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Edwin L. MarinA Study In Scarlet (1933)

From IMDb:
In London, a secret society led by lawyer Thaddeus Merrydew collects the assets of any of its deceased members and divides them among the remaining members. Society members start dropping like flies. Sherlock Holmes is approached by member James Murphy's widow, who is miffed at being left penniless by her husband. When Captain Pyke is shot, Holmes keys in on his mysterious Chinese widow as well as the shady Merrydew. Other members keep dying--Malcom Dearing first, then Mr. Baker. There is also an attempt on the life of young Eileen Forrester, who became a reluctant society member upon the death of her father. Holmes' uncanny observations and insights are put to the test.


This movie is part of the collection: Feature Films

Director: Edwin L. Marin
Audio/Visual: sound, b&w
Keywords: Mystery; Sherlock Holmes

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: Shadows_Girl - - August 21, 2007
Subject: BE HE NEVER SO HUMBLE, THERE'S NO POLICE LIKE HOLMES
I tend to agree with the other reviewers on this one. Up to a point, that is. Reginald Owen is NOT the best screen Holmes...but he's really not the worst, either. He's not PHYSICALLY right for the part, of course, being built more like Mycroft than Sherlock...but other actors who may not have matched the physical description have managed rather well despite that. Peter Cushing and Stewart Granger come to mind. (They both appeared as Holmes in THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES---different VERSIONS, of course and Cushing went on to play the part on British televison with Hayley Mills' dad as his Watson. Granger's Watson was Bernard Fox (forever beloved as Dr. Bombay from BEWITCHED) while Cushing's in the Hammer Hound was Andre Morell who worked with the daughter of Cushing's OTHER Watson (John Mills) in THE MOONSPINNERS. OK, are we all confused?
Back to this version of A STUDY IN SCARLET. One reviewer comments that the writers borrowed some material from Dame Agatha Christie. Actually, it's the other way 'round, if anything, since this film appeared in 1933 and Agatha Christie's TEN LITTLE INDIANS (not the original title btw...that has been sanitized to remove the "N word" that originally appeared after LITTLE) was not published until 1939.
But ok, this film is not the best. BUT it has some redeeming qualities which should be mentioned: Billy Bevan as the bibulous Will Swallow is great fun to watch, Alan Dinehart as the villanous Thaddeus Merridew is suitably sinister, and Anna May Wong as the sleekly seductive widow of Captain Pyke (or IS she???) is perfection. And I should mention that Mr. Warburton Gamble's Watson is above average also.
I wouldn't advise giving this one a miss, but for those who grew up on later interpretations of the character of Holmes will need to adjust your sensibilities a bit. Keep an open mind. I'll just briefly add that you will see both Billy Bevan and Halliwell Hobbes (who plays Malcolm Dearing in this film) popping up in the Rathbone/Bruce series of films. Bevan in TERROR BY NIGHT (1946) and Hobbes in SHERLOCK HOLMES FACES DEATH (1943). I'll give this one four stars for a job well done by the ensemble cast.

Reviewer: Kitten in the Rain - - March 8, 2007
Subject: Not bad, but lifeless
Die-hard Sherlock Holmes fans may enjoy this movie, but it's not one that I'd personally recommend. The movie isn't exactly bad, but it lacks the energy that suffuses a good Sherlock Holmes film. It seems to move flatly from one plot point to another, with nothing in the movie to possibly get the viewer interested in what's going on. Reginald Owen plays a passionless, self-important Holmes who shows little of the brilliance and none of the vivacity of Jeremy Brett or Basil Rathbone's takes on the character.

The plot only bears a glancing relationship to Conan Doyle's 'A Study In Scarlet' (not surprising, since it was his first and far from his best Holmes story) and the writers seem to have decided to throw in a liberal mixture of Agatha Christie in the form of the poem from 'Ten Little Indians' for good measure.

Reviewer: jimelena - - December 13, 2006
Subject: This is good
What a polite, gentile, little movie.
You will like it.