My Latest Lobby for Blu-ray Release: Hammer's 1959 HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (1 Viewer)

I saw this during its theatrical release when 9 years old, and found it chilling and utterly memorable. The spider on Sir Henry's shoulder, the flashback to the "wench" fleeing in the night as Sir Henry's ancestor pursues her, stabs her, and then hears that frightening bay, coming closer...closer..., Watson, candle in hand, looking out into the night from the second floor of the Baskerville mansion as a distant howling wafts across the moors, Stapleton sinking in the quicksand, etc. The hound itself did not have quite the thrill factor for me as did these sequences, but the cumulative effect on me had been totally intoxicating. It was my first theater experience with a Hammer Film (I caught THE MUMMY a few months later at the Bedford Playhouse on a double bill with THE BAT... what a great year for Hammer!). I wanted to come back to see HOUND again and again at the Pleasantville, NY Rome Theater, but in those days it was not possible to, as my parents did not believe in driving me to see a movie I'd just been to. Too far to ride my bike to!Recently I re-watched the extant MGM DVD, and it's not even anamorphic. PQ is only mediocre, and the colors dull. The UK has it available also, and I bought it, because a handful of U.S. non-anamorphic titles from MGM were available 16x9 over there, and I had my fingers crossed. No such luck - same letterbox transfer. Now that the UK and US are beginning to release great-looking Blu-rays of Hammer Films, I would urge MGM/FOX (who almost certainly won't release this themselves, silly they!) to offer this as a licensed title to Twilight Time or someone else. Soon, this film is going to become a major gap in the missing-in-action Hammer Blu's. They wouldn't want to be responsible for that, would they? (insert chuckle here).

The MGM HD broadcast is gorgeous. One of the better looking HD Hammers I've seen. I'd expect it from the UK before anywhere else.

I got a reply from Nick Redman at Twilight Time, to whom I proposed this title, and here was his response:

"...as to HOB it is on a very long list of titles we are negotiating with MGM/UA over, but we have no deal for it as yet…"

My suggestion to any Hammer/Holmes/Cushing-Lee fans is to drop a line to TT and to MGM/Fox to encourage this release. Also post your support in this thread, as TT reads these things. Numbers count.

I certainly hope TT doesn't get it. My preference is Arrow in the UK, and anyone else in the US. Maybe Criterion?

bgart13 said:

I certainly hope TT doesn't get it. My preference is Arrow in the UK, and anyone else in the US. Maybe Criterion?

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I don't care who gets it, as long as the transfer is decent. Criterion is an unlikely source. They have never released a Hammer title, and it isn't within their typical purview. I think you and I posted simultaneously -- read the reply I got from Nick Redman at TT. I would have no problem with (and would be delighted by) a TT release with isolated score by James Bernard.

I agree Criterion is unlikely. But they're hard to read. I don't really get how they pick and choose their titles.I was initially a supporter of TT, but am not anymore. I haven't witnessed anything special enough from them to validate their prices, really. But I don't want to drag that conversation that's been beaten dead to this thread.I'll post some caps from the MGM HD version when I get to my office.

bgart13 said:

I certainly hope TT doesn't get it. My preference is Arrow in the UK, and anyone else in the US. Maybe Criterion?

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An Arrow release of this in the UK is unlikely. We can hope for it, but MGM/Fox controls this title worldwide, and they have only a couple of licensing arrangements going right now. Arrow is not among them.

Actually, Arrow has been working with MGM lately.

bgart13 said:

Actually, Arrow has been working with MGM lately.

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I was not aware of this. Hopefully, it will be a fruitful collaboration.

I certainly do love the film; one of my favorite Sherlock Holmes titles that doesn't star Basil Rathbone. I watch the non-anamorphic MGM DVD several times a year just to get my fix.

Criterion has released some MGM/UA items. Weirder things have happened.

I would for sure be interested in a blu-ray of this film as I do not have MGM HD. I've been very happy with TT and their product so I would not mind if they indeed got the film. I just want it to get released

I love this film, Sherlock Holmes done as a Hammer horror film with really vibrant colours. I first saw it at the cinema in the mid-sixties, a beaten up print, but what great colour. I love Peter Cushing as Sherlock Holmes, with his double takes he's just short of going over the top, but it works a treat. Yes, a great looking Blu-ray, please.

Apologies for the delay. My day sort of went the hell at work...

It does look beautiful. I hope we get it on Blu-ray at some point.

Thanks for the grabs.

Personally, I favor this against the '39 version. More atmosphere. And Andre Morrell instead of Nigel Bruce as Watson! (although, to be fair, Bruce was less obnoxious in this movie than in future films of the series).

Jeremy Brett & Edward Hardwicke's wonderful version of this is available as part of the Grenada TV collection blu-rays(region-free!!!) in Spain...just ordered the entire set from Amazon's Spanish website and expect to have it by New Year's Eve. The Peter Cushing version strikes me as equally essential, however!!!

lukejosephchung said:

Jeremy Brett & Edward Hardwicke's wonderful version of this is available as part of the Grenada TV collection blu-rays(region-free!!!) in Spain...just ordered the entire set from Amazon's Spanish website and expect to have it by New Year's Eve. The Peter Cushing version strikes me as equally essential, however!!!

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I think Brett is the best Holmes and Hardwick the best Watson ever, but, ironically, I also feel the Granada version of HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES is the weakest of all adaptations, barring the Dudley Moore disaster.

Dick said:

I think Brett is the best Holmes and Hardwick the best Watson ever, but, ironically, I also feel the Granada version of HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES is the weakest of all adaptations, barring the Dudley Moore disaster.

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The Brett Hound was indeed a disappointment. That was right at the time when Brett was in a severe depression and his health had begun to suffer. It showed in his dreary performance. A pity because they had done such a good version of The Sign of Four.I'd love to see the Hammer Hound in HD, but still prefer the Rathbone film. It has the best dog of all versions, and includes the scene where Mortimer and Sir Henry are shadowed by the killer and Holmes and Watson in London (replaced by the spider scene in the Hammer version). The Hammer dog looked ridiculous IMO standing there in its mask.

For some reason I think it will come from Shout.

ahollis said:

For some reason I think it will come from Shout.

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You could be right, Allen. Shout seems to have a healthy relationship with MGM, although so far pretty much all AIP titles rather than UA titles (damn all this library ownership confusion!).