Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943)

Really Surprised!

just watch it!

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

This lame entry does a terrible disservice to the great detective..for example..when Sally rushes to find Holmes at the pub to tell him her brother Phillip is missing, Holmes response: "did you check his room?"...really. Why did it take so long for Holmes to realize the Musgrave Ritual was chess terms???..why did he play the chess game with humans.was it really necessary? Why did Holmes dig he broken needle fragment out of Phillip Musgraves's head? Don't they do autopsies on murder victims in England? Why did Dr. Sexton leave the Crown Grant down in the crypt? Why didn't the Musgrave's claim the land ages ago? "Oh, I'd rather stay poor, and let two generations down the road claim the land"...????? Why did Sally throw away a fortune??? Is there a law in England that states when you inherit land you have to evict the former tenants?!?!?...the whole movie is filled with idiotic nonsense....

This entry in the Rathbone/Holmes canon has all the typical elements present and correct, and carries on the wartime theme by being set at a home for war wounded officers. Fans of the actor - or, indeed the author - will find it passes the time amiably enough as I did, even if there's no way that you can say this is a classic of the series. There are no real stand-out performances from the supporting cast members, and even the villain of the film is a lacklustre one.Once again it's down to Rathbone and Bruce to salvage the film as best they can, with able comic relief from Dennis Hoey as Inspector Lestrade who brightens up the film every time he's on screen. Rathbone gives a typically stirring speech in the closing stages of this film (a propaganda-tinged one, no less) although Bruce doesn't have any real moments to shine in this film - he's fine, but Hoey gets all the best jokes.The setting, an isolated mansion, is a familiar one, and atmospheric too. There's even a lightning strike which causes a suit of armour to crash to the ground. The mystery, involving the 'Musgrave Ritual' is directly based on one of the Conan Doyle stories. The typical twists and clues are all there and rather easy to spot. The film includes every mystery aspect possible - the room locked from the inside, the whodunit, the string of grisly murders, etc. - and as such it's a solid addition to the 'old dark house' sub-genre of movie-making.

Finally, After Three WWII Tainted Holmes Films Universal Advisedly went the Direction Fans were Hoping, with the Moody, Atmospheric, Dank Dungeons, Ghostly Mansions, and Eccentric Characters that the Doyle Enthusiasts were Waiting for, this Movie Delivered Holmes to the Creepy Environs where He seemed so at Ease.This is a Neat Little Murder Mystery with Many a Set Piece that Impress, like the Chess Board, the Cellar, the Funeral, and the Musgrave Mansion Itself, Populated with Weary War Vets and a Family Cursed by Generations of Evilness.It is One of the Better in the Series and Paved the Way for a Few More Very Good Films to Follow. Rathbone and Bruce Never Waiver in Their Character Portrayals and here are Sharply Dialoged and have Much to do. There are some Very Clever Monologues and Exchanges in and around the Mansion and the Pub.Holmes is as Cruel as Usual to His Faithful Companion...Watson: "Simple Holmes a Child could figure it out." Holmes: "Not your Child Watson."

Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) investigate murders at Musgrave Manor, an estate being used as a convalescent home for soldiers suffering from combat fatigue during WW2. Fourth in Universal's marvelous Sherlock Holmes series is a highly enjoyable murder mystery within a gloomy old mansion. This one's just loaded with atmosphere. Great wind and lightning effects, nice use of shadows, and some cool sets. Good supporting cast includes lovely Hillary Brooke, Dennis Hoey, Halliwell Hobbes, and Milburn Stone of Gunsmoke fame, who at this point was a contract player at Universal. A very good entry in the series.