Sherlock Holmes in Pearl of Death

Starring:Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Dennis Hoey, Evelyn Ankers, Miles Mander, Ian Wolfe, Charles Francis, Holmes Herbert, Richard Nugent, Mary Gordon, Rondo Hatton, David Thursby, Leyland Hodgson, John Merkyl, Wilson Benge, Frank McGlynn Jr., Eric Wilton, Lillian Bronson, Leslie Denison, Colin Kenny
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. In the gripping Pearl of Death (1944), a then-contemporary update (set in the World War II years, as with most of the Rathbone-Holmes features) of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Six Napoleons," a reluctant Holmes agrees to help a London museum recover a stolen, rare pearl. But the investigation takes a strange turn when the great detective and his sidekick, Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce), find their mystery linked to a series of odd murders involving the destruction of porcelain china. Typically, "Pearl of Death" has its share of inside jokes for true Sherlockians, including Holmes's declaration, "If I'm wrong, I'll move to Sussex and raise bees." Of course, that's exactly what Doyle's most famous character did upon retirement. --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. The famous Pearl of Death, a valuable gem with a history of bringing murder and misfortune to its owner since the days of the Borgias, finally reaches its proper place at a museum in London. But before long the jewel is ingeniously stolen. Shortly thereafter, a series of horrible murders begins, with the murderer leaving his victims surrounded by a mass of smashed china. Holmes must outwit two diabolical criminals in a complicated case that could lead to his own death.

Customer Reviews:

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!.......2006-05-31

I have to say I was so excited to see that all 14 Rathbone and Bruce Sherlock Holmes movies were remastered and made available!! These are classic must see gems!!! Pearl of Death is one of the better films.

A Pearl, A Creeper, and Evelyn Ankers.......2006-02-08

This fun entry in the Sherlock Holmes series has a good story by Bertram Millhauser and Universal's pretty Evelyn Ankers in a rare bad girl role. Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, who will always be Holmes and Watson to us all, have more fun than usual as they try to prevent the theft of a priceless pearl with a long and bloody history.

Standing in their way is lovely Naomi Drake (Evelyn Ankers) and her boss, master criminal Giles Conover (Miles Mander). A deadly figure known as the "Creeper" will break the back of anyone who gets in their way. It is the showmanship of Holmes himself that allows the pearl to be stolen, however, so he and Watson must, of course, retrieve the priceless gem.

When the Creeper begins killing people right and left and breaking dishes at every murder scene, only Holmes can deduct the reason for the shattered bric-a-brac and stop the killer. Dennis Hoey as Lestrade is left far behind, but tries to keep up with the world's greatest detective nonetheless. Bruce has the funniest moment when he employs deductive reasoning to find a lost newspaper clipping.

This is a really fine entry in the series with nice photography from Virgil Miller and lots of atmosphere. It moves fast and there aren't any wasted scenes. You get to see Evelyn Ankers right off the bat, which is always a big plus. The opening scene onboard ship, as she tries to pull a fast one to get the pearl, is a gem once all is revealed on dry land.

All these were fun to watch, even the lesser entries, and this one is topflight entertainment for fans of Rathbone and Bruce, a.k.a. Holmes and Watson. You'll enjoy this one.

A Lively Jewel in the Series.......2005-03-23

Movie: ***** _____ DVD Quality: ***** _____ DVD Extras: N/A

Delightful entry in the classic Sherlock Holmes series with typically outstanding performances by Basil Rathbone as the urbane master of deductive reasoning and Nigel Bruce as his partner and foil, Dr. Watson. In this outing, based on Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Six Napoleons", the pair are searching for the Borgia Pearl, a priceless jewel which has been stolen and hidden away; time is of the essence because a gang of thieves is also conducting a frantic hunt for the pearl, murdering innocent people who happen to cross their paths. The mystery takes up a mere 69 minutes and is pure unadulterated fun, made all the more enjoyable by a first-rate supporting cast, including Evelyn Ankers as a shady lady who's a master of disguise; Miles Mander as the calculating master thief; Rondo Hatton as a brutishly strong assassin; and series stalwart Dennis Hoey as Inspector Lestrade.

The MPI video release features a superb video and audio transfer from a 35mm print restored by the UCLA Film and Television Archive. Simply put, it doesn't get any better than this! The picture is sharp and clear with perfect contrast, and the soundtrack is remarkably crisp and clean. Very enthusiastically recommended, MPI's release of "The Pearl of Death" is a worthy candidate for addition to your home video library.

"A miracle of horror.".......2004-11-21

SHERLOCK HOLMES IN THE PEARL OF DEATH combines one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's better stories with a film series that was effortlessly producing a creepy, fun noir-like atmosphere multiple times a year. The result is a very effective mystery/action-adventure -- one of the best that the Basil Rathbone / Nigel Bruce series would produce.

The story is, of course, a derivative of Doyle's "The Six Napoleons", where Holmes must solve a series of bizarre, but seemingly related murders. The original tale has been augmented -- additions in the form of some classic 1940s film elements. The most obvious is The Creeper, the huge, deformed henchman of the villain, who stalks through the film like a horror movie Frankenstein, skulking in the shadows and doing the bad guy's killing.

Watson and Lestrade are back again as the film's comic relief. They function well in this role, although the movie's one poor scene involves Watson not realizing that he has a newspaper clipping glued to his elbow. I understand the filmmaker's desire to give Watson something to do (other adaptations would be less successful at this), but it's this moment that he turns from being slightly comical to downright buffoonish.

Still, Holmes more than makes up for the bungling of his two colleagues. His deductions coming more or less straight from a Doyle story rather than some less-than-brilliant Hollywood writers, he bursts through the story at almost a God Emperor level. Rathbone plays the part with relish and his confrontations with the villains make for great scenes.

I'm an admitted fan of this Holmes series, but this one would probably even be enjoyed by people who haven't seen one of these before. Try to catch this on one of the classic film channels, or, better yet, pick up the DVD. The image quality and sound are fantastic.

A highlight in Holmes' film career.......2004-01-07

In some quarters, "The Pearl of Death" is considered the best of Universal's 12 Sherlock Holmes films if only because, unlike most of the others, it is generally faithful to one of Arthur Conan Doyle's stories, in this case "The Adventure of the Six Napoleons." But the fact is that it's not as effective as "The Scarlet Claw" which directly preceded it, nor is it as entertaining as several other entries in the series ("Spider Woman," "House of Fear"). Nonetheless, it remains a highlight in the legendary sleuth's film career.

Director Roy William Neill once again turns out the lights and heightens the gloom with his customary dark shadows giving the film beautiful atmosphere, and Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce are as reliable as ever. Cranking out an average of three Holmes films a year, you could expect them to have grown weary of their roles but neither ever showed the slightest hint of fatigue.

As for the villains, Rondo Hatton steals the show as The Creeper, but he almost inspires more sympathy than dread. Voted the most handsome boy in his high-school class and immensely popular due to his good looks and athletic abilities, Hatton was exposed to poison gas in World War I and left horribly deformed, a condition that Hollywood's ever so sensitive "dream factory" was happy to exploit. After small roles in "The Ox Bow Incident" and "In Old Chicago," he became a star through his encounter with Sherlock Holmes and was publicized by Universal as the "Monster Without Makeup." Whoever came up with that tag may have been more deserving of being called "The Creeper" than Hatton, but...oh well, enjoy the movie. It's a good one.

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