The Missing Rembrandt

The Missing Rembrandt
Directed byLeslie S. Hiscott
Written by
Produced byJulius Hagen
Starring
Cinematography
Edited byJack Harris
Distributed byTwickenham Studios
Release dates
  • February 1932 (1932-02) (UK)
  • 25 March 1932 (1932-03-25) (US)
Running time
84 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Missing Rembrandt (also known as Sherlock Holmes and the Missing Rembrandt, The Case of the Missing Rembrandt, The Strange Case of the Missing Rembrandt and The Adventure of the Missing Rembrandt [1]) is a 1932 British mystery film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Arthur Wontner, Jane Welsh, Miles Mander, and Francis L. Sullivan.[1][2] It was written by H. Fowler Mear and Cyril Twyford, loosely based on the 1904 Sherlock Holmes story "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton" by Arthur Conan Doyle.[3]

It is the second film in the 1931–1937 film series starring Wontner as Sherlock Holmes.[3]

Preservation status

It is considered a lost film.[4][5] The British Film Institute National Archive holds a collection of stills but no film or video materials.[1]

Plot

Sherlock Holmes goes on the trail of a Rembrandt painting, stolen by a drug-addicted artist.

Cast

Reception

Film Weekly wrote: "Smoothly produced but lacking in real thrills or suspense. The more entertaining moments in a rather dull film arise from Arthur Wontner's habit, in the character of Holmes, of pulling Dr. Watson's leg. ... Wontner is, however a good Sherlock Holmes, even if he does not fit in with everybody's conception of the character. Ian Fleming admirably conveys the amiable stupidity of Dr. Watson, and Francis L. Sullivan is a fairly convincing villain."[6]

Kine Weekly wrote: "Arthur Wontner is Holmes personified, and the quality of the entertainment lies principally in his intriguing performance. The directorial work is efficient, a good atmosphere prevails, and the team work of the supporting players is commendable."[7]

The Daily Film Renter wrote: "Tempo very slow, but notable for Arthur Wontner's striking portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, which is an outstanding aspect of the picture."[8]

Variety wrote: "Starting off promisingly with a raid on a Chinese den in Limehouse, the picture reverts after this first sequence to a pace too slow to make for interest. It is not helped any by a poor adaptation which fails to add mental suggestion to the occasional spectacle of people shooting off guns. Real suspense is almost wholly lacking and the story is not made sufficiently graphic to hold the interest."[9]

The New York Times reviewer wrote that, though it is "slightly changed as to action and entirely as to title, provides both excitement and laughter" and "brings back a number of screen actors who by this time seem to be perfectly at home in their parts."[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "The Missing Rembrandt". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  2. ^ "The Missing Rembrandt". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009.
  3. ^ a b Barnes, Alan (2011). Sherlock Holmes on Screen. Titan Books. pp. 119–121. ISBN 9780857687760.
  4. ^ "The Missing Rembrandt". Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023.
  5. ^ McMullen, Kieran (11 October 2012). The Many Watsons. Andrews UK Limited. p. 89. ISBN 9781780923048.
  6. ^ "The Missing Rembrandt". Film Weekly. 8 (201): 25. 19 August 1932. ProQuest 1705183761.
  7. ^ "The Missing Rembrandt". Kine Weekly. 180 (1296): 33. 18 February 1932. ProQuest 2320689323.
  8. ^ "The Missing Rembrandt". The Daily Film Renter (1562): 5. 15 February 1932. ProQuest 3127048848.
  9. ^ "The Missing Rembrandt". Variety. 106 (3): 24. 29 March 1932. ProQuest 1475759467.
  10. ^ B.W.N. (28 March 1932). "Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes Again". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 16 October 2014.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.