Basil Rathbone — Actor (52)

Movie

The House of Fear (1945)
The House of Fear IMDb TMDB Douban Skybridge
★ 7.4 5 ratings
other title: 恐怖屋 / 福尔摩斯与恐怖屋 …
The Good Comrades are a collection of varied gentlemen who crave one thing - solitude. They reside at Drearcliff House, ancestral home of their eldest member. All seems serene and convivial until one by one the members begin to perish in the most grisly of manners. Foul play is suspected by the Good Comrades' insurance agent, who turns to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson for guidance.

Movie

Terror by Night (1946)
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other title: 恐怖之夜 / 福尔摩斯:恐怖之夜 …
Holmes and Watson board a passenger train bound from London to Edinburgh, to guard the Star of Rhodesia, an enormous diamond worth a fortune belonging to an elderly woman of wealth; but within the first hour of the trip, the woman's son is murdered and the diamond stolen and any of the passengers in their car could be the killer thief.

Movie

The Spider Woman (1944)
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other title: 福尔摩斯和蜘蛛女 / Sherlock Holmes and the Spider Woman …
With an involved, detailed mystery and an elegant adversary played by Gale Sondergaard, this is one of the most entertaining features in the Sherlock Holmes series of movies starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. The story gets a little far-fetched, but it is quite interesting. It is loaded with plot devices pulled from several different Arthur Conan Doyle stories, and it's interesting to see how many you can catch. It also features the usual pleasant camaraderie between Rathbone and Bruce, plus Dennis Hoey as Inspector Lestrade. As "The Spider Woman", Sondergaard creates a memorable opponent for Holmes. The slightly exaggerated role cannot have been much of a challenge for such a fine actress, but she puts her heart into it, and looks as if she is enjoying herself - as her character certainly is. By creating such a dynamic character, she also helps make the complicated story seem more plausible, and it creates a worthy challenge for Holmes. The movie also contains the amusing bits of dialogue and detail that characterized so many of the movies in the series. The climactic sequence, in particular, is a very good combination of suspense and wit. It is a fitting way to cap off an enjoyable entry in the popular series.

Movie

The Pearl of Death (1944)
The Pearl of Death Douban
other title: 死亡珍珠
One of my personal favourites of the Sherlock Holmes cycle of movies starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. This time Holmes is trying to thwart a gang from stealing a priceless pearl. We get to see Holmes dress up as a befuddled clergyman, outwit a funny Inspector Lestrade, and meet Rondo Hatton's Creeper, a killer that breaks the backs of men with his very hands. Based on the story "The Case of the Six Napoleons," Holmes must locate the pearl that has been embedded in a bust of the French emperor. Rathbone and Bruce are again very affable and turn in their customary good performances. Dennis Hoey as Lestrade, I believe very undervalued in that role, injects a lot of life into this one. And Hatton, of course, just filmed by his shadow until the end, is a convincing film presence. Throw in lovely Evelyn Ankers as a woman out to outwit Holmes, and you have a good mix.

Movie

Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943)
Sherlock Holmes Faces Death
★ 7.5 6 ratings
other title: 面对死亡 / 셜록 홈즈 죽음과 직면하다 …
During WWII several murders occur at a convalescent home where Dr. Watson has volunteered his services. He summons Holmes for help and the master detective proceeds to solve the crime from a long list of suspects including the owners of the home, the staff and the patients recovering there.

Movie

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939)
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★ 7.2 5 ratings
other title: 福尔摩斯历险记 / 셜록 홈즈의 모험 …
In court for murder, Professor Moriarty is released seconds before Holmes arrives, too late, with vital evidence. Free again Moriarty vows to Holmes that his next crime will be so fiendish and amazing that Holmes's reputation will be finished. Moriarty sets about a fiendish plot involving the crown jewels and a series of mysteries to distract Holmes's mind. I enjoy most of this series as they all seem to run to the same formula. Here the plot goes back to basics and adds more of the mystery and less of the comedy. The plot is an enjoyable battle of wits between the two great minds. The downside is that the side-mystery that Moriarty sets up takes up the majority of the time and the two don't cross swords as well as they do in a gentlemanly beginning. The mystery surrounding Miss Brandon works OK but not really great as you know the whole time who is behind it and why. The jump to the crown jewels is too easily made and is a bit of a letdown. The comedy is less evident than usual but is still there. However it is overwhelmed by the more serious side. Bruce still does well but I was glad that he stood up to Holmes more than usual – telling him off for treating him like a child and such like. Rathbone is a good Holmes but his logic was off here and I wasn't as impressed by him as I usually am. Zucco is an interesting foil, but doesn't get enough time to work here. Lupino in an early role is interesting but a little too heavy and tads to overplay her tension a bit. Overall this is an OK addition to the series. The plot is reasonable but focuses too much on the diversion than the central characters and the reduction in comedy makes it feel a lot heavier than usual.

Movie

Bathing Beauty (1944)
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★ 8.1 101 ratings
乔治·西德尼 actor: 雷德·斯克尔顿 / 埃丝特·威廉斯 …
other title: 出水芙蓉 / Escuela de sirenas …
After breaking up with her fiancé, a gym teacher returns to work at a women's college, but a legal loophole allows him to enroll as one of her students.