Movie Review: The Scarlet Claw (1944)

The movie stars Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Paul Cavanagh, Kay Harding and Arthur Hohl.

As I have done with a few other movies this summer, I watched this film, over the course of the past couple days, before going to work. I picked this particular film because it was one I wasn't familiar with. As it turns out, it was one of the better Sherlock Holmes movies I've watched.

The thing I found I liked best about this movie was the multiple mysteries. First, Holmes (Rathbone) had to prove Lady Penrose (Gertrude Astor) was murdered by a human rather than a supernatural creature. Then, to learn who the killer was, he first had to figure out her connection with a local judge (Miles Mander) and a relatively-new innkeeper (Hohl) because they appeared to be the next victims. 

Even when he figured out the killer's identity, the mystery wasn't over. This is because that person was able to change his appearance and, as Holmes deduced, likely integrated himself in the community as several different people. This meant he could walk into a crowded room and not know who the killer was or even if he was there.

I also found I loved how many of the supporting characters did their best to be suspicious. Lord Penrose (Cavanagh), for example, didn't really seem all that broken up over her death and his reluctance to cooperate with Holmes did seem suspicious. Plus, when you don't have an apparent motive, it pretty much makes everyone in the village a suspect.

Another thing I liked about this movie was the way Holmes was willing to push the envelope a bit more than I've seen him push it in other films. He examined Lady Penrose's body without permission, broke into a house in search of evidence and put his life on the line a couple times in an effort to draw out the killer. This gave the movie a bit more excitement than it might otherwise have had, especially since, again, the killer could be anybody.

This is a decent classic murder mystery that I definitely enjoyed watching. If you haven't seen it, I do recommend it.

My Grade: A