The Hound of the Baskervilles

"The Hound of the Baskervilles," starring Basil Rathbone from 1939, starts out with Sir Charles Baskerville, running through the moor, tripping, as a dog howls. A bearded man tries to take his pocket watch, but runs. Dr. Mortimer concludes Sir Charles "was in a nervous state," "no marks on the body," and died of "heart failure." Mr. Frankland interrupts twice, saying Charles "was murdered." Watson reads a newspaper article, talking about Sir Henry coming from Canada, as heir to Charles. Holmes and Watson studied Dr. Mortimer's cane inscription and its bite marks. Dr. Mortimer reveals the hound footprints near the body and reads the legend of the Hound of Baskervilles, in which each heir has died from a dog. Mortimer tells Holmes, his dog is dead. Dr. Mortimer picks Henry. As they travel, a brick is thrown through the carriage window, saying, "As you value your life or reason, keep away from the moors." Henry tells them his new boots were stolen from his room. Holmes stops a shooter, aiming at Henry. A old boot shows up at Henry's door. Watson and Henry head to Baskerville Hall. Dr. Mortimer and Watson chase a prowler in the moors, where the bearded man throws a rock at them. Henry is saved by Beryl Stapleton while walking. Henry has dinner with his neighbors. Mr. Frankland calls Mr. Stapleton a "grave robber," as he saw him removing a skull from the moors. Mrs. Berryman holds a séance at the party and they hear howling. Beryl and Henry take a walk and he proposes to her. Watson, Beryl, and Henry are approached by a bearded salesman. Watson receives a note asking him to meet him in the moors. The salesman reveals he is Holmes. They find the bearded man dead, wearing Henry's clothes. Mrs. Barrymore reveals he was her convict brother. Holmes and Watson pretend to leave for London. Mr. Stapleton throws a goodbye party for his sister and Henry. Stapleton has Henry's boot and lets out the hound. The hound attacks Henry and Holmes shoots at the dog. Holmes chases Stapleton, with Stapleton tricking Watson to leave. Holmes knocks the medication out of Henry's hand, that Stapleton has given him. Holmes reveals Stapleton found out he was the secret "next of kin" to the fortune. Stapleton runs with is gun and knocks over Watson. Holmes has the house surrounded by police to capture him.



I watched the film, "The Hound of the Baskervilles," starring Basil Rathbone from 1939. I saw the film a year ago, after I read the novel for the first time, so it was just as good the second time around. I would give the movie three out of four stars. I thought the film wrapped up the plot faster than book, which was a relief. I like how they showed us what happened, such as Charles's death, instead of just telling us the details through Watson's letters and Holmes's interviews of Laura, Mortimer, the Stapletons. and the Barrymores. I liked the addition of the Barrymore's séance at the dinner party, because I felt it gave an added creepy effect to the plot with the howling in the middle of it. The séance seemed to fit in well with the mysterious moors. The special effects in the film could have been better. My only problem with the film, was that the moors were too dark and looked like a screen, which made it impossible to identify the people constantly running through it. The moors could have used some glowing colors, from the hound and the moon, but since the movie was made in 1939, I guess that wasn't possible. The hound should have been bigger and more terrifying, like he glows in the book, while in the shadows of the creepy moor, causing someone to be scared and run away from the dog. I think making Beryl, Stapleton's actual sister, instead of his secret wife, made her romance with Henry seem more genuine. I thought the last line from the movie, after Holmes had solved the case, was pretty funny ending and a nice bonus. Holmes says, "Oh, Watson - the needle!," as he going to bed, which is typical of Holmes.



The novel, "Hound of the Baskervilles," by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle starts with Watson inspecting Dr. Mortimer's cane. Watson believes the inscription, "C.C.H." is a hunt while Holmes believes it is the hospital. Mortimer asks to touch Holmes' head, as he admires his skull. Mortimer tells them about the curse of the Baskervilles. Hugo kidnapped the Yeoman's daughter and locker her in Baskerville Hall. The daughter escaped by climbing down the ivory. Hugo gives the hounds her scent and they follow her, to where they find her dead body. Holmes dismisses the legend as a "fairy tale." Mortimer tells them of Sir Charles, who was recently found dead. He believes Charles was running from something and there were footprints of a hound near the body. Mortimer tells them Sir Henry, visiting from Canada, is arriving as the next of kin. Holmes and Watson meet them at the Northumberland Hotel. Henry receives a telegram, saying, "As you value your life or reason, keep away from the moors" and one of his brown boots was stolen. They track down the cabby who drove the thief, and the man told him, he was "Sherlock Holmes." Holmes say to Watson, "This time we have got a foeman who is worthy of our steel." Watson goes with them to Baskerville Hall. They are warned that "Selden, the Notting Hill murderer" has escaped. Watson meets Mr. Stapleton, who warns him of a bog-hole and they hear howling. Beryl Stapleton mistakes Watson for Henry and tells him to "go straight back to London, instantly." Watson begins writing letters to Holmes, recapturing the events of his stay. He tells him of meeting Mr. Frankland, who spies on the moors with his telescope, and meeting the Barrymores. Henry proposes to Beryl, with Stapleton interrupting them. Watson writes of Barrymore signaling someone with a candle and Mrs. Barrymore tells Henry and Watson, Selden is her brother. Watson discovers Charles was leaving to meet a woman named Laura Lyons, the daughter of Frankland. Watson sees Holmes in his disguise through Frankland's telescope, and Holmes reveals himself. They find Selden, dead in the moor, wearing Henry's clothes. Holmes tells Laura, Beryl is really Stapleton's wife, not his sister. Laura tells them she was engaged to Stapleton and Charles was helping her with her divorce. Stapleton is the culprit, who sends his hound after Henry and Holmes shoots the dog, killing it.



The film and novel versions of "Hound of the Baskervilles" are similar in plot, but different in the details, clues, and scenes. I thought the film wrapped up the plot in a fast manner as the book goes on and on. In the film, they begin with Sir Charles running, while the book starts with Watson inspecting Mortimer's cane. There is no coroner's meeting in the book like there is in the film. In the book, Watson plays with Dr. Mortimer's spaniel while traveling to Baskerville Hall, while in the film, Mortimer tells them his dog, who made the marks on his cane, is dead. In the book, they are warned by police about the convict, while in the film, we just see him in the moor and don't know until Holmes tells the Barrymores he is dead, that he was an escaped convict. In the book, Watson meets the Stapletons first, where as in the film, Henry meets them first. In the film, the Stapletons are really brother and sister, where as in the book they are actually husband and wife pretending to be siblings. In the film, Mr. Stapleton isn't as controlling over his sister as he is the book, and even throws Henry and Beryl a goodbye party, where as in the book, he is upset over their engagement. In the film, Beryl warns Henry of the bog-hole in the moor, where as in the book, Mr. Stapleton warns Watson of it. There is no séance or dinner parties in the book, like there is in the film. There is no mention of Laura Lyons in the film, who plays an important role in the book, as the person Charles was going to meet, the night of his death. In the film, there is no mention of Frankland's telescope, through which Watson sees Holmes in his disguise. The film has Holmes sending Watson a note, asking him to meet him in the moor.