The Hound of the Baskervilles

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antnield
Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2005 1:59 pm
Location: Cheltenham, England

The Hound of the Baskervilles

#1 Post by antnield » Fri Mar 06, 2015 3:07 pm

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SHERLOCK HOLMES’ MOST TERRIFYING ADVENTURE!

Sherlock Holmes is the most filmed character of all time – but it is arguably this 1959 re-telling of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic tale The Hound of the Baskervilles, from legendary horror studio Hammer and starring genre stalwarts Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, which stands as the super sleuth’s finest cinematic hour.

Rising up out of the swirling mists of Dartmoor, Baskerville Hall stands tall and gloomy. Its occupant, Charles Baskerville, has been found dead in mysterious circumstances. Could Sir Charles have been the victim of the so-called “Baskerville Curse”, which tells of a deadly beast that stalks the surrounding countryside? Unperturbed by the legend, next-in-line Sir Henry Baskerville (a rare leading man performance from Lee) sets out to Dartmoor to assume inheritance of the family estate, under the auspices of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes and right-hand man Dr. Watson (Andre Morell).

Imbued with an atmosphere as thick as fog, The Hound of the Baskervilles is a superlative gothic yarn which benefits from game performances from Cushing, Lee and Morell, as well as the expert direction of Terence Fisher, known for helming many of Hammer’s most celebrated efforts including The Curse of Frankenstein, Dracula and The Devil Rides Out.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:

- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) feature presentation
- Original Mono audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- New audio Commentary with Hammer experts Marcus Hearn and Jonathan Rigby
- Brand new interview with hound mask creator Margaret Robinson
- Brand new interview with assistant director Hugh Harlow
- Andre Morell: Best of British – A featurette looking at the late great actor Andre Morell and his work with Hammer
- The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes – a 1986 documentary looking at the many incarnations of Conan Doyle’s celebrated character, narrated and presented by Christopher Lee
- Actor’s Notebook: Christopher Lee – an archive interview in the which the actor recalls his experiences of making The Hound of the Baskervilles
- The Hounds of the Baskervilles – Excerpts read by Christopher Lee
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Paul Shipper
- Collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Hammer archivist Robert J.E. Simpson, illustrated with original archive stills and posters

Release date: June 1st.

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manicsounds
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 10:58 pm
Location: Tokyo, Japan

Re: The Hound of the Baskervilles

#2 Post by manicsounds » Mon Jun 01, 2015 11:19 am


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tenia
Ask Me About My Bassoon
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 11:13 am

Re: The Hound of the Baskervilles

#3 Post by tenia » Mon Jun 01, 2015 12:15 pm

I screened this a couple of days ago (but stopped about 30 minutes in because both myself and my girlfriend started to sleep through it).

It looks like a newer scan from MGM, which is surprising considering their history of licencing mainly pre-existing masters sourced from IP. In terms of overall look, it thus looks quite fresh. However, it is marred with many many specks and dust, which makes it look as if very little cleaning has been performed. It's quite unfortunate, because otherwise, it would have been a very good effort.

The sound fares a bit less, mainly because it sounds quite tiny and dated. Not the worst track I've heard, for sure, but it really shows its age instantly.

Orlac
Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2009 4:29 am

Re: The Hound of the Baskervilles

#4 Post by Orlac » Mon Jun 29, 2015 3:40 am

The Blu.Ray.com review is so far from my own experience, I wonder why I listen to reviews at all.

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tenia
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Re: The Hound of the Baskervilles

#5 Post by tenia » Mon Jun 29, 2015 5:50 am

Orlac wrote:The Blu.Ray.com review is so far from my own experience, I wonder why I listen to reviews at all.
The PQ note looks harsh, but having had a look again at the disc, it doesn't look so fresh to me anymore (which is why I usually always do 2 passes - one on my Plasma and one on my computer - to be sure of what I write).

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