The Hound of the Baskervilles (1929 film)
The Hound of the Baskervilles (German: Der Hund von Baskerville) is a 1929 German silent mystery film directed by Richard Oswald and starring Carlyle Blackwell, Alexander Murski, Livio Pavanelli. The film is an adaptation of the 1902 Sherlock Holmes novel The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle. It was the last Sherlock Holmes adaptation in the silent film era.[1] The film boasted an unusually international cast, including American actor Carlyle Blackwell, German actor Fritz Rasp, British actress Alma Taylor, Russian actor Alexander Murski and Italian actor Livio Pavanelli.[2]
| The Hound of the Baskervilles | |
|---|---|
Screenshot of Watson (left) and Holmes (right) on the moors | |
| Directed by | Richard Oswald |
| Written by | Georg C. Klaren Herbert Juttke |
| Based on | The Hound of the Baskervilles 1902 novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Frederik Fuglsang |
Production company | Erda-Film |
| Distributed by | Süd-Film |
Release date |
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Running time | 87 minutes |
| Country | Germany |
| Languages |
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In 2009, a tape with this film (and other lost films of the silent cinema era) was discovered in the basement of the local church in Sosnowiec, Poland.[3] In 2019, Flicker Alley released the film, digitally restored on DVD and Blu-ray, along with the 1914 version.
Plot summary Edit
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Cast Edit
- Carlyle Blackwell as Sherlock Holmes
- Alexander Murski as Lord Charles Baskerville
- Livio Pavanelli as Sir Henry Baskerville
- George Seroff as Dr. Watson
- Betty Bird as Beryl
- Fritz Rasp as Stapleton
- Valy Arnheim as Barrymore
- Alma Taylor as Mrs. Barrymore
- Carla Bartheel as Laura Lyons
- Jaro Fürth as Dr. Mortimer
- Robert Garrison as Falkland
Production Edit
Richard Oswald had penned an earlier adaptation of Conan Doyle's tale for the 1914 serial Der Hund von Baskerville. This version was not a remake of that serial but was a straight adaptation of the source material.[1]
The British-based American actor Carlyle Blackwell was hired to play Holmes, as he was "suitably Britannic".[4]
The film's sets were designed by the art director Willy Schiller. It was shot at the Staaken Studios in Berlin. Critic Troy Howarth said "The film was a commercial disaster, ending the German cinema's fascination with (Sherlock) Holmes until 1936—with yet another version of The Hound of the Baskervilles".[2]
References Edit
- ^ a b Barnes, Alan (2002). Sherlock Holmes on Screen. Richmond: Reynolds & Hearn Ltd. p. 78. ISBN 978-1-903111-04-8.
- ^ a b Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era. Baltimore: Midnight Marquee Press. p. 340. ISBN 978-1-936168-68-2.
- ^ "Ostatni niemy film o Sherlocku Holmesie zostanie pokazany w Warszawie". Onet Kultura (in Polish). 2 April 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ^ Prawer, Siegbert Salomon (2005). Between Two Worlds: The Jewish Presence in German and Austrian Film, 1910–1933. New York: Berghahn Books. p. 86. ISBN 978-1-84545-074-8.