Review(s): DVD Sherlock Holmes in Pursuit To Algiers
Pursuit to Algiers
Another entertaining Sherlock Holmes movie. Rathbone and Bruce are by far and away the best Holmes and Watson there is. Thoroughly enjoyed the movie and it completed the series for me.
An oddity - but not an unpleasant one
Were it not for "Sherlock Holmes in Washington," "Pursuit to Algiers" would no doubt be considered the very strangest of the Universal Holmes series. The initial mystery at the start of the film is completely obliterated by a plot that is little more than a thriller set on a cruise liner. Ever seen Sherlock Holmes play bodyguard for a foreign dignitary? No? How about his clever defeat of not one, not two, but three expert assassins? Never seen that, either? Well, now's your chance!
In all fairness, it's not that bad - it just doesn't feel like a Sherlock Holmes story. For better or worse, with this film the Universal series is heading into its final decline, and the writers have abandoned all hope of making the films so much as resemble a real Conan Doyle story. As a result, they're resorting to things like cruise liners to liven up what's becoming a somewhat flat formula. It's not a bad idea, but unfortunately, it does away with most of the fog-and-darkness mystique that everyone loves about Sherlock Holmes.
Basil Rathbone himself is, by now, starting to seem very tired. For most of the plot, he stays rooted in a sort of bored, dour mode, only occasionally shifted by a moment such as his (unusually amused) appraisal of Watson's choice in women. Nigel Bruce, on the other hand, is having a ball. Thankfully, he's less embarassingly inept than in the previous film, "The Woman in Green," and more bizarre still, he's actually the focus for much of this picture. Watson is genuinely concerned for Holmes early on, grieves for him when he's believed dead, has a couple of nice comic moments, and - best of all - gets to sing "Loch Lomond." (I'm fairly sure that's Nigel Bruce's actual singing voice, too. Great timbre.) All in all, it's probably Bruce's best outing since "The Scarlet Claw."
There may not be much mystery here, but the thriller aspect is not done poorly; there are some very fun scenes of Holmes matching wits and banter with the villains. There's also a real surprise at the end - a shocker for one of these Holmes pictures, actually - that helps to raise the film up from the rather lacklustre story.
This picture has, with its eleven fellow films, been painstakingly restored by the UCLA Film and TV Archive for the DVD release. It has a few quality problems, and is singled out for that in the "Sherlock Holmes Collection: Volume Two" restoration featurette, but most of the trouble comes at the very beginning and (quite abrupt) ending of the film. For the majority of its length, it looks fine, albeit with the occasional flicker, and I found it far less distracting than the variable picture on "The House of Fear."
All told, this is a fun and watchable entry in the Universal Holmes series, but not one of the essentials. If you're going to buy it for completeness' sake, go with MPI's "Sherlock Holmes Collection: Volume Three" set; otherwise, casual fans should stick with a rental.
Very good movie
This is a good movie. Just got it in the mail the other day, and my son and I loved it. Basil Rathbone was wonderful in his role as Sherlock Holmes. I'm glad we ordered it.
Related DVD's Sherlock Holmes in Pursuit To Algiers
One of the most engaging features from 20th Century Fox's Holmes series, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is also of historical interest as it based on a hugely popular, early 20th century stage play written by and starring William Gillette. Basil Rathbone cuts a fine figure as the lean, hawkish Great Detective, drawn into a complicated conspiracy by fiendish Dr. Moriarty (George Zucco) to distract Holmes while quietly preparing to steal the Crown Jewels. Nigel Bruce is on board as a buffoonish Dr. Watson, and British-born Ida Lupino is very good, and quite gorgeous, as a young woman who may be the target of a family curse. True-blue Sherlockians know that very little of Gillette's tale, and next to nothing about Zucco's or Bruce's performances, have anything to do with Sir Arthur... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Basil Rathbone Director(s): Alfred L. Werker DVD Release Date: Released the 27 April 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price: $19.98 Your Price: $15.98YOU SAVE $4!
Buy it
Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce star in this 1939 adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's frequently filmed novel, and the result is one of the most atmospheric and purely enjoyable versions of The Hound of the Baskervilles. Except for minor changes, the script is true to Doyle's enthralling mystery about a centuries-long curse against heirs to the Baskerville estate, situated within the haunting and deadly Dartmoor in the southwest of England. With the arrival of a new master, Canadian Henry Baskerville (Richard Greene), Sherlock Holmes (Rathbone) and Dr. Watson (Bruce) are called upon to solve the strange case of the "gigantic hound" that may be readying to savage the poor fellow. Wonderful sets, crisp performances, and Rathbone's accessible but no-nonsense take on the Great... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Basil Rathbone - Nigel Bruce Director(s): Sidney Lanfield DVD Release Date: Released the 27 April 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
List Price: $19.98 Your Price: $15.98YOU SAVE $4!
Buy it
I loved this entry in the series. It was full of pithy, classic, Holmes deductions and Watson wise cracks. I enjoyed the other two WWII movies that were part of the Sherlock Holmes series and highly recommend this one as well. I thought it was excellent!!!! This movie is homeschooler friendly! More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Basil Rathbone - Nigel Bruce Director(s): Roy William Neill DVD Release Date: Released the 28 October 2003 Usually ships within 24 hours
List Price: $19.98 Your Price: $17.98YOU SAVE $2!
Buy it
The story begins with a printed disclaimer explaining why the famous Victorian-era detective is living and working in London of the 1940s. Sherlock Holmes' appeal is timeless, they claim, and he is quite capable of living in the then-present day. They are, of course, correct, although the real reason for updating him was that it allowed the filmmakers to produce a series of propaganda films wherein the greatest British detective of all time goes head to head with German spies and emerges victorious. The format works. I love these films, as far removed as they are from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original stories.
The beginning film in this Sherlock Holmes series as produced by Universal jumps right into its Sherlock Holmes vs. the Nazis motif. The British government is stumped. At regular... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Basil Rathbone - Nigel Bruce Director(s): John Rawlins DVD Release Date: Released the 28 October 2003 Usually ships within 24 hours
List Price: $19.98 Your Price: $17.98YOU SAVE $2!
Buy it
After three films in which Sherlock Holmes battled the Nazis, even Universal must have grown tired of their gimmicky attempt to "modernize" the Great Detective. With "Sherlock Holmes Faces Death," Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce are back on more familiar turf and solve a mystery having absolutely no connection to World War II.
For the first time in the series, a film doesn't merely credit a story by Arthur Conan Doyle, screenwriter Bertram Millhauser actually makes use of one, "The Musgrave Ritual," a traditional murder mystery involving an old family curse. The story gives director Roy William Neill plenty of opportunities to pour on the atmosphere that is the series' best attribute, aside from stars Rathbone and Bruce, of course.
