Im a big fan of Sherlock Holmes mysteries, whether it is Basil Rathbone, Jeremy Brett, Peter Cushing, Christopher Plummer, among other actors that have played the iconic character over the years. I have seen most of the Holmes films over the years. One I had not heard of until it was announced by Kino Lorber was The Man Who Was Sherlock Holmes, so naturally I decided to give this one a spin once it became available on home video.
The Man Who Was Sherlock Holmes, also known as Two Merry Adventures, is German mystery comedy about two con-men, Morris Flint (Hans Albers, Gold) and Macky(Heinz Rühmann, Hocuspocus), dressed as Holmes and Watson stop a train to solve a crime. Because of what they are wearing and carrying along with them on the train, the crewmen along with some crooks on the train believe the two men are Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. While bringing attention to themselves, they mischievous duo suddenly find themselves in the middle of criminal activity involving counterfeiters and must solve a mystery of some stolen rare stamps.
Hans Albers and Heinz Ruhmann who were major stars in Germany are fantastic in their quasi roles as “Holmes” and “Watson”. They seem to be enjoying their roles as would-be Arthur Conan Doyle’s’ sleuth detective and physician. Both actors along with the other cast members all hand in excellent, professional performances, while the direction by Karl Hartl keeps the film moving along at a balanced pace. This was a fun classic with some great characters that will hold your interest.
The Man Who was Sherlock Holmes arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The black and white full screen transfer in 1080p is impressive with a great deal of details to the characters outfits, and interior shots of the train. The greyscale is perfectly fine and balanced, but the black levels are not quite as strong. There are some issues with contrast such as occasional blurriness and some vertical lines on the left-hand side along with some print damage that appears on occasion. Film grain is present throughout, and no DNR has been applied. Overall, the video is more than serviceable, and the issues are not all that disruptive.
The audio applied for the film, German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 sounds fine with dialog and other action noises coming in crisp and clear. I did not notice any hissing or drop-offs while listening to the film. English subtitles are available in this offering.
There are no extras for this release. Not even a trailer.
The Man Who Was Sherlock Holmes, is a solid entertaining picture that is finally available on Blu-ray. This is another fine release by Kino, despite the lack of supplements. Sometimes it just works out that way. If you have not seen this movie, and enjoy classic cinema, definitely give one this a spin!
The Man Who Was Sherlock Holmes
Director- Karl Hartl
Cast- Hans Albers, Heinz Ruhman
Country of Origin- Germany
Distributor – Kino Lorber
Number of Discs – 1
Reviewed by – David Steigman
Date- 6/26/20