The Hound of the Baskervilles (1983 film)

In 1982, American producer Sy Weintraub partnered with English producer Otto Plaschkes to make six television films of Sherlock Holmes stories.[2] Charles Edward Pogue was enlisted to pen the screenplays[2] but only The Sign of the Four and The Hound of the Baskervilles were ultimately filmed before Granada Television's Sherlock Holmes series premiered in 1984.[2] A proposed third film, Hands of a Murderer (originally entitled The Prince of Crime[1]) was eventually made with Edward Woodward as Sherlock Holmes and John Hillerman as Dr. John H. Watson.[1]

In an interview with Scarlet Street, Ian Richardson explained:

"That was the fly in our ointment. Initially, an unseen fly. You see, when Sy Weintraub was planning the films, he was unaware that the copyright on the Holmes stories was about to expire in England and he had to go through a great deal of legal negotiations with the Conan Doyle estate in order to gain permission to use them. However, he was totally ignorant of Granada's plans to film a series with Jeremy Brett...Weintraub was furious, because he'd paid a lot of money to get permission from the estate and here was Granada saying, 'Thank you - but we're going to do it.' So Weintraub took them to court. He had a very good case, apparently; but eventually there was an out of court settlement for an extraordinary sum of money - something like two million pounds - which was enough for Weintraub to cover his costs on both The Sign of Four and The Hound of the Baskervilles, and make a profit, too. And so he wrapped the project up."[2]

Denholm Elliot was cast as Dr. Mortimer having previously portrayed Stapleton in the comedy spoof version of the Hound starring Dudley Moore and Peter Cook.[1] He also appeared with "Hound" co-star Connie Booth in the spoof The Strange Case of the End of Civilization as We Know It.[1] Booth herself would later appear in 1987s The Return of Sherlock Holmes.[1]

A large part of Martin Shaw's American accent was dubbed by another actor in post-production.

• Ian Richardson as Sherlock Holmes
• Donald Churchill as Dr. John H. Watson
• Martin Shaw as Sir Henry Baskerville
• Nicholas Clay as Jack Stapleton/Sir Hugo Baskerville
• Glynis Barber as Beryl Stapleton
• Brian Blessed as Geoffrey Lyons
• Eleanor Bron as Mrs. Barrymore
• Edward Judd as Barrymore
• Connie Booth as Laura Lyons
• Denholm Elliott as Dr. Mortimer
• Ronald Lacey as Inspector Lestrade
• David Langton as Sir Charles Baskerville
• Cindy O'Callaghan as Maid
• Francesca Gonshaw as Young Girl in Mire

• Inspector Lestrade is assigned the task of arresting Seldon. Unlike previous versions of the story, he is revealed to be the policeman who arrested Seldon.[1]
• Brian Blessed's character Geoffrey Lyons never appears in the novel.[3] In the film version, Lyons is presented as an imposing suspect who is at one point falsely imprisoned for strangling his wife.[3] Holmes' solution to the case ultimately frees him.[3]
• The film's Geoffrey Lyons performs the feat of bending a fire iron as an intimidation tactic which was originally performed by Dr. Grimesby Roylott in "The Adventure of the Speckled Band".[1]
• Laura Lyons dies in the film, strangled by the murderer to protect his identity. She does not die in the novel.[1]
• Stapleton's demise in the bog is included as a part of the film's climax. He ambushes Holmes, Watson and Beryl outside the Hound's lair, but is chased by Holmes into the moor; he stumbles into the mire and sinks to his doom, despite Holmes' attempts to save him.[1] The novel does not depict Stapleton's demise; he simply disappears on the moor and is assumed to have drowned in the mire.

The scene where Baskerville (Nicholas Clay) rapes the girl (Francesca Gonshaw) was criticised for its graphic nature, especially with the scene intercutting the act with the girl's horse struggling and drowning in the mire.

• The Sign of Four (1983 film)

• The Hound of the Baskervilles at IMDb