The Speckled Band

The only print I've seen of this is pretty badly chopped up. They didn't make much of an effort to preserve these "b-movie" mysteries back then.

The film is directed in much the same manner as Browning directed the Lugosi "Dracula" around the same time - slow, stagy, with emphasis on atmosphere, and with all the young women given over to hysterics.

The film unnecessarily violates the Holmes canon when it shows us the bevy of young starlet secretaries Holmes has hired to aid in his investigations (?!), But most of the story, and its characterizations, are faithful to the original story.

The real surprise here is Raymond Massey - he is an absolute magnificent Holmes, every bit as good as the great Jeremy Brett of the Granada TV series; and, given the stodginess of the rest of the film, I suspect that he essentially directed himself - he moves quickly, easily, and directly, while the rest of the cast stands around waiting for their cues.

I can only recommend this to Holmes completists; but Massey's performance is not to be missed by anyone who admires the master sleuth of Baker Street.

You find yourself comparing them to Basil and Nigel, but it is worth a watch, if you can find it. Wish he had done some more. I think with a few more episodes he might have caught on. It is a worthy addition to the assorted folks who have portrayed mr. Sherlock.

The IMDb has it at 90 minutes long, 66 in the US the same as it states on the back of the budget DVD box I've just watched, but timed at a mere 50. For this has been slashed to ribbons over the years, Persistance Of Vision is sorely tried as well as guessing what scenes were deleted between frame slippages and leaps. Puzzling gaps in the plot are easy in comparison!

There are many bits to enjoy however through gritted teeth - Massey did all right as Holmes, although Athole Stewart as a bald headed and vibrant Watson took me some getting used to. Lyn Harding as Dr. Rylott was splendidly OTT - almost made me wish for Tod Slaughter to make an appearance! Favourite bits: Holmes' bustling outer office at Baker Street, an intriguing development but one I'm glad to report unique; the romantic clinches in the garden between Helen and her boyfriend (straight from getting shot in Elstree Calling) who's not heard of again; Holmes solving the mystery in her darkened bedroom. Where it allows, a beautiful misty gleaming nitrate atmosphere pervades.

I hope there's a decent print out there somewhere, because ultra-creaky as it is this film probably deserves a little more attention than I fear this copy will ever get!

I just watched this as the last Holmes movie in a CD set I bought-it's really quite interesting to see Holmes evolve over the different eras and actors. I'd like to rate this particular Holmes movie higher except for the fact that like most packaged movies of this era the sound quality is relatively poor which makes viewing difficult. In the end, it's fun to watch period films like this and for one hour take a stroll back in time to the 1930's.

Raymond Massey has a fine 1930's take on Holmes, including partiality to lounging around in a houserobe while making numerous deductions along with some light-hearted needling of Dr. Watson. The essence is here, much to appreciate but again just a tad bit lacking on the sound quality for total enjoyment.

The only version of this film which survives today appears to have lost some twenty minutes of its running time, and has obvious gaps where scenes, or parts of scenes, are missing.

That said, what remains is very good indeed. Raymond Massey, in his film debut, makes his only appearance as Holmes, wandering about in his technological empire in Baker Street in his silk dressing gown, looking more like Noel Coward than a master of crime prevention. However, his manner and sarcasm when comparing his memory to that of his machine index of criminals saves the day and stops the character descending into caricature.

Watson - Athole Stewart - is convincing as an ex-army man who served in India, and one senses he is more than a match for the villain of the piece, the scene-chewing Lyn Harding recreating his stage triumph as Dr Rylott. Our heroine is played by Angela Baddeley - who is remembered best these days for her work in the 1970s as TV's Mrs Bridges in 'Upstairs, Downstairs'. Here she definitely sounds more upstairs than down, with her cut-glass vowels, and seems to have but one emotion - wide-eyed terror.

With a few character additions, notably a Native servant as befits a Sahib from the Raj, the tale of the 'Speckled Band' is largely faithful to Conan Doyle, although the transformation of Baker Street HQ into a bust office with a secretary and typists is simply a curio, and does not compare to the traditional chaos and pipe smoke we would usually expect.

Massey's Holmes is devious, sharp, clever, and almost fey. I particularly like the ending, which frames the characters of both Holmes and Watson - it would have been interesting to see this develop into a series with the same pair of actors. As it is, it remains an adaptation one can savour even with the cuts and jumps in plot which have become a casualty of time.

Can be obtained on DVD in several budget sets.