MarieGabrielle Reliable Holmes story with Basil Rathbone and Dr. Watson as usual his social, albeit bumbling self.Ida Lupino is the femme fatal, her brother is murdered and she must seek help from Holmes to find out why.George Zucco as Moriarty is menacing and fun, as when his faithful servant gives him a shave with a straight-edge, and Moriarty sneers that he should want to cut his throat. Moriarty states he has nothing but contempt for most humankind.The sets are appropriately foggy and dense, London Victorian streets, oil lamps, a murder occurs in Bayswater Park; an odd Chilean flute chant, some sort of death song. There are also references to the albatross.When you see films like this today you appreciate the quality of a true suspense story, it doesn't always have wild action, but it has real suspense and theme, which is rare these days. 9/10.

wes-connors Returning from his initial outing as Britain's greatest detective, in "The Hound of the Baskervilles" (also 1939), super-sleuthing Basil Rathbone (as Sherlock Holmes) witnesses the murderous acquittal afforded wickedly criminal George Zucco (as Professor Moriarty). To wit, Prof. Zucco proceeds with plans to commit "the crime of the century," and steal the United Kingdom's Crown Jewels… Meanwhile, Mr. Rathbone is visited by beautiful young Ida Lupino (as Ann Brandon), who fears her brother will be murdered, as her father was a decade earlier. Ms. Lupino's fiancé and lawyer, handsome Alan Marshal (as Jerrold Hunter), doesn't want Holmes on the case - which seems to give away the story, but winds up being another part of the neatly plotted mystery...Cinematographer Leon Shamroy, director Alfred Werker, and a team of unfortunately uncredited soundtrack musicians - Cyril J. Mockridge, David Buttolph, Walter Scharf, David Raksin, and Robert Russell Bennett - create a suspenseful, foggy Victorian London town for the characters. And, Rathbone sings his hit version of "I Do Like To Be Beside the Seaside"! Note that "the kid" Terry Kilburn (as Billy) takes over the character played by Charlie Chaplin in William Gillette's original 1899 stage version. While not based on an Arthur Conan Doyle story, this early film series entry is one of the best-produced. It's classic Rathbone, with ever-present sidekick Nigel Bruce (as Doctor Watson) herein receiving the line, "Elementary, my dear Watson." ******** The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (9/1/39) Alfred Werker ~ Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Ida Lupino, George Zucco

kenjha The second pairing of Rathbone and Bruce as Holmes and Watson, released a few months after the success of "The Hound of the Baskervilles," is a good-looking film that has the venerable detective matching wits with Professor Moriarity, as the latter schemes a jewel heist. Lupino, although British born, usually played Americans. Hence, it's a little odd seeing her sporting an English accent here. The foggy London atmosphere is a big plus, but the plot is less than compelling. This is based on a play by William Gillette, a Holmes aficionado, rather than a story by Conan Doyle. Unlike the best of Conan Doyle, the plot lacks a mystery to really draw the viewer in.

sol1218 **SPOILERS** Professor Moriarty, George Zucco, did it again! Just when it looks like curtains for him he managed to beat a murder rap that would have sent his sorry neck straight to the London Gallows. It was only because his arch enemy the great Sherlock Holmes, Basil Rathbone, couldn't get to the courtroom on time with evidence that would have completely contradicted Moriarty's alibi that got him acquitted of murder.Knowing that it's only a matter of time before Holmes gets the goods, as well as the hangman's rope, on him Moriarty concocts a devious plan to the destroy Holmes reputation as a great detective one's in for all. Something that would be worse then death for him! By throwing a fake pass in him having Lloyd Brandon, Peter Willis, murdered by his paid goons Moriarty, being the sneak that he is, is planning to pull off a quarterback sneak, within inches of the goal line, and score the big one in heisting the British Royal Family's Crown Jewels locked securely in the Tower of London. Knowing how Holmes' mind works Moriarty plans to send him on a wild goose chase all throughout London in finding Brandon's killer while he with his famous beard shaved off, and impersonating a London Bobbi or policeman, breaks into the Tower of London and checks out with the Crown Jewels!One of Sherlock Holmes' most baffling and difficult cases to crack in that he's up against a determined Professor Moriarty who uses all his criminal genius to make make a monkey out of Holmes and look foolish in the eyes of the British public that think the world of him.***SPOILERS*** Despite all of Holmes' efforts to save Lloyd's life he ends up getting it, in the neck, in front of dozens of witnesses on a crowded London street! This has Lloyd's kid sister Ann, Ida Lupino, terrified in that she'll be targeted next by her brother's murderer! Since she was sent the same death threat, in a letter, that he got just before he was murdered! In the end it was Sherlock Holmes' brilliant powers of deduction that uncovered Moriarty's evil plan to destroy his reputation as a great, if not the greatest, English detective. As Holmes brilliantly concluded what's the big deal about some garden verity murder, which he committed dozens during his criminal career, to Moriarty when he was planning to pull of the crime of the century! Something that would not only make newspaper headlines but be forever talked about and studied in police and military academy's the world over for years to come. It was by the boastful Moriarty bagging to Holmes what he was going to do in advance that tipped off the great detective to watch out for any false flags, like a simple murder, and not try to be fooled by them. Which in fact Holmes wasn't!P.S In fact the crime of the century was actually pulled off the very day that the film "The Advantures of Sherlock Holmes" was released to the public; September 1, 1939! It was on that very day that Adolph Hitler sent his panzer and infantry divisions into Poland which started the bloodiest war in all of recorder history: World War II!