Included in The Film Detective's THE SHERLOCK HOLMES VAULT COLLECTION Blu-ray set is the first film starring English actor Arthur Wontner as the Great Detective. SHERLOCK HOLMES' FATAL HOUR (1931) was a British production, released in that country as THE SLEEPING CARDINAL.
The story is loosely based on two of Conan Doyle's Holmes tales: "The Empty House" and "The Final Problem". A lady friend of Dr. Watson's asks Holmes to try and convince her brother, one Ronald Adair, to stop cheating at cards. Adair is killed, and during his investigation Holmes discovers a plot involving counterfeit money overseen by the notorious Professor Moriarty.
Arthur Wontner played Sherlock Holmes in five different films in the 1930s (this set from The Film Detective contains three of them). The actor was already 56 years old when he first took on the role, and his Holmes is more avuncular than forceful and incisive. Wontner is very laid back here (but the same could also be said for everything else in the film). He does looks remarkably like the original Sidney Paget illustrations of Holmes that accompanied the Conan Doyle stories.
Dr. Watson, who doesn't get all that much to do in this movie, is played by an actor named Ian Fleming (no, not that one). Minnie Rayner plays Mrs. Hudson, and she gives a much more working-class portrayal of the woman than one usually sees.
I'll avoid naming the actor who plays Prof. Moriarty, since the character is in disguise for most of the story, and he is not revealed until the very end. The addition of the Professor does give some interest to a very slow-moving script.
While watching SHERLOCK HOLMES' FATAL HOUR, one does have to take into account that this is an early sound film made in England, not in Hollywood. It is very talky and static, and Wontner's Holmes is not particularly energetic. The movie was directed by Leslie S. Hiscott, who would work on later Wontner/Holmes entries.
I would rate the visual and audio quality of the film on this Blu-ray as only fair. It's not terrible....but I wouldn't say it is far better than the versions of this title that can be found on YouTube. One thing I noticed is that in a few scenes there is a framing problem--the tops of actors' heads were not on view at the top of the screen.
The Blu-ray comes with a card that has original advertising artwork, and a 10-page booklet entitled ARTHUR WONTNER: TRUE BRIT PART I. In it author Don Stradley gives some basic info on Wontner and his portrayal of Holmes. The booklet is illustrated with a few stills.
The rest of the extras include an audio adaptation of the original Conan Doyle story "The Blue Carbuncle", and the first part of a set-wide interview with independent producer Sam Sherman, who discusses how he first became aware of the Arthur Wontner Holmes films. What is claimed to be the very first Sherlock Holmes film of all, SHERLOCK HOLMES BAFFLED (1900), is here as well. It lasts less than a minute, and it involves a fellow (apparently Holmes) being perplexed by a robber who has the ability to appear and disappear at will. This short was obviously influenced by the work of George Melies.
There's also another silent Holmes-inspired short, this one called A BLACK SHERLOCK HOLMES, produced by the Ebony Film Company and featuring an all African-American cast. This Blu-ray has edited and uncut versions of the short, but the print has deteriorated so badly it is almost unwatchable. Finally, there's an audio commentary by author Jennifer Churchill, who spends most of her time relating various bits of Sherlockian trivia.
The folks at The Film Detective certainly realized that if they were going to come out with a Blu-ray set of movies that are all on YouTube, they had better add some extras to them. The extras are welcome, but there's a sort of randomness to them--I wouldn't say any of them stands out among the others.
The main audience for this set, and this Blu-ray, is those who are absolute Sherlock Holmes fanatics. Arthur Wontner is a very good Holmes, but it must be pointed out that he is more relaxed and kindly than better-known actors who have played the immortal sleuth.
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