Customer Reviews

The Hound of the Baskervilles

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Really not a very well-written film. Loosely based on the Conan Doyle story, this is a collection of old jokes and sketches which don't really hang together. A who's who of British comedy though: Pete, Dud, Kenneth Williams, Irene Handl, Max Wall, Denholm Elliot and others. Some very funny moments, not least when Denholm Elliot's chihuahua urinates for about 3 minutes all over Dr Watson (played by Dud). Probably worth seeing if you are a Pete and Dud fan, but it's not their best effort by any means.

Buyer Beware -
I won't comment in detail on the quality of this movie, Paul Morrissey was/is an awful director but the cast of "Hound" clearly directed themselves and, left to their own devices, what they came up with was a compendium of their tried and trusted comedy routines (much loved by UK theatre and television audiences through the years). In this sense, as a permanent record of Kenneth Williams, Dud and Pete, Max Wall, Irene Handl et al, the movie is a delight to own - but after amazon replaced a faulty disc - guess what ? The replacement has the same flaw - it freezes in the middle of Dud and Pete's hilarious "medium" scene (and probably in other places too but the disc freezes so completely you can't GET to other scenes). Double-sided discs seem vulnerable to technical trouble and my question is this - why the HELL do studios even contemplate putting a "full frame" version of a movie on side 2 of ANY disc ? Who on earth wants to see a dreadful pan-and-scan version of a widescreen movie ? The letterboxed side would have been all I wanted except - that's the side that has the flaw ! Obviously a faulty pressing and who knows how many of these flawed discs are out there ? Be careful !

In this 1980 movie, veteran British funnymen Peter Cook and Dudley Moore turn Arthur Conan Doyle's famous mystery any which way but loose! Peter Cook takes on the role of a strange and lazy Holmes, while Moore produces a gormless but energetic Dr. Watson - not to mention numerous other roles he takes throughout the movie, including Holmes's feisty mother, Ada! The laughs are unceasing, as you go from quirky scene to quirky scene. Don't take this movie too seriously, heaven knows that the nobody involved in making it did!

I am a fan of British comedies, and I must say that I found this movie to be quite good. I loved the interchange of Cook and Moore, as did many others, which is why they were teamed up on so many projects. I also liked seeing other stars that I recognized from other projects, including Denholm Elliott (Dr. Brody from the Indiana Jones movies), Joan Greenwood (from Miss Marple: At Bertram's Hotel and many others), Terry-Thomas (from It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World and too many others to count), Kenneth Williams (from the Carry On movies), Roy Kinnear (Henry Salt from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory), Penelope Keith (from far too many to count), and...well, you get the point.

This is a fun movie, light-hearted and chock full of laughs. My family and I love this movie, and we give it out heartfelt recommendations. If you like British comedies, then you will love this movie!

I remember seeing this movie on television one afternoon when I was about ten. I never forgot it, because it had that same fun feeling as Monty Python's Flying Circus, and Mel Brooks films.

The humor is broad, and Dudley Moore is just terrific in three roles. You may recognize a few of the other Brits in the film.
The only thing that really dates this movie is a blatant parody of a scene from The Exorcist.

"The Hound of the Baskervilles" goes on the shelf with other silly flicks like Private Eyes (Don Knotts/Tim Conway), Foul Play, Murder By Death, Young Frankenstein, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

"She left some cold lamb on the side for you...."

Peter Cook was the funniest person in the 20th century beyond a doubt. And Dudley Moore was one of the reasons that Peter was so hysterical. I waited for years to see this movie, bought it when it was first released on VHS. I can't even begin to articulate how awful this movie is. Even Peter's brilliance couldn't overcome the deadly direction of Paul Morrissey.

hi to all,, i read some reviews and to be honest it is a very very funny movei, not a moument goes without some grinning,,lots of crazyness, love it and i should get it soon,, payed for it anyway

What can I say? The acting is dreadful, voices fake and grating, the writing unimaginative. Direction? - No it seems to be missing, nothing is put together. Even if someone wants to give you this DVD, do not accept it.

My students learned about "Parody" with this movie after reading the book The Hound of the Baskervilles. One of the most funny movies I have seen in a long time.
P.S. Thanks for the extra DVD for free because my purchase had a small rip on the plastic cover!

I bought this DVD and it was delivered promptly and I have no problems with the service delivery aspectd. However I live in New Zealand and the region for the DVD is North America so I can't play it on my DVD player. I can play it on my laptop but the reason I bought the DVD was to play it on our DVD player. I guess it's my own fault for overlooking the regional restrictions on DVDs but it is irritating.

Do I blame Amazon? I suppose not since I should have figured this out myself but anyone else (who don't purchase stuff on the internet very frequently) should consider this before buying DVDs from North America if you don't live there. My main reason for buying is that it's very difficult to get this video any more and I had a nostalgic wish to see Peter Cook and Dudley Moore in what I think is a very funny takeoff on Sherlock Holmes (incidently I also love reading the original Conan Doyle books).

So I am not complaining - just a bit frustrated- that's all

Ahh, they don't make em like this anymore, not that I'd know. This is one of the funniest blinking movies I've seen in ages.