Sherlock Holmes films with Basil Rathbone

I am going to review Sherlock Holmes and the two films starring Basil Rathbone in the role of being Holmes. In English the two films I have watched recently are: The Pearl of Death and The Scarlet Claw. I enjoyed the film: The Pearl of Death because it is based upon the story “The Adventure of the Six Napoleons. ” The film was made in 1944 in Hollywood, and is updated to the 1940s London in the Blitz. Sherlock Holmes is in disguise very often.

He looks realistic to the person he is imitating and there is no recognition of his original form. The unique feature in the film is the introduction of the Hoxton Creeper.

In the story the villain is Beppo but we see Rando Hatton performing as the Hoxton Creeper in the film. Holmes calls the Hoxton Creeper “a monster with the chest of a buffalo and the arms of a gorilla. ” This is an exciting way to describe the Creeper – this makes us want to see what the Creeper looks like, and when we see him we are not disappointed.

The Creeper adds an excellent dimension to the story. He always appears in shadowy places and he is an enormous actor who suffers from acromegaly. This is a progressive glandular deformity which causes enlargement of the extremities.

Creeper Example

This makes the film more deadly. The Hoxton Creeper’s face is only seen at the end of the film – he moves in silhouette through all the scenes. This is good positioning of the camera.

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This creates hesitancy. Our teacher said the film was horrifying and it gave him nightmares when he was a boy. These days films are much more graphic and give many watchers more of a shock. The Creeper goes on to break the backs of people who own a bust of Napoleon, because in one of the busts is hidden the famous Borgia pearl. He smashes the bust and other plates to cover up what he is hoping to find.

Rondo Hatton spent his formative years in Tampa, Florida. Once he graduated from his High school, he fought in World War 1. This led to him being gassed in 1917 and his health deteriorated. Hatton worked as a newspaper reporter. He was later noticed for the film industry in the mid 1930s and he realized he had the potential of himself featuring in Hollywood films. He soon started working in the early 1940s for Universal Horror Films. Here is a picture of ugly Rondo Hatton. Disguise is awesome throughout the film. Sherlock Holmes uses disguise, so do several of the criminals.