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Topic: PEARL OF DEATH Niles Films 400 foot Super 8mm Condensation

Brian Paul Cook
Film Handler

Posts: 54
From: Champaign, IL 61820
Registered: Feb 2010

posted October 09, 2010 12:21 AM

Niles films for the most part did a fine job in editing down the classic Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes feature THE PEARL OF DEATH. As I have said before, it really takes a great deal of talent and expertise to edit down beloved films to shortened versions, especially the 200 foot cutdowns. I have reached a point in my viewing life where I am barely able to watch the 200 foot condensations, no matter how good a job the editors do. It's like eating the neck of a fried chicken. It's just barely worth it. Having said that, I still seek them out and will pick up one I haven't seen before. But back to this 400 foot cutdown and the much more satisfying length for sitting down with a film (in this writer's opinion). PEARL starts off with Holmes' bungled demonstration of the failings of the art museum's new alarm system. He picks the worst time to unplug the whole system to prove a point and master thief Giles Conover makes off with the priceless pearl of the title. Anyone who has seen the film knows that Conover keeps company with the lovely Evelyn Ankers and the very unlovely Rhondo Hatton, known to his fans as THE CREEPER. It is the Creeper that makes the film work as well as it does and Niles wisely chose to include three major Creeper scenes in the edited version. Sherlock Holmes name is mud after the museum fiasco and it is now up to him and to his faithful companion, the charming Nigel Bruce to restore his good name by locating the stolen pearl and ending the series of murders perpetrated by the Creeper. There are enough scenes revealing little bits of the plot along with newspaper clippings to form a coherent storyline for the viewer. Holmes disguises himself as the final character, an elderly doctor who possibly possesses the pearl, luring Conover and the Creeper into a trap. He succeeds in obtaining the PEARL OF DEATH as well as turning the Creeper against his cohort in crime Giles Conover. After breaking Conover's back, as is his usual custom in all of his films, Rhondo Hatton starts lumbering after Holmes, who is forced to empty his revolver into the deformed giant. Holmes rolls the pearl around in his fingers as he delivers the films closing message concerning world dominion and the evil in man. Unlike some of these little moral wrap ups to the Holmes films, this one isn't bad. And neither is this little 18 minute cutdown of the original. I suppose it could be better, but exactly how I don't know. The print is very nice... certainly a B or B+. The 'END' title is missing though which seems odd when you consider Niles had the other Holmes films from which to pull an end title. Oh well. And one more thing... Rhondo Hatton. It's hard to arrive at any kind of opinion on the man, his acting, and whether or not he was being exploited by the studios. He certainly would be considered a victim of the system today, but appearing in those forties B-films...he may have been having the time of his life. We'll never really know.

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Brian Paul Cook

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Michael O'Regan
Film God

Posts: 3085
From: Essex, UK
Registered: Oct 2007

posted October 09, 2010 03:30 AM

In those days, EVERY actor was being exploited by the studios. Hatton's condition probably led to his being typecast but no more exploited than, say, Marilyn Monroe for her own physical ...ahem, condition!

I watched the UCLA rextoration of this film the other night and it's one of the better in the series, IMO.
[Smile]

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Brad Kimball
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1171
From: Highland Mills, NY USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted October 09, 2010 11:35 PM

Brian, I agree with your assessment of 200'ers. They seem all too brief (at 24fps). You spend an equal amount of time threading and rewinding as you do viewing. I've always felt the silent 200'ers, which are identical to their sound counterparts, were not as dis-satisfying because they were often shown at 18fps and therefore seemed longer. The 400'ers are definitely the way to go. I have this one and several other NILES Holmes cutdowns and I agree they are not altogether bad. Most of what NILES put out was sheer crap (their prints of "It's A Wonderful Life" and "Babes In Toyland" are just awful), but the Holmes series was actually done with care (possibly because they were on loan out from Universal) and NILES didn't want the studio to suffer lender's remorse if they had been disappointed with the finished product.

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Tony Stucchio
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 625
From: New Jersey
Registered: Dec 2005

posted October 10, 2010 06:58 PM

I have the full-feature and the quality is excellent -- as are the other Holmes titles released by Niles that I've seen (all but about 4 or 5.) My TERROR BY NIGHT is from Hollywood Film Exchange
and is just a notch below Niles quality -- mostly because of the sound.

I'm curious if the cut-downs have the same quality -- Brian gives it a B+. I would probably give the full-feature an A.

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Brian Paul Cook
Film Handler

Posts: 54
From: Champaign, IL 61820
Registered: Feb 2010

posted October 10, 2010 08:01 PM

Brad,
That has a ring of truth to it that Niles might have put some additional effort into the product due to feeling they were fortunate in having been given the opportunity by Universal to release these classic films. They certainly didn't follow that same path with most of their releases. The consistency within prints of the same title really fluctuated a lot as well. I actually drove over to Niles back in the seventies and complained about two prints I purchased from them having seen other Niles copies of the same films that were decent. They took them back (WHITE ZOMBIE and RETURN OF CHANDU) and gave me prints in exchange that were much better (though WHITE ZOMBIE was still pretty terrible).

It's good to hear that most of the Holmes films look good. I just put a want ad on the forum and am looking for them. It seems like maybe collectors want to hang on to their copies.
Thanks,
Brian

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Brian Paul Cook

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