“Dastardly
deeds are afoot in a remote
part of Devonshire’s
moors where
legend has it that the owners of
Baskerville Hall are cursed to find death
in the jaws of a giant beast in this well-
dramatised Russian adaptation of the
Sherlock Holmes adventure The Hound
Of The Baskervilles...”
CREATED BY SCOTTISH AUTHOR AND PHYSICIAN Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock
Holmes is the most famous and fascinating fictional detective in the world.
The Russian adaptations of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson are
widely acclaimed as the finest adaptations of Conan Doyle's creation.
Now Sherlock Holmes: The Hound Of The Baskervilles comes to DVD, in Russian
with English subtitles. It is dramatic, amusing, and highly watchable and begins
in London with the arrival of Dr Mortimer at Baker Street to see Sherlock Holmes
(Vasili Livanov) and Dr Watson (Vitali Solomin).
“Sherlock Holmes:
The Hound
Of The Baskervilles —
dramatic, amusing
and
highly watchable...”
Dr
Mortimer's late patient and friend Sir Charles Baskerville has died in mysterious
circumstances and close to his body was a paw print that appeared to belong
to an enormous hound. He is anxious to protect Sir Charles' nephew and heir,
Sir Henry Baskerville (Nikita Mihalkov, Director of Burnt By The Sun),
who is coming to London from Canada.
Sir Henry is the last of the Baskervilles and the doctor has reason to believe
that he may well be in danger. He tells Holmes and Watson that there is reputed
to be a curse on the male heirs.
An early 18th Century document that was committed to the care of Dr Mortimer
by Sir Charles bears the disturbing story of Sir Hugo Baskerville who abducted
a woman he had fallen in love with and imprisoned her at the Hall. She escaped
and Sir Hugo and his drunken friends pursued her across the moor with a pack
of hounds, resulting in both the woman's death and Sir Hugo's.
The superstitious locals believe that the Baskervilles are cursed and legend
has it that it is not safe to cross the moors after nightfall because of the
danger of meeting a giant hellhound with fiery eyes. Baskerville Hall is in
a remote part of the moor with just a few scattered dwellings and the prison
of Princetown nearby.
The excitable, over-the-top Sir Henry arrives and is delighted to meet Sherlock
Holmes and Dr Watson, of whom he has heard. He has received an anonymous letter
warning him to stay away from the moor, despite the fact that nobody knows he
is in London.
Furthermore, it appears that Sir Henry and Dr Mortimer are being followed. At
Dr Mortimer's behest, Dr Watson agrees to accompany them back to Devonshire
to investigate Sir Charles' death but Holmes stays in London to look for further
clues.
Watson meets the Baskervilles' sinister butler, Barrymore, whose family have
looked after the Baskervilles for generations. Barrymore is behaving suspiciously
while his wife Elisa seems to be nervous and highly strung. What are they hiding?
Sir Henry and Watson learn that the moor has become even more dangerous with
the escape of a convicted murderer from the prison; and on meeting his closest
neighbours, Jack Stapleton and his sister Beryl, who claim friendship with Sir
Charles, Sir Henry cannot know that they are not what they appear to be. As
Sir Henry gets to know them, things become complicated as he begins to fall
in love with Beryl, who seems strongly concerned for his safety.
Seemingly safe enough during the day, the moor proves highly treacherous at
night when even the whistling of the wind is drowned by the howling of the elusive
beast known as the Hound of the Baskervilles. As Watson continues to protect
Sir Henry, a fragment of a letter is to lead to the tragic Laura Lyons and Watson
becomes aware of yet another man hiding out on the moor…
Director Maslennikov is renowned for his success of the drama Winter Cherries
which became so popular that five years later a sequel was made, followed by
a third. Livanov, who plays Holmes, received an OBE for his portrayal of the
Victorian sleuth in the much-loved Russian television series that has remained
a perennial cult favourite for its wit, style and period detail.
Sherlock Holmes: The Hound Of The Baskervilles also features — Rina
Zelenaya as Mrs Hudson; Irina Kupchenko; Nikita Mikhalkov; Alia Demidova; Svetlana
Kruchkova; Alexandr Adabashian; Borislav Brondukov; Sergei Martinson; Evgeny
Steblov; and Oleg Yankovsky.
Screenplay is by Igor Maslennikov, assisted by Yuri Veksler; Directors of Photography
are Dmitry Dolinin and Vladimir Ilyin; Composer is Vladimir Dashkevich; The
Leningrad State Philharmonic Orchestra is Conducted by E Khachaturian; and Directed
by Igor Maslennikov.
• The Russian adaptation of the much-loved
classic Sherlock Holmes: The Hound Of The Baskervilles comes to DVD for
the first time, courtesy of Mr Bongo Films, on 21 May 2012. Running Time: 145
Minutes | RRP: £12.99 | Russian with English subtitles.
"Sherlock Holmes: The Hound Of The Baskervilles… dramatic, amusing and
highly watchable" — Maggie Woods, MotorBar
“Dastardly
deeds are afoot in a remote