The Hound of the Baskervilles (1983 film)
Encyclopedia
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1983
) is a British television film directed by Douglas Hickox
and starring Ian Richardson
as Sherlock Holmes
and Donald Churchill as Dr. John H. Watson. The movie is based on Arthur Conan Doyle
's The Hound of the Baskervilles
.
partnered with English producer Otto Plaschkes
to make six television films of Sherlock Holmes stories. Charles Edward Pogue
was enlisted to pen the screenplays but only The Sign of the Four
and The Hound of the Baskervilles were ultimately filmed as Granada Television
's Sherlock Holmes series premiered in 1984.
In an interview with Scarlet Street
, Ian Richardson explained:
's character Geoffrey Lyons never appears. In the film version, Lyons is presented as an imposing suspect who is at one point falsely imprisoned for strangling his wife. Holmes' solution to the case ultimately frees him.
1983 in film
-Events:*February 11 - The Rolling Stones concert film Let's Spend the Night Together opens in New York*May 25 - Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, the final film in the original Star Wars trilogy, is released. Like the previous films, it goes on to become the top grossing picture of...
) is a British television film directed by Douglas Hickox
Douglas Hickox
Douglas Hickox was an English film director. Hickox was born in London, where he was educated at Emanuel School. Hickox worked extensively as an assistant director and second unit director throughout the 50's and early 60's, making his first major picture in 1970...
and starring Ian Richardson
Ian Richardson
Ian William Richardson CBE was a Scottish actor best known for his portrayal of the Machiavellian Tory politician Francis Urquhart in the BBC's House of Cards trilogy. He was also a leading Shakespearean stage actor....
as Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
and Donald Churchill as Dr. John H. Watson. The movie is based on Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
's The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third of four crime novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in The Strand Magazine from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set largely on Dartmoor in Devon in England's West Country and tells the story of an...
.
Production
In 1982, American producer Sy WeintraubSy Weintraub
Sy Weintraub was a movie and television producer best known for his series of Tarzan films and television episodes between 1959 and 1968. Weintraub broke with the Johnny Weissmuller formula of portraying Tarzan as a pidgin-speaking noble savage who lives in a treehouse with Jane and Boy...
partnered with English producer Otto Plaschkes
Otto Plaschkes
Otto Plaschkes was a British-Jewish film producer.-Early life:Plaschkes was born in Vienna. His father, a butcher, was from Bratislava and his mother from Budapest...
to make six television films of Sherlock Holmes stories. Charles Edward Pogue
Charles Edward Pogue
Charles Edward Pogue is a film and television writer who has worked in the sci-fi/fantasy, horror, and thriller genres, and he has also scripted several Sherlock Holmes adaptations...
was enlisted to pen the screenplays but only The Sign of the Four
The Sign of Four (1983 film)
The Sign of Four is a British television film directed by Desmond Davis and starring Ian Richardson and David Healy. The movie is based on Arthur Conan Doyle's second Sherlock Holmes story.-Production:...
and The Hound of the Baskervilles were ultimately filmed as Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
's Sherlock Holmes series premiered in 1984.
In an interview with Scarlet Street
Scarlet Street (magazine)
Scarlet Street was an American film magazine that primarily specialized in the genres of horror, mystery and film noir. Its initial concentration was on Sherlock Holmes and related film and television productions, but later its subject matter expanded to include a variety of other genres.The title...
, Ian Richardson explained:
Differences from novel
In the original novel, Brian BlessedBrian Blessed
Brian Blessed is an English actor, known for his sonorous voice and "hearty, king-sized portrayals".-Early life:The son of William Blessed, a socialist miner, and Hilda Wall, Blessed was born in the town of Goldthorpe, West Riding of Yorkshire, England...
's character Geoffrey Lyons never appears. In the film version, Lyons is presented as an imposing suspect who is at one point falsely imprisoned for strangling his wife. Holmes' solution to the case ultimately frees him.
Cast
- Ian RichardsonIan RichardsonIan William Richardson CBE was a Scottish actor best known for his portrayal of the Machiavellian Tory politician Francis Urquhart in the BBC's House of Cards trilogy. He was also a leading Shakespearean stage actor....
as Sherlock HolmesSherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve... - Donald Churchill as Dr. John H. Watson
- Martin ShawMartin ShawMartin Shaw is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in shows such as The Professionals, The Chief, Judge John Deed and Inspector George Gently.-Theatrical background:...
as Sir Henry Baskerville - Nicholas ClayNicholas ClayNicholas Anthony Phillip Clay was an English actor.-Early life:Born in Streatham London, to Bill and Rose Clay, he studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and began his acting career in the early 1970s with small parts in film and television.-Career:Clay also appeared in several West End...
as Jack Stapleton - Glynis BarberGlynis BarberGlynis Barber is a South African actress of Afrikaner descent, born and brought up in South Africa. She was born Glynis van der Riet. When she was five years old, her parents divorced, and she and her mother moved to Johannesburg. She is best known for her portrayal as Sgt...
as Beryl Stapleton - Brian BlessedBrian BlessedBrian Blessed is an English actor, known for his sonorous voice and "hearty, king-sized portrayals".-Early life:The son of William Blessed, a socialist miner, and Hilda Wall, Blessed was born in the town of Goldthorpe, West Riding of Yorkshire, England...
as Geoffrey Lyons - Connie BoothConnie BoothConstance "Connie" Booth is an American-born writer and actress, known for appearances on British television and particularly for her portrayal of Polly Sherman in the popular 1970s television show Fawlty Towers, which she co-wrote with her then-husband John Cleese.-Biography:Booth's father was a...
as Laura Lyons - Denholm ElliottDenholm ElliottDenholm Mitchell Elliott, CBE was an English film, television and theatre actor with over 120 film and television credits...
as Dr. Mortimer - Ronald LaceyRonald LaceyRonald Lacey was an English actor. He made numerous television and film appearances over a 30 year period and is perhaps best remembered for his villainous roles in Hollywood films, most famously Major Arnold Toht in Raiders of the Lost Ark.-Career:Lacey attended Harrow Weald Grammar School and...
as Inspector Lestrade