Most Beautiful

Tonight-- ONCE AGAIN--


THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (1983)


Yes, I watched it AGAIN! After sitting thru 5 versions back-to-back, beginning with Ian Richardson, I decided I just had to see Richardson all over again. That makes twice I've seen Peter Cushing's in 6 months, twice I've seen Basil Rathbone's in 2 months, and twice I've seen Ian Richardson's in 2 WEEKS.



*****SPOILERS GALORE!!!!!*****




Having now watched the 2 most faithful-to-the-book versions back-to-back (the interminable Brett & the incredible Baker), it becomes much easier to see ALL the places this version deviates. A lot of younger movie fans seem to rank film adaptations these days SOLELY on how close to the book they are, or not, but I think that is missing a lot of important points. Like, when you have a film THIS gorgeous, with such beautiful location work, sets, an incredible cast, a GREAT, intelligent script, FABULOUS directing & editing, and WONDERFUL music... why complain? And, like DRACULA (maybe even more so), I find it fascinating to take note of the various changes, and how in some ways they make the story more interesting, or gripping, or even better-sturctured than the real thing.


From the start... Sir Charles dies in "the gazebo" rather than outdoors. In the "legend" flashback, a horse falls into the bog, and as Sir Hugo is trying to strangle the peasant girl, the hound LEAPS upward out of the bog, as if FROM HELL itself! (What a great visual!) Sir Henry has NO intention of ever travelling to Baskerville Hall, he merely wishes his lawyers to settle the estate... until someone tries to SHOOT him dead in London. Lestrade is in Grimpen from the start, as we find HE was the one who originally apprehended Selden (the escaped murderer). Holmes' disguise as a gypsy (a deviation introduced in the Rathbone version) is repeated here and greatly expanded ("YER FORTUNE, SAAAAIRR???"). Poor Dr. Mortimer's dog, Sheba, runs off at the sound of the hound, and is KILLED by it! Barrymore finds the remains of the note from Laura Lyons and passes it on to Watson early in the story, rather than midway thru. Laura's husband Jeffrey appears in this version, and becomes a chief suspect-- especially after his WIFE is murdered!


A major change I had to watch these films back-to-back in this fashion to realy take note of occurs when Holmes & Watson finally get to talk with Laura Lyons. In the book (presumably, as it was IDENTICAL in both the Brett & Baker versions), Sir Charles received a note to meet her. Her marriage had fallen apart, he'd befriended her, and helped set her up in business as a typist. Further, he'd agreed to help pay legal fees for her divorce, and idea hatched by their "go-between"-- Jack Stapleton-- who offered to MARRY Laura if she could obtain a divorce. But Laura did not show up for the rendezvous, and in both Baker & Brett's versions, we DON'T KNOW WHY. That bothered me. Both versions reveal at this relatively "early" point (75% in) that Stapleton LIED to Laura, because Beryl was Jack's WIFE!


In the Richardson version, Laura was having an AFFAIR with Sir Charles, and did not show up on the night of his death because Stapleton (the go-between) sent her husband Jeffrey an anonymous note telling of the affair, he came home, stopped her leaving, because (As Holmes put it), Sir Charles "had to be there ALONE". In this version, she doesn't get to tell Holmes WHO the go-between is, because once more, the husband intrudes, giving them an excuse to borrow a scene from an entirely different story, as Jeffrey twists an iron fireplace poker-- and Holmes-- UN-twists it! But after they leave, Stapleton sneaks in and murders Laura to silence her, and Jeffrey winds up in jail accused of it. Holmes says "I was mistaken" and that the case is solved, to give Stapleton the impression that he's in the clear to murder Sir Henry. It's only as Holmes sets his trap he reveals Stapleton is the murderer, pushing this reveal much further to the end than in the book, Brett or baker versions.


For the climax, HOLMES fights the dog rather than Sir Henry, and after, Holmes, Watson & Beryl are all trapped in a hut by Stapleton, who plans to murder all 3 of them. But Holmes gets the drop on him, Jack runs, and falls into the bog, despite Holmes trying to pull him out.


And finally, the reveal that Beryl was Jack's wife is saved for the VERY last scene, where Sir Henry, a most sympathetic, caring person (the romance of them falling in love was built up even better here than it was in the Rathbone version), merely tells her, "That's all over for both of us now. I would like to WALK upon the moor.", as he takes her hand.



It continues to amaze me that there are no less than FOUR very different films based on the same book that I love equally. Maybe someday someone may do a really "faithful" version which is ALSO beautiful, EXCITING, and a great movie at the same time. But I'm beginning to doubt it...


Henry

Beautiful autumnal shots of the woods and moor. Good cast. I particularly liked Ronald Lacey as Inspector Lestrade. Churchill did remind me of Nigel Bruce's Watson. It is a pity that this proposed series of Sherlock Holmes was cut short due to some complicated problems. I would loved to have seen more of Ian Richardson portrayals of SH.