SHERLOCK H-SPIDER WOMAN (DVD) DVD

Sherlock Holmes and the Spider Woman
Someone in London has driven several prominent men to madness and suicide. Normally, Scotland Yard would call in Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) to help solve the case, but Holmes has recently perished in an accident. Or has he? Officially declared dead, Holmes is able to move about undetected as he tries to find out who's behind the rash of suicides -- and why. The culprit turns out to be the bewitching, deadly Andrea Spedding (Gale Sondergaard), and for once, Holmes seems to have met his match. The now-famous climax finds a bound-and-gagged Holmes hidden behind a shooting-gallery target, while his faithful assistant, Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce), unwittingly prepares to blast away at the target with live ammunition (in wartime, yet). Filled to overflowing with amusing dialogue and devilishly clever plot twists (one of them involving an autistic pygmy!), Sherlock Holmes and the Spider Woman is among the best of the Universal Holmes series. Best bit: told to "act inconspicuous," Inspector Lestrade (Dennis Hoey) ceremoniously rolls his eyes upward and begins whistling loudly -- whereupon Dr. Watson chides him with "Inconspicuous, Lestrade, not half-witted." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson Gale Sondergaard as Andrea Spedding Dennis Hoey as Insp. Lestrade Vernon P. Downing as Norman Locke Alec Craig as Radlik Mary Gordon as Mrs. Hudson Arthur Hohl as Adam Gilflower Teddy Infur as Boy

Crew Russell A. Gausman - Art Director Martin Obzina - Art Director John B. Goodman - Art Director Vera West - Costume Designer Roy William Neill - Director William Austin - Editor James Gibbon - Editor Hans Salter - Composer (Music Score) Hans Salter - Musical Direction/Supervision Charles Van Enger - Cinematographer Roy William Neill - Producer Bertram Millhauser - Screenwriter Arthur Conan Doyle - Short Story Author

Sherlock Holmes and the Spider Woman
While owing only the slightest allegiance to actual Arthur Conan Doyle stories, Sherlock Holmes and the Spider Woman is a thoroughly enjoyable entry in the long-running detective series from Universal. Yes, as if too often the case with the series, there are a number of places where the viewer -- especially longtime Holmes aficionados -- may cry, "Oh, come now, Holmes is smarter than that!" (In this film, this is especially true of the candy wrapper incident, although the sequence up until that point has been handled with great skill.) But the need to "dumb" Holmes down slightly in order to fulfill the dictates of plot is handled much better in Spider Woman than in some of the other films. The majority of Spider Woman's screenplay is fast and clever, and the climactic shooting gallery sequence is a doozy. Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce are once again in very fine form, with the chemistry between the two especially cozy and lovable. Even better, Spider Woman boasts a wonderfully entertaining turn from Gale Sondergaard, who almost always knew how to make evil dangerously alluring and attractive. Roy William Neill directs with his customary efficiency, finding time as usual for a surprising number of shots that show flair and invention. All in all, Spider Woman is crackling good fun in a mystery hriller vein. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
 

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General Specifications: Language Options: Subtitle Options: Sound Processing: Additional Features: none specified MPAA Rating: NR DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 63 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 1. Open [1:21] 2. the Pajama Suicides [4:16] 3. The Death of Sherlock Holmes [6:07] 4. A Female Moriarty [2:52] 5. Luck Be a Lady [4:40] 6. "Just Adrea." [4:05] 7. The Pajama Game [5:31] 8. The Spider Woman Strikes Back [13:24] 9. Spider Man [8:05] 10. The Shooting Gallery [5:12] 11. The Moving Target [5:57] 12. End Credits [:39]