Line #15 Film/MurderAtTheBaskervilles


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1937_murderatthebaskervilles_affiche.jpg]]
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3	''Murder at the Baskervilles'' (a.k.a. ''Silver Blaze'') is a 1937 British, black-and-white crime and mystery film, based loosely on Creator/ArthurConanDoyle's short story "Silver Blaze". It was directed by Thomas Bentley, and was produced by Twickenham Film Studios Productions. It stars Arthur Wontner as Franchise/SherlockHolmes, and Ian Fleming ([[Creator/IanFleming no, not that one]] despite what some sources say) as Dr. Watson.
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5	Sherlock Holmes takes a vacation and visits his old friend Sir Henry Baskerville. His vacation ends when he suddenly finds himself in the middle of a double-murder mystery. Now he's got to find Professor Moriarty and the horse Silver Blaze before the great cup final horse race.
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7	''Murder at the Baskervilles'' was the last in a series of five Sherlock Holmes films starring Wontner. The other instalments consisted of:
8	* ''Film/TheSleepingCardinal'' (1931)
9	* ''The Missing Rembrandt'' (1932, lost film)
10	* ''Film/TheSignOfFourSherlockHolmesGreatestCase'' (1932)
11	* ''The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes'' (1935, adapted from ''Literature/TheValleyOfFear'')
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13	!!''Murder at the Baskervilles'' contains examples of:
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15	* AccidentalMurder: Straker is kicked to death Silver Blaze while attempting to lame the horse.
16	* AdaptationExpansion: The short story "Silver Blaze" is expanded by including the return of Sir Henry Baskerville (from ''Literature/TheHoundOfTheBaskervilles''), a romantic subplot involving Sir Henry's daughter Diana, and the involvement of Professor Moriarty in the Silver Blaze scam.
17	* BlindfoldedTrip: Stanford is blindfolded when being brought to or taken from Moriarty's hideout.
18	* BusmansHoliday: Sherlock Holmes finally gives in to Watson's urging that he needs to takes a holiday, and accepts an invitation from Sir Henry Baskerville to visit him in Exeter. No sooner does he arrive than he is confronted with a case involving a double murder and a stolen racehorse.
19	* DramaticDrop: When Simpson tells Mrs Straker that Hunter is dead, she drops the teacup she is holding.
20	* FixingTheGame: Moriarty attempts to ensure that Silver Blaze loses the Cup: first by extorting Straker into laming the horse, and then by shooting the jockey during the race.
21	* HijackedByGanon: The filmmakers inserted Professor Moriarty into the events of the Literature/SherlockHolmes short story "The Adventure of Silver Blaze" in order to [[AdaptationExpansion beef up the running time]]. However, for Holmes fans, it seems ludicrous that Moriarty would be taking a personal hand in so trivial a crime as [[FixingTheGame fixing a horse race]].
22	* MarketBasedTitle: The film's original British title is ''Silver Blaze''. It was changed to ''Murder at the Baskervilles'' for its American release in an attempt to cash in on the Creator/BasilRathbone film ''The Hound of the Baskervilles''.
23	* PistolWhipping: Price knocks Watson out by rapping him over the back of the head with a pistol.
24	* TamperingWithFoodAndDrink: Hunter is murdered when powdered opium is slipped into his curried lamb.
25	* TapOnTheHead: Price knocks out Watson by rapping him over the back of the head with a pistol. Watson does not stay unconscious long.
26	* TrappedByGamblingDebts: Moriarty buys up Straker's debts and uses them to extort him into complying with his scheme to nobble Silver Blaze.
27	* VehicularAssault: Moriarty's chauffeur Price rams Holmes' car and knocks it off the road on the moors, after Moran first shoots it up with the automatic airgun.
28	* WeaponizedCamera: Colonel Moran uses a high-powered airgun concealed within a movie camera to shoot the jockey of Silver Blaze.
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Context Film / MurderAtTheBaskervilles