Customer Reviews

Sherlock Holmes in Pursuit To Algiers

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of twelve movies of Rathbone as Holmes put out during the war and shortly thereafter by Universal. All twelve stories are newly written and not contained in the originally published series. Holmes is played in the traditional was as a talented person who is always willing to help others while interjecting some humor in the process. This Holmes is very humble and does not suffer from the mental illness of egomania. This is in stark contrast to the Brett version where Holmes displayed arrogance and airs of secret knowledge which is almost exclusively done in real life by people who are marginal performers.

This particular story plot is somewhat less imaginative and realistic compared to the other eleven, but it is still entertaining to watch.

The digital remastering makes the quality like a recently made movie without any visual or audio flaws.

Were it not for "Sherlock Holmes in Washington," "Pursuit to Algiers" would no doubt be considered the very strangest of the Universal Holmes series. The initial mystery at the start of the film is completely obliterated by a plot that is little more than a thriller set on a cruise liner. Ever seen Sherlock Holmes play bodyguard for a foreign dignitary? No? How about his clever defeat of not one, not two, but three expert assassins? Never seen that, either? Well, now's your chance!

In all fairness, it's not that bad - it just doesn't feel like a Sherlock Holmes story. For better or worse, with this film the Universal series is heading into its final decline, and the writers have abandoned all hope of making the films so much as resemble a real Conan Doyle story. As a result, they're resorting to things like cruise liners to liven up what's becoming a somewhat flat formula. It's not a bad idea, but unfortunately, it does away with most of the fog-and-darkness mystique that everyone loves about Sherlock Holmes.

Basil Rathbone himself is, by now, starting to seem very tired. For most of the plot, he stays rooted in a sort of bored, dour mode, only occasionally shifted by a moment such as his (unusually amused) appraisal of Watson's choice in women. Nigel Bruce, on the other hand, is having a ball. Thankfully, he's less embarassingly inept than in the previous film, "The Woman in Green," and more bizarre still, he's actually the focus for much of this picture. Watson is genuinely concerned for Holmes early on, grieves for him when he's believed dead, has a couple of nice comic moments, and - best of all - gets to sing "Loch Lomond." (I'm fairly sure that's Nigel Bruce's actual singing voice, too. Great timbre.) All in all, it's probably Bruce's best outing since "The Scarlet Claw."

There may not be much mystery here, but the thriller aspect is not done poorly; there are some very fun scenes of Holmes matching wits and banter with the villains. There's also a real surprise at the end - a shocker for one of these Holmes pictures, actually - that helps to raise the film up from the rather lacklustre story.

This picture has, with its eleven fellow films, been painstakingly restored by the UCLA Film and TV Archive for the DVD release. It has a few quality problems, and is singled out for that in the "Sherlock Holmes Collection: Volume Two" restoration featurette, but most of the trouble comes at the very beginning and (quite abrupt) ending of the film. For the majority of its length, it looks fine, albeit with the occasional flicker, and I found it far less distracting than the variable picture on "The House of Fear."

All told, this is a fun and watchable entry in the Universal Holmes series, but not one of the essentials. If you're going to buy it for completeness' sake, go with MPI's "Sherlock Holmes Collection: Volume Three" set; otherwise, casual fans should stick with a rental.

"Pursuit to Algiers," the tenth film in Universal's Sherlock Holmes series, is fairly routine overall, but it does have a novel twist in that it sends the Great Detective and Dr. Watson off to sea.

In some ways, its plot is similar to the next film, "Terror by Night," in that Holmes is once again renting out his services as a bodyguard of sorts, this time protecting the son of the assassinated King of Ravenia as he sails home to claim his throne. The future monarch is disguised as Watson's nephew! Aside from Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, what gives this entry its kick are the other passengers, the most eccentric and suspicious bunch ever booked onto a voyage.

Coming at the tail-end of a series whose finest moments were now behind it, "Pursuit to Algiers" is far from the best, but possessing enough suspense and atmosphere to recommend it.

Brian W. Fairbanks

Another entertaining Sherlock Holmes movie. Rathbone and Bruce are by far and away the best Holmes and Watson there is. Thoroughly enjoyed the movie and it completed the series for me.

This 1942 Rathbone/Bruce Sherlock Holmes entry is one of my favorites, Number 3 of the entire series, in fact. I cannot explain why but I have observed that Holmseian fans (I know many!) tend to not watch this one as much as they do "The Hound of the Baskervilles" or "Terror by Night", abeit those are two excellent selections as well.

Here, we have Watson running decoy as Holmes conducts an international intrigue to get a Prince back to his Mediterranean country to be crowned, all in the face of repeated attempted assasinations by swarthy characters, (all superbly cast!) aboard a ship. In this entry, it's Watson who ultimately comes to Holmes rescue.

Also, this particular DVD is beautifully restored and digitized from a 35mm print by UCLA -- clear as a crystal. You'll see very few old films which have been this nicely restored. The aspect ratio is 4:3 Full Screen if you're interested in such details. This is true of all the MPI/UCLA restored Rathbone/Bruce Sherlock Holmes films -- these are the ones to get and you can forget about the three or four entries which are available at the local Dollar Store for a buck (but not "Pursuit to Algiers"). They aren't 1/3 the quality of these fine restorations.

Finally, I bought this DVD because it is only rarely shown on television as are "Terror by Night", "The Woman in Green", and a couple of others. On my 32" LCD Flatscreen TV, watching this DVD is like being at the movies!

This is a good movie. Just got it in the mail the other day, and my son and I loved it. Basil Rathbone was wonderful in his role as Sherlock Holmes. I'm glad we ordered it.

Received quickly and very pleased with new condition of DVD

Thank you

EXCELLENT!! You can NEVER GO WRONG with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Holmes and Watson! All of the original "Holmes" with these two excellent actors are worth their weight in gold! You are missing a real treat if you are a "Holmes" fan! Add any and all to your collection for many hours, and years, of entertainment!
Excellent buy!

I enjoy Sherlock Holmes movies and about the only one I had never seen was "In Pursuit of Algiers." I never saw it on TV and it has never been available at the local video stores. So when I saw this at Amazon.com I figured, 'now's my chance'. The movie did not disappoint me, as it contains the ingredients for a mystery that can only be solved by Sherlock Holems. The movie was excellent. Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce were at their best.

I will not tell you what the "something special" is, but it was a delightful surprise to me. The plot is good, not the best of all the other Basil Rathbone-Nigel Bruce Sherlock Holmes' movies, but it has the surprises and excellent supporting cast that these movies all have in common. I enjoyed it very much, and think that the "something special" toward the end of the movie is worth the wait. Hint it has to do with Dr. Watson!!!