Masterpiece Theatre | The Hound of the Baskervilles

In the Classroom

Teachers and students of British literature who are familiar with the Victorian London of Charles Dickens and the lonely moors of Emily Bront‘ës Wuthering Heights will find The Hound of the Baskervilles a worthy and fascinating addition to that canon. Because the Holmes stories were popular fiction in their day -- just as mystery, crime, and detective stories continue to be today -- they illuminate the mores, values, and beliefs of the Victorian era in a way that students will find inviting and accessible.

Teachers may also consider using this film and novel as part of a genre unit on the mystery story. Students will recognize the inßuence of Conan Doyle's tale (not only as a detective story but as a horror story as well) on much of today's popular fiction, film, and television. A unit anchored by this text might include everything from Edgar Allan Poe's mystery stories, to Wilkie Collins's The Moonstone or The Woman in White, to contemporary writers such as Walter Mosley.

About the Film
Sherlock Holmes is the single most filmed fictional character in the world. From a silent 1929 film, to the famous Basil Rathbone movie in 1939, to numerous television versions, The Hound of the Baskervilles has found a new audience in every generation since it first appeared. This new film of The Hound of the Baskervilles, directed by David Attwood, is the latest of at least 17 versions of the novel adapted for stage and screen since 1907. It stars Richard Roxburgh as Holmes, Ian Hart as Watson, and Richard E. Grant as Stapleton.

Although this film is part of the Holmes tradition, it also offers a new approach to the classic tale. The filmmakers have included details such as Holmes's experimentation with forensic science (not depicted in the novel, but part of other Holmes stories). They have added a séance scene that, as screenwriter Allan Cubitt notes, "helps focus the contrast between the supernatural and the rational" that pervades the story. This version also features a state-of-the-art hound, a creature brought to life by animation artists who studied the movements of police dogs to create a "hound of hell" both realistic and terrifyingly unreal.

Teacher's Guide:
In the Classroom | Viewing Strategies | Plot Summary
The Era of Sherlock Holmes | Before Viewing Questions
After Viewing Questions | Sherlock Holmes as Icon
Novel into Film | The Mystery Genre | Detective's Log | Resources
Teacher's Guide Credits | eNewsletter Sign-up

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