★ 7 / 10
This is one of my favourite outings for
CinemaSerf
This is one of my favourite outings for Messrs. Rathbone and Bruce as "Holmes" and "Watson". Possibly because this one gives more screen time to the amiable…
This is one of my favourite outings for Messrs. Rathbone and Bruce as "Holmes" and "Watson". Possibly because this one gives more screen time to the amiable Nigel Bruce - he even gives us a rendition "The Bonny Banks of Loch Lomond" as the pair embark on a dangerous mission to repatriate the King of Rovinia to his country following the assassination of his father. In order to, theoretically, avoid suspicion, they sail from the UK to Algiers hoping to smuggle their charge without mishap. Fat chance! Of course it doesn't work out that way - and we have a few fun maritime escapades, and an intriguing little sub-plot - on their way. Plaudits must go the rather formidable Rosalind Ivan as "Miss Dunham" and to Martin Kosleck as the slimy "Mirko" who help our duo keep us entertained for just over the hour. Probably not one for Holmesian purists, but still entertaining stuff.
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★ 7 / 10
Looking the Enemy in the Eye
Hitchcoc
While this is contrived and silly at times, the best part of it, for me, was the fact that everyone knows what Holmes is up to and he still manages to come out…
While this is contrived and silly at times, the best part of it, for me, was the fact that everyone knows what Holmes is up to and he still manages to come out on top. There are two plots at work here. One has to do with the transporting of stolen emeralds and the other the transporting of royalty. On numerous occasions, Holmes turns the tables on his adversaries. The dangers are everywhere and his head spins like an owls as he peers over his shoulder, through the fog, and through portholes. He sets up a wonderful ruse. The men who are out to squelch his efforts are really interesting: a mute thug who uses sign language, a wiry Peter Lorre type with a foreign accent, and a sort of Sydney Greenstreet wannabe. Watson becomes enamored with a pretty young singer who is carrying around secrets. He even belts out his own version of "Loch Lomond" and he proves to have quite a beautiful voice. Without giving anything away, Holmes keeps his cards close to his vest until the denouement. He suspects no one; he suspects everyone. I think this is a lesser effort, but still a lot of fun.
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★ 8 / 10
Watson Displays a Fine Voice in Shipboard Mystery
dglink
Stolen emeralds, an endangered prince, a fog-bound steamship, a plane crash, a revolver hidden in a purse. Through a clever series of encounters, which…
Stolen emeralds, an endangered prince, a fog-bound steamship, a plane crash, a revolver hidden in a purse. Through a clever series of encounters, which Sherlock Holmes deciphers with his usual sharp intellect, Holmes and his dear friend, Doctor Watson, are directed to a specific address at a specific time in a foggy London back alley; there, Holmes is engaged by a group of foreign gentlemen to escort an important personage from England back to his home country. While Holmes and Watson do not battle spies in "Pursuit to Algiers," the sleuths do return to matters of foreign intrigue. Leonard Lee wrote the first of two Holmes screenplays for this, the tenth in Universal's Sherlock Holmes series. Lee's screenplay is light on suspense, and, despite the assured direction of veteran Holmes' director Roy William Neill, the film can only be rated better than average among the Rathbone-Bruce movies.Despite some sinister fog-shrouded scenes in London's back streets, cinematographer Paul Ivano shoots most of the film aboard the S.S. Friesland, a steamer bound for Algiers. While interior shots are crisp black-and-white images, the deck scenes are murky and layered with obviously fake fog. Although the producer-director and the two above-the-title stars are back, not only the writer and cinematographer, but most of the supporting cast are fresh faces in the series. Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce are in good form, and Watson is given a bit more to do than usual, including a song entitled "The Bonnie Banks o'Loch Lomond" that spotlights Nigel Bruce's own fine voice; the retelling over dinner of a Holmes adventure, "The Giant Rat of Sumatra;" and a few solo errands of responsibility at Holmes's direction. None of the supporting players stand out, although lovely Marjorie Riordon as a young singer from Brooklyn has a nice voice, and the cold sexually ambiguous Martin Kosleck is appropriately sinister as the knife thrower.Perhaps after ten episodes the Universal Holmes series had become routine and perfunctory to the participants. The proceedings play out almost entirely aboard a ship, and the plot lacks a single diabolical villain of the caliber of Professor Moriarty or Adrea Spedding, the Spider Woman. However, most Holmes fans should be pleased, and even the sharpest viewers may not guess Holmes's final revelation. While not the best of the series, "Pursuit to Algiers" is good fun and definitely entertaining.
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