该片是由Carl Lamac执导的爱情片,于1937年上映，主要讲述了.:　　A most pleasing.ly atmospheric rendition of. the tale, noirishly .photograp.hed and moodily se.t, thi.s is the .version which probably w.ould have delig.hted Cona.n Doyle t.he most. There .is one important p.lot change which e.nables th.e beau.tiful Alice Brandt to en.joy both a larger role and .a more intriguing part in t.he pro.ceedings. This cha.nge also builds up the part.s of Dr Mortimer and .Lord Char.les, yet at the sa.me tim.e provide.s a nice introduction to. the is-he-sini.ster or i.s-he-a-go.od-guy Barrymor.e, deftly played h.ere by Fritz Rasp..　　Despite. the s.ting of its well-develop.ed story, the spellbindingl.y atmospheric direction and. the e.ngrossing performa.nces delivered by the entir.e cast, many fans may. find thi.s version somewhat. disap.pointing.. For at least three reas.ons: As in the .novel, th.e part pl.ayed in the nar.rative by Sherlock. Holmes, though vi.tal, is m.inimal.. And in this version, n.ot only has no attempt been. made to enlarge his role, .if any.thing both writer .and director do their best .to minimize it. Holme.s does no.t even make his en.trance. for half.-an-hour, and when he do.es finally appe.ar, he ha.s his bac.k to the camera.. It is Fritz Odem.ar, as Dr Watson, .who recei.ves th.e more favorable camera .angles. And there is a purp.ose in this. It is Watson, .not Ho.lmes, who figures .as the main protagonist of .The Hound of the Bask.ervilles.. For the bulk of t.he nar.rative, H.olmes disappears. It is .Watson and Lord. Henry (P.eter Voss.) who take up t.he running. The mo.vie is almost over., before .Holmes. closes in on the villai.n. And even so, this is not. the obsessed, self-importa.nt Hol.mes we are accusto.med to see taking charge. A.nother problem is tha.t the tit.le hound itself do.es not. figure a. great deal in the actio.n, a downgradin.g which w.ill undou.btedly rate as .another major disa.ppointment for fan.s. And fi.nally,. it could be argued that. the script gives too much .attention to Conan Doyle.9;s re.d herring, the esc.aped convict, and not enoug.h to the real villain..　　This s.aid, it must surel.y be a.dmitted b.y all, that Odemar's. interpretation. of Watso.n—intelli.gent, charming,. level-headed, cou.rageous and resour.ceful—is .much c.loser to Conan Doyle'.;s conception than either t.he bungling, inveterately s.tupid .Nigel Bruce or the. self-effacing Ian Fleming..　　One other player de.serves sp.ecial mention: Eri.ch Pon.to (Dr Wi.nkel in The Third Man) w.ho seems exactl.y right f.or Staple.ton. A difficul.t part, superbly p.layed.　　- JohnHowa.rdReid, i.mdb