The Scarlet Claw

Plot synopsis:
Holmes and Watson are in Canada attending a conference on the occult, when Lord Penrose receives a message that his wife Lady Penrose has been murdered in the small village of La Mort Rouge. Holmes and Watson are about to return to England when Holmes receives a telegram from Lady Penrose, issued before her death, asking for help as she fears for her life. Holmes decides to investigate her death.
Holmes and Watson arrive at the village and discover that the inhabitants are all convinced that the murder is the work of the legendary monster of La Mort Rouge, which roams the marshes around the village. The "monster" is even later seen by Dr. Watson, who describes it as "a ball of fire spitting flames in each direction".
Holmes, however, is skeptical, and recognizes Lady Penrose as Lillian Gentry, a former actress, who was involved in a famous murder case several years before when actor Alistair Ramson killed another actor in a jealous rage over her. Ramson was believed to have been killed in a prison escape two years before, but now Holmes believes that Ramson - a master of disguise - is living in the village, having created a new identity, perhaps several, for himself.
Holmes then turns his attention to Judge Brisson, another inhabitant of the village with a connection to the case, as he passed sentence on Ramson. Despite Holmes' warnings Brisson is murdered. Holmes tracks Ramson down to his hideout and discovers there is a third person that Ramson is preparing to kill. However before Holmes can discover who it is, Watson blunders in and Ramsom escapes.
Holmes learns that the third victim is to be Journet, the local inn-keeper, formerly a prison guard. However Journet has gone into hiding. Ramson then kills Marie, Journet's daughter, for not revealing her father's hideout. Holmes finds Journet and convinces him to spring a trap for the murderer.
Holmes and Watson announce that they are returning to England, and Journet comes out of hiding and lets it be known that he will be going to a church across the marsh to offer a prayer for Marie. Ramson attacks Journet out in the marsh, only to find that it is Holmes disguised as Journet. The two men struggle, but Ramson escapes only to be killed by Journet with his own weapon, a five-pronged garden weeder.

Tags: revenge, murder

Review:
The film was a critical and box office flop and Universal saw fit to alter the series' direction from that point on.Though still taking place in the 1940s, the subsequent films did their best to place Holmes back in his proper role, solving intricate mysteries with deductive reasoning...rather than the pure chance and intuition that often guided him in his forays into international espionage.
This may (or may not) be accredited to the director Roy William Neill (who directed all but the first entry in the series), who, with the fourth film, Sherlock Holmes Faces Death, became the associate producer...a title he would retain throughout the series' run.
Sherlock Holmes Faces Death was easily the best of the first four entries, and subsequent films topped one another until peaking with The Scarlet Claw.Oddly enough, the film is set in a French province of Canada...for no discernible reason.
Crisp direction, beautiful cinematography (particularly for a B-film), plenty of twists and turns along the way, and no small amount of deductive reasoning from Holmes, make this the strongest entry in the Universal series.
A plea from a dead noblewoman propels Sherlock Holmes towards a confrontation with a phantom murderer known as THE SCARLET CLAW.Holmes & Watson are faced with a real thriller in this moody, atmospheric little film set in Québec.
This just might be the case which changes Holmes'mind about the reality of the supernatural...As ever, Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce are perfect in their roles, like two favorite old uncles, eccentric and a bit crotchety, that one still welcomes to one's fireside.
Bruce is a bit more lively this time, getting to indulge himself a bit with an extremely humorous inebriated scene.A sturdy cast of character actors make up the very frightened inhabitants of the bog-girded village of La Morte Rouge: Paul Cavanagh as the occult-studying peer; Ian Wolfe as his alcoholic butler; Arthur Hohl as the brutal innkeeper; Kay Harding as his unfortunate young daughter; Gerald Hamer as a nervous postman; Miles Mander as a terrified old judge and Victoria Horne as his disquieted housekeeper.With the war against the Axis still continuing at the time of production, the film concludes with Holmes pithy patriotic paean to Canada.This film follows SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE SPIDER WOMAN (1944) and precedes THE PEARL OF DEATH (1944)..
The setting in this Sherlock Holmes adventure is Canada, and features a nice tribute to my neighbors in the north at the end of the film with a quote from Winston Churchill.I was glad to see a movie debunk all this occult nonsense that the film world usually embraces, or at least is fascinated by.
Turns out it's one of the very best entries in the series, up there with THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES and THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES as essential Holmes films.It has all the atmosphere one would want in a Sherlock Holmes story and a mystery that deepens as the plot goes forward but resolved in a very satisfying way by Holmes.
GERALD HAMER as a nervous postman and VICTORIA HORNE as a frightened housekeeper are also fine, as is MILES MANDER as a judge whose life is in danger from a serial killer.Although this one takes place in Canada, it might just as well have taken place on the Dartmouth moors in Devonshire--that's the kind of atmosphere it has with plenty of mist and fog to add to the Gothic ambiance of the tale.Well worth watching for Sherlock fans.
Convinced that it is the work of an otherwordly being, he does not welcome the arrival of Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone), who is convinced that there is nothing ghostly about the matter in the least.The Universal films counted a great deal on the chemistry between Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Holmes and sidekick Dr. Watson, and indeed that chemistry is on full display in this particular title.
Just while Lord Penrose, who's a 'scientific' supporter of the supernatural, gets into an argument at a debate in Quebec with realist Sherlock Holmes about a horrible myth about a monster with a strange 'claw' killing people in a small village called 'La Morte Rouge' nearby, the news reaches him that his wife has just been found dead - with her throat cut out with something like a monster's claw...Of course, Holmes at once decides to take a closer look at that strange myth - and of course, he doesn't believe it's a myth at all.
And an ordinary garden weeder, as well as the true identity of the late Lady Penrose, soon confirms his theory: she was once an actress, and a member of her group had been murdered - and the murderer escaped from jail and hasn't been seen anywhere in the past few years; so he could have assumed anyone's identity in that sleepy little village in the meantime...And he's out for revenge, as Holmes soon discovers: a retired judge is the next victim - but there still seems to be somebody else on the murderer's 'list'...This is quite a gruesome entry in the series, almost as atmospheric as "The Hound of the Baskervilles", but with an even more reckless and cunning murderer.
Universal's updated series of Sherlock Holmes movies were an odd bunch of sublimely Gothic mysteries and banal espionage run-arounds that were always entertaining if only for the great Basil Rathbone as the ultimate sleuth.
A genuine whodunit, with plenty of suspense, atmosphere and the usual number of endearingly eccentric performances from the supporting cast, all handled with great aplomb by Director and Producer Roy William Neill.The story owes a little to The Hound Of The Baskervilles with its plot device of a supposedly supernatural creature stalking the marshlands, but manages to be its own beast (pun intended) by weaving around the premise an intricately plotted mystery.
This is an excellent entry in the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce series of Sherlock Holmes movies, combining a couple of elements from "Hound of the Baskervilles" with some imaginative new details.
The village atmosphere and characters are interesting, and the story is told at a good pace by Roy William Neill.The story of "The Scarlet Claw" is more of a mystery than are most of the other movies in the series, which usually let the audience know the identity of Holmes' adversary relatively early.
Indeed, many fans of the series consider this to be the best of them, and it's hard to argue with that.The village atmosphere, and even the scene in Quebec, work well with the Holmes characters.
The theatrical film series of "Sherlock Holmes" continues with Basil Rathbone (Sherlock Holmes) and Nigel Bruce (Doctor Watson) starring in THE SCARLET CLAW (Universal, 1944), as produced and directed by Roy William Neil.
Acquiring an original story by Paul Granglin and Brenda Weisburg certainly was a welcome change in this modernized series, yet, intentionally or not, has more of Doyle's 1890s period setting feel to it, resulting to the best, if not, one of the best of this Universal/Holmes entries.Though none of the 14-film Rathbone-Bruce "Sherlock Holmes" franchise never resorted to remaking itself from its earlier works, THE SCARLET CLAW comes close to being Universal's own contribution to Rathbone/Bruce's introductory roles from THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (20th Century-Fox 1939).
In true essence to the Doyle character, and Universal as well, Holmes does encounter some strange admiration, forming great admiration for followers of this series.A brief prologue opens in a small French village of La Morte Rouge (The Red Death), outside of Quebec, Canada, where at Journet's Tavern, townspeople gather together, talking about a ghost-like glowing image roaming about at night connected with a series of brutal murders involving a claw-like weapon tearing the throats of its victims.
As Watson remains at the tavern to mingle with the guests while keeping an eye on a prime suspect, Holmes risks his own life roaming through the foggy marshes alone; races against time to prevent the murder of a frightened Judge Brisson (Miles Mander) living a reclusive lifestyle with his mysterious maid, Nora (Victoria Horne), before finding evidence leading to the unmasking of the phantom monster.Running ten minutes longer than the usual standard 65 minutes, THE SCARLET CLAW, strictly a second feature "B" product, is pure "A" murder mystery material with entire cast in fine form.
Be aware this being a motion picture release during World War II era, audiences would get to listen to the master detective, as he did in SHERLOCK HOLMES IN WASHINGTON (1943), recite a passage from a speech by British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill.Distributed to home video in the 1990s (later DVD in 2006), THE SCARLET CLAW, formerly part of "Sherlock Holmes Theater" on broadcast television, turns up occasionally on various cable stations, notably Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: December 26, 2009), with its restored print taken from the UCLA Film and Television Archive.
When Holmes gets a note sent by the dead woman before her death saying her life is in danger, he realises that it is murder and stays in the town to investigate.Although I prefer the Holmes adventures that occur in his own time this is a good example of how well the characters and mystery works no matter the setting.
Overall, great entertainment and of the Universal Sherlock Holmes films stands out as the best(Pearl of Death from memory was also excellent).
My favorite Sherlock Holmes film from the Basil Rathbone-Nigel Bruce era is The Scarlet Claw.
A ghostlike apparition or monster has been terrorizing the inhabitants of a small village near Quebec but the sceptical Holmes is not entirely convinced the human factor is not somehow involved in a series of gruesome murders that appear to have been committed with some kind of claw.THE SCARLET CLAW is not only one of the best entries in the Holmes series with Basil Rathbone, and certainly my favourite so far, but also a terrific murder mystery that works fine on its own terms, a genuinely engaging movie that manages to transcend its low budget limitations.
For its fantastic performances by Rathbone and Nigel Bruce (much maligned for his interpretation of Dr. Watson but I think he's perfect counterbalance to Rathbone's Holmes), for the beautiful black and white cinematography, for the intricate plotting, for a great SFX scene that involves a glowing man running through the woods that hasn't dated one bit 60 years later.
This is by far the best of all of the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce's Sherlock Holmes Mysteries.
"Sherlock Holmes & The Scarlet Claw" was produced in 1944 as Universal was experiencing a major boost in popularity - and to its coffers - because of the tremendous success of its horror films & monster movies.As such, this Rathbone & Bruce entry, the eighth of their 14 films in the series, is downright chilling!
One particular scene that I won't detail is among the flat-out scariest scenes I have ever seen in any film.This has been considered by many to be the finest of the 12 Universal production, after the initial two 1939 20th Century Fox classics, "The Hound of the Baskervilles" and "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes." I'll go even further and say that "The Scarlet Claw" is at least as good as those first two.The cinematography by George Robinson is striking for a noir-ish use of shadows, slightly tilted close-ups and dark lighting that is unique to the series.
Producer-director Roy William Neill returns to helm the sixth entry in Universal's Holmes series and, for the first time, to collaborate on an original screenplay based on the Conan Doyle characters; the results are stellar.
That same day, Holmes receives a letter from the deceased Lady Penrose, in which she enlists his help, because she feels her life is threatened; thus, Holmes is engaged by the already dead victim and leaves for La Mort Rouge, a village with an aptly macabre name.Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce are excellent as expected; at this point, their performances are beyond criticism.
Among the best of the Holmes series, "The Scarlet Claw" has everything a Sherlock Holmes fan could want; a fiendish killer, a challenging mystery, an atmospheric setting, and Rathbone and Bruce at their best..
This sixth entry in Universal's Sherlock Holmes series finds Holmes and Watson in Canada investigating a series of gruesome killings in a small village called La Mort Rouge (The Red Death).
The story owes a little to The Hound of the Baskervilles, the most famous of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Holmes tales (previously filmed by Fox in 1939, also starring Rathbone).
And like The House of Fear, Bruce's Watson is rarely played as a fool in this entry.The Scarlet Claw does steal a basic plot element, 'the monster' from The Hound of the Baskervilles, which is odd, considering The Hound had been made only five years earlier.
Nigel Bruce does have one such scene, but it plays well within the story.I consider this film every bit as good as The Hound of the Baskervilles.
With its rural location complete with treacherous, foggy marsh terrorised by a seemingly supernatural monster, The Scarlet Claw certainly has more than a bit of The Hound of the Baskervilles about it; the fact that the 'monster' is in fact an escaped murderer wearing phosphorescent clothes in order to scare the locals means that it also resembles an episode of Scooby Doo at times.This combination of the creepy and the cartoonish makes for one admittedly silly but also very entertaining adventure for Holmes, giving the super sleuth an intriguing case more than worthy of his amazing deductive skills whilst reinstating the atmospheric Gothic trappings that had sorely been missing from the series' earlier war-time efforts.Great characters; gruesome deaths; a villain able to take on a variety of disguises with ease; an ominous tolling bell; a deserted, run-down hotel; red herrings aplenty: The Scarlet Claw has what it takes to be one of the best of the Universal Sherlock Holmes films.7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb..
This Entry in the Popular Basil Rathbone-Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes Series is a Fine Example of how Holmes could be Updated to the Present and Still Retain Most of what Made the Name Sherlock a Synonym for Detective and Captivated Literary and Screen Fans.There is the Moor, Covered in Fog, the Bog (watch out Watson), Creepy Surroundings, and a Brutal Murderer that even Slashes to Death a Child.
This is probably the best of the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes series from Universal (although it doesn't top "The Hound of the Baskervilles", which was done for another studio).
"The Scarlet Claw" is not only the highlight of Universal's Sherlock Holmes series, it is the best of all the films based on Arthur Conan Doyle's immortal character.
Of the last Universal films in the Sherlock Holmes series, only THE HOUSE OF FEAR and SHERLOCK HOLMES FACES DEATH have better plots than THE SCARLET CLAW.
Yet his performance is so good that you still enjoy the movie.Unlike HOUSE OF FEAR, SHERLOCK HOLMES FACES DEATH, and THE PEARL OF DEATH, THE SCARLET CLAW has no literary basis in the actual Conan Doyle stories about Holmes.
The motive - vengeance on several people who all live in this Canadian village - actually is a sensible one for a change (some of the motives for murders, especially robberies, in the later films seen stretching it).Being a war movie, Holmes and Watson have a final "patriotic" comment at the end regarding Canada as a link between the U.S. and Great Britain.
In this one, Dr. Watson compares the current mystery to the one encountered in "The Hound of the Baskervilles", all the more interesting because that film was made at competing studio Twentieth Century Fox. There was also that reference to author G.K. Chesterton's mystery stories and his fascination with the occult.Of the post-Fox movies (there were only two), this is by far the best I've encountered, certainly more entertaining than the first three Universal films which had Holmes (Basil Rathbone) dealing with Nazi agents.
"The Scarlet Claw" ranks as one of the best Sherlock Holmes films with Basil Rathbone.
Are they the work of a phantom, or a flesh and blood killer ?This, the eighth in the series of Rathbone-Bruce movies, sees Neill's horror film influence come to the fore (it was the only one he directly had a hand in writing), with various ghastly goings on, a creepy setting, and even a scene where Holmes is attacked by the legendary glowing monster, courtesy of some nice special effects by John P.
Meanwhile her husband Lord William Penrose (Paul Cavanagh) is attending a debate on the occult & supernatural with Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) & his assistant Dr. John Watson (Nigel Bruce) also in attendance when the news of Lady Penrose's murder is made known.
The acting is OK with Rathbone making for a good Holmes, Bruce as usual plays Watson for laughs although some of the bit part actors are somewhat wooden.The Scarlet Claw is maybe my favourite Holmes mystery out of the fourteen Rathbone films that I have seen thus far, everything you would like is here from plenty of mystery elements & red-herrings, a murderer whose identity is well disguised & their motives are decent & I found it quite clever & well thought out.
Atmospheric, well-cast and much different from its brethren, The Scarlet Claw looks and feels more like a classic late Universal horror film than any of the other Holmes movies.
Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone), however, believes there to be a more earthly murderer at large and aided by Dr Watson (Nigel Bruce) he sets out to prove it.
And what is the explanation behind the strange, luminous figure that stalks the marshes at night terrorising the locals?A highly satisfying entry into the long running and popular series of Sherlock Holmes second features, which were updated to the present day, the Second World War. Basil Rathbone was one of the screen's very best incarnations as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's ace detective and the way in which he does battle with Paul Cavanagh's Lord Penrose in arguing that his wife's death was of a more earthly nature rather than anything supernatural is engaging and pleasing to watch.