The Sleeping Cardinal (2007)

vintage, pre-rathbone Holmes

Like thousands of others I am a fan of Sherlock Holmes. In fact, in my case, it goes beyond the norm. I have always enjoyed the Wontner films and feel that he looked and acted more like the real Holmes than many of the following actors who came after him. This film borrows heavily on FINAL PROBLEM - even though the title is "The Sleeping Cardinal". It also borrows from that ultimate stage actor - William Gillette - and his play SHERLOCK HOLMES. Being a vintage film you have to be forgiving regarding the quality of the film. Personally I prefer the black & white films(like this) over the colored variety. It is more in keeping with the era of the original Holmes. Overall the production appears more to be a stage play based on the sets in the film. You feel as if you were watching Holmes on the stage - more appropriate to the era. All together a fun film for a serious Holmes buff and an excellent introduction to vintage Holmes for the person just getting on to the Holmes bandwagon.
June 25, 2008

A RARE MOVIE MAY SOMEDAY BE ON A DECENT DVD

I purchased this dvd from Amazon with great anticipation of seeing a long-lost Arthur Wontner "Sherlock Holmes" film. First of all, this is NOT a standard Region 1 DVD as stated. It is a DVD-R of such poor quality that it would not play at all on two of my three players. I finally got it to play--well, sort of-- on another one of my players. All three of my players are okay with other DVD-Rs but not this disc. The picture jumped and freeze framed throughout the film. Save your money on this amateurish effort. Perhaps, someday, it may become available on a real DVD. Amazon, mercifully, refunded my money when I returned the item. May 16, 2008

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