alexanderdavies-99382 "The Pearl of Death" is one of my favourite "Sherlock Holmes" films with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. In this film, Holmes manages to make a considerable blunder near the beginning. Lestrade makes the most of it! We know that the Baker Street sleuth shall redeem himself. There is excitement, thrills, a pretty good script and a good atmosphere. Miles Mander is a great villain as the criminal mastermind Giles Coniver. Including Rondo Hatton as the Creeper was inspired. The attempt by Evelyn Ankers in putting on a Cockney accent are cringeworthy. As with most "Sherlock Holmes" films from this period, the pace rarely lets up.

MartinHafer This Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce entry in the Sherlock Holmes series is a bit unusual because the crime is made possible due to Holmes' hubris and stupidity. After successfully stealing the stolen Borgia Pearl from some crooks, Holmes quickly disables the alarm system in the museum that is now housing it. He intends to demonstrate how shoddy the system is...but instead the crook who previously was responsible for its theft uses this as a chance to steal it once again!! Not surprisingly, Holmes investigates so that he can redeem himself. As is too often the case, the incredibly brain dead Lestrade is on hand to do nothing of any value!. And, equally stupid is Watson...a severe weakness throughout this series.After the pearl is stolen, the mystery as to its whereabouts is straight from the Conan Doyle story "The Adventure of the Six Napoleons". An unknown brute of monstrous strength is literally snapping the backs of folks who are unfortunate enough to get between him and a group of cheap statues...all in an effort to recover the pearl.I think this film has some strengths and severe weaknesses. I am thrilled that unlike most of the wartime Holmes movies, this one is NOT about him fighting the Nazis. On the other hand, Holmes is much dumber than usual...as is just about all the good guys. Not only is it Holmes' fault that the pearl was stolen, he later acted like a complete idiot after he received a booby-trapped book. He knows it to be a device designed to kill him and yet opens it with a cane. Had there been a bomb inside, it STILL would have easily killed him! You can only assume that Holmes had ESP!!! As for the mystery as to the pearl's whereabouts, it's nice but as I said, the audience will quickly guess it if they've read the Conan Doyle story.Overall, this is enjoyable yet often stupid--and cannot at all be compared to the great television versions of Sherlock Holmes starring Jeremy Brett. Worth seeing but the writing is too filled with holes to mean much of anything.

lugonian THE PEARL OF DEATH (Universal, 1944), produced and directed by Roy William Neil, the seventh installment to the studio's own "Sherlock Holmes" mystery series, minus "Sherlock Holmes" in the title, resumes its winning combination of Basil Rathbone (Sherlock Holmes) and Nigel Bruce (Doctor Watson) in another exciting entry. Based on the story, "The Adventures of Six Napoleons" by its creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, it resumes the frequent use of series regulars of Miles Mander and Ian Wolfe assuming different character roles. While Universal's own Evelyn Ankers, last seen in and killed off in SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE VOICE OF TERROR (1942), offers some fine assistance assuming different characters in numerous disguises, it's Rondo Hatton, billed as "The Creeper," who, minus disguises or hideous make-up, who's the one getting most of the attention even with his very limited on-screen appearance to leave some lasting impression.The story opens on a ship bound for Dover where one of its passengers, Naomi Drake (Evelyn Ankers) arranges for a steward to have James Goodram (Holmes Herbert), secretly carrying an Borgia pearl, leave his stateroom long enough for her to enter and steal the priceless gem worth $50,000 to be displayed at the Royal Regent Museum. The scheme works as Goodram goes to the wireless room and Naomi finding the hidden pearl to conceal it inside her camera. With the boat to dock in Dover within 15 minutes, Naomi, having already befriended an elderly clergyman, entrusts him with the camera so not to have her film exposed by the customs inspector. As Goodram discovers his pearl gone, Naomi, having retrieved her camera, leaves the boat, enters the car of her leader, the master criminal Giles Conover (Miles Mander), only to find the pearl gone and note enclosed signed by S.H. To Conover, this means they've been duped by the one and only Sherlock Holmes. With Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and assistant, Doctor Watson (Nigel Bruce) returning the pearl to the museum, it is stolen soon after Holmes disconnects wires to the security system proving its flaw when electricity is turned off. Blamed for his blunder, Holmes, along with Inspector Lestrade (Dennis Hoey), in an attempt to locate the pearl's whereabouts, are soon baffled by a series of violent killings from buyers of plaster busts of Napoleons that are taking place. With victims found with broken backs surrounded by smashed dishes of china, Holmes, believing the pearl concealed in one of the six sold Napoleon busts, does his best to be one step ahead of the ringleader and his murderous accomplice, The Creeper (Rondo Hatton), before any more murders involving the cursed pearl is to take place.As with the previous installment of THE SCARLET CLAW (1944), THE PEARL OF DEATH wonderfully blends mystery with horror. Thanks to a tightly-knitted script credited to Bertram Millhauser, this is no doubt a top-notch 70 minute programmer. Aside from Rathbone's master of disguise or two, he's finds stiff competition with Conover (Mander) and Naomi (Ankers) as they attempt to conceal themselves through masterful disguises of their own. Ankers comes off best in several occasions, one talking Cockney, demonstrating her fine talent as an actress while assuming different characters for her one role. Miles Mander comes a close second in a Professor Moriarty-type villain best described by Holmes as one capable of: "Crime without motive, robber without a clue, murder without a trace." And last but not least, Rondo Hatton, whose character is well concealed through much of the story until that very moment, the creepy creeper, described as one with the strength and arms of a gorilla. Others featured in the cast are Charles Francis (Francis Digby); Ian Wolfe (Amos Hodder); Richard Nugent (Bates); Harry Cording (George Gelder); Billy Bevan (The Constable); and, of course, Mary Gordon in her recurring role of Mrs. Hudson for two very brief scenes.THE PEARL OF DEATH should rank among the favorites of Holmes series devotees and certainly one worth recommending to anyone new to these films featuring those reliables of Rathbone and Bruce, who, by this time, have become so type-cast in their roles. Though each would get to appear in other movies during their "Sherlock Holmes" period (1942-1946), Rathbone and Bruce did get to work in the same motion picture, the Technicolor swashbuckler, FRENCHMAN'S CREEK (Paramount, 1944) starring Joan Fontaine and Arturo DeCordova. While FRENCHMAN'S CREEK is close to being forgotten today, the Universal "Sherlock Holmes" series remains better known, thanks to frequent television revivals dating back to the 1950s, availability on home video and DVD, and broadcasts on numerous cable channels, notably Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: December 26, 2009). Next installment: THE HOUSE OF FEAR (1945) (***)

binapiraeus The famous, huge, and of course immensely valuable Borgia Pearl is just on its way to its 'safe' place in a London museum, when Giles Conover and his greedy gang (including pretty Naomi Drake) almost manage to steal it while it's being shipped to London. But since this valuable jewel has to be guarded, of course, Holmes is on the same ship, and (in another fabulous disguise as an elderly clergyman) recovers it from clever Naomi.So, it's finally placed in its 'uniquely' guarded place in the museum - and the director lets Watson, who's got his doubts about its safety, demonstrate how his security system works: as soon as Watson takes the pearl away from its cushion, the alarm bells ring and all doors and windows are automatically shut! But a little later, when Holmes, Watson and the director are discussing the security matter again in his office, Holmes turns the tables and demonstrates to HIM that his system is not at all that safe: because it's all connected by only three little wires, which Holmes disconnects in order to show the security flaws to the director - BUT in those few minutes until the system is restored, a member of the gang, disguised as a worker, manages to get away with the priceless pearl; for once, the great Sherlock Holmes has embarrassed himself most terribly...And so the hunt for the pearl, which must be hidden somewhere, begins - but it isn't called the 'Pearl of Death' by pure chance: in the many centuries since it belonged to the infamous Borgias, it has brought death upon many people; and it continues to do so. Very soon, a series of murders begins, with the victims having no relation whatsoever with each other or the pearl - but all bear the same cruel 'handwriting' of the murderer: their backs are all broken at exactly the same spot; the method a demented mass murderer, who's believed dead by the police by now, used years ago. And there's another thing the scenes of all crimes have got in common: around all the victims, whole heaps of broken china are scattered...A very intriguing, entertaining case, with many unusual features: Holmes, the great, PERFECT detective, makes a vital mistake for the first time without which the whole story wouldn't even have happened; the ending is made up of a very cunning psychological trick instead of the usual chase scene; and another thing: Evelyn Ankers, who usually played the frightened heroine in Universals thrillers and horror movies, gets an opportunity here to show MUCH more of her talent in various disguises, and most of all, as the reckless femme fatale fit for any Film Noir of the time! This is definitely one entry in the Rathbone/Bruce 'Holmes' series that not only Sherlock Holmes fanatics will find enormously interesting, thrilling and entertaining...