THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - based not on a Conan Doyle story but on a play based upon his characters - was the second movie to feature the classic portrayals of the London detective and his assistant: Basil Rathbone as Holmes, and Nigel Bruce as Dr Watson.

Rathbone in particular has become the Sherlock Holmes, with his piercing eyes, knife-sharpened features and finely-played trademark habits (the violin, the relentless drive and enthusiasm, the never-ending desire for knowledge). Bruce's Watson is also the stuff of movie legend, and he plays the character as a perfect humourous foil to Rathbone's intense seriousness - although Holmes himself is not averse to the odd witty quip. In short, these two actors made the roles their own, and it will take a very convincing and impressive performance to ever dislodge them.

The plot of the film is classic Holmes fare, concerning the devious Professor Moriarty (the stage villainry of George Zucco) and his plot to commit a classic crime, one that will go down in history. Involving mysterious notes, South American flute players, the Tower of London and the fog-filled streets of 1890s London, the plot contains all the requisite ingredients of a typical Holmes story. And of course, the solution is elementary.

Succeeding in evoking the deep, dank pea-soupers of the capital city, the film has a deliciously atmospheric tone: all hansom cabs and gas streetlights, enshrouded in luminously swirling fog. Through these scenes, Holmes and Watson rush with great enthusiasm and infectious determination, the direction suibtably fast-paced and thrilling, leading up to a climactic conclusion.

The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes is a classic crime mystery, enriched by classic performances and a well-written and amusingly wry script. Even though not taken directly from a Conan Doyle story, you sense that the author would be very satisfied by this faithful and accomplished recreation of his much-beloved creations.

Elementary. 9/10