Watch The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: The Hound of the Baskervilles, Part 1 For Free

Absolutely Fantastic

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

If you come upon these rare old Soviet Sherlock Holmes variations I would advise you to jump on them quick, you'll see the best of any variation or story that's ever been done.All that being said, that in know way takes away from what Jeremy Brett or Basil Rathbone accomplished. Each actors interpretation is different than another's but if you want a version that is true to the story, then this is the one...hands down.Seeing these old Soviet versions are a real treat. You would think that they would try and sneak some anti-capitalist or pro Soviet type of propaganda in this but as far as I can tell, this is straight from the story itself and just pretty darn entertaining. With these bare bones versions of the Sherlock tales you'll get a setting they want you to believe is in London circa the time they were told but you can plainly see that the backdrop is Soviet with the architecture and style. Even with this, it's very charming the Soviets take on the Sherlock series.I can't tell anyone enough how good this series is. They couldn't have picked a better pair to play the title roles. These were parts these two were made for. Make an effort to find these series of TV movies from cold war days and be ready for a real treat from the Iron Curtain. I'll bet cash money you'll love every minute of these hard to find gems.

I don't know exactly how it came to be that The Hound of the Baskervilles would be the most frequently adapted of A.C. Doyle's stories. But it is so, and after Rathbone, Cushing and Peter Cook, and two years before Ian Richardson, it is Vasili Livanov's turn to don the deerskin cap and disappear for one third of the movie.One of the reasons I find it peculiar that The Hound became the most popular filmic Holmes adaptation is that Holmes is absent for a good chunk of the running time. And while it's an engrossing murder mystery on its own, it so happens that in franchises of this sort people generally come to see the hero being a hero. And one of the flaws of this Russian adaptation is that, unlike Nigel Bruce, Vitali Solomin doesn't have the charismatic presence and weight to carry the movie while Livanov is away.Still, like its predecessors, this sixth entry in the Soviet Sherlock Holmes saga with Vasili Livanov in the titular role, is every bit as stylish, entertaining and endlessly watchable. Exchanging the baroque opulence of London for the rural atmosphere of Devonshire and benefitting from the natural beauty of real locations, The Hound builds and sustains its mystery and suspense even though the novelty of the story has been worn out by now.Excluding the natural flaw of a Sherlock Holmes movie with not enough Sherlock Holmes, the movie has been wisely split up in two parts making the 2.5 hour duration a manageable task. The murder mystery of a demonic hound terrorizing the last heir of the Baskerville family is great and from a technical perspective the movie, even though made for TV, has a lavish cinematic feel.Definitely among the handful best adaptations of The Hound of the Baskervilles.

The movie, as well as others of this series, proves that if you got a talent, you can shoot even if you are somewhat short on means. To shoot this movie, the crew, of course, could not go to some British location, and its London portion was shot in the ancient quarter of Riga. But more than anything, marvelous play of V. Livanov and Co. made it possible to express the spirit of this novel by Arthur Conan Doyle as well as the atmosphere of the 19th century England (which, on the whole, was not the case when the Soviet movie-makers had to deal with American settings.) Unforgettable irony of almost omniscient Sherlock Holmes, Watson's ignorance, bordering on stupidity, charming sagacity of Mrs. Hudson, thick-witted inspector Lestrade - that's how the movie about Sherlock Holmes should look like.

Outstanding performance of the famous group of actors makes you love this movie from the first sight. Seeing it once does not satisfy.No doubt, Vasili Livanov is the best as Sherlock Holmes. I could not imagine any actor who could play this role as beatiful as he did. His especial tones in the voice make him incredible and unforgetable as the greatest consulting detective of all times.Greatest part of the glory goes to Vitaly Solomin, who has played John Watson - great actor, great scene of "drunk baronet, Watson and Barrymore"Of course, Nikita Mikhalkov. This actor and director is known now for many movies he participated in.Then, we saw him still young and already known, but not so famous as he is now. He makes this movie as amusing, as he can. Maybe this feature and all the twists and turns as he plays them as Henry Baskerville make this movie so different from those of other countries' ones. His performance makes you applauding him for this And of course Barrymore as played by Aleksandr Adabashyan will be remembered in years. His announcements in the process of the movie and calm servants' character, which sometimes grows into overwhelming care for the young baronet adds to this movie another aspect, as a result of which, we, too, starting to worry about Sir Henry not less than Barrymore himself.Many other actors also played their part in this movie on their best side. Oleg Yankovsky as Stapleton, Alla Demidova as Laura Lions, Yevgeni Steblov as Doctor Mortimer and many others. We have to thank them all, otherwise this movie would not ever been what we are used to see today. In two words, in this movie, we got the best of Soviet cinematograph and its actors.All the glory I think should go to the director of these series of movies of Sherlock Holmes adventures, Igor Maslennikov.I have seen "Hound of Baskervilles" many times, as well, I also saw movies that were made by Americans and English. Of course, it is only my subjective opinion, but the russian movie is the best of them all. If you did not see it, then it is a must for you to do it now.Even at those, distant times of 20 years ago, when the movie was done, no computerized special effects, or whatever else, was available, this movie involves you deeply into the dark and brilliant story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who brings you into the age, where there were no electricity, cinema or planes. This was the age of Victorian England, the age of the British Empire, the age of Sherlock Holmes.