DbcultAccessing Vault...
6.4/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.4/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. The Hound of the Baskervilles remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like foggy moors and guys in capes looking very serious, this 1929 version of The Hound of the Baskervilles is probably for you.
But if you need fast talking or high-speed chases, you are definitely going to hate this one.
It’s a silent film from Germany, which means you have to do a lot of the work yourself while watching.
I watched it last night on a small screen and kept thinking about how much hair grease the lead actor must have used.
Carlyle Blackwell plays Sherlock Holmes, and he looks exactly like a drawing from an old book. He has a very straight nose and doesn't blink much, which makes him feel a bit like a statue.
The plot is exactly what you expect if you've ever read the Conan Doyle story. Sir Charles Baskerville dies, and everyone thinks a ghost dog did it because of an old curse.
The sets are actually the best part of the whole thing. The hallways in the manor look like they go on forever and the ceilings are way too high.
I noticed one scene where a shadow on the wall looks more like a dog than the actual dog does later on. It’s that German style where everything is pointy and dark and a bit scary for no reason.
Fritz Rasp is in this, and he just has one of those faces that looks guilty from the start. Even when he is just standing there or drinking tea, you know he's up to something bad.
It’s funny how they try to make a silent movie feel 'loud' during the scary parts. The actors just widen their eyes until you think they might actually pop out of their heads.
There is a bit with a candle in a window that feels like it lasts five minutes. I started looking at the pattern on the wallpaper in the background instead of the light.
Comparing this to something like The Great Divide from the same year, this feels much more claustrophobic. It doesn't have that big, open American feel; it feels like it was filmed in a basement.
The dog eventually shows up, and... well, it’s just a dog. I think they put some dark paint on its fur to make it look meaner, but it still looks like it wants a treat.
It’s not really scary by today's standards, but it is moody. The way the fake fog rolls over the fake rocks is kind of soothing in a weird way.
I actually forgot who was playing Watson halfway through because he doesn't do much. He mostly just stands behind Holmes and looks worried about the weather.
The title cards are a bit long sometimes. I found myself reading them twice before they finally disappeared from the screen.
There is a scene where someone gets stuck in the mire, and you can tell it's just a big tub of mud. It looks very sticky and probably smelled like wet dirt in that studio.
If you've seen other silent mysteries like The Silent Flyer, you already know the vibe here. It’s slow and it takes its time, but it has a real soul to it.
I liked the ending, even if it happened way too fast. One minute they are chasing the dog, and the next, everyone is shaking hands and the movie just ends.
It feels like they ran out of film or maybe the sun was going down and they had to go home. Either way, it’s a decent way to spend an hour if you like old stuff and don't mind reading.
There's a weird moment where Holmes is looking through a magnifying glass but he isn't really looking at anything. He's just holding it near a desk and looking thoughtful for the camera.
The costumes are surprisingly heavy-looking. You can almost feel the weight of those wool coats when they walk through the 'moors'.
I think the actress Betty Bird was a bit too cheerful for a movie about a killer hound. She keeps smiling like she's in a romantic comedy while everyone else is talking about death.
Maybe she didn't get the memo about the mud and the spooky curse. It makes for a weird contrast whenever she's on screen.
The lighting in the library scene is pretty great though. They used these harsh lamps that make everyone's faces look like they are made of stone.
It reminds me a bit of Schuldig in how it handles the drama. It's all about the tension in the room rather than the action outside.
I did notice the film quality is a bit grainy, which actually helps the atmosphere. The scratches on the film look like rain sometimes.
Don't expect a masterpiece of detective logic here. Most of the mystery is solved because Holmes is just smarter than everyone else by default.
He doesn't really explain his clues, he just points at things and the title cards tell us he's right. It's a bit of a shortcut, but I guess it works for a 70-minute movie.
The way the villain's house is decorated is also worth a look. It has all these strange ornaments that don't look British at all.
It’s definitely a German person's idea of what England looks like. Lots of pipes and heavy wood and very tall hats.
I'd say this is a good 'rainy Sunday' movie. The kind you put on when you want to feel a bit spooky but don't want to be kept awake at night.
It’s much better than some of the other stuff from 1929, like The Porters. At least something actually happens in this one, even if it takes a while to get there.
The fireplace in the Baskerville hall is big enough to park a car in. I kept waiting for someone to fall into it, but it never happened.
The movie is a bit messy with its grammary in the English subs I found. But that just adds to the feeling that you're watching something from a different world.
Overall, it's a solid piece of silent cinema history. It isn't perfect, and the dog is a bit of a letdown, but the vibe is top notch.
Give it a look if you can find a decent print of it. The grainy ones make the fog look even better and the shadows much deeper.
IMDb 6.4
1927
Community
Log in to comment.
