Rent Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943)
3.4 of 5 from 54 ratings
1h 11min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- This is the master detectives first American adventure. A British Secret Service operative, carrying top secret microfilm from England to Washington disappears, fearing for his safety he passes the microfilm, hidden in a match book, onto another passenger, the agent is reported missing and Holmes (Basil Rathbone) is called in to recover the microfilm before it falls into the wrong hands. Filmed during World War II Holmes and Watson (Nigel Bruce) are up against an international ring of spies in a race against time.
- Actors:
- Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Marjorie Lord, Henry Daniell, George Zucco, John Archer, Gavin Muir, Edmund MacDonald, Don Terry, Bradley Page, Holmes Herbert, Thurston Hall
- Directors:
- Roy William Neill
- Producers:
- Roy William Neill
- Writers:
- Arthur Conan Doyle, Bertram Millhauser, Lynn Riggs
- Aka:
- Sherlok Xolms Vashingtonda
- Studio:
- Orbit Media Ltd.
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Thrillers
- Collections:
- Action & Adventure, A Brief History of Film..., The Thin Man At 90, Top 10 Films About Trains: Thrillers, Top Film and TV Detectives: Guide to Screen Sleuth, Top Films
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Reviews (1) of Sherlock Holmes in Washington
Special Relationship. - Sherlock Holmes in Washington review by Steve
In the last of Universal studio's trilogy of investigations by Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) into Nazi spy activity, the legendary sleuth travels to the US capital with the amiable Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) to locate some missing McGuffin. America are now allies, UK fortunes have improved, and this is easily the most cheerful of the three WWII entries.
And Watson has rarely been stupider, as he samples the US way of life. Which is milkshakes and chewing gum... And whatever the Doctor says, Holmes' deductions are not all that amazing. But this is particularly well directed by Roy William Neill with plenty of suspense as the duo track down some microfilm hidden in a book of matches.
Production values are high for a low budget programmer. There are auspicious villains in George Zucco and Henry Daniell, who both also played Moriarty in the series. And it's always nice to see the African-American actor Clarence Muse in a cameo.
So it's goodbye to the weird Roman haircut Holmes wore to fight the Nazis. After this, the series was overhauled to produce films still set in the '40s, but more evocative of Arthur Conan Doyle's original adventures. And while those are better, this remains a quality blend of intrigue and comedy, and a whimsical diversion from the real life troubles of the world...
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