THE SCARLET CLAW (1944). Director: Roy William Neill. "For the first time we've been retained by a corpse."
After learning of the murder of Lord Penrose's (Paul Cavanagh) wife, supposedly at supernatural hands, Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) receives a note from the very same woman telling him of her fears and apprehensions. Holmes and Watson then head to the small Canadian village of Le Morte Rouge [The Red Death] to investigate the series of mysterious deaths that have occurred there, including that of Lady Penrose. Creepy and suspenseful, with those great Universal sets and that certain atmosphere, The Scarlet Claw emerges as one of the best of the "modern-dress" Holmes films. This was not based on any of Doyle's original stories. Rathbone and Nigel Bruce are as wonderful as ever, as is the ever-reliable Cavanagh, and there's fine support from Gerald Hamer, Miles Mander, Kay Harding, Ian Wolfe and Arthur Hohl. Very well-directed by Neill. Watson makes an interesting reference to a famous "Father Brown" story by Chesterton.
Verdict: Spellbinding. ***1/2.
Oh yeah, this is a good one--the fog-drenched atmosphere, the supernatural overtones, and that ruthlessly cold-blooded murderer. This one is outstanding and none of the other Universal Holmes films comes close to delivering such a monster-worthy ambience. Seriously, if the Wolf Man wondered through you'd just accept it, and expect Dracula and the Frankenstein monster to follow (if only!). This one is also the most successful at evoking a past period despite being technically set in the present day. Rathbone and Bruce are excellent as always, and the rest of the cast seem pretty much a cut above the norm. It's possibly also the most suspenseful of the Universals. I've seen this and the rest of the Rathbone films colorized on YouTube, and depending on your pickiness you might enjoy them (or not)--they're AI-colored which means colors tend to shift all over the place. But there's no denying the process adds another dimension and can give one a new perspective on these often-watched films--it can certainly make them seem fresher. But B&W or colorized, this one gets my vote as the best of the Universal Holmeses.
ReplyDelete--Mark
Yes, it's an excellent film! I have been collecting the colorized Holmes films with an eye to watching them soon but had some trepidation that they might lose some of the atmosphere of a black and white film. However, as you say, color adds a new dimension so I am going to give them a try. I have seen the Holmes films several times so this will be a new experience!
ReplyDeleteBill, I'd say your trepidation is justified--especially regarding the colorized Universals. Recently, out of curiosity I've been checking out the ones posted on YouTube, and depending on which channel you visit, the coloring ranges from pretty bad to unwatchable. Seems like I saw better quality on these mere months ago, though it's possible I just IMAGINED they were better (but I'm fairly sure not). I seem to recall some channels that are no longer even there anymore--although whether they've been removed due to copyright infringement or other reasons, I haven't a clue.
ReplyDelete--Mark