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Sherlock Holmes And The Deadly Necklace [1962]


RRP: £5.99
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Fun if you don't expect too much
Review date: 2008-08-09 Rating: 6 out of 10

A real oddity. This was made by horror maestro Terence Fisher (Dracula, Curse of Frankenstein, Brides of Dracula, Hound of the Baskervilles) in Germany, with the actors speaking English - and then being dubbed into English again by other actors. Bizarre.

Christopher Lee is surprisingly good as Holmes, and it really makes me wish he'd been given a better opportunity to play the character at that stage in his career. The atmosphere is reminiscent of the detective movies of the 1930s - the Charlie Chans, the Holmeses with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce etc.

As a work of art, this is very patchy, but for fans of its star or its director, it's worth a look.

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Reviews


Deadly
Review date: 2006-08-14 Rating: 6 out of 10

Horror maestro Christopher Lee played Mycroft Holmes and Sir Henry Baskerville, but was hardly ever seen as the great Sherlock. But he was in "Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace," a solid enough mystery with some very nice acting, beautiful sets... and really wretched dub work.

An informant of Sherlock Holms (Lee) totters up to his doorstep, and dies after gasping a cryptic message. Holmes and Watson (Thorley Walters) follow his message to the pub where Professor Moriarty (Hans Söhnker) is staying, and overhear Moriarty plotting a murder and a theft -- of an astounding necklace found in the tomb of Cleopatra.

They rush to a country estate to save the paranoid lord-of-the-manor, only to arrive too late -- the necklace is gone, and the man himself is dead. Now Holmes must infiltrate Moriarty's home to steal back the necklace, and get it to the auction before Moriarty can steal it back.

"Deadly Necklace" is definitely a mixed bag, as a Sherlock Holmes movie goes -- we have the basics of a Holmes movie, and some of them are really amazing. But often, it feels like Terence Fisher is directing on autopilot, leaving it to Christopher Lee to keep the movie afloat.

There are some wonderfully quick-moving subplots, such as the question of who shot the guy in the castle, buried clothes, and bloody footprints. Alas, many other parts of the movie are either plodding or confusing, which can be fatal to a mystery story. The park-bench scene with Moriarty and Holmes is a perfect example -- it feels like it was crammed in to take up some extra time. It really has nothing to do with the plot, and could have been cut without any effect.

Lee is a simply magnificent Holmes, and perhaps the best "one off" Holmes I've ever seen. He comes across as intelligent without having to work at it, and still tough enough to kick through an oak door. Thorley Walters makes a likably bumbly Watson, and provides a good thought-bouncer for Lee, but Söhnker makes a very hammy Moriarty. Not an ounce of menace, and the scene where he runs from Holmes is unintentionally funny.

And what about the infamous dubbing? Well, it's really bad. Lee's rich baritone is covered by someone who sounds like he's doing a Christopher Lee impersonation, sometimes sounding American (and when undercover, swishy). Even stranger, there's a hollow echo effect whenever anyone speaks. It sounds like the dubbing was done in a giant bathroom. As the final indignity, they tack on a fluffy jazz soundtrack that doesn't match the setting.

There are some deep, intense flaws in "Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace," but even with a dubbed voice Christopher Lee carries the film with rare style. Watch for his performance, if no other reason.

We got our money back!
Review date: 2002-06-30 Rating: 2 out of 10

I have given this 1 star because there is no provision for giving none.
This dubbed - and badly dubbed at that. From the Victorian urchins at the beginning, with their Dick-van-Dyke cockney accents right through to the bitter end. It was a terrible waste of two good actors - even their voices had been dubbed, although you can see they were speaking in English.
One half expects to see Laurel & Hardy appearing at any minute, or Christopher Lee changing into Dracula mode.
It was embarrasing at first, but we ended up totally hysterical, and only watched it to the end to see if it would exonerate itself. It did not!
The next day we took it back and had our money refunded.

Cropped and dubbed.
Review date: 2000-05-20 Rating: 6 out of 10

Lee makes a very good Holmes in this little-seen German made B/W thriller. Walters is also good as Watson, in fact, the two of them together are among the best pairing of the famous detective duo. However, there are two "fatal" downsides to this otherwise welcome release; one is that they appear to have been dubbed by two other actors. -Aargh ! . Apparently, no one originally bothered to have Lee and Walters brought in to do their own voices. Also, the picture unfortunately looks cropped, and very much like a Scope production. Too bad. But still, it's such a rare film that no fan of the two stars (and director Fisher) will want to pass up this chance of finally seeing it.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Senta Berger
Hans Söhnker
Christopher Lee
Hans Nielsen
Ivan Desny

Creators:
Christopher Lee (Primary Contributor)
Hans Söhnker (Primary Contributor)
Richard Angst (Cinematographer)
Ira Oberberg (Editor)
Artur Brauner (Producer)
Wolf Brauner (Producer)
Arthur Conan Doyle (Writer)
Curt Siodmak (Writer)

Director(s):

Recording label: Blackhorse Entertainment
Manufacturer: Blackhorse Entertainment
EAN: 5024166027003
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Full Screen, PAL,
Release date: 2006-09-25
Number of discs: 1
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
Running time: 82 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1962-11-30
Language: English (Original Language)

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