The Hound of the Baskervilles (1983 film)

1983 film directed by Douglas Hickox

The Hound of the Baskervilles

Genre|

* Mystery
* thriller

Based on| The Hound of the Baskervilles
by Arthur Conan Doyle
Written by| Charles Edward Pogue
Directed by| Douglas Hickox
Starring| Ian Richardson
Donald Churchill
Martin Shaw
Theme music composer| Michael J. Lewis
Country of origin| United Kingdom
Original language| English
Production
Executive producer| Sy Weintraub
Producer| Otto Plaschkes
Cinematography| Ronnie Taylor
Editor| Malcolm Cooke
Running time| 100 minutes
Production company| Mapleton Films
Original release
Network| HBO
Release| November 3, 1983 (1983-11-03)

The Hound of the Baskervilles (a.k.a. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles[1]) is a 1983 British made-for-television mystery thriller film directed by Douglas Hickox, starring Ian Richardson as Sherlock Holmes and Donald Churchill as Dr. John H. Watson. It is based on Arthur Conan Doyle's 1902 novel The Hound of the Baskervilles.

## Plot

[edit]

Sherlock Holmes is given news of the late Sir Charles' death, and the legend of the hound which is said to have killed the evil Sir Hugo Baskerville in retaliation for his brutal and violent rape of a beautiful farm girl. Holmes prepares to save Sir Charles.

## Cast

[edit]

* Ian Richardson as Sherlock Holmes
* Donald Churchill as Dr. John H. Watson
* Martin Shaw as Sir Henry Baskerville
* Nicholas Clay as Jack Stapleton/Sir Hugo Baskerville
* Glynis Barber as Beryl Stapleton
* Brian Blessed as Geoffrey Lyons
* Eleanor Bron as Mrs. Barrymore
* Edward Judd as Barrymore
* Connie Booth as Laura Lyons
* Denholm Elliott as Dr. Mortimer
* Ronald Lacey as Inspector Lestrade
* David Langton as Sir Charles Baskerville
* Cindy O'Callaghan as Maid
* Francesca Gonshaw as Young Girl in Mire

## Production

[edit]

In 1982, American producer Sy Weintraub partnered with English producer Otto Plaschkes to make six television films of Sherlock Holmes stories.[2] Charles Edward Pogue was enlisted to pen the screenplays[2] but only The Sign of the Four and The Hound of the Baskervilles were ultimately filmed before Granada Television's Sherlock Holmes series premiered in 1984.[2] A proposed third film, Hands of a Murderer (originally entitled The Prince of Crime[1]) was eventually made with Edward Woodward as Sherlock Holmes and John Hillerman as Dr. John H. Watson.[1]

In an interview with Scarlet Street, Ian Richardson explained:

> "That was the fly in our ointment. Initially, an unseen fly. You see, when Sy Weintraub was planning the films, he was unaware that the copyright on the Holmes stories was about to expire in England and he had to go through a great deal of legal negotiations with the Conan Doyle estate in order to gain permission to use them. However, he was totally ignorant of Granada's plans to film a series with Jeremy Brett...Weintraub was furious, because he'd paid a lot of money to get permission from the estate and here was Granada saying, 'Thank you - but we're going to do it.' So Weintraub took them to court. He had a very good case, apparently; but eventually there was an out of court settlement for an extraordinary sum of money - something like two million pounds - which was enough for Weintraub to cover his costs on both The Sign of Four and The Hound of the Baskervilles, and make a profit, too. And so he wrapped the project up."[2]

Denholm Elliott was cast as Dr. Mortimer having previously portrayed Stapleton in the comedy spoof version of the Hound starring Dudley Moore and Peter Cook.[1] He also appeared with "Hound" co-star Connie Booth in the spoof The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It.[1] Booth herself would later appear in 1987s The Return of Sherlock Holmes.[1]

### Differences from novel

[edit]

* In the original novel, after the farm girl kidnapped by Sir Hugo Baskerville escapes, Hugo chases her across the moor and his companions find the girl dead from fear and Hugo killed by the hound. The film differs from the novel by having the girl acquire one of the manor's horses in her escape, and is pursued by Hugo alone. The pack of beagles Hugo sets out on her and his companions who follow him are omitted. The girl stumbles upon the Grimpen Mire and her horse drowns. She is pulled out and raped by Hugo; the girl survives when Hugo is fatally mauled by the Hound.[1]
* A sniping attempt which does not occur in the original novel is made against Sir Henry.[1]
* Inspector Lestrade is assigned the task of arresting Seldon. Unlike previous versions of the story, he is revealed to be the policeman who arrested Seldon.[1] In the film climax’s, his role in helping Holmes and Watson killing the hound is replaced by Dr. Mortimer in bringing Sir Charles' murderer to justice.
* The character Geoffrey Lyons never appears in the novel.[3] The film's Geoffrey Lyons performs the feat of bending a fire iron as an intimidation tactic which was originally performed by Dr. Grimesby Roylott in "The Adventure of the Speckled Band".[1] In the film version, Lyons is presented as an imposing suspect who is at one point falsely imprisoned for killing his wife.[3] Holmes' solution to the case ultimately clears him.[3]
* Laura Lyons dies in the film, strangled by the murderer to protect his identity. She does not die in the novel.[1]
* Stapleton's demise in the bog is included as a part of the film's climax. He ambushes Holmes, Watson and Beryl outside the Hound's lair, but is chased by Holmes into the moor; he stumbles into the mire and sinks to his doom, despite Holmes' attempts to save him.[1] The novel does not depict Stapleton's demise; he simply disappears on the moor and is assumed to have drowned in the mire.

## Reception

[edit]

Cinema Retro called the film "a cracking piece of entertainment...with lush production values that completely belie its TV movie origins."[4] Matthew Bunson in The Enclyclopedia Sherlockiana praised the "first rate" production and Ronald Lacey's performance as Lestrade but felt that Richardson's interpretation of Holmes was "a bit too amiable."[5] Dr Lenera praised the production but criticised the violence, particularly the rape scene, calling it "quite a grim affair, at least for a 1983 TV production".[6]

## See also

[edit]

* The Sign of Four (1983 film)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Barnes, Alan (2011). Sherlock Holmes on Screen. Titan Books. pp. 256–259. ISBN 9780857687760.
2. ^ a b c d Sherlock Holmes Society of London Archived 29 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
3. ^ a b c The hound of the Baskervilles: another adventure of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Christopher Frayling
4. ^ Greaves, Tim (10 May 2016). "Reviews: "The Hound of the Baskervilles" (1983) and "The Sign of Four" (1983) Starring Ian Richardson; Blu-Ray Releases from Second Sight". Cinema Retro. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
5. ^ Bunson, Matthew (1997). Encyclopedia Sherlockiana: an A-to-Z guide to the world of the great detective. Macmillan. p. 128\. ISBN 0-02-861679-0.
6. ^ "THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES [1983]: on Blu-ray, DVD, download and on-demand 25th April". Horrorcultfilms.co.uk. 20 April 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* The Hound of the Baskervilles at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Screen adaptations of Sherlock Holmes

Theatrical films|

| Silent|

* Sherlock Holmes Baffled (1900)
* Adventures of Sherlock Holmes; or, Held for Ransom (1905)
* Sherlock Holmes in the Great Murder Mystery (1908)
* Arsène Lupin contra Sherlock Holmes (1910)
* Éclair film series (1912–1913)
* Der Hund von Baskerville (1914)
* Detektiv Braun (1914)
* A Study in Scarlet (1914 British film)
* A Study in Scarlet (1914 US film)
* The Valley of Fear (1916)
* Sherlock Holmes (1916)
* Sherlock Holmes (1922)
* The Hound of the Baskervilles (1929)

| Stoll series|

* The Dying Detective (1921)
* The Devil's Foot (1921)
* The Man with the Twisted Lip (1921)
* The Hound of the Baskervilles (1921)
* The Sign of Four (1923)

|

Wontner series|

* The Sleeping Cardinal (1931)
* The Missing Rembrandt (1932)
* The Sign of Four (1932)
* The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes (1935)
* Silver Blaze (1937)

Rathbone–Bruce
series|

* The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939)
* The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939)
* Voice of Terror (1942)
* Secret Weapon (1942)
* Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943)
* Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943)
* The Spider Woman (1943)
* The Scarlet Claw (1944)
* The Pearl of Death (1944)
* The House of Fear (1945)
* The Woman in Green (1945)
* Pursuit to Algiers (1945)
* Terror by Night (1946)
* Dressed to Kill (1946)

Downey series|

* Sherlock Holmes (2009)
* A Game of Shadows (2011)

Other films|

* The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1929)
* The Limejuice Mystery (1930)
* The Speckled Band (1931)
* Lelíček ve službách Sherlocka Holmese (1932)
* The Hound of the Baskervilles (1932)
* Sherlock Holmes (1932)
* A Study in Scarlet (1933)
* The Hound of the Baskervilles (1937)
* The Grey Lady (1937)
* The Man Who Was Sherlock Holmes (1937)
* Deduce, You Say! (1956)
* The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959)
* The Deadly Necklace (1962)
* A Study in Terror (1965)
* The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970)
* They Might Be Giants (1971)
* The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975)
* The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976)
* The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978)
* Murder by Decree (1979)
* The Case of Marcel Duchamp (1984)
* Young Sherlock Holmes (1985)
* The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
* Without a Clue (1988)
* Zero Effect (1998)
* A Samba for Sherlock (2001)
* Case Closed: The Phantom of Baker Street (2002)
* Holmes & Watson. Madrid Days (2012)
* Mr. Holmes (2015)
* The Empire of Corpses (2015)
* Sherlock Gnomes (2018)
* Holmes & Watson (2018)
* Sherlock Holmes and the Great Escape (2019)

Television/
streaming/
direct-to-video|

| Films|

| Ian Richardson|

* The Sign of Four (1983)
* The Hound of the Baskervilles (1983)

|

Peter O'Toole
(animated)|

* Sherlock Holmes and a Study in Scarlet (1983)
* Sherlock Holmes and the Baskerville Curse (1983)
* Sherlock Holmes and the Sign of Four (1983)
* Sherlock Holmes and the Valley of Fear (1983)

Vasily Livanov
series|

* Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson (1979)
* The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson (1980)
* The Hound of the Baskervilles (1981)
* The Treasures of Agra (1983)
* The Twentieth Century Approaches (1986)

Christopher Lee|

* The Leading Lady (1991)
* Incident at Victoria Falls (1992)

Matt Frewer|

* The Hound of the Baskervilles (2000)
* The Sign of Four (2001)
* The Royal Scandal (2001)
* The Case of the Whitechapel Vampire (2002)

Ian Hart (as Watson)|

* The Hound of the Baskervilles (2002)
* The Case of the Silk Stocking (2004)

Other films|

* The Three Garridebs (1937)
* The Man Who Disappeared (1951)
* The Hound of the Baskervilles (1972)
* The Longing of Sherlock Holmes (1972)
* Doctor Watson and the Darkwater Hall Mystery (1974)
* The Return of the World's Greatest Detective (1976)
* Sherlock Holmes in New York (1976)
* Silver Blaze (1977)
* The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It (1977)
* The Hound of the Baskervilles (1982)
* The Masks of Death (1984)
* The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1987)
* Hands of a Murderer (1990)
* The Crucifer of Blood (1991)
* 1994 Baker Street: Sherlock Holmes Returns (1993)
* The Hound of London (1993)
* Sherlock: Case of Evil (2002)
* Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars (2007)
* Sherlock Holmes (2010)
* Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes (2010)

Television series|

* Sherlock Holmes (1951)
* Sherlock Holmes (1954)
* Sherlock Holmes (1965–1968)
* Sherlock Holmes (1967–1968)
* Sherlock Holmes (1968)
* Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson (1979–1980)
* Young Sherlock: The Mystery of the Manor House (1982)
* The Baker Street Boys (1983)
* Sherlock Hound (1984–1985)
* Sherlock Holmes (1984–1994)
* episodes
* The Adventures of Shirley Holmes (1997–2000)
* Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century (1999–2001)
* Sherlock (2010–2017)
* Tantei Opera Milky Holmes (2010–2016)
* Aria the Scarlet Ammo (2011)
* Elementary (2012–2019)
* Sherlock Holmes (2013)
* Sherlock Holmes (2014–2015)
* Miss Sherlock (2018)
* Sherlock: Untold Stories (2019)
* Case File nº221: Kabukicho (2019–2020)
* Moriarty the Patriot (2020–2021)
* Sherlock in Russia (2020)
* The Irregulars (2021)
* Mademoiselle Holmes (2024)
* Sherlock & Daughter (2025; upcoming)
* Watson (2025; upcoming)
* Young Sherlock (2025; upcoming)

Actors by role|

* Sherlock Holmes
* Dr. Watson
* Inspector Lestrade
* Mycroft Holmes
* Mrs. Hudson
* Professor Moriarty

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Douglas Hickox

* The Giant Behemoth (1959)
* It's All Over Town (1964)
* Disk-O-Tek Holiday (1966)
* Les Bicyclettes de Belsize (1968)
* Entertaining Mr Sloane (1970)
* Sitting Target (1972)
* Theatre of Blood (1973)
* Brannigan (1975)
* Sky Riders (1976)
* Zulu Dawn (1979)
* The Hound of the Baskervilles (1983)
* Blackout (1985)

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