Sherlock Holmes Faces Death

Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943) starring Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Hillary Brooke

In ‘Sherlock Holmes Faces Death‘ (1943), Holmes and Watson are hot on the heels of a murderer. Someone has killed a number of officers in their retirement home. They check in to the mansion-like home with its mysterious clock-tower, underground crypt and incredible human chess-board.

Editorial review of Sherlock Holmes Faces Death courtesy of Amazon.com

The master detective Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and his faithful cohort Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) are back, preserved and digitally restored in 35mm to original condition by the UCLA Film and Television Archive. This newly restored version of the classic film includes the period war bond tag, studio logo and credits from its original theatrical release. Filled with ominous shadows and interesting camera angles, the visual beauty of the film in 35mm is stunning.

SHERLOCK HOLMES FACES DEATH (1943) is an intriguing mystery based upon Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Musgrave Ritual.” Dr. Watson, tending recuperating soldiers housed at centuries-old Musgrave Manor, summons Sherlock Holmes to investigate strange happenings. What follows is a bizarre series of events, including murders, secret passages, a game of chess and a mysterious family ritual.

Even Inspector Lestrade is on hand, as well as lovely Hillary Brooke as Sally Musgrave. But only Sherlock Holmes, in a race against time and a desperate killer, can decipher the ancient riddle and uncover the treasure it hides. Preserved and restored in 35mm by the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

Cast

• Basil Rathbone (The Court Jester) as Sherlock Holmes
• Nigel Bruce (She) as Dr. John Watson
• Dennis Hoey (Sherlock Holmes and The Secret Weapon) as Inspector Lestrade
• Arthur Margetson as Dr. Bob Sexton
• Hillary Brooke (The Abbott and Costello Show season 1) as Sally Musgrave
• Halliwell Hobbes (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1931) as Alfred Brunton
• Minna Phillips as Mrs. Howells
• Milburn Stone (The Frozen Ghost; Gunsmoke) as Captain Vickery
• Frederick Worlock (She-Wolf of London) as Geoffrey Musgrave
• Gavin Muir (Mary of Scotland 1936) as Phillip Musgrave
• Gerald Hamer as Major Langford
• Vernon Downing (Mutiny on the Bounty) as Lt. Clavering
• Olaf Hytten (The Invisible Man’s Revenge) as Captain MacIntosh
• Charles Coleman (Three Broadway Girls) as Constable Kray
• Dick Rush as Constable
• Mary Gordon (Things to Come) as Mrs. Hudson
• Peter Lawford (The Picture of Dorian Gray) as Customer in Public House (uncredited)
• Norma Varden (Witness for the Prosecution) as Gracie the barmaid (uncredited)

Trivia

• References Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original Sherlock Holmes story, “The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual”.
• The sixth of 14 films based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional consulting detective Sherlock Holmes starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson.
• If the basement crypt looks familiar, it is due to the fact that the set was originally built for Dracula (1931), the iconic Universal classic.