The Hound of the Baskervilles (1983 film) Review
Back in 1982 writer Charles Edward Pogue was approached, by producers Sy Weintraub and Otto Plaschkes, to adapt six Sherlock Holmes stories for TV. Ultimately only two were filmed – The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Sign of the Four. The producers were unaware that the copyright on the Holmes stories was about to elapse in the UK, and as they negotiated Granada started filming a TV series of the famous detective with Jeremy Brett in the lead.
Weintraub was less than pleased given the financial investment he had made to gain permission to film the adaptations and took them to court resulting in the producer receiving enough in compensation to cover his costs on both The Sign of the Four and The Hound of the Baskervilles so stopped there with their planned adaptations.
The Baskervilles are alleged to be haunted by a curse, menaced by a demonic dog who has a nasty habit of stalking the family’s estate in Dartmoor and killing people, including an ancient forbear of the Baskervilles. Following the mysterious demise of Sir Charles, the last descendant of the Baskervilles, Sherlock Holmes (Ian Richardson) is called upon to investigate.
Like how many times has this classic Arthur Conan Doyle tale been filmed! Surely there’s little chance of another version impressing when the story is so familiar? It hasn’t been that long since I was called upon to review the 1959 version starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee and I failed to be enamoured with that take. Upon finding out that I was now to receive another version, this one made-for-TV and from the early Eighties, I was hardly brimming with excitement at the prospect.
However, upon reading that Douglas Hickox, who helmed the rather excellent Theatre of Blood (1973), had directed this take I perked up a little and upon watching I was gripped and enthralled throughout. Even the normally annoying presence of the late Denholm Elliott (who in 1978 had played Stapleton in the Dudley Moore/Peter Cook version) couldn’t muddy my enjoyment of this thrilling adaptation. It’s fast-paced, well-acted and all rather exciting with terrific camera-work too.
There are slight amendments to the plot but unlike the aforementioned Hammer version the amendments made here enhance the finished product rather than strip away the thrills. Ian Richardson is splendid as the famous detective. Donald Churchill makes for a decent Holmes, opting to play the character as a buffoon, as did Nigel Bruce in the earlier Rathbone movies, and is the better of the Dr. Watson’s of the two adaptations made at the time.
Glynis Barber, later of TV’s Dempsey and Makepeace fame, makes an appearance and Nicholas Clay, an actor I always enjoyed watching, even if he did keep his clothes on this time around, makes good in his role. Brian Blessed tones down his normally larger than life persona (see 1980’s Flash Gordon) and Connie Booth, famous for TV’s Fawlty Towers and Monty Python, turns in a decent dramatic turn. Oh and if you think Martin Shaw turns in an impeccable American accent that’s because it was dubbed by another actor in post-production.
Crammed with familiar faces and rollicking along at a decent pace this is worth dipping into, even for those that may feel there’s no need to see another take of The Hound of the Baskervilles.
