Horst in Translation ([email protected]) There are so so many Sherlock Holmes movies out there and back in the 1960s there were many of these with German participation as well. That's why the original title of this film is German and so is a big part of the cast (and the screenplay writer), even if the central character is played by Christopher Lee ("Scaramanga", "The Lord of the Rings","Star Wars"...) still alive and more popular than ever 53 years later. He is in his early 90s now. It's a black and white-film which is not a given for 1962 and the enemy is again Holmes' arch nemesis Moriarty. Also, one of the German actors featured herein is the very young Senta Berger, apparently a beauty queen back in the day although I have to say I am not entirely overwhelmed by her looks. The movie is directed by Terence Fisher who also worked with Lee on the Dracula films.unfortunately I have to say I was never too thrilled by the story. No edge-of-seat stuff. Lee (much better than Cumberbatch) is the only one really memorable, but all the smaller characters are fairly uninteresting which is also why I was not too shocked by any of the killings. Going against Moriarty in an enemy, but still civilized, businessman-like manner is a nice subtle approach and I also liked the music used. Watson, however, was also fairly forgettable. He did not add really a lot apart from a smart comment here and there and otherwise constant admiring for and drooling over Holmes's genius. Oh and they seemed to love using the word "frankly". Frankly, my dear reader, I don't give a damn about this film. Not recommended.

zorbear First off, I am a big Holmes fan, and have been for over half a century. I grew up reading the canon, and I saw the TV series in the 50's as well as the more recent one with Mr. Brett. I've seen almost every Holmes movie ever made. My only regret is not having seen the stage production with William Gillette performed around the turn of the century (the 19th), although I have seen the silent movie made from the play in 1920.Based on all that, I think I have a pretty good tolerance for the vastly differing styles that Sherlock Holmes can come in. I enjoyed the humorous takes that have been filmed ("Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother", "Without a Clue", and "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes"). I even managed to watch "The Seven-per-cent Solution" twice. However, I was bored out of my skull by this movie. I actually had to get up and walk around to stay awake, just to be able to say I watched it all. Now I wished I hadn't.

classicsoncall An informant with a blade in his back leads Sherlock Holmes (Christopher Lee) and aide Doctor Watson (Thorley Walters) to the Hare and Eagle Pub, and on to the trail of the "Deadly Necklace", once belonging to Cleopatra, and now in the possession of Holmes' arch-enemy Professor Moriarty (Hans Sohnker). Along the way, Holmes is admonished by Inspector Cooper (Hans Nielsen) of Scotland Yard not to get involved in official business of the agency. I found this to be a rather tedious film, even with the neat diversions of Christopher Lee in various disguises in his portrayal of the Holmes character. He eventually rescues the Cleopatra necklace from a glass encased mummy's coffin guarded by a snake, and delivers it just in time to an auction house, much to the chagrin of Moriarty. There's a bit of the "Italian Job" flavor to the film in a sequence where Watson bumps into the car of Moriarty's chauffeur. It's a difficult film to follow, with a dead body or two along the way. Repeat viewings are probably in order, but I found the first take to be somewhat laborious, and not interesting enough to indulge in once again. View it if you're a serious Sherlock Holmes fan, otherwise you can let this one pass.

Fritz Langlois In this movie, Christopher Lee delights us with a very convincing impersonation of the greatest detective of them all (he would later have another go at playing Sherlock Holmes in two made-for-television movies from the late 1980s.) Thorley Walters is also perfect as his friend and associate Dr Watson. The film has not much in common with director Fisher's previous stab at the myth THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLE (also featuring Christopher Lee, not as Holmes), and is not as successful. The picture is reminiscent of the silent films made in the first decades of cinema, a fitting atmosphere for a Sherlock Holmes adventure. The original version is supposed to be a complete mess as far as the sound is concerned (according to Lee in his autobiography), but the French dubbed version is pretty well done. Accompanied by a surprisingly jazzy score, here's an enjoyable enough movie, in an old-fashioned kind of way.