Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon1942

I love Rathbone/Bruce Sherlock Holmes movies. There is much in the cinematography that plays to our fantasies of what late Victorian London was like--close, tight scenes; dampness; almost entirely after-dark hours; throwback characters, etc. There is, of course, Moriarty, excellently portrayed by Atwill. The denuement is pure propaganda, but, hey, it was 1942.

"Secret Weapon" is a visit to a London like a travelling carnival's haunted house: dark, claustrophobic and with odd surprises at every turn. How is Holmes in the same room with Nazis? Why is Dr. Tobel a rogue master puzzler one moment and one of the good guys the next? Why does Holmes keep around Nigel Bruce's overly buffoonish Watson? And has Moriarty never learned not to take suggestions from one's arch-nemesis? But the many versions of Holmes that followed Doyle's have been no strangers to anachronism, and though deranged the plot moves quickly enough to hold some interest.

BASIL FREAKIN' RATHBONE! Many have played Sherlock Holmes…some memorable; others forgettable. But Rathbone is still the template. His portrayal of the master detective radiated vitality, a screen charisma still evident today.

Then there is the look of Holmes pictures, the dark shadows, moody sets, and expressionistic camera angles also found in Universal’s classic monster movies, creating a macabre atmosphere…the essence of early 1940’s mystery and intrigue. Classy, stylistic, 1940's pulp!

Astonishing; well-crafted. Especially in light of the crime/detective dreck from Hollywood, typical English arrogance, conceit and stodgy stuffiness aside lol