Customer Reviews

Sherlock Holmes: The Archive Collection

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The DVD market is now suddenly flooded with reissues of Sherlock Holmes material in anticipation of the upcoming Guy Ritchie SHERLOCK HOLMES movie. But here's something really special...

First of all, none of the items packed into these three DVDs has ever before been released on VHS, let alone DVD.

Second, there are films here that I've been panting to see for 35 years...and now I can not only see 'em, I own 'em!

Third, everything in this package has been very nicely restored, obviously with great care.

And fourth, the whole experience this set offers hardcore Sherlockians is delightful. Going through this set is like opening up an old trunk in your grandmother's attic. The further down you dig, the better the stuff you find.

HIGHLY recommended to fans of Sherlock Holmes and old and obscure movies and TV.

--- SHERLOCK HOLMES ---
THE ARCHIVE COLLECTION
restored/transferred from
original archival film vault materials
DeLuxe Edition with Bonus Features
Premiere Release with Bonus Features
First Time Ever on Home Video
Sherlock Holmes: The Archive Collection
DISC ONE:
* SHERLOCK HOLMES' FATAL HOUR - Arthur Wontner, 1931.
* LOST IN LIMEHOUSE - Olaf Hytten as Sheerluck Jones, 1933.
* LIMEJUICE MYSTERY - Herlock Sholmes marionettes, 1930.


DISC TWO:
* STING OF DEATH - Boris Karloff as the mysterious Mycroft, 1955.
* THE MAN WHO DISAPPEARED - John Longden as Sherlock, 1951.
* A CASE OF HYPNOSIS - Prof. Lightskull the chimpanzee! 1952.
* STRANGE CASE OF HENNESSY - Cliff Edwards as Silo Dance, 1933.


DISC THREE:
* THE SPECKLED BAND - Alan Napier as Sherlock, 1949.
* THE COPPER BEECHES - Georges Treville, 1912, with special musical score.
* MAN WITH THE TWISTED LIP - Eille Norwood, 1921, with special musical score.
* THE SCREAMING BISHOP - Hairlock Combs cartoon, 1944.
* BONUS FILM - BASIL RATHBONE - as an army officer in "The General's Boots" from 1954.

The 5 stars are for Holmes fans ONLY.
I enjoyed this 4 disc set, as I enjoy Sherlock Holmes. If you are NOT a Sherlock Holmes fan I would avoid purchasing this set.
Low price makes it acceptable that what I gleamed for my library from all of the 4 discs were:
a 30's movie in fair condition, (the only item of worth on the first disc),
gave the second and third disc to my library,
and from the fourth and final disc of the set I found 4 very nice items including two Brit silent shorts, both in fair to good condition, a very "period" and enjoyable black and white cartoon from 1944, in very good condition, and,
while not a Sherlock Holmes short, I was very pleased to find, and thoroughly enjoyed, a short early t.v. drama in excellent condition, with good production values, direction and cast, starring Basil Rathbone.

Restoration has been minimal, but it appears all are complete and were chosen for their initial overall quality, The added music to the silent pieces are weak, almost ruining them, but not quite.
Main menu is pleasing.

Finally, of interest to die hard Karloff fans, included is an early t.v. drama, starring Karloff as Sherlock's brother Mycroft. It was produced sooooo cheaply, I did not save it for my library.
I am indeed a Karloff fan, but only have his appearances in quality movies which I enjoy, such as "The Mummy", "Bride of Frankenstein, "The Lost Patrol", the silent movie "The Bells", "The Mask of Fu Man Chu", "The Body Snatcher", etc.

I just finished forcing my way through the last of the pieces in the alleged SHERLOCK HOLMES ARCHIVE COLLECTION. Out of 12 titles in this collection, only five are Sherlock Holmes films and/or TV shows...and two of them are silent films so abbreviated that they bear little to no resemblance to the stories on which they're based.

Several selections are animated shorts, which are as short on laughs as they are on connection to Holmes. One comedy short, starring Cliff Edwards and featuring that incredibly annoying gimmick of rhymed speech that came and thankfully went fairly quickly in the early 30s, isn't even about Holmes. The lead character is called Silo Dance and is thus a parody of Philo Vance, not Sherlock Holmes.

Two strange entries are a 30-minute drama starring Basil Rathbone that, aside from its star, has no connection with Holmes whatsoever. The other is a TV comedy/drama from 1955 called "Sting of Death" that stars Boris Karloff, included probably because the name of Karloff's character is Mycroft and somebody must have thought it referred to Sherlock's elder brother. It doesn't!

This is so disappointing because there must be so much more that they could have included...and certainly so much here that they shouldn't have. The stuff here that actually does relate to Holmes could have been fit onto one DVD at one third the price.

There is a second volume of this series. I shall not be suckered into buying that one.

Much of the bits used as filler here are best forgotten. The efforts would've been better spent on good transfers of the major films. Save your money until someone does it right.

Using Sherlock Holmes name to acquaint some of the poorest prints maliciously attributed with Holmes is nothing but a rip-off and an insult to all Sherlockians.

Disgusting sellections that shouldn't be sold by a company (Amazon), with such a good reputation.

Yours in verity,

Bob McKinley

I BOUGHT IT EXPECTING A COLLECTION OF OLD SHERLOCK HOLMES MOVIES, NOT PARODIES, CARTOONS AND MONKIES. IT MIGHT BE WORTH THE MONEY IF THAT IS WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR BUT IF IT IS OLD SHERLOCK HOLMES MOVIES THEN THIS IS A WASTE OF MONEY. THE TITLE IS VERY MISLEADING AND I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH IT

In the beginning there was Eille Norwood. who begat Arthur Wontner, who begat Basil Rathbone, who begat Jeremy Brett. These are the 4 British actors actors who personified Sherlock Holmes in the twentieth century.

From 1921 to 1923 Eille Norwood appeared in 47 short silent films. We are given "The Man With the Twisted Lip". It would be nice if some company would give us more, maybe a multi-DVD set, but don't hold your breath. [P.S. Does anyone know how to pronounce his first name? I've heard "Isle", "I-Lee", "Eel", "Ee-Lee", "El" and even "Ellie"].

Actually, the Norwood is not the earliest film in this collection. From the prehistoric period we are given "The Copper Beeches" (1912), one of 8 films starring French (!) actor Georges Treville. They were filmed in England, and "The Copper Beeches" makes good use of exterior photography. Georges Treville is forgettable, but this may be my favorite film of the bunch. The acting style is pure Victorian melodrama. The acting in the Norwood film from only 9 years later is much more realistic and "modern". Also, I have a major crush on the actress who plays Alice Rucastle. Do you think there's too much of a an age difference? - I'm 61 and she's 120.

Arthur Wontner appeared in five feature-length films from 1931 to 1937. The last three ("The Sign of Four", "The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes", and "Murder at the Baskervilles") are available cheaply on Alpha Video. The first two films were believed to have been lost until a single print of the first one, "Sherlock Holmes' Fatal Hour", was discovered about about 25 years ago. Here it is. Unfortunately, the second film, "The Missing Rembrandt" still is missing.

There are also three early Television shows starring Alan Napier (1949), John Longden (1951) and Boris Karloff (1955). Alan Napier is best remembered as Alfred the butler on the Batman TV show starring Adam West. John Longden appeared in several early Hitchcock films. I assume you've heard of Boris Karloff. He plays "Mr. Mycroft" in an adaptation of H.F. Heard's novel "A Taste for Honey". "Mr. Mycroft" is an alias that Sherlock used during his retirement to the Sussex Downs where he devoted his energies to bee-keeping. There is also a 1954 TV appearance by Basil Rathbone, but this is a ringer - he plays a British officer in World War II on "Schlitz Playhouse of the Stars".

The collection is padded out with five parodies and cartoons from 1930-52. Apparently our ancestors were easily amused. [One curiosity - the 1933 parody "Lost in Limehouse" stars Olaf Hytten as Sheerluck Jones. Hytten was an extra /character actor who appeared in 293 films between 1921 and 1955, including 6 of Rathbone Sherlock Holmes films (he usually played the butler). This is his only starring role.]

A strange collection, but I enjoyed it.

"Sherlock Holmes, The Archive Collection" is an absolute treasure! I had previously seen some of the films from this compilation but "The Sting Of Death" (with boris Karloff as Mr Mycroft) is a gem plaid with first rate actors. Of course one can see the painted backgrounds shake when the actors brush against them but well, it's part of the fun. And I had just finished reading "A Taste For Honey" from which the film was made..
The cartoon is crazy but well animated, The string-puppet show (Lime Juice Mystery) is a catastroph, but naïve enough to be lovable.
Arthur Wontner and Ellie Norwood episodes are quite good too and absolutely new to me.
I only regret the last thirtyish minutes bonus put there just to have something of Basil Rathbone in the bunch.
It is essential for a true Sherlockian, to have this 3-disc set in his files!

About eight years ago I bought a DVD collection from a publc domain company called
Buyer's Gallery out of Canada. They sold their silent Holmes' films in two separate sets each containing extras such as Sherlock Parody films, cartoons, etc.

The quality of the original sets I bought were quite good but I was hoping that with this one advanced remastering might have improved the titles. After the watching the set it did not take long to realize frame per frame "IT'S THE SAME FILMS". It's obvious where they were taken from.

Needless to say I'm beyond disappointed. But being puiblic domain footage I guess that there's nothing stopping them from taking another companie's work.

Maybe someone will come along one day and really do these films justice