The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939)

100% of critics liked it
(7 reviews)
75% of users liked it
(3,410 ratings)

Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce make their second screen appearances as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Ostensibly based on the stage play by William Gillette, the film owes nothing to the play beyond the characters of Holmes, Watson, Billy the page boy and… More Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce make their second screen appearances as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Ostensibly based on the stage play by William Gillette, the film owes nothing to the play beyond the characters of Holmes, Watson, Billy the page boy and Professor Moriarty. Played with relish (and a bit of pickle) by George Zucco, Moriarty plots to steal the Crown Jewels, and also to confound Holmes by obliging the Great Detective to be in two places at once. Ida Lupino costars as an imperiled young woman who is seemingly plagued by an ancient family curse--a plot development that has been carefully stage-managed by the malevolent Moriarty. Basil Rathbone is excellent not only as Holmes but also in the guise of a cockney music-hall entertainer (if indeed that is Rathbone performing a buck-and-wing in longshot). The second of Twentieth Century-Fox's Holmes films (Hound of the Baskervilles was the first), The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes was the last in which Rathbone and Bruce were seen in a 19th century setting. In the subsquent Sherlock Holmes series at Universal, the exploits of Holmes and Watson were updated to the World War II years. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 23 min.
Directed By: Alfred L. Werker
Written By: Edwin Blum, William A. Drake
Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense, Classics

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1939 Wide
On DVD: Apr 27, 2004
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Superior mystery film.
Sean Axmaker, Turner Classic Movies Online
Basil Rathbone still remains the definitive screen Sherlock Holmes for many of the character's fans.
Mark Bourne, DVDJournal.com
Director Alfred L. Werker shows off a flair for the material, and we get scenes that appear composed, lit, and shot expressly for the most evocative publicity stills.
Mark Bourne, DVDJournal.com
MPI's DVD release ... will more than please fans of the series. Struck from a well-preserved print, the gorgeous, crystalline black-and-white image displays fine clarity, definition, and contrast.
Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies
The perfect blend of mystery and comedy, showing off the series's potential for both.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
The best and most stylish of the Rathbone-Bruce Holmes series.
Bob Bloom, Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
The stories, set in their proper Victorian Age, provide ample evidence as to why Rathbone and Bruce became so associated with their roles.

Read all 7 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Luke B

Another excellent outing for Rathbone and Bruce as Holmes and Watson. This time Holmes faces his most well known nemesis Moriarty. The film begins with Moriarty being found innocent of murder, with Holmes bursting into the courtroom just a few seconds too late. After the courtroom… More
Another excellent outing for Rathbone and Bruce as Holmes and Watson. This time Holmes faces his most well known nemesis Moriarty. The film begins with Moriarty being found innocent of murder, with Holmes bursting into the courtroom just a few seconds too late. After the courtroom scene we see Holmes and Moriarty talking together like real competitors, without the hate you'd find between most enemies. They certainly have admiration for each other, and this admiration makes the film so enjoyable. Despite the fact that people's lives and reputations are at risk, you can easily tell they enjoy competing with each other. Moriarty then sends Holmes on a number of wild goose chases to conceal his real crime. I did like seeing Moriarty by himself and his love for plants. His clearly showed him as having a limited connection with humans. A simple act of not watering his plants also showed his talents are similar to Holmes'. Unfortunately, telling the audience that the mysteries are wild goose chases means we are waiting for Holmes to catch up with us. Like the previous effort the setting becomes a character in itself. The occupied streets of London are just as cold, dark, and sinister as the moors. This kind of makes the murders even more devilish. Watson is used more for comedic relief, which is annoying at times, as he ends up getting blamed for things that go wrong. Rathbone is at the centre stage here and he holds it well. He is always calm, but adds a sense of urgency when needed to heighten our excitement. His disguise was once again brilliant, and I didn't guess it this time. A great stylish offering.
jay n

One of the earliest Holmes movies with Basil Rathbone in the lead is one of the better entries in the series. Rathbone and Bruce make a wonderful team but what helps separate this from the others is the casting of a very young Ida Lupino in the menaced maiden role, usually the… More
One of the earliest Holmes movies with Basil Rathbone in the lead is one of the better entries in the series. Rathbone and Bruce make a wonderful team but what helps separate this from the others is the casting of a very young Ida Lupino in the menaced maiden role, usually the endangered lady was a pretty but utilitarian actress of minor note. Ida was on her way up at this point and within the year would break through to the majors in "They Drive By Night" and her star quality shines through here making her plight and the mystery more involving. The film itself has good production values and moves at a brisk pace.
Jeremy S

"Elementary, my dear Watson."
Matthew Y

While watching this film all I could think of was "why was this not the first film of the series?" It introduces the character better, introduces his greatest adversary Prof. Moriarty and even the title was far more appropriate. It is a great film that rivals The Hound of… More
While watching this film all I could think of was "why was this not the first film of the series?" It introduces the character better, introduces his greatest adversary Prof. Moriarty and even the title was far more appropriate. It is a great film that rivals The Hound of Baskervilles as the best in the original 12 Basil Rathbone film series (I'll get to them all eventually). While the black and white cinematography has always complimented mystery and film-noir's the best with it's use of lighting and shadows to express mood, it is not fully utilized here and makes me ponder why the film wasn't shot in technicolor (which I suspect would look marvelous for this type of film). They did shoot a few of the later ones in color so I guess I'll eventually find out.
Marion R

It was okay. I was really bothered by the characterization of Watson, who was basically turned into a bumbling idiot and appeared to be more Lou Costello then the trusty companion of Sherlock Holmes.
Kyle S

Such a fun caper. This is where the famous line, "Elementary, my dear Watson" came from.