SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE SPIDERWOMAN

US, 1944, 63 minutes, Black and white.
Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Gale Sondegaard, Dennis Hoey, Vernon Downing.
Directed by Roy William Neill.

The Spiderwoman draws on several details from Conan Doyle stories, The Speckled Band with the snake coming into the bedroom, and the story of Holmes dying in a river.

This is a well-paced story, just over an hour, with Holmes disappearing at first, reappearing with disguise, then passing himself off as an Indian gambler in order to entice the villain to contact him. He speculates that she is female and Andrea Spedding, played with sinister charm by Gale Sondegaard, comes to his rescue with the loan, but each soon realises that the other knows what is happening. There is an attempt on Holmes’ life with a deadly spider coming into his bedroom. He seeks out scientific information, only to find that the scientist they visit has murdered the real scientist and capitalises on his involvement with deadly spiders.

In a visit to Holmes flat, she is able to put some powder in the fireplace which is meant to kill Holmes and Watson – but it fails.

The story is neatly tied up as Holmes and Watson triumph again.

1. The popularity of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson series? The popularity of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce?

2. The British settings, the 1940s, the satisfactory updating of Conan Doyle stories? Sense of character, investigations, locations? Musical score?

3. The opening, fishing in Scotland, Watson and his absentmindedness, the discussions about the suicides, the newspaper headlines? Holmes suggesting they were murder? People driven to suicide? His falling in the water, disappearance, presumed dead? The newspaper headlines? The crime spree? People regretting the absence of Sherlock Holmes?

4. Watson at Baker Street, the man posing as the postman, his insulting Holmes, Watson in high dudgeon? The revelation? The visit of inspector Lestrade and Watson giving him the souvenir of the pipe?

5. Holmes and his theories, that the villain was female? His pretending to be an Indian gambler, at the casino, the approach by Andrea Spedding, plausible talk, his pretending to have lost his money, her arrangement of a loan? His gratitude?

6. Andrea Spedding and character, personality, reliance on her brother? The visit by Holmes, her seeing through him? Giving the money back to him?

7. Lestrade, Watson, Holmes asleep, the spider coming, Holmes killing it? The pursuit of the criminal, his being shot? Norman Locke and his escaping?

8. The visit of the scientist and Watson thinking the fake and pulling his beard? The recommendation to visit the research, going by train, the visit, the fake scientist and his attempt to kill?

9. The visit by Miss Spedding, the nephew, his misbehaving? The double angled talk between Holmes and Miss Spedding? Watson being overcome by fumes? Homes? Opening the window? The little boy having put the material in the fireplace?

10. The build-up to the confrontation, the discovery of the dwarf, his being in the box?

11. Miss Spedding, the departure, her being presented as an arch criminal in the vein of Moriarty?

12. Holmes, the skill of his investigations, his use of disguises, elementary? And Watson’s response?