Customer Ratings & Reviews

I got this for my dad’s birthday..it’s great quality and it literally has all the movies all together..don’t have buy them separately..he totally loves it..best birthday present ever

“The Complete Sherlock Holmes” Overpriced? yes. But we have here the entire corpus of the pairing of Nigel Bruce (as Doctor Watson) and Basil Rathbone (as Sherlock Holmes), including even the first two films with Holmes & Watson in period costume. I will not mention here (by way of praeteritio) all of the negative criticism Nigel Bruce received for his bumbling, country-squire interpretation of Watson; nor will I point out the unfortunate plots involving political propaganda and World War II. These films were made during the war-years and I have no idea what people might expect from movies made in the 1940s. Of course many excellent period costume films were made in the 1940s. But someone at Universal decided it would a good idea to update Sherlock Holmes and bring him out of the London fog and hansom cabs of the Victorian/Edwardian eras. But not all of the plots of these films concern World War II or WWII political propaganda and some even have very good stories, plots and scripts, e.g., “S.H. and the Scarlet Claw”, which is supposed to take place in Canada. Rathbone’s hairdo in a couple of films is rather wild (especially in “S.H. in Washington”)—with a rather startling comb-over or, more accurately, comb-forward. But it is worth pointing out that Basil Rathbone (one of my favorite actors) should be remembered as a highly educated actor (he had studied Latin & Greek), versatile and with a wonderful sense of humor, quite unlike some of his screen villains, like the Marquis St Evremonde in “A Tale of Two Cities” (1935) or Mr Murdstone in “David Copperfield” (1933). As far as his sense of humor goes, one anecdote should suffice. Mr Rathbone—in the manner of Leslie Nielsen—had acquired a very realistic-looking pile of fake dog-poo at a local joke-shop. He strategically placed the poo right in the path of the only door to a soundstage and he waited for the inevitable results. Some visiting schoolchildren were in on the conspiracy. Humphrey Bogart stepped in the fake poo and, in typical Bogey fashion, cussed a blue-streak and exhibited absolutely no sense of humor at all. Rathbone was also skilled in swordplay, as a viewing of “Robin Hood” with Errol Flynn attests. Another thing worth mentioning is the diction of actors appearing in films before, say, the 1960s. Actors like Rathbone and Bruce had classical training and elocution lessons. As a result, the audience can hear and, what’s more important, understand each and every word. In those days there was no room for mumbling, slurred speech or method acting. That came later with Marlon Brando, who sounds as if he learned English from a Korean record album played at the wrong speed (to paraphrase Clive James). Back to this DVD collection: Yes, it is rather expensive. But, because the entire collection of the Rathbone–Bruce teaming is here presented, I would say that it is definitely worth the steep price, especially if you, like me, are a die-hard Sherlock Holmes fan.

So much fun to relax and enjoy the most charming Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce sleuthing their way through a beautiful black and white world of mystery and suspense. Well worth the money.

These old movies with Basil Rathbone are simply not to be missed. They are great Hollywood Classics that are still enjoyable today.

The quality is excellent. I am extremely happy with this purchase. I plan to get more in the future.

I couldn't have been happier. The movies were excellent quality. A must for Holmes fans

Love the whole collecton, good price, bestbuy has a lot of movies to choose from

The great Basil Rathbone in 14 classic movies. Doesn't get any better than that.

the absolute best collection; well worth the money

Been searching for this collection for years! Restored by the Film Preservation Center at UCLA, Contains all the Sherlock Holmes films starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. And it was on sale.

Rathbone is Sherlock Holmes to most people who grew up watching these movies. UCLA did a great job restoring this series and it is a must own for all Holmes fans. The standout films are Hound of the Baskervilles, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Scarlet Claw. Nigel Bruce plays Watson and a good cast of actors are in the movies. Very entertaining series and worth the price.

Considering my cousin and I watched these on a snowy UHF TV station WKBS from Philadelphia, These were great to see again after 60 years with such detail. While many actors played Holmes over the years Rathbone will for me always be the definitive Holmes.

The DVD's are in a sturdy case that protects the surfaces well. The restored 14 movies have quality picture and sound. They all have subtitles for the hearing impaired and six of them, probably the best titles, have commentary packed with pertinent information.

Love Basil Rathbone as Sherlock, and Dr. Watson is hilarious. Best Buy has the best price of any site on this entertaining collection.

The customer service department was great. The items arrived on time and very well packaged. Would definitely use Best Buy mail order service again. Very well pleased with everything. Thanks a lot for your help.

For all Sherlock Holmes fans of Basil Rathbone this is a must have buy. All of the films have been restored to pristine condition for viewing enjoyment. I strongly recommend this item in every way for fun viewing.

A must for Holmes fans. Preserved but not restored. A special feature explained the difference. Still a good picture and sound quality for that old of a movie.

The cast of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce to me are the true and original Sherlock Holmes duo that I feel comfortable seeing . They are masters of solving the crime. With some humor along the way.

Bought this for my Mother-In-Law for Christmas. She loves it.

These are some of my favorite Sherlock Holmes movies and it’s really nice to have them all in one collection.