Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Seraherrera The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

Alistair Olson After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Brenda The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

l_rawjalaurence Don't expect too much from this SPECKLED BAND. Filmed in 1931, its quality is indifferent, to say the least. The best part about it is to admire Raymond Massey, neat and tidy as Sherlock Holmes. My favorite view of Massey was as bad brother Jonathan in the immortal ARSENIC AND OLD LACE (1944), doing an outrageous imitation of Boris Karloff, so it's intriguing to see him essay a good role here. He's a little stiff and formal, but then the whole film is stiff and formal, with a conventional plot working inexorably towards its solution.

Michael_Elliott The Speckled Band (1931)** 1/2 (out of 4) After the mysterious death of her sister, Helen Stonor (Angela Baddeley) asks Sherlock Holmes (Raymond Massey) and Dr. Watson (Athole Stewart) to investigate her stepfather (Lyn Harding) who at times can have a mean streak and might have a reason for the sisters to be dead.Sir Author Conan Doyle always stated that "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" was his favorite Holmes story and it's easy to see why, although it's pretty hard to judge this film. I say that because it was originally at least 66-minutes and possibly 90-minutes but the only thing that survives is a print running 49-minutes. Obviously that's a lot of footage to be missing and it's clear as you watch the film because there are some rough edits at times. With so much footage missing it's hard to fully judge the movie but there's still a fairly complete story here to follow.I think one of the most interesting aspects was the casting of Massey as Holmes. The actor was still very much unknown when he took on the role but would eventually gain fame playing Abraham Lincoln. In this film, I found him to be a pretty entertaining Holmes and especially with some of the wit and humor that he displayed. He certainly had the look for the character and it's really too bad that he's not on screen more. Stewart, perhaps the only bald Watson, is decent in his role but doesn't stand out too much. Baddeley is charming in her role as the stressed sister but it's Harding who steals the film and not in a good way. His over-dramatic, theatrics like performance is so over-the-top that you can't help but laugh at times. Let's just say he leave to doubt at what type of person the character is.Again, with so much missing it's hard to judge the film. There's a subplot involving gypsies that might have played out more in the longer version and I'm also curious if Holmes had a bigger role. The film was obviously shot on a small budget and it shows at times but there's still a mildly entertaining movie here. Fans of Holmes will certainly want to check it out.

bkoganbing Had I seen the director's cut of The Speckled Band I might have given it a higher rating. But the version I saw was one released in Canada and only ran 50 minutes. Still the basic idea of the famous Sherlock Holmes mystery came through and Raymond Massey was a fine Holmes.A slight change in the plot that Arthur Conan Doyle wrote has Dr. Watson played here by Athole Stewart called in on the inquest on the death of Joyce Moore. That was a mistake because Watson being a doctor and also having served in the Afghan War would have known exactly what the cause of death was and Holmes would never have to be called in.In any event her sister Angela Baddely is fearful for her own life and fearful of a coarse and brutal stepfather Lyn Harding. Harding is also a blusterer and he dares Massey to pin anything on him.Harding also served in India and that's the key to what happened to Moore and almost to Baddely. I would like to have seen the full version of The Speckled Band as it is considered one of Arthur Conan Doyle's best Holmes stories. Still as an introduction to Holmes it's not a bad one and Massey's portrayal stands up well. In fact it was his first real cinema role of note.

MartinHafer Now this is unusual—the excellent character actor, Raymond Massey, as Sherlock Holmes. Unusual because in the 1930s, the British film industry made quite a few very good Holmes films starring Arthur Wontner—and at first I assumed this was yet another Wontner story. Athole Stewart (whoever he is—and I sure hope it's pronounced 'At-Hole') co-stars as Watson.The first thing I noticed when the story began was how beautiful the black and white camera-work was. It had great depth and style—much more than a typical story of the day and very artistically done. The next thing I noticed was that Dr. Watson was bald—probably the only bald Watson ever in film. Now there is nothing wrong with this—it just took me by surprise. Third, and this one bothered me, this Holmes has a fancy modern office with a secretary!!! So, instead of his usual apartment at 221 Baker Street, this is more like a detective agency—complete with an intercom, typewriters and other office equipment. For a Holmes purist like myself, this is all complete heresy!! This final complaint is an odd one, as in other ways this is a very accurate and faithful rendition of one of Conan Doyle's stories. Aside from the modern trappings, the story itself is very close to the original and should make purists quite happy. The only odd thing about Massey's version of Holmes is that, for once, he is rather sarcastic and shows a somewhat dark sense of humor. Overall, not a great film but a reasonably good adaptation that should please fans of the stories.SPOILER ALERT: The 'speckled band' used in the film was not actually a poisonous snake but a constrictor. But, considering how dangerous such a snake could be, I can understand the film makers making the switch! By the way, this film is in the public domain. However, the print I saw was quite choppy in places and the sound has seen better days, so be forewarned.