User reviews

"The Hound of the Baskervilles" is almost certainly the Sherlock Holmes story most adapted for screen versions. In a sense that's not surprising because it's so good, but in another it is, since the character of Holmes himself is absent for much of the story. Filmmakers tend to resort to awkwardly rewriting the original or leaving the story in the hands of a bumbling, unbelievable Watson.

This film, however, from a series of excellent films made for Soviet television and starring Vasili Livanov as Holmes, benefits from a Watson who is perhaps the screen's best -- excellently acted by Vitali Solomin as both a man ready for action and a sensitive writer, and always three- dimensionally written. He's more than capable of driving the middle section of this "Hound of the Baskervilles" -- a production which apart from that also seems to get just about everything else right.

In two parts it runs to almost two and a half hours, and that long running time is invaluable. It never drags, being excellently directed with attention to detail in every shot and a nuanced sense of suspense, and the extra breathing room allows every minor and supporting character to be given a significant role. That's huge, as they are all illuminated with well-written scenes and inhabited as character parts with good performances. It gives a great sense of scope and complexity to the mystery.

Part of the success here is that this production somehow manages to treat the original without too much reverence, but still to recreate its atmosphere perfectly. This means while Sir Henry is introduced as a very funny figure of comedy, he can slowly become more of a figure of pity. It is actually quite effective the way heart is added by playing on Sir Henry's unrequited love for Mrs. Stapleton, and his interactions with Barrymore become a delightful whole movie in and of themselves.

As with the other films the cinematography as well as the locations and settings are gorgeous and evocative of a very rich and detailed Victorian world -- with a slightly Russian flavor mirrored in the language naturally spoken by the actors. The music sometimes strikes a contrast this time, but always seems to work despite itself. The hound itself -- which in other films comes off as silly -- is realized with wonderful and spooky simplicity as per its actual explanation.

And, as in his previous appearances, Vasili Livanov is a sublime Sherlock Holmes -- an immensely appealing and well-acted version of the character.

In short, as close to a perfect screen version of "The Hound of the Baskervilles" as I have seen, and a cracking good film on its own.

If you come upon these rare old Soviet Sherlock Holmes variations I would advise you to jump on them quick, you'll see the best of any variation or story that's ever been done.

All that being said, that in know way takes away from what Jeremy Brett or Basil Rathbone accomplished. Each actors interpretation is different than another's but if you want a version that is true to the story, then this is the one...hands down.

Seeing these old Soviet versions are a real treat. You would think that they would try and sneak some anti-capitalist or pro Soviet type of propaganda in this but as far as I can tell, this is straight from the story itself and just pretty darn entertaining. With these bare bones versions of the Sherlock tales you'll get a setting they want you to believe is in London circa the time they were told but you can plainly see that the backdrop is Soviet with the architecture and style. Even with this, it's very charming the Soviets take on the Sherlock series.

I can't tell anyone enough how good this series is. They couldn't have picked a better pair to play the title roles. These were parts these two were made for. Make an effort to find these series of TV movies from cold war days and be ready for a real treat from the Iron Curtain. I'll bet cash money you'll love every minute of these hard to find gems.

Once, a poll was conducted in England, and Vassily Livanov and Vitaliy Solomin were found the best ever impersonation of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in the movies all over the world. Here, the brilliant couple delivers again. In addition, the winning plot and the magnificent guest performances of Nikita Michalkov as Sir Henry and of Oleg Yankovsky as Stapleton make this movie exceptional even amongst the Russian Sherlock Holmes series. A must!

When you visit museum of Sherlock Holmes in London, Baker St., first thing that you see on the second floor is a number of pictures of all actors who ever played Holmes in the movies, and in the middle of that compilation you can see the biggest photo - the photo of Vasiliy Livanov.

All world cinematographers (including British ones) have admitted that Vasiliy Livanov is the best Sherlock Holmes that ever appeared on screen. And it is true. There were made several movies about the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr.Watson for Russian TV in the late 70-ies and early 80-ies, including such films as The Meeting, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Bloody Script and many more (about 10 total number). Livanov as Sherlock, Vitaliy Solomin as Watson, Rina Zelenaya as Mrs.Hudson, Borislav Brondukov as Inspector Lestrade all make these series directed by Igor Maslennikov an all-time masterpiece. Almost all of actors started their careers in theaters (Livanov, Solomin and Zelenaya continued giving performances even after their success on the big screen) which gave films amazing atmosphere of reality. The images of old London were carefully reconstructed in Baltic cities almost untouched by time which gave movies a lot of similarities with real XIX century London. All movies (it wouldn't be right to call them episodes) are set on very high level, and from the opening unforgettable music score they charm every viewer. It's very hard to distinguish the best film of the series, every of them has something unique. The Hound of the Baskervilles for example has the greatest number of participating celebrities, including Nikita Mikhalkov (internationally known for directing and playing in such movies like An Unfinished Piece for Mechanical Piano, The Barber of Siberia, Oscar-winning Burnt by the Sun etc.), Oleg Yankovskiy (Nostalgia by Tarkovskiy), Evgeniy Steblov and many more. This set of movies is a must-see for everyone whether you've read the book or not. It's rather difficult to find these movies with English subtitles but they exist and trust me, they worth searching for them. 10 out of 10 for all films.

Outstanding performance of the famous group of actors makes you love this movie from the first sight. Seeing it once does not satisfy.

No doubt, Vasili Livanov is the best as Sherlock Holmes. I could not imagine any actor who could play this role as beatiful as he did. His especial tones in the voice make him incredible and unforgetable as the greatest consulting detective of all times.

Greatest part of the glory goes to Vitaly Solomin, who has played John Watson - great actor, great scene of "drunk baronet, Watson and Barrymore"

Of course, Nikita Mikhalkov. This actor and director is known now for many movies he participated in.Then, we saw him still young and already known, but not so famous as he is now. He makes this movie as amusing, as he can. Maybe this feature and all the twists and turns as he plays them as Henry Baskerville make this movie so different from those of other countries' ones. His performance makes you applauding him for this

And of course Barrymore as played by Aleksandr Adabashyan will be remembered in years. His announcements in the process of the movie and calm servants' character, which sometimes grows into overwhelming care for the young baronet adds to this movie another aspect, as a result of which, we, too, starting to worry about Sir Henry not less than Barrymore himself.

Many other actors also played their part in this movie on their best side. Oleg Yankovsky as Stapleton, Alla Demidova as Laura Lions, Yevgeni Steblov as Doctor Mortimer and many others. We have to thank them all, otherwise this movie would not ever been what we are used to see today. In two words, in this movie, we got the best of Soviet cinematograph and its actors.

All the glory I think should go to the director of these series of movies of Sherlock Holmes adventures, Igor Maslennikov.

I have seen "Hound of Baskervilles" many times, as well, I also saw movies that were made by Americans and English. Of course, it is only my subjective opinion, but the russian movie is the best of them all. If you did not see it, then it is a must for you to do it now.

Even at those, distant times of 20 years ago, when the movie was done, no computerized special effects, or whatever else, was available, this movie involves you deeply into the dark and brilliant story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who brings you into the age, where there were no electricity, cinema or planes. This was the age of Victorian England, the age of the British Empire, the age of Sherlock Holmes.

Russian TV version of the story that was filmed as part of a series and then released elsewhere as a stand alone film. For the most part an excellent adaption of the story with a real genuine chemistry and warmth between Homes and Watson that would seem to predate the Jermey Brett series. This feels the way the stories should feel. If there are any flaws in the film it would be that Henry Baskerville is not English raised in North America rather he's decidedly Russian in manner, The moors, while very ominous-possibly the most in any adaptation-are not quite England and the last "flaw" is that the film is overly faithful to the story and runs two and a half hours.They are minor flaws and should not keep you from watching one of the better Holmes films made.

This version of Hounds is sensational. I recommend viewing with a good audio system as the background music can really pop. The same for the whole series.

This episode has remarkably strong characters - the writers were not reluctant to shift attention from Holmes and Watson. These characters are a reason to watch Hounds over and over. For example, Evgeniy Steblov as Dr. Mortimer is highly engaging. He is entertaining while reading the Hounds curse, kind of a reverse HItchcock where the McGuffin is the curse, about which no one really cares about the details.

Nikita Mikhalkov as Sir Henry is equally engaging. His introduction into the story is unconventional, and might seem out of place at first. The Sherlock-Cumberbatch series might have benefited from more development of Russell Tovey's Henry. The Barrymore's are also fleshed out.

The production company is Lenfilm which, I am told, refers to a Leningrad organization. I assume the exteriors are from that part of Europe. I love the lighting (not the low contrast flat kind we often see). The camera work is on a par with the BBC of the same era - excellent in movement and angles. The execution of the Foley artist's contributions is not always great but, to my mind, adds character.

I purchased the series DVD with English subtitles. The video looks good on a 60-inch screen. I'm not in the industry, I had a screen test at 20th Century Fox in 1948. I didn't pass the test.

This is my favourite episode of the brilliant series featuring the best Holmes and Watson of all adaptations. It's engaging, spooky, mysterious, heart-warming, and absolutely hilarious. I've seen it at least a dozen times and still laugh out loud. The attention to detail is amazing, everything is perfect: the interiors, the costumes, the music - oh, the music is wonderful! There are no small roles here: Barrymore, Mrs Hudson, Dr Mortimer, even the dogs are fantastic. An absolute must-see.

I remember the time when I watched it first time on Soviet TV when I was a child. Since then I bought the whole collection on DVD. Now I watch it with my daughter on streaming services in Russia. It's amazing. I can rewatch it from any episode.

Detective. A screen adaptation of the novel of the same name by the world famous English writer Arthur Conan Doyle about the adventures of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes and his unforgettable assistant and friend Dr. Watson. Once again, I want to state that I adore this series of adaptations, as well as the original source, which I read several years ago. And here's my brief opinion - do not go children to walk in the swamps. There is not a single minus in the picture, even if you are too nitpicky, so your humble servant will focus your attention on the expressive advantages of this masterpiece. So, here they are: 1. Atmosphere - this part did not drop the quality bar, again from the first frames capturing the viewer of Victorian England, although here all the action takes place in the countryside, but even there you can feel the English spirit. All signs, all inscriptions, all letters - everything is written in English. This adds authenticity to what is happening. My compliments to the creators. 2. Detective story - the head of the old noble family of the Baskervilles mysteriously dies, an ancient legend about a monstrous dog chasing this family is involved in this. Sherlock Holmes enters the case, which means that the criminal will definitely be found and he will be punished. Of course, I, who have seen the picture more than once, know the ending, and there are no contradictions even with the original source. There is a gag, and it concerns the key characters, mainly the appearance, but you don't even pay attention to it. The story told turned out to be exciting, dynamic, a little ironic, and truly English. 3. Humor - there are very few frankly funny moments here, I counted only two of them, in addition to the famous "Oatmeal sir!", But they work. There is more irony here, in the English spirit. Although this is a trifle, but nice! 4. Magnificent cast - Igor Maslennikov again brought together a whole galaxy of celebrities, so that the viewer once again appreciated the magnificent acting. Indeed, in addition to the heroes of the first plan, they play here: Irina Kupchenko, Borislav Brundukov, Svetlana Kryuchkova, Alexander Adabashyan. 5. Music - the composer Vladimir Dashkevich again experimented a little, and this time he used one melody, which became the leitmotif of this part, along with the title melody of the entire series. Bravo! A little about the main characters: 1. Holmes, Watson, Mrs. Hudson - our beloved inhabitants of apartment 221 B on Baker Street again take up the investigation of a dangerous case, and again Vasily Livanov, Vitaly Solomin and Rina Zelenaya returned to their usual roles, to the delight of fans, and performed them just as magnificently ... Bravo! 2. Sir Henry Baskerville performed by Nikita Mikhalkov is the last of the ancient family to arrive at the estate. Balagur, somewhat eccentric, who has lived all his life overseas, but honest and noble, although he hides it. I understand today's attitude towards Nikita Mikhalkov, but it would be a real injustice not to recognize his charming Sir Henry. In this picture, he slightly changed the book image, but changed it so well that I will not even find fault with it. Bravo! 3. Jack Stapleton performed by Oleg Yankovsky is a neighbor and good friend of the late Lord Baskerville. Behaves very kindly, but still pulls from him cold. Oleg Ivanovich is back in character, this time, you know the outcome, so no options. The face is one, but the masks are different. My respect, Oleg Ivanovich! Well, in the next part, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson will search for damned treasures and face the most emotional feeling in the world. But I will talk about this another time. As a result, we have an excellent detective story about the next adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson with an interesting story, great music, good scenery and wonderful acting.

When I first heard about this Russian Sherlock Holmes stories, I was curious. Thanks to an up loader on Youtube, I think he is also the same person who writes the number one review here, I was able to watch it.

Perhaps due to issues not related to this film, issues of my life, I cannot say that I have been enthralled with this film. HOund of the Baskervilles of course is the most famous of all Sherlock Holmes stories. You have the 1939 film with the most famous of Holmes, Basil Rathbone, and then you have the 1959 version, color courtesy of Hammer, with Peter Cushing.

Having seen the Hammer version first, before the Rathbone version, The Hammer version has always been my favorite, even above the more critically acclaimed 1939 version. Also for me, Peter Cushing will always be Sherlock Holmes, Andre Morrell Dr. Watson, and Christopher Lee the young Baskerville from Canada. Even the actor in that version playing Doctor Mortimer was great as well. I would suspect that anyone having watched the 39 and 59 versions first, will have a tough time with any other Hound of the Baskerville movies.

Watching the Hound of The Baskervilles in the Russin version, while the acting by most is good, I have problems with the gentlemen playing Mortimer and the young Baskerville. Sorry that I cannot give names of the actors, I saw the actors film Slave of Love, which I did enjoy. I just can't stand both of their characters, though I kind of like it when this Dr. Mortimer holds his dog. Another big problem that others I think will have if they have seen the two more famous Baskerville movies, is that their is no suspense, if one has seen those movies, one already knows what is going on, and their is no mystery. Also what is with this Wild West style music, did Russians think that the Wild West extended to England in the 1880's as well? I have to admit, one scene of the carriage ride going to Baskerville Hall, reminded me of Sergio Corbucci's The Great Silence.

Perhaps a mistake is to watch this Russian Holmes version first, perhaps at the time, the producers of these shows realized that the Hound story is the most famous, and decided it would be better to show first what might not be as familiar, as this I believe was the 6th story. I might be better off to see those other stories first also, as they might be more interesting to me to do so as I may not know what is going to happen. Also being English Speaking, and having heard Holmes always speaking English with an English accent, something that other viewers from other non-English speaking countries who may have heard Rathbone and Cushing dubbed by other actors, might also be a difference.

If you have slightest possibility to get it and if you enjoy reading Conan Doyle, you have to get it! It's the best film about Holmes I've ever seen! Its director made no one step from the original plot and kept everything safe. You will appreciate warm irony and humor of this film. It's a masterpiece.

The movie, as well as others of this series, proves that if you got a talent, you can shoot even if you are somewhat short on means. To shoot this movie, the crew, of course, could not go to some British location, and its London portion was shot in the ancient quarter of Riga. But more than anything, marvelous play of V. Livanov and Co. made it possible to express the spirit of this novel by Arthur Conan Doyle as well as the atmosphere of the 19th century England (which, on the whole, was not the case when the Soviet movie-makers had to deal with American settings.) Unforgettable irony of almost omniscient Sherlock Holmes, Watson's ignorance, bordering on stupidity, charming sagacity of Mrs. Hudson, thick-witted inspector Lestrade - that's how the movie about Sherlock Holmes should look like.

Russians are good at adapting English detective stories.Didn't they make the best version of Agatha Christie's "Ten little N....." aka "ten little Indians" aka "and then there were none" ,the only one which followed the plot of the novel till the end.

"Hound" is no exception.Its unusual length is explained by the fact it was a two-part MTV work.(One should notice that Russian "ten little N..." had a running time of two hours +)Well acted ,the movie sounds English wherever it takes place,in Baker street in Sherlock's flat -the streets of London are the only flaw ,but we do not see them that much- or in the Baskerville castle or on the moor .The butler serving porridge every morning could not sound more English.The flashback concerning Hugo Baskerville receives a treatment which retains its mystery.The landscapes and the color are excellent and the subtitles allow non-Russian-speaking to follow the plot ,in case they would not know it,which is ,like for Christie's novel ,dubious for whodunit buffs.

Hard to find in the US, my DVD was a gift from my sister -- a Slavic Languages professor -- who knows how to find such things. Faithful to the original novel, this probably isn't the best introduction to the series, as Holmes is absent through much of it while Watson investigates alone. With so little Holmes/Watson interaction, some of the appeal must certainly be missing.

That said, I very much like how Watson seriously, diligently, and intelligently carries out his investigation, not unlike numerous other successful fictional detectives. Except when tipsy, he is rarely the stereotypically foolish Watson. If I had never heard of Sherlock Holmes I might even have expected Watson himself to solve the mystery. However, because he is so serious it makes his character a bit too dry through much of film; though that in turn makes his actual flashes of foolishness and his reunion with Holmes more effective illustrations of Watson's true character.

What was interesting about the supporting characters is that they definitely seem to have more than a little Russian in them, from the humorously extroverted Sir Henry Baskerville to the arch-slavic-tragedian portrayal of Beryl Stapleton. I found it a bit jarring at first, expecting more British reserve in the characters, but eventually just let them be themselves and let myself be entertained. Much of Dartmoor also looks far more Russian than English, but that's only to be expected and easily overlooked.

Overall, this is a well done 'Hound', true to the story and true to the characters of Holmes and Watson. I got some hint of Vasili Livanov and Vitali Solomin's vast appeal, but not enough for me to become a wildly enthusiastic myself. At least, not yet. Because that hint is more than enough for me to nag my sister into getting me the rest of the Livanov/Solomin Holmes series. And then we'll see....

I don't know exactly how it came to be that The Hound of the Baskervilles would be the most frequently adapted of A.C. Doyle's stories. But it is so, and after Rathbone, Cushing and Peter Cook, and two years before Ian Richardson, it is Vasili Livanov's turn to don the deerskin cap and disappear for one third of the movie.

One of the reasons I find it peculiar that The Hound became the most popular filmic Holmes adaptation is that Holmes is absent for a good chunk of the running time. And while it's an engrossing murder mystery on its own, it so happens that in franchises of this sort people generally come to see the hero being a hero. And one of the flaws of this Russian adaptation is that, unlike Nigel Bruce, Vitali Solomin doesn't have the charismatic presence and weight to carry the movie while Livanov is away.

Still, like its predecessors, this sixth entry in the Soviet Sherlock Holmes saga with Vasili Livanov in the titular role, is every bit as stylish, entertaining and endlessly watchable. Exchanging the baroque opulence of London for the rural atmosphere of Devonshire and benefitting from the natural beauty of real locations, The Hound builds and sustains its mystery and suspense even though the novelty of the story has been worn out by now.

Excluding the natural flaw of a Sherlock Holmes movie with not enough Sherlock Holmes, the movie has been wisely split up in two parts making the 2.5 hour duration a manageable task. The murder mystery of a demonic hound terrorizing the last heir of the Baskerville family is great and from a technical perspective the movie, even though made for TV, has a lavish cinematic feel.

Definitely among the handful best adaptations of The Hound of the Baskervilles.