SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE DEADLY NECKLACE (1962)
Label: Severin Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 85 Minutes 44 Seconds
Audio: English or German DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.66:1)
Director: Terrence Fisher
Cast: Christopher Lee, Thorley Walters, Senta Berger, Ivan Desney
The German-French-Italian co-production Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace (1962) re-teamed two Hammer legends, director Terence Fisher (Horror of Dracula) and star Christopher Lee (The City of the Dead) for the first-time since another Holmes film, The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959), in which Lee played not Holmes but Sir Henry Baskerville. Based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fourth and final Holmes novel, The Valley of Fear, with a screenplay written by Curt Siodmak (The Wolf Man), this black and white whodunit stars Lee as Sherlock Holmes, it was his first stab at the character, which was followed by later turns in the made-for-TV films Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady (1991) and Incident at Victoria Falls (1992), neither of which I have seen, yet, but I do believe this is his only turn as Holmes on film.
Here he is backed up by his ever trusty sideman Dr. Watson, played this go around by another Hammer familiar, Thorley Walters (Vampire Circus), as the pair look into the mystery surrounding the disappearance of an priceless artifact, a necklace allegedly worn by none other than Cleopatra. The prime suspect is of course Holmes nemesis Prof. Moriarty (Hans Söhnker, The Phantom of Soho), whom at one point Holmes indicates he would like to see hanged, and with this the game is afoot! I thought Lee made for a terrific Holmes, wearing the familiar cloak and deerstalker cap, and flexing his master of disguise title in various disguises - including a lowlife wharf-thug, we get a murder in a mansion and of course Moriarty and Holmes engaged in multiple battles of wit and cunning, and you know there's some terrific scenes of Holmes piecing the puzzle of the antiquities theft, as well as a later connected murder at a mansion involving a three-sided love entanglements of Peter Blackburn (Wolfgang Lukschy, A Fistful of Dollars), his wife, Ellen (Senta Berger, The Terror of Dr. Mabuse) and their friend Paul King (Ivan Desney), with the characters usual arrogant panache. I rather liked how Lee's portrayal leaned into the antagonistic and sometimes unpleasant nature of the detective, it has a nice edge to it, countered by Watson's comic relief. I was not expecting the humor and comedy that this one offered, it's not a comedy but there's certainly quite a bit of humor to it that I found quite amusing. Handsomely directed by Hammer legend Terence Fisher, and attractively shot and well-staged, I thought this period detective game was quite good, not a top-tier Sherlock Holmes entry but still quite a gem in Lee cannon and worthy of checking out.
Audio/Video: Previously issues on Blu-ray exclusively as part of The Eurocrypt of Christopher Lee box set from Severin Films the distributor have saw fit to release it as a standalone Blu-ray with the same artwork, technical presentation and extras. Advertised as being scanned in 2K from the German OCN this monochromatic presentation is framed in 1.66:1 widescreen. The source is in wonderful shape, grain is nicely resolved and retain's filmic qualities, with fine detail and textures and close-ups being particularly revealing. Grayscale and contrast are strong and blacks are pleasing if not exactly inky black. Audio comes by way of English or German DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with optional English subtitles. The German track is the tighter of the two, dialogue is more refined, the balance and depth are superior. The English track is perfectly serviceable, save for the mind-blowing decision to have someone else dub Lee's (and Thorley Walter's) dialogue! Anyway, that travesty aside it sounds quite good, and the strangely jazzy score by Martin Slavin (The Pit of Darkness) sounds a bit too modern for the material, but sounds good.
Extras include an Audio Commentary With Film Writers Kim Newman And Barry Forshaw, which is another jovial conversation with the pair who both lay out quite a bit of knowledge about the production but also knit pick some elements that are not so great. We also get a 13-min
Tony Dalton Interviews Terence Fisher, an audio only interview with Fisher fondly recalling his time at Hammer and working with Lee and Cushing, plus the 27-min
Tony Dalton On Terence Fisher wherein the author talks about first meeting Fisher on the set of Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell, becoming fast friends, and then getting into an overview of the director's early career and tenure at Hammer, and of course Sherlock Homes and the Deadly Necklace. The disc is buttoned-up with a 3-min Trailer. The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork, the same artwork as was featured on the disc from The Eurocrypt of Christopher Lee set.
Special Features:
Buy it!
- Audio Commentary With Film Writers Kim Newman And Barry Forshaw
- Tony Dalton Interviews Terence Fisher(12:35)
- Tony Dalton On Terence Fisher(26:48).
- Trailer (3:11)
- Tony Dalton Interviews Terence Fisher(12:35)
- Tony Dalton On Terence Fisher(26:48).
- Trailer (3:11)
Screenshots from the Severin Films Blu-ray:
DiabolikDVD
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