dglink
Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce team up for the fourth time as Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson for Universal Studios's second entry in their 1940's Holmes series, "Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon." Based on a story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, "The Dancing Men," the plot revolves around a scientist, Dr. Franz Tobel, who is secretly brought to London from Switzerland by Holmes; Tobel has invented a bomb-sight that will provide a strategic military advantage to the side that possesses it. Wisely, the propaganda has been tempered significantly from the previous film in the series, although the Nazis remain the enemy and Holmes makes a short patriotic speech that brings the film to a satisfying close.Rathbone hit his stride as Holmes with this film; his performance is strong, and he evidently relishes the opportunities offered by the script to demonstrate Holmes as a master of disguise. Bruce embodies Watson, the amusing side kick, although herein he provides enough valuable support to show that he is not a bumbling fool. Lionel Atwill returns from "The Hound of the Baskervilles" to reprise his role as Moriarty; enlisted to aid the Nazis in retrieving the bomb-sight, the dastardly professor is a fine match for Holmes. The interplay between the two is particularly amusing when Holmes taunts Moriarty about his mundane methods to murder him; showing contempt for the professor's plan to use a gun, Holmes details his own ingenious method, which Moriarity obligingly utilizes. Dennis Hoey makes the first of several appearances in the series as Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard; his amusing take complements Watson, and Lestrade becomes a welcome third party to the famous pair. Mary Gordon also returns with her fourth appearance of many as Mrs. Hudson, Holmes's understanding housekeeper at 221B Baker Street.The lustrous black-and-white cinematography by Lester White is a major asset and often uses deep dramatic shadows, especially in the exterior studio-lot shots, and occasionally hints at an expressionist bent. Director Roy William Neill keeps the pace of "Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon" moving, and the plot is suitably challenging for the skills of Holmes. After a shaky start to the Universal Holmes series, the second outing is decidedly first rate. Rathbone is at his best in his iconic role; the superfluous propaganda has been ratcheted down; Holmes's nemesis, Moriarty, is a formidable opponent; and the movie is solid entertainment.
lugonian
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE SECRET WEAPON (Universal, 1942), directed by Roy William Neil, the second in the newly formatted series by the studio, makes this the fourth in the series to star Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce in their now legendary screen roles. Based on Arthur Conan Doyle's story, "The Dancing Men," the film is far from being one about an all male chorus being murdered one by one in some music hall, but a series of drawn figures on a piece of paper believed to be some sort of clue for Sherlock Holmes to figure out in his latest caper. Aside from Neil's initial assignment as its series director, SECRET WEAPON also introduces Dennis Hoey as Inspector Lestrade and the return of Holmes' arch rival, Professor Moriarty, in the figure of Lionel Atwill (minus his mustache), a role previously enacted to perfection and nearly stolen by George Zucco in the gas lit London 1890s setting edition of THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (20th-Fox, 1939).For Sherlock Holmes latest adventure some fifty years later, SECRET WEAPON opens in Switzerland where Holmes (Basil Rathbone), the master of disguises and deductive reasoning, is seen as an white haired old man entering a pub coming to the table to interest Braum (Robert O. Davis) and Jacob Mueller (Paul Fix), on some old books he wants to sell, while, in actuality, is posing as a Nazi spy pretending to expose information on a Doctor Franz Tobel (William Post Jr.), a scientist who's secretly engineered a new bomb sight. Because his life is in constant danger, Holmes, secretly hired to protect Tobel, arranges for decoys to be followed by members of the Gestapo while he and the doctor drive down the road to an airplane bound for London awaiting them. Now a house guest and under close watch by both Holmes and his associate, Doctor Watson (Nigel Bruce) at his 221-B Baker Street apartment, Tobel manages to sneak away during the midnight hours to visit with his fiancée, Charlotte Eberly (Kaaren Verne), at her residence. Unknownst to him, Tobel's being followed by a mysterious figure. Suspecting something's going happen to him before his demonstration is to be met with Sir Reginald Bailey (Holmes Herbert), Tobel entrusts a sealed enveloped containing an alphabet substitution code of dancing men to Charlotte to give to Holmes, which she does, following his sudden disappearance. After Holmes opens the envelope, he finds Tobel's code gone and replaced with a message reading, "We meet again, Mr. Holmes!" which means only one thing, that Tobel was abducted, or possibly killed, by England's most sinister mastermind, Professor Moriarty (Lionel Atwill). Holmes, Watson and Inspector Lestrade (Dennis Hoey) race against time preventing the "secret weapon" from reaching the Nazis, or worse, Moriarty, as he attempts to figure out Tobel's "dancing men" message code.Others appearing in the cast include Philip Van Zandt (Kurt); Henry Victor (Frederick Hoffner); Michael Marke (George); Harry Cording (Jack Brady, one of Moriarty's men); and of course, Mary Gordon as Mrs. Hudson, Holmes' landlady.An slight improvement over its previous installment, SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE VOICE OF TERROR, with the writers resuming its London blitz World War II setting once again as its basic theme source, once again borrowing portions from Conan Doyle's original story. Unlike THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES where Moriarty was the central secondary character, SECRET WEAPON gives Moriarty a chance to shine (and rise from the dead) 38 minutes into the story, thus, holding his own, and Holmes as well, once together again, face-to-face, eye to eye, for some very tense moments. Under Moriarty's orders to his associates, Holmes falls victim to some death facing death experiences. Two that come to mind: Holmes bound and gagged inside a sea chest to be thrown from a carrier ship to the bottom of the ocean; Holmes strapped helplessly on an operating table to have his blood drained slowly from his body. Rathbone and Atwill, having worked together in earlier film projects as SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (Universal, 1939), and THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (20th-Fox, 1939), that latter that introduced Rathbone to Sherlock Holmes, make a fine pair, but nothing compared to Rathbone's screen partnership with Nigel Bruce. They're definitely one of a kind.Along with other movie detectives from that period, Charlie Chan being amongst them, this latest addition of "Sherlock Holmes" is standardly good 68 minutes material. The Rathbone-Bruce Universal editions would achieve greater popularity in later years when sold to television as part of its "Sherlock Holmes Theater" package. By the 1980s, SECRET WEAPON, along with few others in the series, have fallen to public domain (minus the Universal opening and closing logo), and placed on video cassette in the 1980s through various distributors. SECRET WEAPON was also broadcast on numerous public broadcast stations and cable channels (sometimes in colorized format), and sometime later on Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: March 8, 2004) and RetroPlex. Currently available on DVD in clearer prints, this and other Holmes and Watson mysteries continue to have an impact with each new generation awaiting what's in store from this and their next assignment of SHERLOCK HOLMES IN WASHINGTON (1943) (**1/2)
mark.waltz
When the Nazis set their sites on getting the formula for battle from the allies, they turn to nasty Professor Moriarty (Lionel Atwill) to get it for them. The traitor goes on a murder spree, and it is up to Holmes and Watson to stop him. William Post Jr. plays the scientist who ends up in Moriarty's clutches, while the lovely Kaaren Verne ("All Through the Night", "King's Row") has a minor part as his lady love who may or may not be on the Nazi's side. Atwill makes a great villain in any form, and Moriarty is one of his best. However, there is no fooling Sherlock Holmes, and Basil Rathbone (no stranger to villainy himself) is as always convincing, even fooling Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce). Mary Gordon is, as usual, a delight as Mrs. Hudson, the kind-hearted Scottish landlady.
