''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' is a 1932 British

mystery film A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means ...

directed by

Gareth Gundrey Gareth Gundrey (1893–1965) was a British producer, screenwriter and film director. Selected filmography Director * ''Just for a Song'' (1930) * ''Symphony in Two Flats'' (1930) * ''The Stronger Sex'' (1931) * ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' (1 ...

and starring John Stuart,

Robert Rendel Robert Rendel (2 December 1884, in St Mary Abbots Kensington, London – 9 May 1944, in Marylebone, London) was a British actor of stage, screen, television and radio. Career His stage work included roles in the original Broadway theatre, Broadw ...

and Frederick Lloyd. It is based on the 1902 novel ''

The Hound of the Baskervilles ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' is the third of the four crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in ''The Strand Magazine'' from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set i ...

'' by

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

, in which

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

is called in to investigate a suspicious death on

Dartmoor Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers . The granite which forms the uplands dates from the Carboniferous ...

. It was made by

Gainsborough Pictures Gainsborough Pictures was a British film studio based on the south bank of the Regent's Canal, in Poole Street, Hoxton in the former Metropolitan Borough of Shoreditch, north London. Gainsborough Studios was active between 1924 and 1951. The com ...

. The screenplay was written by

Edgar Wallace Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1 April 1875 – 10 February 1932) was a British writer. Born into poverty as an illegitimate London child, Wallace left school at the age of 12. He joined the army at age 21 and was a war correspondent during th ...

Plot summary

Accordint to the rumour, a beastly howl is heard in the moors of Dartmoor, and a hellhound is killing every member of the Baskerville family. Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr. Watson go there to investigate the case, only to discover that behind this mystery there is a local farmer who is using a phosphorescent dog to kill the heirs in order to obtain the inheritance.BFI Collection Search
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Cast

* John Stuart as Sir Henry Baskerville *

* Frederick Lloyd as

Dr. Watson John H. Watson, known as Dr. Watson, is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Along with Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson first appeared in the novel ''A Study in Scarlet'' (1887). The last work by Doyle fe ...

* Heather Angel as Beryl Stapleton *

Reginald Bach Reginald Bach (3 September 1886 – 6 January 1941) was a British actor and theatrical producer. Early life and career Born in Shepperton, Middlesex, England, Bach was educated at Dean Close School, in Cheltenham Spa, the family having moved to ...

as Stapleton *

Wilfred Shine Wilfred Shine (12 July 1864 – 14 March 1939 in Kingston-Upon-Thames, England) was a British actor, mainly on the stage, and a specialist in melodrama. He was the father of the actor Bill Shine. Shine performed as Barney in ''John Bull's Other ...

as Dr. Mortimer *

Sam Livesey Samuel Livesey (14 October 1873 – 7 November 1936) was a Welsh stage and film actor. Life Livesey's father, Thomas, had been a railway engineer before leaving the industry to establish a travelling theatre with his wife Mary. The two had six ...

as Sir Hugo Baskerville *

Henry Hallett Henry Hallett (1 February 1888 in Whitehaven, Cumbria, England, UK – 24 July 1952) was a British stage and film actor. Filmography * ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' (1932) * '' Jew Süss'' (1934) * ''Tudor Rose'' (1936) * ''Spy of Napole ...

as Barrymore * Sybil Jane as Mrs. Barrymore * Elizabeth Vaughan as Mrs. Laura Lyons

Reception

Contemporary reviews found the film lacking. ''Bioscope'' claimed: "It is upon the dialogue of Edgar Wallace rather than sustained action that the producer relies to hold his audience, and the development becomes tedious in the attempt to piece together the various phases of the mystery." ''Picturegoer'' said: "This picture fails to do justice to Conan Doyle's thrilling Sherlock Holmes story."

Production

The first sound version of ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'', it had a budget of £25,000 (). On 28 February 1931

Lustleigh railway station Lustleigh station was on the Moretonhampstead and South Devon Railway serving the village of Lustleigh, Devon, England. Lustleigh was the penultimate station on this 12.3 mile (20 km) branchline off the South Devon Main Line. It had a s ...

, on the then-Great Western Railway, was used as the location for 'Baskerville' station at which Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are seen arriving.''The Railway Magazine'' no.407 (May 1931) Pages 412 & 418 For many years, it was believed that only the (silent) picture negative of this movie still existed. However, in 1991, a complete set of negatives and soundtracks were donated to the British Film Institute (BFI) by the Rank Corporation. As such, the film now survives intact (and with sound) in the BFI archives.

References

External links

* , id= 53021 * * Films based on The Hound of the Baskervilles 1932 films British mystery films 1930s mystery films Films directed by Gareth Gundrey Films with screenplays by Edgar Wallace Sherlock Holmes films British black-and-white films Gainsborough Pictures films 1930s English-language films 1930s British films {{mystery-film-stub