How well does Sherlock Holmes transition from early 1900's to the middle of WWII?
Who:
Director: John Rawlins
Starring: Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Evelyn Ankers, Mary Gordon, Dennis Hoey
What:
Mystery/Thriller
Why:
Adaptation of one of the Sherlock Holmes tales
When:
Released 1942
Where:
London during World War II
The Voice of Terror is the third entry of an incredible fourteen movie series starring Basil Rathbone as Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson.
The previous two entries were both productions for 20th Century Fox but they ran into problems negotiating with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's estate and passed on making any further films. Universal were only too happy to acquire the rights and, keeping the two stars on board, were responsible for the remaining twelve entries.
Whereas Fox had firmly set their films in the source materials era of the late 1800's and early 1900's, Universal chose to take a different path and bring Holmes and Watson right into the modern era of the time. By way of explanation for this change at the beginning of each film we have a title sequence stating how Holmes is "ageless". I can't help wondering if this statement triggered something in the thought process of both Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat when it came to creating the hugely successful TV series Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. This too brings Baker Street's most famous resident into the modern age.
By choosing to have events take place at the current point in history helped reduce costs for things like costumes and props. Each production was therefore able to be made on much smaller budgets. The films were also shorter; most just running slightly longer than an hour as they were released as 'B' movie pictures.
It is ironic that for their first foray into the Sherlock Holmes back catalogue that, chronologically at least; they should choose to do a loose adaptation of the last Holmes story "His Last Bow". However the basis of the plot is completely appropriate for the setting. Originally printed in 1917 it focusses on the machinations of a German spy trying to smuggle important information back to Germany at the outbreak of the First World War but is foiled by Holmes.
The Voice of Terror updates this premise to the Second World War and retains the German spy and also keeps the name Von Bock who proves to be the antagonist. Instead of trying to escape with secret documents the clever twist here is that the 'Voice' is releasing radio broadcast propaganda from Germany designed to sow fear and dread in the British population and thus crushing their collective spirit.
What is incredible is that the producers used the actual events taking place at the time for the basis of the plot. Coming out in 1942 this was smack bang in the middle of WWII. But what is even more impressive is that Germany was actually making the type of radio programs depicted in this film with the exact intentions of scaring the Allies into submission.
Germany Calling was the true programme going out over the airwaves. They started recording at the beginning of the conflict in 1939 and ran until 1945 when the British took control of Hamburg where the radio transmissions were broadcast from. Lord Haw-Haw was the name given to the announcers; the nickname is rumoured to have come about due to the "Haw-Haw" laughter that could be heard at times throughout the airings. I am sure this has had some influence on cinema bad guys ever since, especially those of Germanic origin, to indicate the moustache twirling sinister nature that inevitably gets depicted by movie villains.
I find it very inspiring when I consider the pressure and tension that must have been felt by everyone at the time this was being made. How do you cope with making a film about a war when you have no idea how it will end? Of course this isn't the only film made at the time to have WWII as part of the plot; Casablanca is probably the most famous example. But I was impressed at the way they incorporated the Germany Calling broadcasts and tie it into The Last Bow story. It really is a very clever adaptation or reimagining if you like.
Basil Rathbone was born to play Sherlock Holmes. When I think of Holmes, Rathbone is the actor that comes to mind as I am sure he is with many other people. He is in top form here and it isn't too far from the truth to say that in all fourteen appearances he hardly puts a foot wrong.
He is ably supported by Nigel Bruce who proved the perfect foil as Dr. Watson to Rathbone's Holmes. Bruce has many detractors, which I will get too, but when kept in context to this series of films I find him quite enjoyable. These are serious takes on the Holmes story and Watson provides the light relief.
One of the early Scream Queens from Hollywood, Evelyn Ankers, plays Kitty who has a prominent role throughout this film. She is imperative to helping uncover the plot and in the apprehension of the spy. Kitty's part is acknowledged by the men around her as well; her role is not just put aside as a minor aide to the more celebrated private detective. Ankers portrays the heroine most admirably. She gives a stirring speech when calling the patrons of a seedy bar to arms. It is quite refreshing to see a film of such age having a strong female character and one who becomes very prominent once we are introduced to her character.
In what is a really tight running time, there is a lot crammed in for good effect. We have murder, intrigue, a showdown, a daring escape and much more. It is a credit to the writers that they manage to fit all this in and the action and intrigue keeps the film going at a cracking pace. All the while Holmes is using his uncanny abilities to get to the bottom of who is behind this espionage plot.
The movie closes with a rousing monologue from Holmes taken directly from The Last Bow and is printed here:
"Good old Watson! You are the one fixed point in a changing age. There's an
east wind coming all the same, such a wind as never blew on England yet. It
will be cold and bitter, Watson, and a good many of us may wither before its
blast. But it's God's own wind none the less, and a cleaner, better, stronger
land will lie in the sunshine when the storm has cleared."
Originally written in 1917 to refer to the approaching conclusion to The Great War; it has just as much, if not more, relevance to the conflict taking place at the time of filming. America had entered the war at the end of 1941 coming to the aid of the embattled Allied forces. Knowing that this went into production and was released in 1942 I can't help but feel the script writers knew how poignant this monologue would feel. Again it demonstrates how appropriate the material was for the current times. Hearing it and relating it back to these historic events, had a profound effect on my appreciation for this movie.
A film that is over seventy years old is not going to appeal to everyone in this day and age. I am sure there will be plenty put off watching it simply because it is a black & white production. There are also certain sensibilities and mannerisms that were adhered to by a studio which are what make these movies from a bygone era appear far too tame for modern audiences.
It would be a shame if these are the sole reasons people would choose for not viewing something of this nature, but alas there would be many that do. I admit I have a certain fondness for older films, not so many as old as this, but certainly ones created before I was even born. Sherlock Holmes has always been a firm favourite of mine, both in print and the screen adaptations. The Charlie Chan series that are of a similar age are also fondly remembered and I hope to cover one of those in a future article.
So setting aside any bias based on the age of the film, what else goes against enjoying this story? Well not too much in my opinion.
As with any Sherlock Holmes tale you have to have a certain amount of suspension of belief. Some of the deductions that Holmes comes too, based on the evidence he has at hand, often has you thinking how on earth you would arrive at that conclusion. There is always something that will take place where you go "Oh come on!"
I touched upon people being critical of Nigel Bruce's portrayal of Watson. Bruce did play him as a bit of a bumbling buffoon. Often he comes across as confused by what is going on around him and would tend to mess up whenever Holmes was relying on him for some important task. At least it would appear that Holmes would be relying on him; generally it was his intention for Watson to make a mess of things to help ensnare the culprit.
I think Bruce is a victim of circumstance. As I stated he is a bit of comic relief and you couldn't have Holmes lightening the mood as it is not part of his personality. It would have been nice to see Bruce play him as a straight character just once though, just to see how that would have played out.
Kitty infiltrates the spy ring far too easily for my liking. It is needed to move the plot along but in all seriousness nothing of this nature would happen so quickly. I felt it was a rather unconvincing way of moving the saga along to the next set piece.
Holmes is actually made a bit redundant when it boils down to solving the mystery and has to rely on others more than usual to get to the bottom of what is going on. This does however make the story a bit more complex than your average Holmes tale. As far as wanting to see Sherlock Holmes solving a mystery though and all the elementary deductions that come with it, this is not the perfect entry to provide that scenario.
The main thing that was annoying but required for where the story went was the German character Meade still managed to find access to a gun after his capture. Why are the prisoners not searched and disarmed immediately by the armed forces apprehending them? But it is an old cliché, especially from this era that a bad guy has to go down in a hail of bullets.
Verdict:
Even though the Nazi's deserve a flogging; this film certainly gets to go free.
Enjoy the full movie in the YouTube link below...
Evidence:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes_(1939_film_series)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes_and_the_Voice_of_Terror
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035318/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/His_Last_Bow_(short_story)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany_Calling
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