4 Gaslight Holmes
-
James Chapman
Abstract
This chapter focuses on the two Holmes films produced by Twentieth Century-Fox in 1939: The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. It argues that the films are exemplars of the Hollywood studio system and places them in the contexts of both the ‘Hollywood British film’ – exemplified in their predominantly British casts, including Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Holmes and Watson – and the ’gaslight’ cycle of Victorian melodramas. These were the first major Holmes films set in period since the Gillette film of 1916. The chapter analyses the films as adaptations and also considers their contemporary reception: while American reviewers welcomed the films as true to the spirit of the originals, some British critics found them wanting as overly ‘Hollywoodised’ versions of the stories.
Abstract
This chapter focuses on the two Holmes films produced by Twentieth Century-Fox in 1939: The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. It argues that the films are exemplars of the Hollywood studio system and places them in the contexts of both the ‘Hollywood British film’ – exemplified in their predominantly British casts, including Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Holmes and Watson – and the ’gaslight’ cycle of Victorian melodramas. These were the first major Holmes films set in period since the Gillette film of 1916. The chapter analyses the films as adaptations and also considers their contemporary reception: while American reviewers welcomed the films as true to the spirit of the originals, some British critics found them wanting as overly ‘Hollywoodised’ versions of the stories.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- List of Illustrations viii
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Abbreviations xv
- Note on source texts and titles xvi
- Introduction 1
- 1 From stage to screen 13
- 2 Silent Holmes 40
- 3 Talkie Holmes 63
- 4 Gaslight Holmes 97
- 5 Contemporary Holmes 121
- 6 Gothic Holmes 148
- 7 Television Holmes 169
- 8 Revisionist Holmes 197
- 9 Parody Holmes 226
- 10 Heritage Holmes 248
- 11 Action Holmes 278
- 12 Postmodern Holmes 294
- Conclusion 324
- Select bibliography 329
- Index 339
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- List of Illustrations viii
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Abbreviations xv
- Note on source texts and titles xvi
- Introduction 1
- 1 From stage to screen 13
- 2 Silent Holmes 40
- 3 Talkie Holmes 63
- 4 Gaslight Holmes 97
- 5 Contemporary Holmes 121
- 6 Gothic Holmes 148
- 7 Television Holmes 169
- 8 Revisionist Holmes 197
- 9 Parody Holmes 226
- 10 Heritage Holmes 248
- 11 Action Holmes 278
- 12 Postmodern Holmes 294
- Conclusion 324
- Select bibliography 329
- Index 339
