SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Ameriatch One of the best films i have seen

Bergorks If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Janis One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) This would actually be a more fitting title for "Der Mann, der Sherlock Holmes war" or "The Man Who Was Sherlock Holmes" or just "Sherlock Holmes" as this is the man that this 105-minute German black-and-white film from 1937 is about. It will have its 80th anniversary next year and if you know a bit about German political history, you will know immediately that this film was made during the Nazi reign by writer and director Karl Hartl with co-writer Robert Stemmle, an experienced filmmaker himself. I am not familiar with any of the supporting players, but the two lead actors are among the most famous Germany had to offer in the 1930s and also decades after that, namely Hans Albers as Holmes and Heinz Rühmann as Watson. Or I should better say as the men pretending to be this famous detective duo. While they had pretty solid chemistry and I was buying their portrayal of good friendship, I must say that I was not too convinced by this film overall. The script just wasn't good or interesting enough. Then again, it may have hurt my perception a but that I am generally not the biggest Sherlock Holmes fan (especially not of the bad portrayal by Cumberbatch and Freeman) and if these two here (Albers, Rühmann) cannot get me interested in the subject, then maybe nobody can. I also felt that the writers wanted to be too smart at times as the plot twists seemed forced and uninteresting and the film is at its worst when it tries to be dramatically relevant, which is especially at the very end. There is no doubt that Albers and Rühmann have the talent, but in this case the writers did not or at least they did not deliver accordingly. I do not recommend this German take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary character. Thumbs down.

fibbermac999 Two men, when mistaken to be Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, quickly accept the benefits of the mistaken identity, only to later be saddled with some of the responsibilities as well. Watched on DVD in German with English subtitles.This film was enjoyable on many different levels...As a comedy, the humor is subdued, but well done.As a mystery, I was kept guessing as to character motivations as well as the story's final outcome, until the very end.As an adventure, there is a nice build up to a climactic scene where the main characters are facing certain doom at the hands of villains. And as Nazi propaganda, it is so subtle and well done that neither of the other reviewers to date have recognized it. (One said there is no propaganda and the other says the British are portrayed as criminals, which I suppose is technically correct, if you can see propaganda in having English criminals in a story set largely in England.) The propaganda comes from the perspective of Germans being the master race, superior to all others. The only character in the film specifically identified as German is the young boy who has walked from Berlin to attend the exposition where valuable stamps are on display. German superiority is shown as the young boy walks across Europe unassisted, recognizes the stamps as forgeries (a fact missed by the experts from other countries), and is the one who validates the real stamps when they are recovered in the end. The British are not only too dumb to recognize the forgeries, but too foolish to even know that there is no Sherlock Holmes in real life,... that Holmes and Watson are fictional characters. (This fact gets brought out in the end.)Germans watching this film in 1937 got a subtle reinforcement of their superiority over all others, without interfering with a good story.I recommend catching this film if you get the chance. From any of the perspectives above, you get a well done film.

cynthiahost Yes there was propaganda but it was light. It was anti British,although subtle.In spite of that it was very funny and Entertaining. What was the propaganda?Two crooks were playing Sherlock and Watson disguised as humor. The idea was to portray the British as a bunch of crooks. I saw that in my naked eyes.Now there was another Nazi made Sherlock Holmes .There might have been different type of propaganda very lightly too. Hans Alber was a very good as the crook,Morris Flint, more American than British, who takes on the role of Sherlock just to get a free ride on the train.Heinz Ruhmann , who plays,Macky McPherson, what a name, as the assistant crook. This character is more worried about being caught as Morris goes deeper in risk.Because of the clothe that Morris steals, every one in the train believes he and Macky are Sherlock and Watson.They both check on passengers pass port , so they can stay on the train. Two women they check Mary Berry, played by Marie Luise Claudius, and Jane Berry , played by Hansi Knotic. They had entertaining a bunch of crooks who ran out of the train when they discover Sherlock and Watson was on the train.Morris and Macky take advantage of this faking when they use it to get a room in the expensive hotel.There are other crooks at the hotel.A vamp,Madam Ganymar played by Hilde Weissner and partner Fred, played by Angelo Fararri. They are waiting on some stuff. That stuff end up at the hotel room of Morris and Mackpherson. They both take advantage of it but they get suspicious of the money. But the police call on them ,thinking they had caught them, but as the two detectives. Somebody has stolen a valuable stamp. A young stamp collector has walked all the way from a Heimat village to see the stamps. Fred and Ganymar discovered that the two aren't Sherlock or Watson and took their stuff. When both crooks go back to the Hotel, they are confront by Fred and Ganymar. If they don't give the other crooks the money , they will reveal the other persons secret to the police. The two Berry Sisters are at their Uncles castle, He died and they inherited it but the Butler and the lawyer does not know where the money island are afraid to let the two sisters know. This leads to Morris and Mcpherson to the castle to find the stamp. They discover that the girls uncle was a counterfeiter . They both have trouble telling these women that their uncle was crooked. The head of the police are mad because they had duped the police that two crooks had played Holmes and Watson. So they go to the castle to have them arrested, They by pass them. The two sisters go back to the city. Both Morris and McPherson defeat the crooks and are found not guilty.They get together with the sisters. Now the propaganda was light. That is Goebbels took advantage of the plot to demote British. Available at amazon.com an German war films

rebeccajt Hans Albers & Heinz Rühmann are at their very best in this hugely entertaining film. Albers & Rühmann pretend to be the famous duo Holmes & Dr. Watson and the police, the gangsters and the girls believe them beyond any doubt. The direction is so smooth and has the best of comic timing as any Lubitsch film might have. Even today, the film has not lost it's tempo, witt and adventures style. Whoever thinks, German film makers only made propaganda pictures during the dictatorship, are dead wrong. Try to get a VHS copy, sit back and be drawn into the hillarious adventures of THE MAN WHO WAS SHERLOCK HOLMES.