Sherlock Holmes & the Deadly Necklace
Also known as Sherlock Holmes & das Halsband des Todes
Brief Description:
Sherlock Holmes and Watson do battle with their nemesis, Professor Moriarty, over an ancient necklace attributed to Cleopatra.
(from IMDb)
Date: 1962
Genre: British crime drama mystery
Running time: 1 hour 25 min
Cast:
Christopher Lee (Sherlock Holmes)
Thorley Walters (Dr. Watson)
Senta Berger (Ellen Blackburn)
Hans Söhnker (Prof. Moriarty)
Hans Nielsen (Inspector Cooper)
Ivan Desny (Paul King)
Leon Askin (Charles)
Wolfgang Lukschy (Peter Blackburn)
Edith Schultze-Westrum (Mrs. Hudson)
Bernard Lajarrige (Inspector French)
Director: Terence Fisher
Production company: Constantin Film
Based on: The Valley of Fear by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Wikipedia page
(IMDb page)
Watch on Dailymotion
(watched on Tubi)
Setting/Aesthetic/Feel: 3/5
The film seems to be a hodgepodge of settings. 221B Baker Street is victorian and accurate to the books; but the cars are 1920s and Ellen Blackburn feels so 1960s that she jars me every time I look at her. I mean, her hair and makeup is SO not 1890s or even 1920s England. The Egyptian archaeology, though, is accurate to the 1890s. Overall, I don’t mind the anachronistic cars but Ellen Blackburn really bugs me.
Characters: 5/5
I’ve mentioned before that Ronald Howard, Basil Rathbone, and Arthur Wontner were excellent Sherlocks; I don’t retract that. I think they all did a different side of Holmes. Howard, for instance, shows the human, friendly, humorous, deliberate, eccentric Holmes that Watson knows as a friend; Rathbone, on the other hand, focusses on Holmes as the brilliant detective he is on cases; while Wontner is the cool, incisive, dry, very intellectual Holmes most people saw. As for Lee, he says it himself: “I tried to play him really as he was written, as a very intolerant, argumentative, difficult man.” Even physically, the four men represent a different side of Holmes, and I think they were all equally fantastic.
Thorley Walters reminded me a lot of Nigel Bruce, in that he played stupid comedic sidekick instead of a real Watson. In my opinion, Ian Fleming was the best of the four. Howard Marion-Crawford was second best because he matches Ronald Howard’s energy so well. But Walters isn’t all that bad, all things considered.
Finally, Hans Söhnker was a great Moriarty. He played the polite, intellectual professor and the terrifying master criminal equally well. And Hans Nielsen/Inspector Cooper was a satisfactorily stupid Scotland Yard detective.
As for Peter Blackburn, he was nothing like Douglas from Valley of Fear, nor were Ellen and Paul anything like Barker and Mrs. Douglas. They were not very interesting characters at all and I liked none of them.
Plot: 5/5
This is an involved and long film, unlike the Howard/Rathbone/Wontner films. The story begins with a drowned man and ends with the downfall of Moriarty. There’s lots of things pulled from various Sherlock books, such as Holmes disguising himself as a sailor, Jenkins giving underground information, the argument about professor Moriarty with the inspector, and Holmes’ claim that he lacks imagination, as well as the usual 221B Baker Street conversations where Holmes slowly spells out the beginning of the investigation to Watson. I could have done without the visit to the pub; but the section taken from Valley of Fear is quite fun, if very different from the book. The car accident and Holmes’ sneaking into the professor’s study is very enjoyable, and I love Homes & Moriarty’s nighttime conversation where the professor tries to convince Holmes to join him. Lee is such a fantastic Holmes—did I mention that?! And Walters as Watson really adds a lot of comedic factor. Finally, the sewer escapade and retrieval of the necklace is AWESOME and the ending is super cool. I’ve watched this film many times now and I really enjoy it so much despite its flaws. It has some excellent humorous one-liners—like really excellent. Also, the whole thing about the Times was EXCELLENT. Such a great thread and really woven through the film.
Some of my favourite quotes in here were...
Cooper: I think it might interest you to learn that Professor Moriarty happens to be on the list this year of those to be knighted. Would you accuse Sir James Moriarty of murder, Mr. Holmes?
Sherlock: It would give me the very greatest pleasure, Inspector, to see the knight hanged.
Sherlock: *reading from newspaper*“Two English engineers, named Harrisson and Samuels, have been arrested. A third, Peter Blackburn, has disappeared at the same time as a casket of gold and precious stones containing a golden necklace which belonged to Cleopatra herself.” Watson, we have to prevent another murder!
Watson: Holmes, I just don’t know what you’re talking about.
Sherlock: Be careful, Watson, don’t spoil the footprints. Leave that to the Inspector.
Sherlock: My dear Inspector, Blackburn had a secret. Moriarty wanted it, and when he’d gotten it, he had him murdered.
Cooper: Do you know the secret, Holmes?
Sherlock: Naturally, I read the Times.
Moriarty: *proposing a partnership* Let’s say £6000 per annum and, naturally, a share of the profits.
Sherlock: In my opinion, murder is not profitable.
Romance: 2/5
Ellen & Paul’s romance is bleh.
Content: 2/5 (high)
Drinking, smoking; language (d**n); in the pub a woman in a low-necked dress flirts with Watson & physically fawns over him in spite of his claim that he’s married; Ellen & Paul are in love & touching/kissing despite her being married; one shot where Ellen is in an EXCESSIVELY low-necked nightgown. Also a scene where a man licks the blood off his wound which I find really gross.
Violence: 4/5 (low)
Lots of fighting & killing but most of it off-screen.
Overall: 4.5/5
Yes, there are flaws to this production and it’s not the best film. But Christopher Lee and Hans Söhnker make it a fantastic addition to the classic Holmes films and I personally really love it.
