Sherlock Holmes und das Halsband des Todes (1962) YTS

Reviewed by CinemaSerf 4 / 10

From the cast list, I couldn't help but

From the cast list, I couldn't help but wonder why it had taken me forty years to see this film - then I watched it. The diverse funding arrangements, basically as many European countries that don't speak English as a first language as possible - has conspired to create a production with stars who are over-dubbed (badly) by voices that you might expect to hear on a cat-food commercial. The photography is quite decent and evokes well some of the adventure surrounding "Holmes'" search for the missing necklace of legendary Pharaoh Cleopatra, before it falls into the hands of the pursuing "Prof. Moriarty" (Hans Söhnker). It is, however, a really poor piece of cinema that could benefit from a digital restoration with some decent vocal talent to reinvigorate it all...

Reviewed by cold_lazarou 6 / 10

Dubbing? Rudimentary, my dear Watson

There are several criminal aspects to this sub-krimi German co-production, first among them being the fact that the filmmakers neglected to get Christopher Lee and Thorley Walters in to loop their own dialogue. It's somewhat jarring to watch an actor with so readily identifiable a voice as Mr Lee speaking, yet the words come out of his mouth spoken by what sounds like a Transatlantic drawl. Or an American dubbing artiste doing a poor Lee imitation.If one can get past this surreal experience however there is fun to be had. Lee and Walters are ideally cast as Holmes and Watson, at times certain shots looked like Sidney Paget illustrations come to life. Hans Sohnker does a creditable job projecting a sinister air as Moriarty, despite the handicap of dubbing even more atrocious than that of the English-speaking cast. He's no Eric Porter or even George Zucco, but better than some lesser efforts. The direction, however, co-credited to the masterly Terence Fisher of many a Hammer classic fame, is somewhat workmanlike. Perhaps Fisher's heart wasn'tin it, or he was held back by his Teutonic cohort, but it's not in the same league as his and Lee's earlier essaying of "The Hound of the Baskervilles".The supporting cast are more than adequate, with the lovely Senta Berger in an early role adding some class and beauty to a female cast of East End slatterns played by burly hausfraus. It really is a shame though that Lee's icily incisive portrayal of the great detective, perfect for the role in every way, was only seen in this film and a couple of early '90s productions. Still, there's always the consolation of being the only actor (so far as i know) to have played bot Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes, as well as Sir Henry Baskerville. That's got to count for something.By the way, i saw this under the title "Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace" (somewhat reminiscent of the Basil Rathbone series, the middling entries of which it is on a par). The alternate title of "The Valley of Fear" is somewhat misleading, as apart from characters such as Holmes, Watson and Professor Moriarty this film has very little in common with the Conan Doyle novel of the same name. However, for a Holmes fan wanting a diverting hour and a half on a rainy afternoon, this more than does the trick.

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Sherlock Holmes und das Halsband des Todes

1962 [GERMAN]

Action / Crime / Drama / Mystery / Thriller

Sherlock Holmes und das Halsband des Todes

1962 [GERMAN]

Action / Crime / Drama / Mystery / Thriller

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From the cast list, I couldn't help but

Dubbing? Rudimentary, my dear Watson

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