Sherlock Holmes and the Woman in Green (1945)

100% of critics liked it
(8 reviews)
63% of users liked it
(1,374 ratings)

Based on Conan Doyle's The Adventure of the Empty House, this "Sherlock Holmes" entry finds Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) trying to solve the case of the "Finger Murders". Several beautiful women have been found slain, all with their right forefingers severed from their hands.… More Based on Conan Doyle's The Adventure of the Empty House, this "Sherlock Holmes" entry finds Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) trying to solve the case of the "Finger Murders". Several beautiful women have been found slain, all with their right forefingers severed from their hands. The police are prepared to write off the killings as the work of a madman, but Holmes deduces that there's a sane motive behind it all. Sure enough, the trail of evidence leads to Holmes' perennial nemesis Professor Moriarity (Henry Daniell), who is in league with lissome female criminal Lydia (Hillary Brooke). Though it isn't sporting to reveal Moriarity's nefarious scheme here, it can be noted that The Woman in Green comes to a nailbiting conclusion as a hypnotized Holmes wanders precariously along the ledge of a penthouse! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: G, 1 hr. 8 min.
Directed By: Roy William Neill
Written By: Bertram Millhauser
Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Jul 27, 1945 Wide
On DVD: Nov 27, 2001
Studio: American Pop Classics

Critic Reviews

Phil Hall, Film Threat
Superior entry in the delightful Basil Rathbone-Nigel Bruce series.
John A. Nesbit, Old School Reviews
No one does Holmes like Basil, and this ranks among the stronger of the series
Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies
It's one of the best in the series, partly because it strays from formula and partly because it summons some genuine mystery.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A solid entry in the Holmes series.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Interesting Rathbone Holmes film with a slightly different approach
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
engaging in the way it predates both the serial killer narrative ... and the mind-control paranoia that infused Cold War films

Read all 6 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Tim S

I love the Sherlock Holmes films with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce quite a bit, but The Woman in Green is a slight step back to me in terms of story quality. For one, the emphasis turns out to be mainly on Moriarty's use of hypnotism, instead of the more intriguing 'modern… More
I love the Sherlock Holmes films with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce quite a bit, but The Woman in Green is a slight step back to me in terms of story quality. For one, the emphasis turns out to be mainly on Moriarty's use of hypnotism, instead of the more intriguing 'modern day Jack the Ripper' plot thread that turns out to be a red herring of sorts. I'm not saying that Moriarty shouldn't have been involved with the story, but this one feels a little bit forced, and doesn't seem to flow as well as some of the others. It's still enjoyable, but not quite fulfilling enough.
Daniel H

The illustrious Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce never falter in their acting, although this particular outing for Holmes is a bit of a letdown. To be sure, the themes of Hypnotism and serial-killing are out-and-out Doyle, but the inclusion of Moriarty, seemingly included for effect,… More
The illustrious Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce never falter in their acting, although this particular outing for Holmes is a bit of a letdown. To be sure, the themes of Hypnotism and serial-killing are out-and-out Doyle, but the inclusion of Moriarty, seemingly included for effect, merely softens the plot by introducing a major character for a somewhat brief caper. The film starts strong, yet ends predictably, with none of Holmes' deductive reasoning being revealed. Whilst strong in all other ways, the movie thus forgets the first rule of a Mystery plot: to remain mysterious.
Sunil J

Interesting but placing a lot of the blame on hypnotism was a bit sill. Glad that Moriarty was mainly responsible though.
Anastasia B

I found this review by dhetteix rather useful: "this particular outing for Holmes is a bit of a letdown. To be sure, the themes of Hypnotism and serial-killing are out-and-out Doyle, but the inclusion of Moriarty, seemingly included for effect, merely softens the plot by… More
I found this review by dhetteix rather useful: "this particular outing for Holmes is a bit of a letdown. To be sure, the themes of Hypnotism and serial-killing are out-and-out Doyle, but the inclusion of Moriarty, seemingly included for effect, merely softens the plot by introducing a major character for a somewhat brief caper. The film starts strong, yet ends predictably, with none of Holmes' deductive reasoning being revealed. Whilst strong in all other ways, the movie thus forgets the first rule of a Mystery plot: to remain mysterious."
Barry L

Despite the hugely camp nature of their relationship I couldnt help but love the way in which Rathbone and Bruce worked together in theses detective movies...Superb and still watchable now..
Anthony V

Sturdy Sherlock Holmes outing.