Sherlock Holmes series

Critique • At the movies

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) The Hound of the Baskervilles (1982) Sherlock Holmes (1984–1994) Sherlock Holmes (2000–2002) The Hound of the Baskervilles (2002) Sherlock (2010–2017) Mr. Holmes (2015)
Sherlock Holmes (1922) The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1929) The Speckled Band (1931) Sherlock Holmes (1931–1937) Sherlock Holmes (1932) A Study in Scarlet (1933) The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939) Sherlock Holmes (1939) Sherlock Holmes (1954–1955) The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace (1962) Sherlock Holmes (1964–1968) A Study in Terror (1965) The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother (1975) The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976) Murder by Decree (1979) The Hound of the Baskervilles (1982) The Masks of Death (1984) Sherlock Holmes (1984–1994) Without a Clue (1988) Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady (1991) Incident at Victoria Falls (1992) Sherlock Holmes (2000–2002) Sherlock: Case of Evil (2002) The Hound of the Baskervilles (2002) Sherlock Holmes (2009) Sherlock Holmes (2010) Sherlock (2010–2017) Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) Elementary (2012–2019) Mr. Holmes (2015)
Peter Cushing and John Mills
Peter Cushing, left, and John Mills are engaging as Holmes and Watson in The Masks of Death.

Cushing's last bow

The Masks of Death (1984): Television film, 78 minutes; director Roy Ward Baker; writers Anthony Hinds and N.J. Crisp; featuring Peter Cushing, John Mills, Anne Baxter, Ray Milland, Anton Diffring

In his early 70s, Peter Cushing got to play his favourite role one more time. In The Masks of Death in he portrays his final Sherlock Holmes as an elderly detective who investigates what seems likely to be his last case.

Co-starring John Mills as Doctor Watson, along with Ann Baxter and Ray Milland, the British television film was a triumph, despite not being based on a Doyle story. It was acclaimed for the acting of its veteran film stars and especially for the pairing of Cushing and Mills. The two leads displayed a natural charm and chemistry that led some viewers to wonder why Mills had never before been cast as Sherlock's partner in crime solving.

The plot sounds thrilling. It starts with Holmes retired and cranky, keeping bees in the countryside. (His retirement to beekeeping is actually canon, having been mentioned at least three times in Doyle's stories. The theme is also picked up in other Sherlock Holmes films, most prominently in 2015's Mr. Holmes.)

In The Masks of Death, Holmes is drawn back to London to investigate two seemingly separate mysteries: a series of deaths in London and the disappearance of a German prince on the eve of war. Linked to the mysteries, he finds the woman, Irene Adler (Baxter), who had intrigued and outwitted him in "A Scandal in Bohemia". He uncovers a conspiracy that could kill millions.

The film comes across as a horror movie as much as a crime story, which may not be surprising as its writer and director had been old hands with Cushing in horror films produced by Hammer Film Productions, known for its popular horror films often starring Cushing and Christopher Lee.

As thrilling as it sounds, The Masks of Death plays out rather flatly with a predictable ending.

Still, the performances of the aging stars made the film a hit on British TV. So a sequel was planned.

But, unfortunately, health issues prevented Cushing from performing as Holmes again.

— Eric

 

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