The Hound of the Baskervilles (2002 film)
Encyclopedia
The Hound of the Baskervilles is a 2002 television adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
's novel of the same name
.
for the BBC
, it was shown on BBC One
on Boxing Day
, 2002. It was directed by David Attwood
, and adapted by Allan Cubitt. The film stars Richard Roxburgh
as Sherlock Holmes
and Ian Hart
as Doctor Watson. Hart would play Watson again in the 2004 TV film Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking
, also written by Cubitt. This particular dramatisation is the first to be shot at the actual location of the novel. The hound was a mix of animatronics and computer generated images
and was created by the same team, Crawley Creatures and Framestore, that provided the dinosaurs for Walking with Dinosaurs
and The Lost World
.
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
's novel of the same name
The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third of four crime novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in The Strand Magazine from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set largely on Dartmoor in Devon in England's West Country and tells the story of an...
.
Production
Produced by Tiger Aspect ProductionsTiger Aspect Productions
Tiger Aspect Productions is a British television production company, particularly noted for its situation comedies. Co-founded by producer Peter Bennett-Jones, its productions have included popular hits such as The Vicar of Dibley and Mr. Bean...
for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, it was shown on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
on Boxing Day
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...
, 2002. It was directed by David Attwood
David Attwood
David Attwood is an English filmmaker.- Filmography :*1989 Killing Time*1990-1993 The Bill, 12 eps*1994 Saigon Baby*1995 The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders*1997 Shot Through the Heart...
, and adapted by Allan Cubitt. The film stars Richard Roxburgh
Richard Roxburgh
Richard Roxburgh is an Australian actor who has starred in many Australian films and has appeared in supporting roles in a number of Hollywood productions, usually as villains.-Early life:...
as Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
and Ian Hart
Ian Hart
Ian Hart is an English stage, television and film actor.-Early life:Hart, the grandson of Irish immigrants, was born in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. He is one of three siblings and was brought up in a Roman Catholic family...
as Doctor Watson. Hart would play Watson again in the 2004 TV film Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking
Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking
Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking is a British television movie originally broadcast on BBC One in the UK on December 26, 2004. Produced by Tiger Aspect Productions, it was written by Alan Cubitt and was a sequel to the same company's adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles,...
, also written by Cubitt. This particular dramatisation is the first to be shot at the actual location of the novel. The hound was a mix of animatronics and computer generated images
Computer animation
Computer animation is the process used for generating animated images by using computer graphics. The more general term computer generated imagery encompasses both static scenes and dynamic images, while computer animation only refers to moving images....
and was created by the same team, Crawley Creatures and Framestore, that provided the dinosaurs for Walking with Dinosaurs
Walking with Dinosaurs
Walking with Dinosaurs is a six-part documentary television miniseries that was produced by BBC, narrated by Kenneth Branagh, and first aired in the United Kingdom, in 1999. The series was subsequently aired in North America on the Discovery Channel in 2000, with Branagh's voice replaced with that...
and The Lost World
The Lost World (2001 film)
The Lost World is a 2001 adaptation of the novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, directed by Stuart Orme and adapted by Adrian Hodges. It was filmed at various locations on the West Coast of New Zealand. The film was produced by the BBC and broadcast on BBC1 in the United Kingdom and A&E in the United...
.
Critical reaction
Richard Scheib of The Science-Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Film Review called the film "one of the best Sherlock Holmes screen adaptations to date, and arguably the best of all screen versions of The Hound of the Baskervilles that we have." Pamela Troy of CultureVulture.net wrote, "There's a lot that may outrage fans of the original novel, but this is, nonetheless, a respectful, interesting, and worthwhile adaptation." Charles Prepolec of the Sherlock Holmes fansite BakerStreetDozen.com wrote, "In the end, it is a compelling, if somewhat infuriating, film to watch. Not a great Holmes film, and certainly not the greatest version of this story, but it is fascinating television drama."Cast
- Richard RoxburghRichard RoxburghRichard Roxburgh is an Australian actor who has starred in many Australian films and has appeared in supporting roles in a number of Hollywood productions, usually as villains.-Early life:...
- Sherlock HolmesSherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve... - Ian HartIan HartIan Hart is an English stage, television and film actor.-Early life:Hart, the grandson of Irish immigrants, was born in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. He is one of three siblings and was brought up in a Roman Catholic family...
- Doctor Watson - Richard E. GrantRichard E. GrantRichard E. Grant is a Swaziland-born British actor, screenwriter and director. His most notable role came in the film Withnail and I. He holds dual British and Swazi citizenship.-Early life:...
- Jack Stapleton - Matt DayMatt DayMatthew "Matt" Day is an Australian actor best known for his film and television roles.-Early life and career:Matt Day was born in Melbourne in 1971...
- Sir Henry Baskerville - John NettlesJohn NettlesJohn Vivian Drummond Nettles, OBE is an English actor, historian and writer who is best known for playing the lead roles in Bergerac and Midsomer Murders.-Early life:...
- Dr. James Mortimer - Geraldine JamesGeraldine JamesGeraldine James, OBE is an English actress.-Early life and family:James was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire, to a cardiologist father...
- Mrs. Mortimer - Neve McIntoshNeve McIntosh-Early life:Born in Paisley, Neve McIntosh grew up in Edinburgh, where she attended Boroughmuir High School. She moved to Glasgow to attend the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, after which she was in repertory companies at Perth and at The Little Theatre on the Isle of Mull.-Theatre:She...
- Beryl Stapleton - Ron CookRon CookRon Cook is an English actor who has been active in the theatre, film and television since the 1970s. He is from South Shields, Co Durham, England and is a graduate of Rose Bruford College.- Stage appearances :...
- Barrymore - Liza TarbuckLiza TarbuckLiza Tarbuck is an English actress and television and radio presenter, and daughter of comedian Jimmy Tarbuck.She trained at the National Youth Theatre and RADA graduating in 1986 alongside Clive Owen, Rebecca Pidgeon and Serena Harragin.-Acting:...
- Mrs. Barrymore
Differences from novel
- Sherlock Holmes is shown to be using drugs despite having a challenging case, contrary to his recreational use of cocaine only in the absence of mental exercise.
- Stapleton is depicted to be the anthropologist instead of Mortimer. Mortimer's (or Stapleton's) interest in entomology is omitted.
- This version portrays a seance performed by Dr. Mortimer's wife. This scene never appeared in the original novel, though a similar scene did appear in the 1939 Basil RathboneBasil RathboneSir Basil Rathbone, KBE, MC, Kt was an English actor. He rose to prominence in England as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in over 70 films, primarily costume dramas, swashbucklers, and, occasionally, horror films...
version of the filmThe Hound of the Baskervilles (1939 film)The Hound of the Baskervilles 1939 mystery film based on the novel The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and is directed by Sidney Lanfield and produced by 20th Century Fox....
. - In this film, the escaped convict Selden attacks Sir Henry in Baskerville Hall. In the novel, Selden is largely only spoken of until his death.
- Stapleton murders his wife in this film. At the end of the novel, Mrs. Stapleton is found bound and gagged in an upstairs room of Merripit House.
- Sir Henry is seriously mauled by the hound in the film whereas in the novel, Holmes and Watson arrive in time to prevent any true harm from coming to Sir Henry.
- The film actually features the mythical Black Dog.
- In the novel, Stapleton loses his footing in the Grimpen Mire and presumed to have drowned. In the movie, Holmes gets stuck in the quicksand with Stapleton looming over to kill him, only to be shot in the head by a wounded Watson.
- Arthur Frankland and his daughter Laura Lyons are completely omitted.
- In the novel, Holmes speculates on various methods that Stapleton could have used to acquire the inheritance of Baskerville Hall without anyone suspecting him. In the movie, Stapleton's motives are clearly established as being based on nothing more than a personal vengeance against the family that disinherited his father.
Trivia
- A cut edition of the film exists, excising the two scenes depicting Holmes's use of drugs. This cut has been shipped internationally and is the edition the film is broadcast in for BBC repeats.
- Richard E. Grant also portrayed Mycroft HolmesMycroft HolmesMycroft Holmes is a fictional character in the stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. He is the elder brother of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes.- Profile :...
in Sherlock: Case of Evil. - Richard Roxburgh went on to portray Professor MoriartyProfessor MoriartyProfessor James Moriarty is a fictional character and the archenemy of the detective Sherlock Holmes in the fiction of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Moriarty is a criminal mastermind, described by Holmes as the "Napoleon of Crime". Doyle lifted the phrase from a real Scotland Yard inspector who was...
in The League of Extraordinary GentlemenThe League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (film)The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a 2003 superhero film adaptation loosely based on characters from the comic book limited series The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore, who is also famous for Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell. It was released on July 11, 2003, in the...
, released the following year from this film. - Geraldine James, who played Mrs. Mortimer, went on to play Mrs. Hudson in 2009's Sherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes (2009 film)Sherlock Holmes is a 2009 action-mystery film based on the character of the same name created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The film was directed by Guy Ritchie and produced by Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey and Dan Lin. The screenplay by Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham and Simon...
.