With such a classic story, turned on its head in a comedic way (different and could have been funny), and with an array of fine talent with great experience in comedy, 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' could have worked as a guilty pleasure. That was not to be.
Thought 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' an abomination when first seeing it. Was hoping it would be better than remembered on re-watch, that's happened with some re-watches though a majority are about the same. As much as it pains me to say it, it's still an abomination. Not just as an adaptation of the story, done in a comedic way and with only the title, the basic structure and characters names intact, on that front by far the worst version (yes worse than Matt Frewer's and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would not be proud if he saw this). Also on its own terms and a comedy and as a film.
One of the worst and most shameful wastes of talent there's been and the tagline "Sherlock Holmes has never been like this" doesn't lie, and that is not in a good way. Can't think of many good things here, Denholm Elliot doesn't come over as badly as the others and does his best, so that's one thing in 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' favour.
Rest of the cast are used poorly and the broadness of the style of the acting goes well overboard and often in a vulgar way. Peter Cook overdoes it and brings no subtlety or nuance whatsoever to balance out the trying-too-hard nature of his acting, while Dudley Moore is an embarrassment. There are a lot of familiar faces but as said they are generally wasted (Terry-Thomas deserved a much better final film than this, easily one of the worst final films for any actor, and Spike Milligan is even more wronged), stuck in crass roles (Joan Greenwood in one of the film's most distasteful opening scenes) or made to go far too over-the-top to painful degrees (Kenneth Williams).
Production values are amateurishly shabby to the extent one has to check that the film was from 1978, it sure doesn't look like it and actually looks worse than most 1950s films. The music score is really out of place in style and placement, like it was written for something else entirely. The direction is barely competent and shows a director clearly ill at ease with the material and not knowing how to direct it.
Worst of all is that 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' has no atmosphere whatsoever for such a suspenseful story and is never once funny. The one legged man comes off least badly but still doesn't work, due to the overlong repetition and that it feels like a re-hash of earlier Cook/Moore material. The humour is an all over the map mix of tastelessness, repetition, pointlessness and dragged out.
In conclusion, a disastrous dogs dinner. 1/10 Bethany Cox
Thought 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' an abomination when first seeing it. Was hoping it would be better than remembered on re-watch, that's happened with some re-watches though a majority are about the same. As much as it pains me to say it, it's still an abomination. Not just as an adaptation of the story, done in a comedic way and with only the title, the basic structure and characters names intact, on that front by far the worst version (yes worse than Matt Frewer's and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would not be proud if he saw this). Also on its own terms and a comedy and as a film.
One of the worst and most shameful wastes of talent there's been and the tagline "Sherlock Holmes has never been like this" doesn't lie, and that is not in a good way. Can't think of many good things here, Denholm Elliot doesn't come over as badly as the others and does his best, so that's one thing in 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' favour.
Rest of the cast are used poorly and the broadness of the style of the acting goes well overboard and often in a vulgar way. Peter Cook overdoes it and brings no subtlety or nuance whatsoever to balance out the trying-too-hard nature of his acting, while Dudley Moore is an embarrassment. There are a lot of familiar faces but as said they are generally wasted (Terry-Thomas deserved a much better final film than this, easily one of the worst final films for any actor, and Spike Milligan is even more wronged), stuck in crass roles (Joan Greenwood in one of the film's most distasteful opening scenes) or made to go far too over-the-top to painful degrees (Kenneth Williams).
Production values are amateurishly shabby to the extent one has to check that the film was from 1978, it sure doesn't look like it and actually looks worse than most 1950s films. The music score is really out of place in style and placement, like it was written for something else entirely. The direction is barely competent and shows a director clearly ill at ease with the material and not knowing how to direct it.
Worst of all is that 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' has no atmosphere whatsoever for such a suspenseful story and is never once funny. The one legged man comes off least badly but still doesn't work, due to the overlong repetition and that it feels like a re-hash of earlier Cook/Moore material. The humour is an all over the map mix of tastelessness, repetition, pointlessness and dragged out.
In conclusion, a disastrous dogs dinner. 1/10 Bethany Cox