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List Price: $14.95 |
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Publisher: FOCUS FILMS
Salesrank: 157460
Released: 2001-02-13
Theatrical-Release: 1946-02-01
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| Our Price: $12.99 |
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Availibility: 1
Costumer Rating:  |
Customer Reviews:
Holmes on a Train 
One of Universal’s better Sherlock Holmes entries, “Terror by Night” (1946) emerges as a compact “B” thriller with some nice twists and an affectionate nod to Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Lady Vanishes.” Clocking in at 60 minutes, director Roy William Neill maintains a brisk pace while paring down the sometimes-obtrusive comic relief. A solid supporting cast complements the enduring chemistry between Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce in this penultimate Universal Holmes release.
“You’re on a job for Scotland Yard, Aren’t you?” 
Ever since I was a kid, I have loved watching Sherlock Holmes movies. They bring back some great memories. Every Sunday, I would sit down in front of the old Sony Television with my dad and we would flip on KHJ-TV channel 9 in Los Angeles and take in the Sherlock Holmes movie of the week. “With Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Doctor Watson.”
Granted, with the exception of maybe one or two of the fourteen movies in the Sherlock Holmes series, they are “B” grade movies. But these are fun movies. They move quickly (a little over an hour), the plot is engaging, the characters legendary, and there is always a good line or two that will make you chuckle. Either on a rainy night, or a hot summer’s night, this Black and White movie is still a classic.
The basic synopsis, Holmes and Watson are asked to guard a famous jewel on a train. Of course, the murderer strikes, the jewel is stolen and the detective, sidekick, and inspector lestrade from Scotland Yard cross-examine suspects. Everyone has an alibi, or do they? You’ll have to watch to find out. Terror by Night was among that last movie in the series which even makes it more endearing.
If you enjoy the movies, you’ll also enjoy their old-time-radio shows, which they did in the 1940s as well. These half hour shows are quite good.
Great Holmes entry and the BEST copy!
First, I want to advise potential purchasers that THIS is the copy of this title that you want. The product information above is NOT correct — this is the high-quality MPI BLACK AND WHITE original version! It’s a nice clear print professionally digitized from 35 mm film and all the others are notably inferior in quality.
Some other reviewers have cut and pasted incorrect information from other sources as well, saying that this one is “colorized,” or color… it’s not, so be aware of this. Also, the copies that you’ll sometimes find at the local dollar store for a buck are worth just about what you pay for them.
As to the story, here we have a black and white Holmes/Watson (Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce) vehicle that is one of the best of the Rathbone/Bruce series. I can watch this film over and over without burning out on it.
Holmes is hired by a nobleman to protect his mother’s, Lady Carstairs’, “Star of Rhodesia” diamond, a valuable gem with a death-curse on it, for the duration of an overnight train excursion from London to Edinburgh. Moriarty is suspected of having already made one attempt to steal it and Holmes is sure that he’ll try again on the train trip. Inspector Lestrade (Dennis Hoey) is also along, officially representing Scotland Yard but dressed in mufti and he’s hot-and-cold on Holmes’ presence. And plenty of swarthy characters, all acting furtively, are present on board the train.
Sure enough, not only is the bauble stolen but murder (more than one!) is committed as well. It’s up to Holmes and Watson to help Inspector Lestrade solve the murders and recover Lady Carstairs’ diamond.
Of all the Rathbone/Bruce series of Sherlock Holmes films, this one has the cleanest plot and the best script. Clearly, it’s justifiably claimed as the big favorite by many Holmes movie purists. It’s certainly one of my top three. The set is outstanding and the camera work is super.
If you don’t happen to get this exact copy of the movie, at least be aware of “colorized” versions — they’re just awful. I like some colorized films okay but the Rathbone/Bruce series did not benefit by this process of adding garish pastels.
I would recommend this fine murder mystery film to anyone who is a fan of black and white movies.
A classic from a long time ago
One of these rare stories in which Sherlock Holmes and Scotland Yard’s Inspector Lestrade do cooperate to arrest a great criminal and solve a diamond robbery, the star of Rodesia. The story itself is not quite creative though the criminal has some imagination. The brain of the robbery makes friend with Dr Watson to come on the crime scene under no suspicion. The accomplice who is going to commit the main killings is brought onto the train in an underneath compartment of a coffin with a real body on top. The killing is performed with some kind of exotic poison carried by a gelatin dart that dissolves in the blood and leaves no traces. The false Scottish inspector and policemen who come to arrest the brain of the story before arriving in Edinburgh. But we practically know the criminal from the very start: that strange friend accompanying Dr Watson, the extra and useless helper. The film has enough humor for us to find it at times funny, for example when the poor Dr Watson is severely humiliated by the suspects he is trying to interrogate, or the fact that a crime is confessed, the stealing of a tea pot in a hotel. The rest is Sherlock Holmesian routine. Just a good old black and white oldie for those who like those films we were making some sixty years ago.
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines
“Terror by Night (1946) … Sherlock Holmes … 20th Century Fox (2005)”
20th Century Fox present “TERROR BY NIGHT” (Released: 1 February 1946/60 mins) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) — now in COLOR and Glorious Black and White — Under Roy William Neill (Director / Producer), Arthur Conan Doyle (Short Story Author), Frank Gruber (Screenwriter), Maury Gertsman (Cinematographer), Mark Levant (Musical Direction/Supervision), Milton Rosen (Musical Direction/Supervision), Hans Salter (Composer (Music Score), Saul A. Goodkind (Editor),Jane Huizenga (Production Designer), John B. Goodman (Art Director), Abraham Grossman (Art Director), Howard Benedict (Executive Producer), Russell A. Gausman (Set Designer), Carl Lawrence (Set Designer), Vera West (Costume Designer), Jack Pierce (Makeup), Melville Shyer (First Assistant Director), David D. Martin (Technical Director) - - - - - - the story line and plot, As fast paced, tightly woven Sherlock Holmes mystery as you will find, Terror by Night tells of a famous jewel being transported from London to Edinburgh with the watchful eye of Sherlock Holmes and befuddled, faithful Watson in tow — Along for the ride are Inspector Lestrade, arch criminal Colonel Sebastian Moran, a cast of eccentric, Victorian type characters including a wonderful professor of mathematics(not Moriarity), and a train that gives off the right mood for murder and intrigue entirely set on an express train and once again revolving on the theft of a very valuable diamond — as Holmes and Dr. Watson are hired to keep an eye on the “Star of Rhodesia”, a most precious jewel that travels from London to Edinburgh, along with its owner — When the person who hired Sherlock Holmes is found murdered in his compartment, our master detective has to come up with some of his most amazing deduction skills — Holmes’ inimitable investigation techniques are as usual over the top, thanks to a couple of effective and innovating elements, avid fans of the Sherlock Holmes series could righteously claim that “Terror by Night”, is one of the best films in the series! — The train setting creates a claustrophobic atmosphere and writer Frank Gruber put a lot of effort in the characterizations of the supportive cast, making all of them look suspicious — Fans of classic cinema, horror and film-noir should all get aboard as we pull out of the station for another classic case of Sherlock Holmes.
the cast includes:
Basil Rathbone - Sherlock Holmes
Nigel Bruce - Dr. John H. Watson
Alan Mowbray - Maj. Duncan-Bleek / Col. Sebastian Moran
Dennis Hoey - Inspector Lestrade
Renee Godfrey - Vivian Vedder
Mary Forbes - Margaret Carstairs
Billy Bevan - Train Attendant
Frederic Worlock - Prof. William Kilbane
Leyland Hodgson - Conductor
Geoffrey Steele - Ronald Carstairs
Boyd Davis - Insp. McDonald
Janet Murdoch - Mrs. Shallcross
Skelton Knaggs - Sands
Harry Cording - Mock Sr.
Gerald Hamer - Mr. Alfred Shallcross
Charles Knight - Guard
Colin Kenny - Constable
BIOS
1. Basil Rathbone (aka: Philip St. John Basil Rathbone)
Date of Birth: 13 June 1892 - Johannesburg, South Africa
Date of Death: 21 July 1967 - New York, New York
2. Nigel Bruce (aka: William Nigel Ernle Bruce)
Date of Birth: 4 February 1895 - Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
Date of Death: 8 October 1953 - Santa Monica, California
3. Roy William Neill (aka: Roland de Gostrie) (Director)
Date of Birth: 4 September 1887, (ship off Ireland)
Date of Death: 14 December 1946 - London, England, UK
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, who first appeared in publication in 1887 — He is the creation of Scottish born author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle — A brilliant London-based detective, Holmes is famous for his intellectual prowess, and is renowned for his skillful use of deductive reasoning and astute observation to solve difficult cases — He is arguably the most famous fictional detective ever created, and is one of the best known and most universally recognisable literary characters in any genre.
Conan Doyle wrote four novels and fifty-six short stories that featured Holmes — All but four stories are narrated by Holmes’ friend and biographer, Dr. John H. Watson, two are narrated by Holmes himself, and two others are written in the third person — The first two stories, short novels, appeared in Beeton’s Christmas Annual for 1887 and Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine in 1890 — The character grew tremendously in popularity with the beginning of the first series of short stories in The Strand Magazine in 1891; further series of short stories and two serialised novels appeared almost right up to Conan Doyle’s death in 1930 — The stories cover a period from around 1878 up to 1903, with a final case in 1914. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Rathbone is most widely recognized for his starring role as Sherlock Holmes in fourteen movies between 1939 and 1946, all of which co-starred Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson — The first two films, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (both 1939) were set in the late-Victorian times of the original stories — Both of these were made by Twentieth Century Fox, later installments, made at Universal Studios, beginning with Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942), were set in contemporary times, and some had World War II-related plots — Rathbone and Bruce also reprised their film roles in a radio series, The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939 - 1946) — (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Legend Films can restore, colorize and release many of the classic earliest black and white films — a patented coloring and remastering process makes each film picture perfect plus more vivd than ever — no one can resist collecting every title that Legend Films releases.
Hats off and thanks to Barry B. Sandrew Ph.D. (Founder, COO & CTO) and his Legend Films Staff — looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage era of the ’20s, ’30s & ’40s — order your copy now from Amazon where there are plenty of copies available on DVD — if you enjoyed this title, why not check out Legend Films where they are experts in releasing long forgotten films and treasures to the collector.
Total Time: 60 mins on DVD ~ 20th Century Fox. ~ (9/06/2005)
