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The Hound of the Baskervilles (1932 film)

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The Hound of the Baskervilles
U.S. poster
Directed byGareth Gundrey
Written byEdgar Wallace
Based onThe Hound of the Baskervilles
1902 novel
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Produced byMichael Balcon
Starring
CinematographyBernard Knowles
Edited byIan Dalrymple
Production
company
Distributed byGaumont British Distributors (UK)
Release date
  • 10 April 1932 (1932-04-10) (London)
Running time
72 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Hound of the Baskervilles is a 1932 British mystery film directed by Gareth Gundrey and starring John Stuart, Robert Rendel and Frederick Lloyd.[1] It is based on the 1902 novel The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, in which Sherlock Holmes is called in to investigate a suspicious death on Dartmoor. It was made by Gainsborough Pictures.[2] The screenplay was written by Edgar Wallace.[3]

Plot

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According to the rumour, a beastly howl is heard in the moors of Dartmoor, and a hellhound is killing every member of the Baskerville family.[4] Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr. Watson go there to investigate the case, only to discover that behind this mystery there is a local farmer who is using a phosphorescent dog to kill the heirs in order to obtain the inheritance.[5]

Cast

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Reception

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Contemporary reviews found the film lacking.[6] Bioscope claimed: "It is upon the dialogue of Edgar Wallace rather than sustained action that the producer relies to hold his audience, and the development becomes tedious in the attempt to piece together the various phases of the mystery."[2] Picturegoer said: "This picture fails to do justice to Conan Doyle's thrilling Sherlock Holmes story."[2]

Production

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The first sound version of The Hound of the Baskervilles, it had a budget of £25,000 (equivalent to £2,200,000 in 2023).[7]

On 28 February 1931 Lustleigh railway station, on the then-Great Western Railway, was used as the location for 'Baskerville' station at which Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are seen arriving.[8]

For many years, it was believed that only the (silent) picture negative of this movie still existed.[3] However, in 1991, a complete set of negatives and soundtracks were donated to the British Film Institute (BFI) by the Rank Corporation. As such, the film now survives intact (and with sound) in the BFI archives.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "The Hound of the Baskervilles". BFI. Archived from the original on 15 January 2009.
  2. ^ a b c Barnes, Alan (2011). Sherlock Holmes on Screen. Titan Books. pp. 77–78. ISBN 9780857687760.
  3. ^ a b Eyles, Allen (1986). Sherlock Holmes: A Centenary Celebration. Harper & Row. p. 81. ISBN 0-06-015620-1.
  4. ^ HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, THE (1932) de V. Gareth Gundrey, Cinefania (in Spanish)
  5. ^ a b BFI Collection Search
  6. ^ Bunson, Matthew (1997). Encyclopedia Sherlockiana. Simon & Schuster. p. 125. ISBN 0-02-861679-0.
  7. ^ "BRITISH FILMS". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 5 June 1931. p. 2. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  8. ^ The Railway Magazine no.407 (May 1931) Pages 412 & 418
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