When several young women are being killed in London with the only connection being that each woman has one finger severed, the police initially believe that it is the work of a madman Jack The Ripper type serial killer. All fingers (no pun intended) point to Sir George Fenwick when he is found in possession of a victim's finger. However, when Fenwick is found dead, a short time later Holmes starts to suspect that somebody else is behind the killings...
This is now the 7th Rathbone/Bruce Sherlock Holmes film that I've seen, and whilst I haven't come across a bad film in the series as of yet I definitely have some that I prefer to others. The Woman In Green is a slightly weaker offering, but it still isn't totally without merit....
Despite its modest running time (as was the case with the majority of these 40's Holmes film) Woman In Green is a little on the slow side and whilst it does improve once it gets going things don't hang together quite as well narratively (the hypnotic angle is a little unconvincing, but then again this is subjective and depends on whether you believe in this sort of thing - I'm a little sceptical truth be told).
Still outside of any narrative weaknesses, Rathbone is as terrific as always and deserves much praise. However, it's Nigel Bruce that often steals the show and as the bumbling Doctor Watson I find him growing on me more and more with each passing film - I can't deny that the entire scene surrounding his hypnotism from start to finish was hilarious to watch. I have to admit that I missed Lestradt and found Boulton's more straight-laced role of Gregson to be a much less interesting alternative.
There are the usual plot twists and turns, but they are a tad more predictable and a bit more disappointing in this film (having said that though I'm seven films in now so perhaps they are just getting easier to spot by now). In some films I've felt and seen Holmes' vulnerability, but not here I always felt that he was in control which again took away from the film slightly.
It may seem like I'm being a bit harsh on Woman In Green and I don't mean to be (it is a good film), but the bar has been set so high with some of the other Rathbone/Bruce films (such as the wonderful Adventures of Sherlock Holmes) that I feel that the criticism that I've levied against Woman In Green is justified when it's placed alongside some of the better Conan Doyle stories.
This is now the 7th Rathbone/Bruce Sherlock Holmes film that I've seen, and whilst I haven't come across a bad film in the series as of yet I definitely have some that I prefer to others. The Woman In Green is a slightly weaker offering, but it still isn't totally without merit....
Despite its modest running time (as was the case with the majority of these 40's Holmes film) Woman In Green is a little on the slow side and whilst it does improve once it gets going things don't hang together quite as well narratively (the hypnotic angle is a little unconvincing, but then again this is subjective and depends on whether you believe in this sort of thing - I'm a little sceptical truth be told).
Still outside of any narrative weaknesses, Rathbone is as terrific as always and deserves much praise. However, it's Nigel Bruce that often steals the show and as the bumbling Doctor Watson I find him growing on me more and more with each passing film - I can't deny that the entire scene surrounding his hypnotism from start to finish was hilarious to watch. I have to admit that I missed Lestradt and found Boulton's more straight-laced role of Gregson to be a much less interesting alternative.
There are the usual plot twists and turns, but they are a tad more predictable and a bit more disappointing in this film (having said that though I'm seven films in now so perhaps they are just getting easier to spot by now). In some films I've felt and seen Holmes' vulnerability, but not here I always felt that he was in control which again took away from the film slightly.
It may seem like I'm being a bit harsh on Woman In Green and I don't mean to be (it is a good film), but the bar has been set so high with some of the other Rathbone/Bruce films (such as the wonderful Adventures of Sherlock Holmes) that I feel that the criticism that I've levied against Woman In Green is justified when it's placed alongside some of the better Conan Doyle stories.