6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
In London, a secret society led by lawyer Thaddeus Merrydew collects the assets of any of its deceased members and divides them among the remaining members. Society members start dropping like flies. Sherlock Holmes is approached by member James Murphy's widow, who is miffed at being left penniless by her husband, and the game is afoot.
Starring: Reginald Owen, Anna May Wong, June Clyde, Alan Dinehart (I), John WarburtonMystery | 100% |
Crime | 67% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.34:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (320 kbps)
English, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 1.5 | |
Audio | 2.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of The Sherlock Holmes Vault Collection.
Several online sites offer the presumed fact that the character of Sherlock Holmes is perhaps the most portrayed personage in the entire annals of
film
and, later, television. The sheer number of Holmes adaptations for either the large or small screens is so overwhelming in fact that some fans may
have a challenge in choosing their favorite. Some may go with more venerable classic interpretations like those from Basil Rathbone (Sherlock Holmes: The Complete
Collection) or even Jeremy Brett (Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Granada Television Series), while others may prefer more modern performances from
the
likes of Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock: The
Complete Series) or Jonny Lee Miller (Elementary). The Basil
Rathbone - Nigel Bruce Holmes films are an interesting assortment, for a couple of reasons. As fans no doubt know, the first two films in the
series, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, were set in Victorian
England, while all the subsequent entries in the franchise were "updated" to an explicit World War II setting mimicking their production era and no
doubt tied to a perceived need for cinematic heroes to vanquish various enemies. That aspect clearly presages some of the latter day revisions to
the character as seen in both the Cumberbatch and Miller television series, but as will be mentioned in a moment, is not the first such instance of
that particular strategy. But as a film franchise regardless of any time shift, the Rathbone -
Bruce films are often the first to come to mind, at least in terms of Holmes films from that general period. In that regard, three British productions
aggregated in this collection might reasonably be deemed to be one of the major groups of Holmes films to come in the sound era at least prior to
the now legendary teaming of Rathbone and Bruce, with Arthur Wontner starring as the venerable sleuth and Ian Fleming (not that one) as Dr.
Watson. The Wontner - Fleming films in this set were produced in 1931, 1935 and 1937, while the fourth film in the set, A Study in Scarlet,
features Reginald Owen and came out in 1933. The Wontner films in particular but also the Reginald Owen film presage the World War II era
Rathbone films
by at least somewhat
contemporizing events.
A Study in Scarlet is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of The Film Detective with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.34:1. This is by far the least pleasing looking transfer in the set, with a really "dupey" looking presentation that features pretty radically inconsistent contrast, something that when added to other deficits in whatever element was utilized can lead to a definite lack of even general detail, at times including close- ups. The entire presentation is fuzzy, and with contrast veering pretty wildly, there are moment where, for example, faces can be almost entirely blanched, to the point that facial features can't be made out, or, conversely, things suddenly get very dark to the point that blacks are decidedly crushed. Somewhere in the middle a few relatively decent looking moments emerge. There is something approaching grain in this presentation, but it often tends to look like small black pockmarks afflicting the image rather than resolving organically.
A Study in Scarlet features a Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono track. As with the video side of things, audio is compromised. There are some pops, cracks and background hiss which can bubble to the surface at times, and the overall sound is extremely thin and maybe even a little brash in the upper registers. Dialogue is discernable certainly, but there is quite a bit of age related wear on this track, making the optional English and Spanish subtitles helpful.
Owen just doesn't have the "traditional" Holmesian ambience, and may perhaps come off as especially inapt when thrust up against Wontner's reserved but probably more source appropriate portrayal. The real interest here is probably the "meta" aspect. This film has the most problematic video and audio in the set, but as with the other films, the supplements are enjoyable, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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