If
Sherlock Holmes had been allergic to dogs, the case of The Hound of the Baskervilles could have turned out much
differently. However, he just so happens to be deathly allergic to cats—that’s
according to Stephen King rather than Conan Doyle. Fortunately, Watson’s powers
of observation and deduction will be sufficient to solve this case while Holmes’
watery eyes uncharacteristically fail him. Years later, a much older Watson
will look back on those fateful events in James Douglas’s The Doctor’s Case (trailer here), which screens during the 2018 Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema.
Decades
ago, Lestrade summoned Holmes and Watson to investigate the murder of Lord
Albert Hull, because it appeared to be a truly classic locked room murder case.
Ironically, Watson now finds himself back in Hull manor, after it has been
transformed into a WWII military hospital, as a patient, no less. Fortunately, the
chief of nurses, Captain Norton is a fan of his Holmes stories, so she listens
eagerly to Watson’s tale. He did indeed solve the mystery, but he also received
an unsettling lesson in human nature.
Although
this adaptation of King’s short story started its life as a so-called “Dollar
Baby,” it is nearly feature length at sixty-five minutes and features a highly
geek notable cast. William B. Davis, the “Cigarette-Smoking Man” in The X-Files is terrific playing against
type as the kindly old Watson, whose eyes honest-to-gosh twinkle. He also
develops a wonderful rapport with Denise Crosby (Tasha Yar in Star Trek: The Next Generation), who is
also quite warm and vigorous as Norton. Michael Coleman (from Once Upon a Time) is similarly earnest
and engaging as the young Watson, while J.P. Winslow is suitably high-handed as
the slightly incapacitated Holmes.
King
himself deserves credit for inventing a somewhat unlikely but still rather
clever mystery. Douglas and “co-director” Leonard Pearl maintain a brisk pace
while slyly observing and tweaking the conventions of Holmesian mysteries. There
is also a stinger that will be pure joy for Holmes fans. It is all quite a
jolly entertaining romp that should appeal to fans of King and Doyle alike, but
the greatest revelation is the hitherto unseen charm and range of Davis. Very
highly recommended, The Doctor’s Case screens
this Saturday (8/11) as part of the Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema.