Sherlock Holmes - Pursuit To Algiers DVD > Reviews > Shame he came back…

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Indifferent to it
Story	Very ordinary
Characters / Performances	Satisfactory
Special Effects	Standard
How does it compare to similar films?	Unmemorable

Advantages:	Erm…
Disadvantages:	Not very exciting storyline, much over - acting

Recommend to potential buyers:

no

Full review

Introduction
I love Sherlock Holmes - I was brought up by my father reading Conan Doyle to me - and still enjoy the stories as an adult. It is a hard role to portray successfully on TV, but some actors have done it, particularly Jeremy Brett, whom I adore as Holmes, and Basil Rathbone. Rathbone starred in 14 films as Sherlock Holmes and was particularly good in The Hound of the Baskervilles; unfortunately the directors/screen-writers saw fit to by-pass Conan Doyle's fabulous work and made up their own scripts, often far-removed from the original stories. One up-rooted Sherlock Holmes and Watson from the late 19th century to the middle of the Second World War - something that can only be partially explained by the fact that it is a propaganda film with the aim of rousing the British public to victory. This particular film is again based on a non-Conan Doyle story.

The director
William Neill was born in a ship off the coast of Ireland in 1887. He directed a number of Sherlock Holmes films starring Basil Rathbone, few of which were even remotely based on Conan Dolyle's original work.

The plot
Holmes and Watson are about to go on holiday to Scotland when Holmes is asked to accompany a sovereign prince to safety overseas. Watson is upset that their holiday plans have to be cancelled, particularly because Holmes has been ill and needs time to rest. Holmes suggests that Watson goes by transatlantic liner to Algiers and Holmes will meet him there when his business is done so that they can take a holiday together. In addition, just before leaving London, a major jewel robbery takes place.

While on the ship, Watson is horrified to hear that the plane used to fly Holmes and his majestic companion has crashed in the sea. He really ought to know better by now. No sooner has he read the news than he turns around and there Holmes is along with the prince, whom is thereafter referred to as Nicholas, the nephew of Dr Watson. But there are various people on board who wish to capture Nicholas and the more they are thwarted by Sherlock Holmes, the more they want to get rid of him. Another mystery surrounds a young lady on board who is terrified of Sherlock Holmes; yet they have never met before.

The characters
I feel bad criticising Basil Rathbone as Holmes, when I think that the fault for the poor quality of this film is largely down to the director and the screen-writer. Yet this is without a doubt the worst acting that I have seen from Basil Rathbone. Something simply didn't ring true about his portrayal of Holmes; he was almost made into a superhero - far more so than usual. He has definitely played Holmes more realistically in other films.

Nigel Bruce as Dr Watson in this film is much on a par with other films in the series. Fond as I am of Nigel Bruce, he exaggerates Watson's inability to see things in the way that Holmes does - to the extent that he comes over as being two bricks short of a pile. Seeing it once or twice is fine; but I'm now bored of this role and would prefer that he played it closer to Conan Doyle's specifications.

Conclusion
I'm quite a fan of Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes, but even I struggled to keep my interest alive throughout this film (and it is only an hour). The plot was transparent from the beginning and I find it hard to understand why someone would go to the trouble to think this up when there are so many excellent Conan Doyle stories to choose from, I just don't know. If you're a person who likes to see all the films in a series, then watch this, but don't expect anything thrilling. If you just like to see good films, then give this one a miss, there are much better Holmes films starring Basil Rathbone, particularly The Hound of the Baskervilles and Dressed to Kill. Not recommended.

Should you still want to get hold of a copy of the film, it is available from Amazon for £15.99 on DVD and £12.99 on video. Not worth it.