Masterful Movie

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

I enjoy films from a series in which casual references are made to stories that went before. The Charlie Chan flicks of the same era used to do it all the time. In this one, Dr. Watson compares the current mystery to the one encountered in "The Hound of the Baskervilles", all the more interesting because that film was made at competing studio Twentieth Century Fox. There was also that reference to author G.K. Chesterton's mystery stories and his fascination with the occult.Of the post-Fox movies (there were only two), this is by far the best I've encountered, certainly more entertaining than the first three Universal films which had Holmes (Basil Rathbone) dealing with Nazi agents. The atmosphere is established right from the beginning with a great image of a fog enshrouded landscape, the location of the drama taking place in the small Canadian town of La Morte Rouge, ominously translated as 'The Red Death'. Holmes and his assistant Watson (Nigel Bruce) are drawn into a murder investigation by virtue of a letter he receives from a woman who's found dead after it was posted.The plot intriguingly involves the use of disguises not only by Holmes, but the resourceful murderer who is revealed via some clever writing and the film director's sleight of hand. On the way to solving the mystery, Watson's role as an 'inconspicuous' guest at the Journet Café Hotel adds just the right comedic counterbalance to the story, but it's probably best not to try to follow that whole 'hoots and honks' conversation with butler Drake (Ian Wolfe). Once was enough for me.There's one scene I did question though. Why would Holmes immediately begin shooting at the phosphorescent 'ghost' on his midnight stroll through the swamp? Granted, there was a logical connection to be made regarding similar sightings preceding the murders of livestock and Lady Penrose, but what if there was some other explanation? Holmes could have shot an innocent person. I thought he quite literally jumped the gun on that one.Otherwise, Holmes' brilliant deductive reasoning is played out quite credibly in a fairly tense finale. The picture closes in similar fashion to those I've seen from the earlier Universal stories, whereby Holmes invokes Winston Churchill's admiration of the bond between Canada, America and the British Empire. A half century later some may find it a bit heavy handed, but at the same time it's a constructive reminder that tradition has some value in a current world turned upside down.

As well as one of the best of all the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes films, alongside Hound of the Baskervilles and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes(from 20th Century Fox). The only thing that didn't quite work was Holmes' ending speech, which felt really tacky. Any fans of Sherlock Holmes however will be enthralled by The Scarlet Claw. The black and white photography and Gothic, foggy setting give off a very creepy atmosphere, and The Scarlet Claw is literally rich in it. The music is jaunty and haunting without making it too obvious, while the script is one of the most intelligent of the series. It is thoughtful but brings in some funny lines from Watson that are funny and well-timed. The story is full of creepiness and suspense, some of the images and touches are some of the most memorable of the series, especially with a dead woman's hand clutching a bell-rope and a luminous "monster" stalking Holmes across a marsh. It is always solidly directed, and the acting is very good. Basil Rathbone proves with his cunning, intelligent and clinical approach to the role that he is the best Holmes on film(Jeremy Brett for me is the best overall but only just), and while bumbling Nigel Bruce brings some loyalty and brings some fine comic moments without being irritating. Paul Cavanaugh and Gerald Hammer stand out in support, the former especially stuffy and foreboding. Overall, great entertainment and of the Universal Sherlock Holmes films stands out as the best(Pearl of Death from memory was also excellent). 9/10 Bethany Cox

Holmes investigates the mysterious death of a woman who appears to have her throat mutilated by the claw of an animal. The eighth in the popular series featuring Rathbone and Bruce as the venerable sleuths, this has the same basic premise as the first in the series, "The Hound of the Baskervilles," that of what appears to be animal attacks in remote, fog-covered marshes. It is is just as atmospheric as the earlier classic, but the story here is not quite as compelling. Like many in the series, this one is not based on an actual Conan Doyle story. Interestingly, this one is set in Canada in modern times. Of course Holmes rounds up the suspects and nabs the killer.

I don't know how I missed this one over the years, but watching it today on TCM, I don't remember ever seeing it before.THE SCARLET CLAW was written especially for the screen and not from any novel penned by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Turns out it's one of the very best entries in the series, up there with THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES and THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES as essential Holmes films.It has all the atmosphere one would want in a Sherlock Holmes story and a mystery that deepens as the plot goes forward but resolved in a very satisfying way by Holmes. The cast includes an excellent performance from PAUL CAVANAGH as Mr. Penrose, whose wife dies a vicious death at the hands of a killer and leads to Holmes' investigation. GERALD HAMER as a nervous postman and VICTORIA HORNE as a frightened housekeeper are also fine, as is MILES MANDER as a judge whose life is in danger from a serial killer.Although this one takes place in Canada, it might just as well have taken place on the Dartmouth moors in Devonshire--that's the kind of atmosphere it has with plenty of mist and fog to add to the Gothic ambiance of the tale.Well worth watching for Sherlock fans. Especially good is NIGEL BRUCE as the bumbling Dr. Watson who inadvertently helps BASIL RATHBONE from time to time. His blustery interpretation of the comic sidekick is especially well done in this caper. Rathbone, of course, is beyond reproach.