Sat 8 Apr 2023
An Archived Mystery Movie Review: THE SCARLET CLAW (1944)
Posted by Steve under Mystery movies , Reviews[5] Comments
THE SCARLET CLAW. Universal Pictures, 1944. Basil Rathbone (Sherlock Holmes), Nigel Bruce (Doctor Watson). Based on the characters created by Arthur Conan Doyle (and bearing some resemblance to the novel The Hound of the Baskervilles). Directed by Roy William Neill.
Or, Sherlock Holmes in Canada. When the wife of a famous occultist is fund murdered, her throat slashed by some unknown phenomenon, the disbelieving Mr. Holmes takes on the case. Lots of foggy marshes nearby, and all the Canadian village folk wear plaid shirts.
The slasher is of the human variety, of course, just another homicidal paranoiac. His identity is discovered early on – who he’s disguised as, that’s the question. (Not a tough one, No self-respecting mystery fan will miss the hint tossed out halfway through.)
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April 8th, 2023 at 8:21 pm
Why is this labeled a Republic Picture when the logo is Universal, as were all but the first two
Rathbone/Bruce Holmes pictures, they were for Fox.
April 8th, 2023 at 11:29 pm
Barry
Universal it is. My fault all the way! And now corrected…
April 8th, 2023 at 8:22 pm
No question this is the best of the Universal series and a standout B film with Neill’s atmospheric direction providing much of the appeal to this foggy thriller.
I won’t argue WOMAN IN GREEN and SPIDER WOMAN aren’t better plotted, but I give this entry the edge.
Granted some of the mystery and detective elements may be stronger in other entries, but this one is a stand-out for its atmosphere.
April 8th, 2023 at 10:00 pm
For me, stories set in Canada are a bit difficult to get excited over. I do get very excited over the ones I admire.
The Great White North can be a romantic setting but …seems like there’s just not enough material outside of authors like Jack London, Alistair MacLean, Trevanian, and whatnot.
April 9th, 2023 at 8:06 am
My favorite of the Universal series is PEARL OF DEATH, but this comes very close.