Cathardincu Surprisingly incoherent and boring

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Jacomedi A Surprisingly Unforgettable Movie!

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

TheLittleSongbird Am a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes and get a lot of enjoyment out of Arthur Conan Doyle's stories. Also love Basil Rathbone's and especially Jeremy Brett's interpretations to death. So would naturally see any Sherlock Holmes adaptation that comes my way, regardless of its reception.Furthermore, interest in seeing early films based on Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories and wanting to see as many adaptations of any Sherlock Holmes stories as possible sparked my interest in seeing 'The Masks of Death', especially one with such a great idea with Sherlock Holmes in his twilight retirement years.There are better Sherlock Holmes-related films/adaptations certainly than 'The Masks of Death', the best of the Jeremy Brett adaptations and films of Basil Rathone fit under this category. It's also not among the very worst, although one of the lesser ones overall, being much better than any of the Matt Frewer films (particularly 'The Sign of Four') and also much better than the abominable Peter Cook 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'.By all means, 'The Masks of Death' is not without imperfections. The story is not always focused, with a few too many abrupt shifts and characters coming and going. Some of the pace could have been tighter.Ray Milland to me also seemed ill at ease and out of place, ill health showing and not gelling with the period.However, 'The Masks of Death' looks handsome in period detail and is filmed nicely if not lavishly. Roy Ward Baker's direction gets the best out of the cast and keeps the mystery interesting, while the writing is intelligent, literate and probes though.While not perfect in execution, the story is intriguing with a quiet nostalgia and subtle tension. Most of the pacing is swift. The ending is chilling. Peter Cushing is an excellent Holmes and shares a charming chemistry with John Mills' equally good Watson. A legendary literary partnership done justice. Anne Baxter's Irene Adler beguiles. Cast is fine on the whole, with the only reservation being Milland. Overall, well done. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Prof-Hieronymos-Grost A now retired Holmes (Peter Cushing) is called on one last time to assist Scotland Yard with a strange case, that they can shed no light on. Three bodies have been found, one in the Thames and two others in Whitechapel, all bearing a hideous look of fear on their faces, but all showing no signs of cause of death. Holmes is intrigued enough to take the case and with Watson (John Mills) in tow he sets out to solve it. However before he can, he is called on by the Home Secretary (Ray Milland) and a stranger who wants to keep his identity to himself, their plea is for assistance in the case of a missing German envoy, his disappearance, they claim could cause the outbreak of War between England and Germany. The stranger is Graf Udo Von Felseck (Anton Diffring) a German diplomat close to the Kaiser, Holmes impresses Von Felseck as he deduces both his name and his political affiliation. Holmes takes the case and soon finds himself mixed up with a plot to kill millions, he also gets involved with "That Woman" again, one Irene Adler.(Anne Baxter) Pretty decent TV movie from Tyburn films, with a good intricate plot and a fantastic cast, Cushing even this late in his career shows he still had the mental and physical agility to take on the role.

Chris Gaskin One of the main reasons for purchasing this movie on VHS was because Peter Cushing is in it, who makes a good Sherlock Holmes.Sherlock Holmes comes out of retirement to investigate some strange murders in London's sewers. He teams up with Dr Watson once again. The the case takes them to Buckinghamshire. They end up back in London and down the sewers again, they discover a lab where poison gas is being made and these people are responsible for the murders and are arrested.This movie is worth having just for the cast alone, many of them ageing: Peter Cushing (The Curse Of Frankenstein, Star Wars), Sir John Mills (Scott of the Antarctic, Tiger Bay), Ray Milland (The Man With X-Ray Eyes), Anton Diffring (Circus of Horrors, The Beast Must Die), Gordon Jackson (The Great Escape, The Ipcress File), Anne Baxter (I Confess) and Susan Penhaligon (The Land That Time Forgot). All play good parts. Of these people, only Sir John Mills and Susan Penhaligon are still alive today.I enjoyed this movie ans is worth looking at.Rating: 3 stars out of 5.

hedgehog-10 Peter Cushing gives an excellent performance as Sherlock Holmes in this original story. John Mills give a very good performance as Watson, portraying well a former soldier (which Watson was). The only problem I have with the film is Ray Milland's performance as a British Home Secretary. It just sounds like an American playing a British cabinet member with an American accent!