Common Sense Media Review
By Charles Cassady Jr.
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based on child development research. How do we rate?
age 10+
The family classic Sherlock remains a critical favorite.
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Videos and photos
What is the story?
In London, the great detective and his companion dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) is consulted by a country doctor who fears for the safety of aristocratic Sir Henry Baskerville (Richard Greene) when he arrives to inherit a rich family estate on the Devonshire Moors. Family legend claims that a monstrous phantom hound is coming to kill all the males of the Baskervilles, but Holmes notes that someone very real also seems to be following Sir Henry around London with sinister intent. Holmes sends Watson to look after Sir Henry in the eerie countryside, where a menacing, ragged man lurks amid the old ruins and people have indeed heard a dog howl in the night.
Is it good?
Child viewers raised on fancy CGI monsters might expect more from the hideous dog when it finally appears, although the vicious dog up close makes for little excitement. Anyway, it’s Basil Rathbone who is the main special effect.
This version The Hound of the Baskervilles was a box office hit, and Rathbone and Bruce would go on to reprise the iconic roles through more than a dozen films that followed, which — after the outbreak of World War II — made an inexplicable time jump that placed Holmes in the 20th century in fight against German spies! Most critics rate this as the best. It’s not too long, it’s nicely atmospheric, and it doesn’t make Nigel Bruce’s Watson an overly complicated comedian, as the later films in the series did (Watson in the stories is actually quite intelligent).
Talk to your kids about…
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Families can discuss Holmes and his famous methods of solving problems through logical deduction and observation. How can these methods be used in other fields?
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Ask the children if they know of the many actors who have played Sherlock Holmes. who is the favorite? documentary, The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmesmay be additional viewing.
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Talk about Basil Rathbone, and how, when he wasn’t playing Holmes (in movies, on radio, in audio recordings), it was common to play bad guys. As an expert swordsman, he didn’t need a doppelganger to stand up to the hero in the swashbucklers. Can you think of any modern actors who have made the leap from action bad guy to good guy?
Did we miss something about diversity?
Research shows a connection between children’s healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in the media. That’s why we’ve added a new “Different Representations” section to our reviews, which will be published continuously. You can help us help children