dglink Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce team up for the fourth time as Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson for Universal Studios's second entry in their 1940's Holmes series, "Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon." Based on a story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, "The Dancing Men," the plot revolves around a scientist, Dr. Franz Tobel, who is secretly brought to London from Switzerland by Holmes; Tobel has invented a bomb-sight that will provide a strategic military advantage to the side that possesses it. Wisely, the propaganda has been tempered significantly from the previous film in the series, although the Nazis remain the enemy and Holmes makes a short patriotic speech that brings the film to a satisfying close.Rathbone hit his stride as Holmes with this film; his performance is strong, and he evidently relishes the opportunities offered by the script to demonstrate Holmes as a master of disguise. Bruce embodies Watson, the amusing side kick, although herein he provides enough valuable support to show that he is not a bumbling fool. Lionel Atwill returns from "The Hound of the Baskervilles" to reprise his role as Moriarty; enlisted to aid the Nazis in retrieving the bomb-sight, the dastardly professor is a fine match for Holmes. The interplay between the two is particularly amusing when Holmes taunts Moriarty about his mundane methods to murder him; showing contempt for the professor's plan to use a gun, Holmes details his own ingenious method, which Moriarity obligingly utilizes. Dennis Hoey makes the first of several appearances in the series as Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard; his amusing take complements Watson, and Lestrade becomes a welcome third party to the famous pair. Mary Gordon also returns with her fourth appearance of many as Mrs. Hudson, Holmes's understanding housekeeper at 221B Baker Street.The lustrous black-and-white cinematography by Lester White is a major asset and often uses deep dramatic shadows, especially in the exterior studio-lot shots, and occasionally hints at an expressionist bent. Director Roy William Neill keeps the pace of "Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon" moving, and the plot is suitably challenging for the skills of Holmes. After a shaky start to the Universal Holmes series, the second outing is decidedly first rate. Rathbone is at his best in his iconic role; the superfluous propaganda has been ratcheted down; Holmes's nemesis, Moriarty, is a formidable opponent; and the movie is solid entertainment.

LeonLouisRicci This is the Second and Best of the Three Basil Rathbone Movies with Holmes set During WWII. Although the Conceit of Modernizing Sherlock has Purist Pontificating Endlessly about the Blasphemy, Truth is that the Rathbone-Bruce Series Probably did more to Reinstate Arthur Conan Doyle's Consulting Detective to the Public's Consciousness than Anything Else.The Updated Movies were All Fun and with Rathbone's Energetic Performances and a Striking and Sometimes Dark Style were just Dandy. Here He dons Three Rather Impressive Disguises (a Holmes trademark), is Near Horrific Death on Two Occasions, and must in the End Battle Wits with His Arch Nemesis Professor Moriarty (Lionel Atwill).Some of the Military Stuff is Clunky and the there is a Weak Female Participant, but it is the First in the Series to Include Holmes Link to Scotland Yard, Inspector Lestrade (Dennis Hoey), "Always glad to have you hanging around Mr. Holmes". Listen Up for the Throwaway Lines, one about that Well Known German Author William Shakespeare and the other about the Needle. Yes, Fun Stuff.

matchettja This Holmes' film and the story it is supposedly based on, "The Adventure of the Dancing Men", bear little resemblance to one another. The latter takes place in Victorian England. A country squire calls upon Holmes because some hieroglyphics in the form of little dancing men has his wife terribly upset. When Holmes deciphers the code he realizes the squire and his wife are in terrible danger and rushes to warn them only to find he has arrived too late. It is among the most imaginative and entertaining of all of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's short stories about the famous detective.In the film version we are transported about fifty years into the future with World War II still in progress. A Swiss scientist has invented a bomb-sight which would spell disaster for the allies should it fall into enemy hands. Sherlock Holmes is called in to help get the scientist and his invention out of Switzerland and into Britain where it is hoped this important weapon will be handed over to British authorities. Instead, the scientist has other plans and divides his bomb-sight into four parts and gives one each to four people he has chosen. However, he takes the trouble to write down a message of little dancing men with instructions that it be given to Holmes should he turn up missing. When that becomes the case, Holmes finds himself face to face with his greatest adversary, Professor Moriarty, who has turned against king and country for the ample reward he will gain for delivery of the bomb-sight.There are a number of plot holes, one of them being the speed at which Holmes is able to decipher the message of the dancing men without the aid of a key. In the original story it takes hours of study for him to do so. Here he does it instantaneously just glancing at the text, a virtual impossibility. However, this occurs to keep up the pace of the film, which never lags. All the Sherlock Holmes Universal pictures are great fun, even the lesser entries such as this one. We see Holmes in disguise no less than three times, the most interesting one being the course brutal seaman designed for the purpose of being taken to the crime boss, who, as played by Lionel Atwill, always seems to be a step or two behind the resourceful detective. Holmes, however, must rely on the aid of his faithful associate, Watson, and Inspector Lestrade to get him out of some tight spots. This is one time neither of them is shown bungling things up as they actually handle matters quite well. Watch for Moriarty's "the needle to the end" comment, an obvious reference to Holmes' cocaine usage. Though "Secret Weapon" doesn't measure up to the short story the credits say it is based on, it has merits of its own. Rathbone and Bruce never fail to deliver.

dougdoepke I was a little puzzled by the opening scene with Rathbone in disguise and involved in a heavy conspiratorial discussion in a beer bar. It seems like a set-up scene is missing. At times, plot developments are difficult to follow, although the core conflict is a solid one-- the Allies must get an innovative new bombsight before the Nazis. Unlike most entries in the series, this one lacks an icy spider woman like a Gale Sondergaard or a Hillary Brooke. Instead, Holmes is dueling it out with his arch-nemesis Prof. Moriarty, the sinister Lionel Atwill in an unusually understated performance. The final 20 minutes adds up to a pretty good nail-biter. Having Scotland Yard race against time before Holmes is bled to death is both novel and suspenseful. Then too, cracking the "dancing man" code makes for another intriguing sequence. Based on a Conan Doyle short story "Dancing Men", the screen adaptation cleverly integrates Doyle's material into modern tale of espionage. Of course, WWII was still hanging in the balance in 1943, which explains Holmes' stirring brief soliloquy to plucky little England at movie's end. Out of that context, it now sounds rather artificial. Nonetheless, except for occasional gaps in story development, this is an engaging and atmospheric little programmer.