I love old movies, and I love Sherlock Holmes - so why did I only give this boxed set only 3 stars?I guess it's because I'm an avid fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novels that I had trouble really ENJOYING these films. The comparisons are kind of inevitable. I enjoyed Basil Rathbone as Holmes - his appearance, steely gaze, and clipped, brusque way of speaking almost mimic the way I envisioned him in the books.
However, I found Nigel Bruce's portrayal of Watson absolutely shocking. Who is this buffoon? This fat clown maquerading as Sherlock's best friend and confident? In Doyle's books, Watson was a reliable and intelligent man of action that Holmes could always count on. The only thing Nigel Bruce's Watson could be relied on is comic relief - it was quite sad to see.
Though admitedly, if I ignored the horrendous warping of Doyle's world and think of the movie as something seperate, I quite enjoyed it. "Terror by Night" was particularly fun - a nifty little murder mystery on speeding train. (And though I hate to admit it, there's the scene where the dopey Watson attempts to interrogate a suspect even had me giggling) The films are interesting, intellectual, and are very slickly produced (for the time, anyway).
All in all, if you're looking for some good mystery movies, by all means check these films out. If you're looking for a more faithful adaption of Doyle's work, check out the Granada series. Jeremy Brett plays a perfect Holmes (although the illness that eventually took his life is more evident in his later films) and David Burke (and later Edward Hardwicke) as a Watson that Doyle would have been proud of.