Sherlock Holmes Faces Death

1943 1h 8m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

⭐

6.9

IMDB

★6.9TMDB · 100★6.9IMDB · 5,498

MysteryCrimeThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Basil Rathbone
Sherlock Holmes
Nigel Bruce
Doctor Watson
Dennis Hoey
Inspector Lestrade
Hillary Brooke
Sally Musgrave
Mary Gordon
Mrs. Hudson
Halliwell Hobbes
Alfred Brunton, the butler
Milburn Stone
Capt. Pat Vickery
Minna Phillips
Mrs. Howells

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Roy William Neill
Writers: Bertram Millhauser, Arthur Conan Doyle
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 68-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

ERA

Did you know

83 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Roy William Neill, shot by Charles Van Enger. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Fred R. Feitshans Jr. shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce and Dennis Hoey carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0036348 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Roy William Neill directs. Charles Van Enger behind the camera. Fred R. Feitshans Jr. cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 68-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
283 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Roy William Neill, shot by Charles Van Enger. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Fred R. Feitshans Jr. shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce and Dennis Hoey carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0036348 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Charles Van Enger
Editing: Fred R. Feitshans Jr.
Costume design: Vera West
Sound: Edwin Wetzel
Runtime: 68 min · 1h 8m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943)
IMDB rating: 6.9/10 · 5,498 votes
MPAA: Approved

Part of

Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) Collection

A series of fourteen films based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories was released between 1939 and 1946; the British actors Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce played Holmes and Dr. John Watson, respectively. The first two films in the series were produced by 20th Century Fox and released in 1939. The studio stopped making the films after these, but Universal Pictures acquired the rights from the Doyle estate and produced a further twelve films. Although the films from 20th Century Fox had large budgets, high production values, and were set in the Victorian era, Universal updated the films to the contemporary era of the Second World War, and produced them as B pictures with lower budgets. Both Rathbone and Bruce continued their roles when the series changed studios, as did Mary Gordon, who played the recurring character, Mrs. Hudson.

Also by

Roy William Neill

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2019-12-28
★ 9/10
Murky Murders at Musgrave Manor. Oh I do like this one, this is what I want from my Sherlock Holmes, a sneaky little murder mystery to be solved all set inside a rickety old manor that oozes foreboding as our protagonists walk up the path. A manor that has secret chambers, creaking floorboards, creaking servants, the mystery basement, and of course the impending glee of knowing Holmes & Watson are thrust into a dastardly murder mystery in this creepy place. The cast are up to the usual standard we have come to expect in the series, the plot is simply effective with a few delightful sequences thrown in for good measure, and the film's running time is just about perfect. Love it, now anyone for a game of human chess? 9/10
CinemaSerf2022-06-26
★ 7/10
“Watson” (Nigel Bruce) has offered his professional services to a wartime convalescent home where his assistant “Sexton” (Arthur Margetson) is mysteriously stabbed in the neck. Determined not to expose his war-weary patients to a formal police investigation, he secures the services of “Holmes” (Basil Rathbone) to get to the bottom of things. As soon as he arrives, he discovers that the house belongs to the “Musgrave” family and they pretty much can’t stand the sight of each other. The elder brother “Geoffrey” (Frederick Worlock) soon bites the dust and suspicion falls on his sibling “Philip” (Gavin Muir) but “Holmes” is still convinced that he isn’t the culprit, and when “Lestrade” (Dennis Hoey) arrives he hopes that might help flush out the real killer and perhaps explain just why this family appear to be cursed! This is solid and complex story with the usual cast supported well here by Halliwell Hobbes as the permanently picked butler, a collection of residents who could each be the perpetrator and a clever game of chess at the conclusion. The only slight bugbear I have with this is that Great Britain never actually had a King called Henry, but otherwise this sees the detective duo on fine form and finishes with a suitably patriot spiel from Rathbone about life and liberty that must have resounded mid-WWII.