Davies. Unfortunately, "The Scarlet Claw" is the only film that has a commentary track. Needless to say, the "Loaded With Special Features" blurb on the DVD casing is somewhat deceptive. Although there is an introduction by the preservation officer at UCLA, production notes, and a photo gallery of stills and movie posters, MPI Home Video should have at least indicated that the audio commentary was for "The Scarlet Claw" only. Aside from the misleading claims regarding the "DVD Extras", the films are just as entertaining as they ever were and still a bargain. I just wish they had been a little more up-front about the special features since I would have purchased the DVDs anyway. Classic Sherlock Holmes fans are very loyal.