Not sure how this version compares to the others, even the 1939 one which I saw several years ago, but Hammer Films’ 1959 The Hound of the Baskervilles is still an entertaining Sherlock Holmes mystery featuring a solid performance from Peter Cushing as the great detective.
The Hound of the Baskervilles
(1959)
REVIEW NAVIGATION
The Movie | Special Features | Video Quality | Audio Quality | Overall
Genre(s): Suspense, Mystery, Crime
Twilight Time | NR – 87 min. – $29.95 | June 7, 2016
Date Published: 06/19/2016 | Author: The Movieman
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THE MOVIE – 3.75/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: The famed Sherlock Holmes (PETER CUSHING) is hired to investigate the death of Sir Charles Baskerville whose heir, nephew Sir Henry (CHRISTOPHER LEE), life is in danger perhaps due to a curse dating back several generations when Sir Hugo Baskerville was killed by a huge hound. With the help of his trusty sidekick Dr. Watson (ANDRE MORELL), Holmes intends on finding the true culprit, someone not in the supernatural realm. Quick Hit Review: This 1959 adaptation of The Hound of Baskervilles is the first Sherlock Holmes movie in color and the first, and only, one from Hammer Films. This addition is one of many that have been done over the course of 75+ years and although I think my preferred version dates back to 1939 starring Basil Rathbone but Peter Cushing does the character justice and directed by Terence Fisher, the story might not have been that different, it still captures the mystery quite well. Also standing out, save for a few scenes that looked like a stage, the location shoots, it’s a beautiful looking movie. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3.0/5 |
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This release comes with the usual 8-page essay booklet. Audio Commentaries
Margaret Robinson Talks About The Hound of the Baskervilles (14:52; HD) is an interview with hound mask maker Robinson as she recounts her work on the film. Actor’s Notebook: Christopher Lee (13:00; SD) is an older feature with the late Lee giving his insights into the movie. Hound of the Baskervilles: Excerpts Read by Christopher Lee finds the actor reading from Doyle’s novel. Theatrical Trailer (2:07; HD) |
VIDEO – 4.0/5 |
| The Hound of the Baskervilles arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Twilight Time. Presented in its original 1.66 widescreen aspect ratio and given a 1080p high-definition transfer, the video was, mostly, impressive. Colors were vibrant and detail sharp throughout. That being said, I did notice many instances of specs and dust marks that popped up through the entire movie, however it’s nothing overly distracting and an otherwise a clean transfer. |
AUDIO – 3.75/5 |
| The disc has a DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 track which packs plenty of power especially for a film that’s mostly dialogue with only one “action” sequence when a mine collapses in. Dialogue is crisp and clear while the music by composer James Bernard sounds good. It’s not the most robust lossless track even with the channel limitations but for a 50+ year old film, it’s impressive enough. |
OVERALL – 3.5/5 |
| Overall, not sure how this version compares to the others, even the 1939 one which I saw several years ago, but Hammer Films’ 1959 The Hound of the Baskervilles is still an entertaining Sherlock Holmes mystery featuring a solid performance from Peter Cushing as the great detective. The video and audio transfers are both well done, if not flawed, and there’s some adequate features. |
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.