With over 260 cinematic adaptations of Sherlock Holmes since 1900, it may be a surprise that this 1939
version of
The Hound of the Baskervilles, starring Basil Rathbone in his first turn as Sherlock Holmes,
is still considered by many to be the finest Holmes film of all time. Starring opposite Nigel Bruce as Dr.
Watson, and Richard Green as Henry Baskerville, the film is the most faithful cinematic adaptation of the
story produced. Set in the proper time of Victorian England, it set the stage for nearly every cinematic
adaptation for the next 40 years, and cemented the image of Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes in the
public imagination for a generation. (35mm presentation)
These 75th anniversary screenings of The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes are part
of the From Gillette to Brett IV: Basil, Benedict, and Beyond conference, an event devoted to Sherlock Holmes on stage,
screen, television, and radio. This conference is sponsored by Wessex Press, the world’s premier publisher of books about
Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle, and his world.