Product Details

• Actors: Arthur Wontner, Isla Bevan, Ian Hunter, Graham Soutten, Miles Malleson
• Directors: Graham Cutts
• Writers: Arthur Conan Doyle, W.P. Lipscomb
• Producers: Basil Dean
• Format: Black & White, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Alpha Video
• DVD Release Date: June 24, 2003
• Run Time: 75 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000098ZSG
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #272,473 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Sherlock Holmes: The Sign of Four" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Studio: Gotham (dba Alpha) Release Date: 04/06/2010

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars old and lousy print, but it's the best available thus far, May 24, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Sherlock Holmes: The Sign of Four (DVD)

This isn't the best quality print, but Wonter is a damn fine Holmes. Perhaps ths will be restored one day. Maybe it's not possible. It's an old print with quite some static, but Wonter is a five star actor.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Really not too bad., April 15, 2005

By 

David L. Schoon "Apolloman" (Norwich, Ct United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sherlock Holmes: The Sign of Four (DVD)

I watched this as part of the 50 movie mystery pack. The quality was pretty awfull, but the movie is from 1932, and you probably aren't going to get any better. Wontner is great as Holmes. The story is more or less based on the Sign of Four, but if you haven't read the original, you will have a tough time trying to figure out the beginning of the movie, since the story has been compressed to the point that it's almost impossible to figure out. Once things get going and the hissing sound can be ignored, it's pretty good, although not completly faithfull. Enjoyable as a whole. Get the 50 movie pack.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wontner's finest Holmes film - but a terrible DVD transfer, December 29, 2007

By 

Trevor Willsmer (London, England) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sherlock Holmes: The Sign of Four (DVD)

The best of Arthur Wontner's Sherlock Holmes films, much of the credit for The Sign of Four is due to Graham Cutts' strong direction and some imaginative cinematography by William Luff and Alan Smith making much atmospheric use of overhead tracking shots. Ian Hunter's Watson is something of a liability, though: closer to Doyle's original vision of the character, he overdoes the interest in the opposite sex something rotten, turning into a virtual walking erection every time the leading lady appears, lasciviously rubbing his hands when he sits near her like a drooling melodrama villain. Amazingly, this technique actually works, as the foolish girl ends up marrying him. Perhaps she didn't get out much. Maybe I should try out the Watson technique myself...

One curious note is the villain's decision to disguise his henchman Roy Emerton by covering him in tattoos - not much use when he wears a suit for the rest of the film. Sadly the public domain DVD takes a bit of effort: although decent prints do exist on UK TV, every expense has been spared for this Region 1 NTSC DVD release, so don't be surprised if you have to rewind to catch the odd line of dialogue thanks to a noisy soundtrack.