The Woman in Green *** (1945, Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Hillary Brooke, Henry Daniell, Paul Cavanagh, Matthew Boulton) – Classic Movie Review 984

The spirited 1945 Sherlock Holmes mystery film The Woman in Green is a screen original story by Bertram Millhauser. Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce again show real class as Holmes and Dr Watson. Henry Daniell is splendidly creepy as Moriarty.

Though using some material from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s short stories The Final Problem (dialogue) and The Empty House (a sniper fires at Holmes’s silhouette), director Roy William Neill’s commendably spirited 1945 Sherlock Holmes mystery film The Woman in Green is not based on a Conan Doyle yarn and is in fact an original screen story by screenwriter Bertram Millhauser.

The sturdy, respectful story involves the great detective helping Scotland Yard to investigate a case involving blackmail, hypnosis, young London women found dead with a missing finger and the evil genius Professor Moriarty.

In the 11^th of the 14-film series, the Basil Rathbone – Nigel Bruce team as Holmes and Dr Watson once again shows it has real class, evil nemesis Professor Moriarty is played (for the only time) by a splendidly creepy Henry Daniell, and the title role offers Hillary Brooke the chance for one of her finest performances.

The 20th Century Fox studio made the first two features, The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939), The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939), and then Universal Pictures started the modern-day set series of 12.

Daniell previously appeared as William Easter in Sherlock Holmes in Washington  1943), and as an ally of Holmes, Anthony Lloyd, in Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942). Moriarty had been killed by Holmes in two previous episodes! It is Brooke’s third of three different roles in the series after Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942) and Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943).

Dennis Hoey’s recurring character Inspector Lestrade is replaced with Matthew Boulton’s Inspector Gregson.

The original black and white movie is now fully restored and the film is also available in a computer-colourised version. It is one of four films in the series in the public domain.

The cast are Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes, Nigel Bruce as Doctor Watson, Hillary Brooke as Lydia Marlowe, Henry Daniell as Professor Moriarty, Paul Cavanagh as Sir George Fenwick, Matthew Boulton as Inspector Gregson, Eve Amber as Maude Fenwick, Frederick Worlock as Doctor Onslow, Tom Bryson as Corporal Williams, Sally Shepherd as Marlowe’s maid Crandon,  Mary Gordon as Mrs Hudson, Percival Vivian as Dr Simnell, Fred Aldrich as Detective, Leslie Denison as Vincent, and Olaf Hytten as Norris.

The Woman in Green is directed by Roy William Neill, runs 68 minutes, is made by Universal Pictures, is distributed by Universal Pictures, is written by Bertram Millhauser, based on characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is shot in black and white by Virgil Miller, is produced by Roy William Neill, and is scored by Mark Levant.

Release date: 27 July 1945 (US).

It follows The House of Fear (1945) and precedes Pursuit to Algiers (1945)

The films of Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Doctor Watson: The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939), The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939), Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942), Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942), Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943), Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943), The Spider Woman (1943), The Scarlet Claw (1944), The Pearl of Death (1944), The House of Fear (1945), The Woman in Green (1945), Pursuit to Algiers (1945), Terror by Night (1946), and Dressed to Kill (1946).

Bertram Millhauser (March 25, 1892 – December 1, 1958) wrote for more than 60 films between 1911 and 1960, including Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943), Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943), The Spider Woman (1943), The Pearl of Death (1944) and The Woman in Green (1945).

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 984 derekwinnert.com