The Speckled Band (1931)

Now this is unusual—the excellent character actor, Raymond Massey, as Sherlock Holmes. Unusual because in the 1930s, the British film industry made quite a few very good Holmes films starring Arthur Wontner—and at first I assumed this was yet another Wontner story. Athole Stewart (whoever he is—and I sure hope it's pronounced 'At-Hole') co-stars as Watson.The first thing I noticed when the story began was how beautiful the black and white camera-work was. It had great depth and style—much more than a typical story of the day and very artistically done. The next thing I noticed was that Dr. Watson was bald—probably the only bald Watson ever in film. Now there is nothing wrong with this—it just took me by surprise. Third, and this one bothered me, this Holmes has a fancy modern office with a secretary!!! So, instead of his usual apartment at 221 Baker Street, this is more like a detective agency—complete with an intercom, typewriters and other office equipment. For a Holmes purist like myself, this is all complete heresy!! This final complaint is an odd one, as in other ways this is a very accurate and faithful rendition of one of Conan Doyle's stories. Aside from the modern trappings, the story itself is very close to the original and should make purists quite happy. The only odd thing about Massey's version of Holmes is that, for once, he is rather sarcastic and shows a somewhat dark sense of humor. Overall, not a great film but a reasonably good adaptation that should please fans of the stories.SPOILER ALERT: The 'speckled band' used in the film was not actually a poisonous snake but a constrictor. But, considering how dangerous such a snake could be, I can understand the film makers making the switch! By the way, this film is in the public domain. However, the print I saw was quite choppy in places and the sound has seen better days, so be forewarned.

I just watched this as the last Holmes movie in a CD set I bought-it's really quite interesting to see Holmes evolve over the different eras and actors. I'd like to rate this particular Holmes movie higher except for the fact that like most packaged movies of this era the sound quality is relatively poor which makes viewing difficult. In the end, it's fun to watch period films like this and for one hour take a stroll back in time to the 1930's.Raymond Massey has a fine 1930's take on Holmes, including partiality to lounging around in a houserobe while making numerous deductions along with some light-hearted needling of Dr. Watson. The essence is here, much to appreciate but again just a tad bit lacking on the sound quality for total enjoyment.

The only version of this film which survives today appears to have lost some twenty minutes of its running time, and has obvious gaps where scenes, or parts of scenes, are missing.That said, what remains is very good indeed. Raymond Massey, in his film debut, makes his only appearance as Holmes, wandering about in his technological empire in Baker Street in his silk dressing gown, looking more like Noel Coward than a master of crime prevention. However, his manner and sarcasm when comparing his memory to that of his machine index of criminals saves the day and stops the character descending into caricature.Watson - Athole Stewart - is convincing as an ex-army man who served in India, and one senses he is more than a match for the villain of the piece, the scene-chewing Lyn Harding recreating his stage triumph as Dr Rylott. Our heroine is played by Angela Baddeley - who is remembered best these days for her work in the 1970s as TV's Mrs Bridges in 'Upstairs, Downstairs'. Here she definitely sounds more upstairs than down, with her cut-glass vowels, and seems to have but one emotion - wide-eyed terror.With a few character additions, notably a Native servant as befits a Sahib from the Raj, the tale of the 'Speckled Band' is largely faithful to Conan Doyle, although the transformation of Baker Street HQ into a bust office with a secretary and typists is simply a curio, and does not compare to the traditional chaos and pipe smoke we would usually expect.Massey's Holmes is devious, sharp, clever, and almost fey. I particularly like the ending, which frames the characters of both Holmes and Watson - it would have been interesting to see this develop into a series with the same pair of actors. As it is, it remains an adaptation one can savour even with the cuts and jumps in plot which have become a casualty of time.Can be obtained on DVD in several budget sets.

This is exactly the kind of thing I look for in an old Sherlock Holmes movie; atmospheric, almost Victorian, with old clichés played straight.The villain almost twirls his mustache. The whole thing creates perfectly creepy suspense with beautiful camera work and expressionistic sets that still have that silent movie movie, though four or so years into the sound era. Montage sequences pop up frequently, and the actors are often caught in a profile. Shots are often in deep focus, with shafts of light illuminating a distant figure in white - most often the heroine, terribly vulnerable in the cavernous spaces of the derelict old mansion. Simple suspense techniques remain effective, and the movie conjures a far more convincing world of fairy-tale menace than the Sherlock Holmes movies of just a few years later, when the light gets flat, the sets get thin, and the puzzle aspect of the crime overwhelms the horror and suspense. To my way of thinking, Sherlock Holmes movies should have a Grand Guignol element that borders on the supernatural; the more they become just puzzling crimes, the less interesting they are.