Sherlock Holmes in The Spider Woman

Starring:Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Gale Sondergaard, Vernon Downing, Dennis Hoey, Alec Craig, Arthur Hohl, Mary Gordon, Teddy Infuhr, Sylvia Andrew, Marie De Becker, Donald Stuart, Gene Roth, Lydia Bilbrook, Angelo Rossitto, John Rogers, John Roche, Wilson Benge, Stanley Logan, Belle Mitchell
Director: Roy William Neill
Studio: Mpi Home Video
Product Type: DVD

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Here is another strong entry (beautifully restored by the UCLA Film and Television Archive) from the peak of Basil Rathbone's prolific, seven-year run as a definitive Sherlock Holmes for the big screen. The Spider Woman (1944) employs details of Holmes's apparent death and resurrection between "The Final Problem" and its follow-up, "The Adventure of the Empty House." But the movie takes a different direction when a bizarre series of late-night "pajama suicides" finds Holmes probing the involvement of a femme fatale. Of the quartet of features in this set (all produced and directed by the energetic Roy William Neill) Spider Woman has the most vivacity and familiar textures from Doyle's canon. --Tom Keogh

Description

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 and 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. London is in a panic over a series of apparent "Pajama Suicides." Sherlock Holmes, however, is more inclined to believe that they are calculated murders. It is up to the great detective to discover the motive and the means of these crimes and to unmask the murderer. Enter Miss Adria Spedding; an intoxicating woman of character whom Holmes is convinced is behind the killings. A series of masquerades and deadly game playing ensues as Holmes and Watson enter a battle of wits with The Spider Woman.

Customer Reviews:

Elementary, my dear Watson! .......2007-04-02

This is a short film in the Sherlock Holmes series (about 64 minutes in length), but a very interesting and entertaining one nonetheless. In this one, Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) tries to discover the mystery behind several mysterious "pajama suicides" that take place in the area. As he delves into the crime, he determines there is a femme fetale who is the mastermind behind this dastardly scheme, and that money is the reason.

Holmes uses his wit and wisdom to extract the means, motive and method for the crimes. What is fun about this episode is Holmes tricks and disguises. There is one funny scene between Holmes and Watson where Holmes is disguised and pretending to drop off a package for the allegedly late detective. His sidekick Watson is played exceptionally by Nigel Bruce, who tries to help Holmes, but as usual, is a step behind the clever detective. There are several near death escapes for the duo, as well as a dramatic final scene at the carnival with the villain "Spider Woman" (Adria), who is quite a match for Holmes in this episode.

Another element of the film is the superb quality, as others have mentioned. This film was restored excellently, and it really makes an exceptional difference from non-restored classic films.

Over all, this is just a fun little film. Great for a night where you want to watch a suspenseful and entertaining murder mystery.

The Most Entertaining In the Series.......2006-04-23

This might rate as the most entertaining of all the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes films, which I still think are the best renditions on film of the famous detective.

This has a surprising amount of action and is simply a fun story to watch. Packed into just one hour are such scenes as Holmes faking his death, a near-poisoning of he and Dr. Watson by gas, a strange little boy who hops around a room, tarantulas on the loose, on and on.

Nigel Bruce is his normally funny Dr. Watson and Gale Sondergaard makes an excellent villain. Credibility is stretched in the beginning and ending scenes but it's an enjoyable ride all the way through.

This DVD looks super, too. What a great "restoration" job was done on this.

Sherlock Holmes in The Spider Woman.......2006-02-24

Love the Sherlock Holmes with Basil Rathbone! Even my granddaughter (8) loved the black & white version!

Sherlock Holmes (1942).......2005-09-30

Basil Rathbone is Sherlock Holmes of Sherlock Holmes. The performers, B Rathbone, Gale Sondergaard, Nigel Bruce are unique, charicteristic, absorbing persona. From now on, I can stop an unsuccessful search for Sherlock Holmes movie.

The slickest of the Universal Holmes series.......2005-02-23

With this film - the fifth entry, and the seventh to feature Rathbone and Bruce as Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson - the Universal Holmes series reached its zenith. Although the time period is still obviously the 1940s - made overt by the finale in the shooting gallery - the film actually uses it to its advantage, presenting an engaging movie experience that goes down very smooth, seeming both cultured and modern (at least, for its time). Unlike so many of the Universal series, there's no attempt to make the proceedings pseudo-Gothic, nor to rely on a WWII setting - the basic plot is one that could work in any time period. That serves the story very well, because for once it feels like Holmes and Watson are up against a genuine, contemporary criminal. Just how ingenious can a villain be in the 1940s if he has to carry out his murders in an ancestral home without electricity or telephone service?

More than any of the other films, "Spider Woman" draws on a number of the original Conan Doyle series for bits and pieces of inspiration, chiefly "The Final Problem," "The Sign of Four," "The Speckled Band," and "The Devil's Foot." Bizarrely enough, it works quite well to take these individual little elements and weave them into an entirely new story. Sure, all that stuff about human-seeking deadly tarantulas is utter garbage, but it's made up for by the many twists and turns of the "howdunnit" (for, indeed, that's exactly what kind of mystery this is). Aside from the plot tricks, however, it's the characters that make the story. Gale Sondergaard is easily the most suave villain of the series, and her scenes with Basil Rathbone are a treat. His blackface Indian disguise may seem a bit offensive today, but at least it lets Holmes retain his dignity, unlike so many of the weird masks and outfits he dons throughout the series. Nigel Bruce also gets some nice moments, chiefly his surprise at seeing his friend Holmes alive. And as for the child - isn't that child eerie? It's his little skip that's so disturbing, I think. Perfectly done.

Ultimately, you have a taut little adventure mystery (unusual enough, in what's really a series of thrillers) with a solid cast and a fast-paced, surprising story that remains true to the Conan Doyle roots of the lead characters. What more can you ask for in 63 minutes? And as with most of the films, the restoration by UCLA yields excellent results - the picture is shockingly sharp and clean. I personally recommend getting this as part of MPI's "Sherlock Holmes Collection: Volume Two," but even if you're only interested in the one film, I don't think you'll be at all disappointed by "The Spider Woman."

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