SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE PEARL DEATH
US, 1944, 69 minutes, Black and white.
Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Dennis Hoey, Evelyn Ankers, Miles Mander, Ian Wolfe, Rondo Hatton.
Directed by Roy William Neill.
The Pearl of Death is one of the later Sherlock Holmes- Dr Watson films with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, directed by Roy William Neill. It is based on Conan Doyle’s story The Six Napoleons.
The film is not a mystery because the villain is known right from the beginning, Evelyn Ankers as Naomi Drake, stealing a famous pearl on a liner, asking an old clergyman to bring it through customs, not realising that the clergyman was Holmes in disguise who immediately gives the Pearl back to the museum. However, the villain steals the jewel again, is chased by the authorities, ducks into a shop and hides the jewel in a bust of Napoleon, is then arrested but let go because of the lack of evidence.
A series of murders ensues, customers who bought the busts of Napoleon being murdered by a large killer, manipulated by the villain. Holmes works out what has happened, the hiding of the jewel in the shop, the nature of the murders, the search for the jewel.
Which all leads to a final confrontation with the large killer and the villain, Holmes triumphant.
1. The popularity of the series of Sherlock Holmes films? Of Holmes and Watson in general? Their appearances in so many different films?
2. Black-and-white photography, studio work, the liner, British locations, the British Museum?
3. Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes, the complete impersonation? And the bumbling Nigel Bruce as Dr Watson? Their teamwork? Watson’s naivete? Holmes shrewdness? Logic – and elementary?
4. A mystery, theft, murders?
5. The title, the jewel, the robbery on the liner, passing through customs, Holmes returning the jewel to the Museum, the further theft, its being hidden, the discovery?
6. Holmes, disguised as the clergyman, the encounter with Naomi Drake, asking him to take the jewel through customs? His work with the director? Returning the jewel?
7. Pride in the security system, the demonstration, the details, protection of the picture, the stealing of the jewel? The chase, the villain going into the shop (and Holmes later reconstructing the time span with Watson), hiding the jewel, letting himself be arrested, the interrogation, the ruse of having the meals delivered to him, the information, the contact with Naomi Drake? being let go?
8. The series of seeming random murders? The murder scenes, the backs of the victims broken, the scattered crockery? Holmes discovering the design of the smashing of the crockery?
9. The Hoxton Creeper, the big man, the visuals, Conover and his control, the killing of the victims?
10. Homes, the solution, the shop, the list of customers, the busts of Napoleon, the series of murders of the owners, the last owner, Holmes arriving in time,
protection of the victim, the confrontation with the Creeper, Conover and his presence, Holmes tricking the Creeper into killing Conover?
11. A satisfactory solution – based on Conan Doyle’s The Six Napoleons?
