This would actually be a more fitting title for "Der Mann, der Sherlock Holmes war" or "The Man Who Was Sherlock Holmes" or just "Sherlock Holmes" as this is the man that this 105-minute German black-and-white film from 1937 is about. It will have its 80th anniversary next year and if you know a bit about German political history, you will know immediately that this film was made during the Nazi reign by writer and director Karl Hartl with co-writer Robert Stemmle, an experienced filmmaker himself. I am not familiar with any of the supporting players, but the two lead actors are among the most famous Germany had to offer in the 1930s and also decades after that, namely Hans Albers as Holmes and Heinz Rühmann as Watson. Or I should better say as the men pretending to be this famous detective duo. While they had pretty solid chemistry and I was buying their portrayal of good friendship, I must say that I was not too convinced by this film overall. The script just wasn't good or interesting enough. Then again, it may have hurt my perception a but that I am generally not the biggest Sherlock Holmes fan (especially not of the bad portrayal by Cumberbatch and Freeman) and if these two here (Albers, Rühmann) cannot get me interested in the subject, then maybe nobody can. I also felt that the writers wanted to be too smart at times as the plot twists seemed forced and uninteresting and the film is at its worst when it tries to be dramatically relevant, which is especially at the very end. There is no doubt that Albers and Rühmann have the talent, but in this case the writers did not or at least they did not deliver accordingly. I do not recommend this German take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary character. Thumbs down.
Review of Two Merry Adventurers
