Product Description

BASIL RATHBONE NIGEL BRUCE
In SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE SECRET WEAPON
Digitally Restored in 35mm
The master detective Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and his faithful cohort Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) are back, preserved and digitally restored in 35mm to original condition by the UCLA Film and Television Archive. This newly restored version of the classic film includes the period war bond tag, studio logo and credits from its original theatrical release. Filled with ominous shadows and interesting camera angles, the visual beauty of the film in 35mm is stunning.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s "The Adventure of the Dancing Men" inspired THE SECRET WEAPON. The wartime plot pits Sherlock Holmes once more against his nemesis, the villainously brilliant Professor Moriarty, who was believed dead but is now working for the Nazis. The Nazis have assigned Moriarty to kidnap Dr. Franz Tobel, the inventor of a new super bombsight. Sherlock Holmes outwits the enemy agents and escapes with Tobel and his precious invention. But despite elaborate precautions, the inventor later disappears before the process of manufacturing the bombsight is perfected.

Holmes and Watson must stop the Nazis from getting their hands on the new bombsight, wrapped in a code of dancing men. Using a variety of disguises - a Swiss inventor, the Lascar sailor Ram Singh, and an old German bookseller, Holmes puts his own life on the line in a race against the clock to prevent Moriarty from carrying out his evil plans. THE SECRET WEAPON is also the first of the films to introduce Dennis Hoey as Scotland Yard detective Inspector Lestrade. Preserved and restored in 35mm by the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26487 in DVD
• Brand: MPI
• Released on: 2003-10-28
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 68 minutes

Customer Reviews

Sherlock Holmes and The Secret Weapon
First let me say that I'm one of the biggest Sherlock Holmes fans in the world. I have been waiting for years for someone to produce a DVD version of the Basil Rathbone movies. This is my second DVD Sherlock Holmes movie from the Focusfilm Entertainment group and it is no better than the first one. This one is going to be returned just like the first one was. This DVD tranfer is so dark in places you can not see the movie at all. The contrast is terrible and the orginal film had black dots and white streaks all over the place. The sound quality of this tranfer was fair. I have VHS copies of this movie that are twice as good as this DVD version. I hope someone besides Focusfilm will starts making DVD tranfers of this great series. Please save your money for a better product in the future. ---This text refers to the DVD edition

Worst DVD transfer I've ever seen since GoodTimes
This refers to the DVD version only. This is absolutely the worst quality transfer to DVD that I've ever seen. I don't think that even GoodTimes could have done a worse job.

News Flash! Colorized print is from 20th Century Fox!
Most of the reviews shown underneath this colorized-b/w combo disc of "Secret Weapon" seem to be discussing discs issued by other companies. I am (normally) a total believer that discs from "no name" issuers are to be avoided like the plague, as the print quality will almost always be inferior; one of the best lessons I ever learned about buying DVD's was that if it isn't issued by a major studio (Paramont, Fox, Universal, etc.), and that if that info isn't clearly listed on the outer packaging, then it isn't worth buying. Over the years, I've learned that there are a few exceptions; Artisan normally puts out nice prints, and one of the old "villians" of VHS, GoodTimes, seems to have changed it's spots and has issued some very nice prints (some of the "Airport" films); but in general, the "major studio or don't buy it" rule still applies.
This issue was inexpensive, so I decided to take a chance. I can't recall the name of the issuer that's shown on the outside of the case, but once it starts to play, the 20th Century Fox logo makes it very clear that this is at least a co-effort, and why they don't show Fox's name on the cover is beyond me. The picture quality/sound is really very good (as I say, many or all of the reviews shown under this particular issuance were apparently written for other companies' editions of this same title)...so, bottom line is: the colorzied option is fun, not garish or saturated, and the print is very clear. Also offers the film in b/w for you purists, and that's just another reason to get these versions.