The famous detective created by Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes, has come to Blu-ray and DVD in a remastered box set labeled The Sherlock Holmes Vault Collection. The presentation of the films is high quality and the sound impeccable. Although the character Sherlock Holmes was created in books well before the 1930’s and there were films made starting in the 1920’s, the many early talkies like these were released in black and white. The absence of color is perfect for the mystery stories played out in each of the four films presented in this collection.
The first film Sherlock Homes’ Fatal Hour (also known as The Sleeping Cardinal and Directed by Leslie S, Hiscott) was made in 1931 and starred Arthur Wontner as Holmes and Ian Fleming as Dr. Watson. The film start out at a bridge card game with Ronnie Adair, millionaire Thomas Fisher, Tony Rutherford, Colonel Henslowe. They are attended by Ronnie’s sister Kathleen. Dr. Watson arrives just as a miscue is discovered calling attention to a possible error in the deal. Watson discusses a matter with Kathleen that involves Ronnie’s gambling for high stakes. Kathleen suspects Ronnie of cheating as he never loses. Inspector Lestrade comes to Holmes’s house for a meeting about a murder at the bank only to find out that Holmes had already suspected. But the mysterious Professor Robert Moriarty, involved with half the crimes worldwide, gets Ronnie to deliver a package that may be connected to the murder Holmes is investigating and return for taking care of his debt.
In a Sherlock Holmes’ Study in Scarlet (1933, Directed by Edwin L. Marin) starring Reginald Own as Sherlock and John Warburton as Dr. Watson we find the duo looking into the suspected suicide death of Mr. James Murphy with all his holdings invested in a secret society trust company managed by blackmailer lawyer Thaddeus Merrydew. With his money tied up in the trust, his wife Annabelle goes to Sherlock Holmes in despair and telling him that she was hoodwinked from her husband’s funds. When other members of the society trust start getting killed, Holmes and Watson start to investigate Merrydew.
In Number 3 “The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes” (1935 Directed by Lislie S. Hiscott) Arthur Wontner reprises the role of Holmes along with Ian Fleming as Watson. The headline in the London newspaper reads ‘Sherlock Holmes Retires” as we get a view of Baker Street 221B. It’s now Watson’s home and office and Holmes is in the process of moving out. Still pursing Professor Robert Moriarty however, the crime lord shows up at his door step. Moriarty is upset with Holmes over his retirement and Holmes reconsiders his options. Moriarty gets offered a $50 thousand proposition from an American society anxious to remove one of its ex-members living in England and he takes the offer. Watson delivers a letter from Porlok to Holmes at his new residence and he tells his friend that something sinister is afoot. When Inspector Lastrade shows up and tells Holmes of a murder, he decides to come out of retirement to solve the crime.
In the 1937 film Silver Blaze (Also known as “Murder at the Baskervilles”)Directed by Thomas Bentley), the duo of Wontner and Fleming continue as they put Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson through their paces in another mystery. This time Holmes goes on vacation only to get in the middle of a double homicide surrounding a famous racing horse and Professor Moriarty.
THE SHERLOCK HOLMES VAULT COLLECTION features the biggest collection of bonus materials ever released by TFD on Blu-ray or DVD.
Special features include a host of newly restored Sherlockian shorts, including Slick Sleuths (1926), Sherlock Holmes Baffled (1900), A Black Sherlock Holmes (1918), Sure Luck Holmes (1928), Cousins of Sherlocko (1913), The Copper Beeches (1912) and “The Case of the Blind Man’s Bluff (1954), a Sherlock Holmes bonus TV-episode starring Ronald Howard.
Special features also include Elementary Cinema: The First Cinematic Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, an original documentary by Ballyhoo Motion Pictures; Sherlock Holmes and the Blue Carbuncle, a radio broadcast recreation from Redfield Arts Audio; and exclusive introductions with filmmaker and film history icon, Samuel M. Sherman. To top it off, each of the four discs includes its own audio commentary from esteemed film experts and enthusiasts, including author Jennifer Churchill; author and film historian Jason A. Ney; writers/producers Phoef Sutton and Mark Jordan Legan; and authors/screenwriters, Peter Atkins and David Breckman; original film posters replicated as postcards, and booklet inserts with original essays from author Don Stradley and author/screenwriter C. Courtney Joyner.
Specifications and additional video information:
Cast: Arthur Wontner, Ian Fleming, Reginald Own and John Warburton
Directed by: Leslie S, Hiscott, Edwin L. Marin
Written by: Arthur Conan Doyle
Genre: Mystery, Crime
MPAA Rating: Not Rated, contains some violence, smoking
Running Time: 302 minutes
Video Release Date: December 21, 2021
Language: English
Reviewed Format: Blu-ray
Number of Discs- 4
Subtitles: English, Spanish, English Commentary, Spanish Commentary
Distributed by: MVD
Released on: Box Set/Vault Collection Blu-ray, DVD
