Year:
1946
Rating: 6.0In this, the next to final Rathbone film
in the series, it appears clear that they are running out of gas and imagination.
The film doesn't even make it to the one hour mark and is all set in one
location, a train with the interiors built in the studio. Rathbone too was
tired of playing Holmes and declared after the film was finished that he
was done. Universal had plans to make four more films, but in the end Rathbone
only made one. Considering that Rathbone was being paid $20,000 a film that
is a bit surprising as that was a lot of money back then and the films only
took a few months to produce and the films had made him famous. To a large
degree this was the end of his film career and he turned his attention to
theater. For Nigel Bruce it must have been a blow as he was making $15,000
a film and his other film credits are nearly all as a character actor in
smaller roles. As bumbling as his Watson was, he became an endearing character
to many.
Watson is no more bumbling than he is here;
comically so and as always has no self-awareness of this. In real life, he
and Rathbone were very good friends, members of the British ex-pat community,
veterans of WWI and I wonder if they ever discussed the peculiar relationship
of their film characters. This all takes place on a train, the overnight
express from London to Edinburgh. So if you like train movies such as The
Lady Vanishes or Murder on the Orient Express, this might be up your alley.
I do actually but am also aware that it is an attempt to keep the budget
low. Holmes has been hired to protect the Star of Rhodesia diamond by the
son of Lady Carstairs who is transporting it from London back to her home
in Scotland. As expected there are a litany of suspicious looking characters
on the train and a few red herrings tossed in. Holmes suspects that one of
them is Col. Moran.
Though only appearing in one of Doyle's
short stories - The Adventure of the Empty House - Moran has become legendary
in other literary or video Holmes stories. He was Moriarty's assassin and
in the Empty House tries to murder Holmes with an air rifle. An air gun is
being used to kill here. Soundless and deadly with poison darts. The son
is killed and the diamond goes missing and Holmes, Watson and Lestrade (Dennis
Hoey) have to figure it out before the train stops. Watson has a few nice
Watson moments - his debate with a friend as to what makes a good curry and
finally turns to Holmes for his opinion - "I can't stand curries" or when
he takes it upon himself to question a suspect and in turns s the one questioned.
Ah Watson.
