Product Description

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 and 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. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson journey to Canada to attend a meeting of the Royal Canadian Occult Society in Quebec. Before long, they find themselves investigating a series of gruesome murders that the locals attribute to the legendary phantom marsh monster of La Morte Rouge. But Holmes suspects a master of disguise is the real killer, who might be anyone in the village. He contrives a clever trap and courageously sets himself up to be the killer's next victim.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #39234 in DVD
• Brand: MPI
• Released on: 2003-11-25
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 74 minutes

Amazon.com
Here is another strong entry (beautifully restored by the UCLA Film and Television Archive) from the peak of Basil Rathbone's prolific, seven-year run as a definitive Sherlock Holmes for the big screen. The Scarlet Claw (1944) is an original screenplay with elements loosely inspired by Doyle's "The Adventure of the Dancing Men." A skeptical Holmes and Watson (Nigel Bruce) attend a meeting of the Royal Canadian Occult Society in Canada, but are soon looking into a killing spree attributed to a fanciful marsh monster. Fantastic events are soon supplanted by an even stranger horror concerning a master actor bent on revenge. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

"Here I am, Holmes... I've fallen in another hole!"
On the surface, SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE SCARLET CLAW is just another entry in Universal's Sherlock Holmes series. One could make an argument that it's a Holmes-by-numbers production. Indeed, I can't think of any major story element that wasn't done in some earlier or later picture. There's the ghostly apparition, the grisly murder, the mysterious marshland, the secretive villagers, the disguises, etc. Yet, all the standard elements are done exceedingly well here. Everything is firing on all cylinders. It may not be the most original of adventures, but it is one of the most enjoyable.

THE SCARLET CLAW is an above-average atmospheric movie in a series that thrived on providing a grim, tense feeling. Director Roy William Neill was more than used to delivering a stark thriller, but he's really going all out here. There's nothing extremely out of the ordinary, which is perhaps why the movie is such a success. With no propaganda to ram through, no experimentation, and no surprises, the cast and crew can simply concentrate on what they do best -- making a damn entertaining movie.

The direction is superb. The acting is up to it's usual high standard. By this point, Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce could play these characters in their sleep, so their performances are precisely what you would and should expect. Bruce's Dr. Watson is again relegated to comic relief, but it's a role he plays very well. The supporting cast is made up of the usual entertaining character actors.

The script contains enough of the standard Sherlock Holmes elements for it to feel familiar, even considering that it is not a straight adaptation of story actually written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Although I've not seen all of the Holmes Universal movies (I have watched most of them), this is the one I think of as the standard by which all others are measured. It did a lot of the things we expect these movies to do and it did they very well. If you're only interested in viewing one in this series, then a very strong case could be made for making this the one.

The BEST of the "Universals"
Here's the very best of the Rathbone-Bruce Universal pictures. No, it's not set in the proper Sherlockian period (none of the Universal films were), but it seems "timeless," with no contemporary (1940s) references. It's dark, spooky fun...featuring a really well done MYSTERY. Some of the best banter between Rathbone and Bruce is in this film. And the bad guy ranks up there with the best of the non-Moriarty movie Holmes villains. THIS is the Rathbone movie from the Universal series that I return to again and again. The DVD quality is superb. No extras, but it's a treat to have a terrific copy of this little gem.

The best of Sherlock Holmes
The best film in Universal's Sherlock Holmes series is also the best Holmes mystery ever put on the screen. I first saw "The Scarlet Claw" in July 1967 when a local TV station aired it at the last minute in honor of Basil Rathbone who had passed away earlier that day. It was the first time I had seen Rathbone in something other than a latter day American International horror film, but sentiment aside, this film is a classic, a macabre thriller perfect in every department.

When we first see Holmes and Watson, they are attending an occult convention in Canada where the great detective is the lone dissenter, expressing skepticism and challenging the theory that a supernatural creature is behind a series of grisly murders in a nearby village. The great detective is soon on the case, and the setting is a perfect one for Holmes to ply his trade.

Everything about "The Scarlet Claw" works. The director, Roy William Neill, reaches a peak here, providing moments that will make your skin crawl and cloaking the mystery in a rich atmosphere as memorable as the story. The cast is simply perfect. Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce have never been better, and they receive fine support from Paul Cavanaugh, Kay Harding, and especially Gerald Hamer, a series regular who almost steals the movie from its stars.

It isn't based on a story by Arthur Conan Doyle, and unlike most entries in the series, doesn't claim to be, but "The Scarlet Claw" is the best Sherlock Holmes film made by Universal or any other studio.