How do you transport literary icons from the Victorian era into the middle of World War II? They could be sucked through a time vortex. They could be frozen in an ice cave and thawed out. Maybe they’re merely the sons of the famous icons with all the wit and charm of their daddies?
Universal felt no need to explain why Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) appeared in current events back in the 1940s. By time shifting Holmes his cases would now became contemporary. More importantly the studio lowered the production budgets since they didn’t have to rent horses and carriages. There was no more need to worry about historical accuracy of scripts or sets. No jerk in the theater could point at the screen and say, “They didn’t have rotary telephones back then!”
Holmes was now a man beyond time. Sherlock Holmes – Double Feature: Sherlock Holmes in Washington / Sherlock Holmes Faces Death unplugs the legendary sleuth and his medical assistant from their period. The result proved him a timeless genius.
Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943 – 71 minutes) takes the English sleuth across the Atlantic to stop Nazi espionage. A British agent takes the train to Washington D.C. to deliver a vital document. His mission has been tipped off to German agents. He gets abducted on the train. Will he cough up his state secrets?
Holmes and Watson get flown across the Atlantic to find the agent. He correctly deduces that the Nazi agents haven’t found the document since they keep trashing various places. He also believes that instead of paper, the secrets were encoded on microfilm. This plot device is something that wouldn’t have quite worked itself into a proper Arthur Conan Doyle mystery.
Holmes’ investigation puts him on the road of a young woman that unknowingly has the secret speck. There are light comic touches to this spy thriller. During a party the object concealing the microfilm gets passed around by the guests and servants. The most comes from Rathbone’s comb forward hairdo.
Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943 – 68 minutes) brings him back to England although he’s still in 20th Century. Dr. Watson lands a gig working on officers suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, referred to back as “shell shock,” inside ancient Musgrave Hall. The family seeks to make a few extra dollars out of renting out the unused space to the military. The musty and old place comes with ghosts. Watson finds himself attacked one night. Can it really be a violent spirit?
Instead of relying on the authorities, Watson calls in his buddy Holmes. Turns out the Musgrave family might be involved with the bumps in the night. He suspects the family’s odd ritual might disclose the location of the land grant paperwork. There’s billows of fog in this entry to make it feel like a real Holmes movie. Rathbone’s hair gets a proper makeover so you won’t snicker while he battles the real killer in the crypt. This movie is based off “The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual.”
Sherlock Holmes – Double Feature: Sherlock Holmes in Washington / Sherlock Holmes Faces Death takes the legendary mystery solving team into the 20th Century without making them completely modern characters. Their Victorian manners and charm shine even amongst the gruff 20th century world. It’s not a complete Life on Mars time shift for Holmes as he tackles Nazis. He never looks or feels out of place while tracking down clues. His methods serve him well no matter what date is on the calendar.
The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The restored transfers on these two titles are worth the upgrade for fans. The black and white images bring out the details. One actress had to hold a cage with white mice on her lap. Now you can see the flies that were on her dress. The audio is Dolby Digital mono. Things sound sharp. Both movies have subtitles.
Audio Commentary features David Stuart Davies, author of Starring Sherlock Holmes. He discusses the movie while giving background facts on the previous three World War II oriented Holmes movies.
Sherlock Holmes – Double Feature: Sherlock Holmes in Washington / Sherlock Holmes Faces Death projects the super sleuth into the future without completely reimagining him. He’s battling wits with Nazis. He’s exposing the truth about mansion ghosts. He rides around Washington D.C. in a car without dealing with a rush hour traffic jam. He adapts well to the time. Rathbone and Bruce continue their great duo detective act.
MPI Home Video presents Sherlock Holmes – Double Feature: Sherlock Holmes in Washington / Sherlock Holmes Faces Death. Starring: Starring: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Dennis Hoey, Hillary Brooke, Marjorie Lord and John Archer. Boxset Contents: 2 Movies on 1 DVD. Rating: G. Released on DVD: September 14, 2010.
