Sherlock Holmes Faces Death
| Sherlock Holmes Faces Death | |
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1943 US Theatrical Poster
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| Directed by | Roy William Neill |
| Produced by | Roy William Neill |
| Written by | Bertram Millhauser |
| Based on | "The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle |
| Starring |
Basil Rathbone Nigel Bruce |
| Music by | H. J. Salter |
| Cinematography | Charles Van Enger |
| Edited by | Fred R. Feitshans Jr. |
| Distributed by | Universal Studios |
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Release date
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Running time
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68 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Sherlock Holmes Faces Death is the sixth film in the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce series of Sherlock Holmes films. Made in 1943, it is a loose adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Holmes story "The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual." Its three immediate predecessors in the film series were World War II spy adventures with Holmes and Watson as characters, but this one marks a return to the pure mystery form. Though several characters are military men and there are frequent mentions of the war, it is not the focus of the story.
Dr. Watson is serving as resident doctor at Musgrave Hall in Northumberland, a stately home which is also used as a hospital for a number of servicemen suffering from shell shock.
When Sally Musgrave displays her feelings for one of the wounded American fighter pilots, Captain Pat Vickery, who is currently recovering at the family estate, her brothers Geoffrey and Phillip are quick to show their dismay.
Then one of the physicians working at the estate, Dr. Sexton, is assaulted by an unknown assailant when out on a walk. Dr. John Watson, who is in charge of the medical facility, goes to fetch his dear friend Sherlock Holmes to bring some clarity to the case of the attack.
Upon his arrival to the estate, Sherlock Holmes discovers the dead body of one of the brothers, Geoffrey. Inspector Lestrade of the Scotland Yard is put on the case to solve the murder, and immediately arrests the captain as a suspect.
Holmes is of another opinion about the flyer's guilt and continues to investigate on his own. Phillip is formally made the new head of the estate the next day with the aid of his sister. But after only one day of ruling the estate, Phillip too is found murdered, lying in the trunk of the car.
Lestrade suspects the family butler, Alfred Brunton, to be the murderer because Phillip had just fired the butler. Trying to arrest the butler, Lestrade gets lost in the manor's secret passageways. Meanwhile Holmes and Watson look into the special "Musgrave Ritual" that the family uses to appoint the new head of the family. They find the words used in the ritual hidden in Sally's room, and try to copy the ritual, which involves replaying a giant chess game on the checkered floor of the house main hall. As pieces in the game they use the household staff.
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Wikipedia