SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE DEADLY NECKLACE (1962)
aka Sherlock Holmes und das Halsband des Todes
Article 4382 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 12-2-2013
Directed by Terence Fisher
Featuring Christopher Lee, Thorley Walters, Hans Sohnker
Country: France / Italy / West Germany
What it is: Sherlock Holmes movie

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson try to prevent the theft of a priceless Cleopatra necklace by Professor Moriarty.

There’s some real points of interest to this movie. It gives us something of an opportunity to see how Christopher Lee would fare in the role of the world’s most famous detective. It also gives us a taste of how Sherlock Holmes would fit it into the world of the krimi. It also gave Terence Fisher another shot at a Sherlock Holmes movie after his take on THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES. However, there are some strikes against it. For one thing, it looks like it was very cheaply made. Secondly, the English dubbing was done without the help of the original members of the cast, so we often see very familiar actors with very unfamiliar voices; I did get used to the substitute voice for Lee, but I could never adjust to the voice used for Leon Askin. I actually found the story rather fun in its way; there are plot elements that capture the sense of a Sherlock Holmes story, even if the music seems jarringly out of place. I suspect the movie was intended to be part of a series, as the ending leaves one unresolved conflict, but I suspect the movie didn’t succeed well enough to justify carrying it on. And then, there’s the question of the fantastic content; there is none to be found, and I suspect that this movie was another addition to the Lentz book I’m currently using as my guide that was made without careful consideration. Some people hate this movie, but I found it to be satisfying enough on certain levels.