The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Hound of the Baskervilles
| 03 October 1982 (USA)

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  • Reviews
    SeeQuant Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction
    Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
    Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.
    Abegail Noëlle While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.
    Paul Evans I've had this production tucked away for over a decade and never seen it, until now. As a die hard Tom Baker fan (Doctor Who) I have struggled on occasion to get to grips with him in other roles, but as always he totally came up trumps. My initial thoughts of him being miscast were unfair and wrong, he gave a very strong, down to Earth, honest performance, adding character and presence, not dramatics as I had expected. Terence Rigby made for a very good Watson too, finally not made to be a bumbling buffoon, he was a worthy sidekick to the great detective.I was very impressed by the production values and the closeness of the original text, it didn't seem like they'd tinkered about with the script a great deal. The costumes and set designs look spot on, that quality you always expect from the BBC.My only negative would be the casting of Nicholas Woodeson, and his character, a fine actor, but I found the character lacking in any warmth, unsympathetic almost, I picture Henry Baskerville as handsome and lacking harshness. If our Henry here had been dog food, I'd not have lost a huge amount of sleep.It's a brilliant production, well worth obtaining. 8/10
    richbeckton This mini series starring Tom Baker as Holmes is by far the best Hound adaptation there has been. I haven't seen this since it was first broadcast but from what I can remember it was very loyal to the novel. I had just read the book prior to watching it and apart from the ending where they watch Stapleton sink into the Grimpen Mire, it is very true to the original story. Some of the other adaptations mess about with the story too much and add characters and make up sub plots that spoil, in my opinion, the best detective novel that's ever been written. Even the Jeremy Brett version isn't as good as this one. Tom Baker was very brave doing this as he had just finished Dr Who and I thought that it would be a bit odd seeing him as the "worlds greatest detective". But he pulled it off. I am a very big Holmes fan and read the Hound of the Baskervilles every year. We keep seeing new versions of the story but none live up to expectations.
    Jim Peter Duguid can be proud of the efforts he made in adapting this classic to the small screen.Tom Baker and Terrence Rigby are outstanding as Holmes and Watson, and for once Watson is not the buffoon as portrayed by Nigel Bruce. Baker gives a down to earth portrayal of the great detective, he comes across keen and intelligent, but not so dismissive and patronizing as Jeremy Brett often was in the same role for television.Woodeson is fine as Sir Henry and Ravenscroft is perfect as the conniving and murderous Stapleton. The doctor, who is a part time archaeologist and collector of skulls, is ably portrayed by Knightley. His apparent willingness to believe in the supernatural dog is offset by his own keen observation and grasp of human nature.The production values are excellent - typical of a BBC production. THe costumes and sets are very period, as they should be. THe modernized WW II era Holmes portrayed by Rathbone always left me feeling a little unsatisfied. All told, this version is excellent and does not deserve any of the trivial criticism heaped upon it by some. I heartily recommend this film if you can get it on video. I was fortunate to tape it in 1984 and still enjoy it twenty two years later.
    rob-fisher6 We love Tom Baker, but the quality of the direction and supporting cast makes a mockery of the very concept of dramatic performance. As a lifelong Sherlock Holmes fan, born in the cradle of Dartmoor's misty tors, this production betrays both its fictional and historical roots, and is merely a hollow imitation of its source, which was served far more ably by the incomparable Jeremy Brett. Baker mistakes adult fiction for a serious performance and would have been better served by allowing the eccentricity of the 'doctor' to come to the fore. What this production badly needed was for someone, either in front or behind the camera, to take control and allow the multi-faceted nature of Holmes' character to drive events. A wasted opportunity that contributes nothing to the genre. It only contributed to putting the final nails in Baker's career.Big bag o' thrash.