Your Favourite Version Of The Hound Of The Baskervilles

[jaycad]

Never liked the Rathbone version of Hound personally, it's got that crappy studio backlot / fake Hollywood-Europe feel to it that also puts me off many of the Universal Horror films of the period. It's also far too sparsley produced and scripted and I've never cared for this Holmes and Watson, either (lazy and annoying respectively). I know I'm more or less on my own, here though. The Hammer version is vastly superior IMO, terrific atmosphere, photography and performances - the changes to the novel don't really bother me if I'm honest and it's too bad we didn't get a Hammer Sign of Four.The 1968 BBC version is damn good, so long as one is forgiving of vintage television techniques (the filmed sequences are lovely though), probably the definitive version in terms of story fidelity though I think I prefer Cushings less avuncular Holmes in the Hammer version.I haven't seen the Tom Baker version since it's original broadcast, so can't really comment but it appealed to me at the time due the Doctor Who connection.Despite piling on the cliches and featuring a terrible performance from Donald Churchill as Watson, the Richardson version is pacey and atmospheric and the man himself is very good.The Brett version is a pretty sad thing, really. Dull and flat, it marks the turning point for the series and it's lead-actor (who looks like he's just woken up throughout), Hardwicke is as loveable as usual but can't carry it - a long way from their magnificent version of Sign just a year earlier.The 2002 BBC version, oh dear...

You're not on your own-I totally agree with your points re the Rathbone version and Universal Horror films! The Hammer version and 1968 BBC version are favourites of mine,the Tom Baker one is OK but only that! I like Ian Richardson in the role of 'Holmes' but this version takes too many liberties with the plot for my liking which is why the Brett version is by far my favourite even though Brett himself apparently wanted to remake it,yes it is a bit flat but it's true to the novel and how I pictured the story on first reading it.The 2002 BBC version is overacted,takes liberties with the plot and has a unlikeable,sneering 'Holmes' in Richard Roxburgh.

[Scorpio]

Cushing, Lee followed by the Rathbone, Watson version......love most versions tbh, as with the sign of 4

[billy farmer]

the Brett version is by far my favourite even though Brett himself apparently wanted to remake it,yes it is a bit flat but it's true to the novel and how I pictured the story on first reading it.

Chapter six of the Book - Bending The Willow - Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes (Author, David Stuart Davies) makes very interesting reading, the chapter is called The Disappointing Hound, and in chapter six of the Book it states exactly what Jeremy Brett thought of the Granada version of The Hound Of The Baskervilles, i myself have always found the Granada Hound disappointing, i remember thinking when i first watched it (when it was first shown on ITV in 1988) that it seemed very slow and flat, my opinion of the Granada Hound has never changed each time i have seen it, i admit that i haven't watched the Granada Hound too many times.

[stevenmtaylor]

All that recycled footage from earlier episodes annoys me too!

[jaycad]

All that recycled footage from earlier episodes annoys me too!

I must say that I hadn't noticed any recycled scenes (apart from 'The Solitary Cyclist' obviously) in any Granada 'Holmes' episodes but I'm now inspired to do so!

[Gerald Lovell]

I must say that I hadn't noticed any recycled scenes (apart from 'The Solitary Cyclist' obviously) in any Granada 'Holmes' episodes but I'm now inspired to do so!

In "The Hound", a clip from "The Greek Interpreter" is used and there are a few others, e.g. "The Final Problem" in "The Devil's Foot" and "The Eligible Bachelor".

[didi-5]

In "The Hound", a clip from "The Greek Interpreter" is used and there are a few others, e.g. "The Final Problem" in "The Devil's Foot" and "The Eligible Bachelor".

I've never noticed this either. Can you be more specific Gerald and let us know what we are looking for?

[Gerald Lovell]

From memory, didi, in "Hound", in order to bump up the amount of Holmes footage, there's use of the smoky railway station scene (more atmospheric than most of the rest of the "Hound") from "The Greek Interpreter" and the clips from "The Final Problem" are used as flashbacks while Holmes is in delirium in both "The Devil's Foot" and "The Eligible Bachelor".

[didi-5]

Thanks Gerald - next time I watch these I will look out for the scenes you mention.

[stevenmtaylor]

The bit with Holmes visiting the observatory in Hound is the Diogenes Club establishing shot from The Greek Interpreter too, it also uses clean footage from the series opening titles and repeats quite a bit from the story itself.

There may be more but it's about a decade since I've seen it.

[billy farmer]

A long clip from the 4 part BBC TV version of The Hound Of The Baskervilles from 1982 featuring Tom Baker and Terence Rigby as Holmes and Watson.

[Gerald Lovell]

That version was apparently known by the crew as "The Tom and Terry Show".

[marilynn]

My favourite version of the the Hound of the Baskervilles is with Basil Rathbone from 1939.

[Nimuae]

I have both the Peter Cushing and the Ian Richardson versions. I was going to buy the Basil Rathbone version from Amazon but was put off by the reviews. Apparently it is not remastered but copied staight from VHS, so not very good quality. They say there is a remastered Region 1 available - maybe I should invest in an all region DVD player. I have not seen any of the other versions discussed here. I have to admit to being a big fan of Sherlock Holmes in all his incarnations !

[Gerald Lovell]

There are excellent quality editions of the Rathbone Hound available, Nimuae, so you should go for it!

[billy farmer]

I watched parts 1 and 2 of the Tom Baker version of The Hound Of The Baskervilles yesterday, i enjoyed Tom Baker's performance as Holmes, but found Terence Rigby to be a disappointing Watson, i will probably watch parts 3 and 4 tomorrow, i quite enjoyed the 2 episodes i saw yesterday, the Tom Baker version is definitely better than the Jeremy Brett version (which was very disappointing).

[batman]

I watched parts 1 and 2 of the Tom Baker version of The Hound Of The Baskervilles yesterday, i enjoyed Tom Baker's performance as Holmes, but found Terence Rigby to be a disappointing Watson, i will probably watch parts 3 and 4 tomorrow, i quite enjoyed the 2 episodes i saw yesterday, the Tom Baker version is definitely better than the Jeremy Brett version (which was very disappointing).

I enjoyed it too .... and agree about Rigby.

[Windthrop]

I watched parts 1 and 2 of the Tom Baker version of The Hound Of The Baskervilles yesterday, i enjoyed Tom Baker's performance as Holmes, but found Terence Rigby to be a disappointing Watson, i will probably watch parts 3 and 4 tomorrow, i quite enjoyed the 2 episodes i saw yesterday, the Tom Baker version is definitely better than the Jeremy Brett version (which was very disappointing).

Baker could have gone on for further Holmsian adventures, he had that enigmatic quality. The whole production was a typical BBC Sunday serial.

[billy farmer]

I watched parts 3 and 4 of the Tom Baker version of The Hound Of The Baskervilles today, Terence Rigby was a very disappointing Watson, but Tom Baker was good as Holmes, it was good to see Christopher Ravenscroft (who played D.I. Mike Burden in The Ruth Rendell Mysteries) in the role of the Villain, and it was also good to see Caroline John (who played Dr Who companion Liz Shaw) in the role of Laura Lyons, Hubert Rees played Inspector Lestrade in part 4, the following year (1983) Hubert Rees played Dr Watson in the TV series The Baker Street Boys, i did enjoy watching the Tom Baker version of The Hound Of The Baskervilles.

[Bernardo]

Basil Rathbone version just that teeny bit better on atmosphere than other versions I have seen.